Latest Reviews for Borovets

Bulgaria is lovely and the people are lovely, very child friendly. Food at hotel was boring(eggs every morning with cucumber ham and cheese) not much vareiety for young children. My children lost weight with the lack of decent food. Evening meals were basic, soup, salad, meat and chips, and piece of cake for dessert. Again very basic and monotonous. Hotel was nice and clean, warm and friendly. However hotel was 10/15 mins from resort and at night it gets very dark,very dark and even though it's supposedely safe it has an eerie feel to it. Advise females not to venture around on their own. My only gripe about the resort is the amount of erotic dance clubs that were dotted around the resort, not so child friendly.I counted at least 10, seems odd in such a small resort.However all said, I would still visit the resort again being all the wiser for the Bulagarian people and their culture. One word of warning if booked into a ski school, the instructors do work you hard, 10-12 in morning, 1 hour lunch with group then 1-3 in afternoon. You use muscles you never knew you had and boy do you ache, many people generally drop out after the first few days. Bulgaria is full of beautiful architecture and there are many deserted buildings which is another story ... Enjoy, it's worth the experience.

Holiday
We stayed at The Rila, as part of a 2 centre holiday in Bulgaria, via Balkan. We were glad in a way to escape the routine of Sunny Beach (like Blackpool and Benidorm rolled all into one!)We recommend Sozopol for a beach holiday, we tried it in 2007 (Santa Marina Studios - so so so wonderful!). Going back for the 2nd time in 2008.

Borovets
It is a ski resort, obviously no snow in the summer, but endless walks, horse riding (try the horses up the hill by the ski slope, guide was really friendly and they seemed happier up there than the ones on the road outside the hotel), so wonderful for some fresh air and proper exercise. We had a great time. Be warned about Mount Musala, the Rep said it was hard going but nothing what like I imagined and had to turn back. Not a problem but a long walk back along the mountain and in the cable car alone! My husband made it to the top and photos superb. The 5 (or was it 7?!) Lakes trip as although quite a walk still, but it was easier going and the jeep is great fun! Helishly bumpy! Kids would love it! We had great weather considering how high up int he mountains we were. You also get asked on some free walking trips and also a free half day to Samakov which is worth it as a small town nearby where you see the ";real"; Bulgaria and some great bargains at the market.

There were enough bars and restaurants in the small town (some not open until winter season), to be entertained for a week and the prices were better than Sunny Beach. People seemed more genuine too, not as greedy.

Hotel
The Rila is a large hotel. We were lucky enough to get the ski slope view on the back of the hotel, wonderful views over the slopes. Our balcony was near the top floor and had a table and chairs. I sat very still when out there as not one for heights! The front of the hotel overlooks the car park so not so nice.

Rooms were basic but clean bedding and towels. The hotel could do with a little up-dating and a bit of a polish up (built in the 80s). Then again, it will get bombarded with skiers in the winter, so I can imagine the carpets getting a hammering with all the heavy and wet gear they drag in, so there would be no point making it look ";pretty";.

Food was basic. Nothing fantastic, like alot of buffet food but the service was fine and there was plenty of variety. We tended to eat in one night and out the next for a bit of variety. Mind I had an upset tummy on my last day and from working out what me and my husband had ate differently, as he was fine, it was a meal outside of the hotel. Not sure how as it all seemed well cooked and the restaurants were clean. Just my luck when had a 6 hour coach transfer back to Sunny Beach!

Nice pool area and enough sun beds and there was a solarium, steam room, etc.

Reception was big and airy and had a bar area. Receptionists and Balkan Rep were helpful when needed.

From talking to other people, The Samakov Hotel is very similar standards.

Overall
Would recommend Borovets. I would do the 2 centre option as you get a beach holiday also. Borovets is twinned with Sunny Beach and I think Bansko is twinned with Golden Sands. Bulgaria changes its currency into the Euro 2009 I think so try and go before then. So unbelievably cheap at the minute (cheapest pint we found was 30p! and 3 course meal for 2 with wine for £10!) Mint!

Enjoy your trip!

Andrea and Mick x

This hotel has excellent facilities , the pool area was really good , it was very cold , but it was nice after a day on the slopes ! you could get a massage for £10 for 1 hr !!

The rooms were cleaned every day , the views from the balcony was fantastic !

The food was nice , diff every day .
But as it was so cheap we ate out a few times .

resort facilties were ok , people were very friendly .

Our ski school was at the samokov hotel , our ski instructor was kiko . We couldnt have got a better instructor .We had great laugh.
Ski equipment was good quality .

Good place for food was fancos - excellent pizzas for about £3 .

