Borovets

Borovets is a ski resort situated within a dense pine forest on the northern slopes of the Rila mountains in Bulgaria.  It has gained a reputation, as with most ski resorts in Bulgaria, of being at the budget-end of the ski spectrum, along with Andorra.  It was originally a hunting ground for the Bulgaria royal family and later a recreation facility for the party political leaders.  In the 1960s the decision was made to turn Borovets into a ski resort with the emphasis on package tours.  Borovets is very popular with the British.

The resort is a 90-minute trip through hills lined with silver birches and flatlands from Sofia airport.  Accommodation errs on the side of basic rather than exclusive, but most of the top end range of available hotels are perfectly fine.  The food is also rather rustic, but then when you think of international cuisine, Bulgarian seldom tops your list or tickles your taste buds.

A massive effort has been made in the centre of Borovets to bring it up to the standards of the more expensive ski resorts.  Most restaurants are housed in wooden cabins, giving the place an almost beatnik feel.  Service is excellent, as is the food, and the prices will not suck your funds dry.  The Bulgarians you meet in Borovets are extremely welcoming and delight in making you feel at home and making sure you have a good time.  When it comes to attuning to your partying side, alcohol is ridiculously cheap, which always helps.

The pistes are not to the standard you’d expect in the Alps or the Rockies, but are perfectly serviceable.  Borovets has two ski areas, the lower being Yastrebets at just under 8,000 feet, which is reachable by a six-seater gondola.

The top station has its own eatery, when you can warm yourself up with pork stews and lentil soups whilst enjoying the hospitality and familiarity of the Bulgarian people.

Mount Musala is Bulgaria’s highest peak at around 9,500 feet, and boasts the most spectacular views in the entirety of the country.  There are a series of zig-zagging runs here for the expert skiers.  More enjoyable are the immense but easier runs which zoom down the tree-lined slopes for almost three miles.  You end up far from Borovets itself but transport is on hand to return you to the resort centre.

Skiing the entirety of Borovets will only take you a day or two, so it’s good that the sister resort of Bansko is a commutable distance away.  Here you will find more of what you might come to expect from a skiing holiday, but at an added premium, of course.  Bansko is more obviously geared to attract the numbers, so don’t expect the kind of personal experience Borovets will offer you.

If you want a decent ski-holiday with a quaint level of charm, then Borovets will provide everything you are looking for at a price that is not going to leave your credit cards forever in the red.  Book a ski-holiday to Borovets today for something unique and a little off the normal track when it comes to snow, snowboarding and skis.