borovets samokov or rila hotel?

Hi all

I am thinking of booking for the 24th March any thoughts on hotels.
Canada last 3 years but last minute .com deals seem to have finished this year.So have to be a cheap one is bulgaria ok not expecting much just a cheap break.

I have been ski-ing in Borovets and I wouldn't go again unless I had no other choice, but many people seem to actually like it.

As long as you don't mind the limited pistes and poor infrastructure then you might get on okay, especially if you plan on making full use of the cheap alcohol :D

They seem to have plenty of snow at the moment - 250 upper and 190 lower - and historically the end of March is often quite good, but of course trying to predict how much snow there will be is pretty much only guesswork right now.

The Rila hotel is right next to the piste whereas the Samokov is a bit further away, and there aren't any free ski buses. When I was there a few years ago there was just a horse-drawn carriage you paid for. But I have been in both hotels (just to have a look) and they both seemed fine by Bulgarian standards.

But there are plenty of bargains around for that date in decent resorts - like Igluski are offering free area lift passes and a chalet in Val d'Isere for £500 for that week. But food and drink are definitely much more expensive in France than Bulgaria.

Have fun, anyway, wherever you go :D

Ally

Hi Daz68,

I stayed in the Rila about 4 years ago. Like AllyG, personally I would not return to Borovets unles it was a real last resort, but also, there are many people who seem to enjoy it.

The Rila was just about OK. The rooms are reasonably sized and the hot water never failed. There were some mould issues in the bathrooms, but only up near the ceiling. I have attached some pictures of the room below.

The food, I guess was edible, and certainly plentiful. Every so often something decent turned up on the buffet, and when I was there, there was a cook doing fresh pizzas in the evening and eggs and pancakes (American Style) in the morning.

The biggest downside for me personally was the smoking :shock: I am not joking when I say I have seen "thinner" fog in the UK cause speed restrictions on major roads. It seems that every Bulgarian in the world is a chain smoker :(

I know someone who went to the Samakov, and he says it is similar to the Rila, but with much smaller bedrooms.

I will leave the comments about the skiing to others, as my opinions are well known.

The Rila Hotel..



My Room..









The mould..



And the reason I did not enjoy it :(

I've haven't been to Borovets so I'm not really qualified to post a reply. However, some good friends of ours holidayed there 3 years ago. They have unequivocally stated that they would not return. I think the snow was ok but food, accommodation, equipment hire all poor.

bedrock barney wrote:I think the snow was ok but food, accommodation, equipment hire all poor.

:shock: Oh, the equipment was not so bad, this was the best available from the Rila hire shop..



Frankly, I was not surprised when I saw these coming down the road, just about sums it up for me.

Bulgarian Cowboys..

Thanks for your replys i will leave right till last minute and try and get elsewhere i think.the pic of the mud at bottom of piste clinched it i think :roll:.
Last 2 years in canada paid £400 each for 10 days gutted cant get offers anymore.Wife turned 40 in Feb so had to take her on a sunny holiday to egypt(boring),so bit strapped.
Thanks again