Good place for drinks were - buz bar for lively music ./ Bar Sunski was nice and cosey . Peters bar had good karaoke.
Smaokov night club was also good .

Will b booking again for next yr

Have just returned from a week at the hotel victoria in Borovets. The hotel, an austrian chalet type building, is a small 14 roomed hotel, situated about a ten minute walk from the resort centre, in a pine forest. the staff were friendly and helpful. the rooms were very good, basic, but clean with plenty of cupboard space and a fridge filled with drinks and chocolate etc. The rooms were cleaned six days days a week and towels changed 7 days a week, there was always hot running water and the hotel was very warm, so much so, we had to sleep with the window open.

Breakfast was a bit limited, with no choice, we had scrambled/fried eggs seven days running, but on an evening, there was a menu with probably two or three choices. (four courses). typical bulgarian foods, salad, soup with bread, a meat course and a cake. I myself am not a fussy eater, but if you are, then you would probably be best off going self catering. Although we had thought there was a free shuttle service to the resort, on our arrival, this was proved wrong. However, on a morning, there was always a taxi waiting outside to take you down to the resort if you preferred (10 lev- about £3,) and on your return, there are plenty of taxis and horses and carts, which was our preferred way to travel back after a hard day on the slopes. On our departure at 4.30 in the morning, the receptionist kindly gave us all a packed lunch. for the journey, which i have never come across before. The locals were very friendly, if not a bit pushy sometimes, waiting outside their restaurants/bars to coax you in. There were many excellent bars and restaurants in the village, our favourites were the golden horn situated by the button lift at the bottom of the main run, and a fantastic restaurant, on the right hand side as you come into the main street, i think it was called sunny's. (with a large red illuminated pizza sign above the door). where they serve fantastic steaks, pizza and pasta dishes. We ate here on our last evening, as wished we had done so before.

The ski school we attended was fantastic. (samakov). Ivo, our instructor had us on the slopes by 9am every morning, and had finished by about 2.30 - 3pm, giving us time to put what we had learned into practice. I have never skiied in my life, and we were all skiing down the blue runs by the end of the week. A celebratory evening was laid on for us with free drinks at the Samokov hotel on our last evening, where we were presented on stage with our certificates by our instructors, and photos were taken of our group classes.

We were so very lucky with the weather, I think Bulgaria is having a nightmare of a year for snow, however we had about 1.5 foot of snow fall in the first three days we were there, which made conditions ideal. Plenty of off piste boarding for my partner, who was a bit dubious about holidaying in Bulgaria, but was very pleasantly surprised. I would definately go to this resort /hotel again, but would probably book last minute next time, to save myself all the weeks of anxiety, as to whether it would snow or not....
An excellent first time ski holiday.

What a fantastic holiday in borovets,Bulgaria,highly recomended.I decided to go skiing for a week to spend some time with my son,i was a bit worried at first because we hadnt skied before.The hotel was directly opposite the nursery slopes,excellent location.we decided to get private skiing lessons from a friendly Bulgarian family from the WHITE MAGIC BAR ,Christo and his daughter Laura,it was half the price,you didnt que for lifts and half price lift pass,however if we went again i probably have group lessons because you got to meet people and it seemed like a lot of fun,even thou the groups were quite big.

Hotel ,cant fault it,very clean,was even cheaper in hotel than bars around.Hotel SAMOKOV next door was good to,bowling,shooting etc.would defo recomend,i would certinly go back with the rest of my family ,very cheap.

Found the Ela Hotel to be absolutely fine. Its rated as a 3* hotel, but I would suggest that by UK standards it is only a 1/2*. The rooms have no coffee/tea making facilities, no telephone, no trouser press, but they do have a TV with lots of english speaking channels available, which is enough entertainment considering you are only in the room to sleep and shower!

The rooms on the ground floor have large-ish balconies and are very spacious, but are quite cramped on the 3rd floor. The rooms are cleaned every day, with clean towels being provided daily. The food is not very good at the hotel, but there are many restaurants and snack shacks that you can grab a bite to eat elsewhere at a very cheap price. Breakfast is a bit of a mish mash, and I would recommend the ham and cheese option as the cooked food was ropey to say the least!

The bar area of the hotel is fantastic, open 24 hours with table waitress service. The Happy Hour runs from 20.00-Midnight every day of the week, offering 2-4-1 cocktails. The price in the bar was more favourable than drinking outside. The waitresses were very helpful and friendly.

The hotel is very centrally located, right next to the Gondola station, and a minutes walk from the main street.

