Visitor comments on Borovets, Bulgaria

Comment: to see the REAL Hotel MURA, visit [link removed].
The outer link removed contained some pictures from the hotel and a detailed comment, part of which is quoted here:
"These are photos of the Mura Hotel in Borovets in Bulgaria. We went on Holiday with Inghams Travel, a UK company. On arrival at Sofia Airport we were guided to our coach and began what we envisaged to be a lovely holiday; how wrong we were. During the transfer we were informed by an Inghams’ Representative to meet at a location in the resort (at the Gondola) at 9am the following morning to collect ski boots and be met by a ski instructor. He gave us a very badly spelt and poorly presented Inghams information leaflet for us to peruse. Already alarm bells were ringinging and this did not appear to reflect the Inghams profile that I had previously been recommended by friends. Moments later we were dropped off our hotel, The Hotel Mura, to fend for ourselves, with little direction to where the "Gondola" actually was! The Hotel Mura, or at least our room and others that we had the privilege of visiting, was dark, damp, and did not create the relaxed and homely ambience that the Inghams brochure suggests. As we had booked the holiday at a lower price, we arrived with some expectation and appreciation that we may be accommodated in a less spacious room. Despite this assumption, we did not expect placement in a room with poorer levels of amenities and cleanliness. Problems with the hotel include: 1)The room was had not been cleaned and was visibly covered in dust.Please note in the photographs how I had wiped an area of skirting board; it clearly illustrates the filthy condition. 2)Electricity sockets were physically detached from the wall, endangering us. 3)The shower taps were broken with sharp plastic parts protruding out and an unsightly showerhead with the metallic surround broken away. 4)Loose brackets detached from the wall. 5)The tiles around the shower were broken and could easily have caused injury. 6)The shower curtain was too short for the shower which caused the bathroom to flood. 7)A rotten (with added putrid smelling) door in the bathroom, no doubt caused by a regularly flooding shower. 8)Unidentifiable power cables simply "snipped" and hanging loose from the wall 9)An unidentifiable buffet style breakfast and dinner that the hoteliers were unable to explain the ingredients (it was not obvious); a toaster that didn't toast and hot water in the buffet area only available by microwaving a(chipped) mug of water! ..."

Submitted By: Phil from UK
Date: 2007 January 26, 08:13

Comment: We had a family room at Lion Borovets in mid Jan 07. Very nice room, good size, clean, well decorated. Main bed very comfortable, sofa bed a bit less so but not too bad. Bathroom nice, lots of hot water. Food good to very good although we often ended up eating in town in the evening to be with our ski group. Free mini bus quite reliable to get to town and back for skiing but allow 10 lev (approx £4) each way for taxi in evening. Walk only 10-15 min but a bit dark/scary/slippy at night.Public areas of hotel very comfortable. Staff attitude ok but sometimes not great. Carpark area can be very icy so take care walking.
Overall - nice hotel and good food but if you want to be very central go for another e.g. Rila/Ice Angels, however if you do you may want to eat in town more as people did not rate the food as highly in the Rila as we did in the Lion. Borovets generally lots of inexpensive fun (if a bit scruffy in places)and good skiing/instruction for beginers and intermediates providing there is enough snow and the gondola is not shut due to wind. Waiting time for lifts etc can get long if skiing areas become restricted. We would go back but maybe later in the season as instructor says snow is more reliable then.

Submitted By: Gavan Connolly from U.K.
Date: 2006 April 14, 07:12

Comment: Borovets hasn't been overcrowded on my visits for over a decade. I think a gremlin has got into the Bulgaria Hotels web brochure. A copy mistake or something. 'Good for reasonably sized groups' may have been meant.

It was usually a good bit less busy than, for example, French resorts near Meribel.

It can be popular, but as often as this I was enjoying the slopes with only a few other persons near where I was in the latter half of the afternoons and before that it was only normal.

Understandably, there used to be hoardes of persons whom came from Sofia, Samokov, Kostenets and in the country vicinity on Saturdays and Sundays. This is the, or now one of the, premier national ski resorts and as good an international class resort as any.

However, in recent years I haven't seen that it is any much more busy at weekends. Perhaps the resort will become nationally more popular again, I don't know. It is certainly one of my few favourite resorts for skiing and beauty and resting, including Lake Louise in Canada and a few great European and American areas.

It is exceptional value here, and now the accommodation is nearly all of at least a good quality and mostly very good. The atmostphere prevails though, I find, rather than concerns of accommodation comfort alone.

Submitted By: Frayzer Hoyle from United Kingdom
Date: 2004 March 01, 20:52

Comment: Just had a week skiing at Hotel Rila.
If you are anything other than an learner and are looking for good skiing DO NOT GO.. It is full of people snow ploughing every where, the ski lifts do not work and they close them and do not tell you or seem to care, yes its not your average ski resort but politness is universal. People ugly and rude.... Full of British Tourists being vulgar and rude and generaly making you ashamed to open your mouth. It is cheap.. (not always a good thing, you pay for what you get!)and if you want to eats loads and get drunk every night then Borovets is for you.

Saying all that I did have fun and when you can get to the top of the mountain there are 3 good runs (very short) Go with good friends you will need them...