The skiing here is great - and I would especially recommend the ski school. Boro Sports ran the school, and the instructor that I had, Mariana, had been in the Bulgarian Ski Team as a downhill racer. She was brilliant and I would encourage anyone to try to join her classes.

Ski equipment and clothing is a fraction of the price of the UK, and its worth taking some extra cash to pick up some stuff.

The ATMs are a bit hit and miss, so I would recommend taking Levs from the UK, and cash rather than relying on cards. Most of the ATMs were not accepting UK issued cards, only 2 ATMs in the whole resort were useable, however, these also stopped working after 5 days. Nowhere else would take our Debit cards, and this left us having to borrow money until the end of the holiday!! Not a position I would like to be in again. Shops do not accept cards either, even though they display the Visa signs in the doors etc. so don't be caught out.

Just returned from a week stay at Hotel Ela in Borovets. Hotel basic but quite good value for money. Food good but could have been served a little warmer sometimes cold. Hotel in a central location and very near ski lifts. They could however do with changing towels a little more often. Inghams operate a nanny service from the hotel which also arranges for children to have ski lessons this was excellent to say the least. My four year old loved Katie and Mandy and really had a fab time.

However Borovets is not a resort if you are an experienced skier and we were very disappointed with the lifts which at the slightest bit of wind were closed. Out of the seven days that we were there they were only open twice.

Overall though would say that Borovets is good value for money.

Take my advice, do not believe the brochure rating for this hotel. It is in no way, shape or form a 3* hotel, it is rather a budget hotel, with tired, dirty, smokey accomodation, disgusting food and unhelpful staff. My daughter refused to sleep on the bed all week, prefering to sleep on her coat and none of my family could eat in the hotel, the food was this disgusting.

Do not believe what the operators tell you when they say this is all you can expect in a resort such as this. We visited the 3*Ella Hotel just down the road and this was far more acceptable and of a standard most of us would have expected. The food available in the resort proved that it was possible to eat meals which were tasty and reasonably priced, not the case with the meals in this hotel.

The resort was fine, the sking great the hotel a disgrace. We have complained to the tour operator.Do not go there if you have any choice whatsoever.

No real complaints about the Hotel Victoria - is small, cozy and clean. There is limited choice for meal and they are waiter served rather than buffee as at the larger hotels but we always found somethings we liked - 3 courses of good quality food.

It is a little way out of the town centre though, about 10-15min walk, but there are taxis around if need be and it is quite a pretty walk. Not good for mobility problems though.

Balken Holidays were possibly the worst holiday company I have been with though - the reps were at our hotels at very inconvenient times and we never saw them. The skies and equipment we hired were of very poor quality. And unlike the broshure says, the resort is very limiting for beginners and beginner-intermediates. When the cable car to the top is not open (which happens alot due to bad weather) there are no long (greater than 20m) easy runs - just one that can only be reached by going down part of a red run. Signs and maps are poor - very unclear signs (ie. blue arrow is actually a faded black arrow, v.dangerous) and depending on what map you look at, routes are completely different! Also never found half of what was advertised in broshure or other lifts on map. Red runs very steep and icy - only for an advanced intermediate. Balken holidays also failed to mention 1 lift was closed all season for maintence - cutting off 1/3 of the ski area.

Borovets has some nice resturants - Katy's Steak Bar especially - but seems bit run down, and although generally welcoming locals, a Bulgarian will always get served before a tourist - no matter when you arrived and they did.

Overall, would not recommend. Pay a little bit more and go to France/Austria/Italy where runs are better looked after.

The resort is indeed good for beginners just like we thought. Don't forget to book your ski courses and ski hire BEFORE you go, ie book them when you book your holiday. Prices will be double otherwise!.

The Moura hotel reminds me of my student accommodation! .. long ugly corridors .. cheap doors .. vintage carpet ... old furniture ... etc. We were on half board basis, but we couldn't stand the hotel food more than twice! ... breakfast was ok .. but the dinner was tasteless and poor indeed ... eventhough they try to compensate that with salads and deserts !!! ... but still ... their dinner is a NO NO! ... so we ended up eating in restaurants which there are many! .. if we go next time (and we might) we will aim for hotel Rila or Samakov ... anything else is simply not worth it! I cannot believe that Moura is given 3 stars!!!!!

Skiing was good fun and we learned a lot from this one week and managed to ski on harder slopes by the end (easy reds!) .. which many of our groups couldn't do and some didn't even show up the last 3 days! .. the tip is that you have to keep on practicing well after the end of classes ... otherwise you won't be able to catch up!
The airtours reps were great and always there when you need them, especially Ruman ! great guy and very helpful.