Submitted By: aumha121
Date: 2002 December 11, 12:10

Comment: If you ask me, you can't ask for better skiing for less money. It's not fancy but it's a really good resort and my time there was great. Did lots of skiing/snowboarding, drinking, walking, sleeping, eating... met lots of people... The Rila mountain is 2700m high, with a well developed network of chair lifts, tow bars and one gondola that takes you to the top. Difficult to medium pists, well maintained, some with snow machines. I was there for NY 2003, only 25cm of snow but still got 7 days of good skiing up top. The village is small and full of pubs, clubs, bars, erstaurants and shops so there's nightlife to be found. Bulgarian version of funky -good fun. Can get everything there, lots of hotels, lodges, ski schools and rentals. wherever you go everyone is trying to sell you something - especially if you're a Brit or speak English (the place was full of Brits). Haggle for everything! Try Bulgarian food. Learn a few words of Bulgarian, may get you a long way. Stay away from Bulgarian brandy.

Submitted By: skimanant
Date: 2001 January 02, 07:04

Comment: Borovets, Bulgaria, where do I start?
For a cheap ski experience, this is the best place on earth! I have skiid about a dozen times or so now, and Borovets without doubt offered me the best value for money of all.
About 2.5 hours away by plane, try to fly to Sofia rather than Plovdiv. The airport is a lot better and transfer times a lot shorter. When choosing a hotel, it is well worth paying the extra for a resort "centre" hotel- the hotels Samakov and Rila are the best (1999). The out of resort hotels are cheaper, but can be awkward when there is a lot of snow.
Bulgarian hotels are different- do not trust the star rating too much! I stayed at the Hotel Bor (3 star). The room was ok, though a bit old fashioned, staff were great, the water always brown, but the food was about a bad as you may serve- we complained about it.
Borovets itself is now mainly purpose built, with two main skiing areas. The Mount Moussala area is higher, served by a Gondola lift, and almost snow sure. The Baraki area is lower, generally easier runs, but less snow sure, and is served by a number of chairlifts.
I was concerned about getting bored, and skiing all the runs, but there is a good choice of pistes. I must mention here that the local ski school is EXCELLENT. Ski and boot hire though was a bit of a mixed bag.
I had loads of snow (March) and good weather, but I have been told it can be very cold (down to -20) and at certain times, especially around Christmas, can be very icey- be prepared!
Not a lot of shops in the town, though they are quite cheap. To shop, take a taxi to the nearby town of Samakov- its really cheap! But, watch out for petty theft here.
Nightlife is mad! A great place to go as a crowd for a bit of a laugh. Beer- Astika- is very cheap, and even in the dearest nightclubs was less than a pound a pint. The hotel Samakov puts on an excellent floorshow, but you need to book. Out in the town, the Black Cat was probably the most happeneing place, but it does get lively!
Eating out- you may need to in order to supplement the hotel food. Generally good and cheap, some of the restaurants seem to never close.
Overall, good value, fun and I will go again! Enjoy!

Submitted By: lad13
Date: 2000 January 20, 20:52

Comment: I visited Borovets about a half dozen times in the past two years and my ski experience varied widely.

Of all the ski resorts in Bulgaria, Borovets usually gets the least amount of snow annually. I have heard that the Bulgarian King built a home in this area of the country specifically because the weather was more mild than the nearby capital, Sofia. (Makes you wonder why the Communists decided to put a full ski resort there in the first place)

When there is enough snow, Borovets can provide a great ski experience. The views are breathtaking and the snow quality is good. There are pistes for all levels but be prepared to ride on some very old rope-tows and plate lifts. The signage is better at Borovets than other Bulgarian resorts but it still is not great.

For intermediate and advanced skiiers, bypass the long lines on the main gondola and continue around the back of the mountain to the 'Yastrabitz' area. While this area is not always open during the week, it is much less crowded and offers challenging runs. The plate lifts in this area do not accept ski passes from the main area, so be prepared with some leva for these lifts (you can by single ride tickets) or buy a pass for this area.

There are a number of small snackbars throughout the mountain, but the prices at the summit are at least twice those lower down the mountain. Of course, the views from the top are great and the prices are so low you might not care anyway.

The base of the mountain has become a rather ugly strip overrun with street vendors and poor traffic control. The large hotels at the base of the area are full of package tour groups from Western Europe, as it is one of the cheapest ski vacations in Europe. Walking across the street to the slopes is the main advantage of staying at one of these monster hotels as well as a variety of activities that the offer including bowling, discos, etc.

Borovets offers a number of good, authentic Bulgarian restaurants and some bars which cater to drunken, English tourists (with some prices listed in Pound sterling!)but the apres-ski can't compare with the Bansko resort.

The most luxurious place to stay at Borovets is Villa Stresov, a 4-bedroom hotel/house with all amenities which can be rented for about $800 a weekend during the peak season. Villa Stresov is about a 10-minute walk from the slopes and your stay there will be hosted by a wonderful, Bulgarian couple who manage the property.

Borovets is only one hour from Sofia and driving distance to a number of other Bulgarian tourist sites so there are alternatives if the snow is not cooperating.