We're off again! - Skiing Bulgaria

So after a few days at home to adjust for the time difference we are off again. But this time the climate is somewhat different. We are going to Borovets in Bulgaria to Ski. So yes, it is actually totally different, but I think we will be able to cope with the temperature change. We have colourful, cosy clothes! Woop! ;)

We usually go skiing every year but most of the time we stay with a friend in the French Alps, which is great. Their accommodate us very well with breakfast, lunch and tea. In return we help out in every way we can; setting and clearing the table, washing up, help clear the drive way, just little things like that. This year we opted for a holiday with another group of friends and the chance to try somewhere different.
This ski holiday to Bulgaria is very cheap, it's actually crazy! I think it cost us £600 for the two of us whereas a previous holiday to Italy (Sestriere) cost around £600 each.

Setting up our plane!

We arrive at the airport in good time for our flight only to find out it was delayed and our plane was stuck in Grenoble, due to bad weather and the fact there is only one plane deicer there. So everything was going slow. 

Many flights were delayed with some people having waited since 8 am and it was now 2 pm, the time our flight was due to leave. We later found out that our friends in London had also been delayed and were due to leave a little before 5 pm.

I felt so ill and was surprised I had even made it to the airport but I wasn't going to miss a chance to visit a new country! In an attempt to feel a bit better I decided it was probably best not to eat anymore food until we arrived at the hotel that evening. Rob also bought me a pair of blue Sony headphones to try an cheer me up (I had also forgotten mu mini ones). They were beautiful but it didn't stop me from feeling sick, bleugh! I just wanted to sleep. I tried to think why I felt so bad; it was either I had caught something in Bali or the meal I had eaten out on Thursday hadn't agreed with me, as I hadn't felt right for a couple of days. Personally, I think it was the fact I had eaten to many mini cheddars in the days leading up to today! I wont make that mistake again!

Anyway, at about 4:30 pm our flight was announced for boarding, Thomas Cook had found us a new plane. I have no idea where they found it, as it had no logo on it. It was just a large white plane! Shortly, after 5 pm we boarded, three hours after our initial departure time and it turned out that plane was actually run by Hifly, a Portuguese airline company. Fancy! :)

The flight took longer than I expected and then there was a bus journey to follow, so we only arrived at our hotel, The Hotel Samokov, at 1 am the following day. Our friends had only arrived minutes before and were in the process of checking into their rooms. We decided we would meet at breakfast in the morning, as everyone was pretty tired! 

Excited for our first day of Skiing!

Breakfast at The Hotel Samokov is not too bad. It is kind of like a canteen based restaurant where you serve yourself. They offered some fresh fruit and cereals, cooked breakfasts and breads. I mainly survived on fruit and mini breads. I love bread products particularly croissants and pain au chocolats. I know they are not the healthiest of things, but hey I'm on holiday I'm allowed to treat myself a little. Aren't I?

Unfortunately, the evening meals aren't great! We only ate in the main restaurant once and that was probably enough. The people we were on holiday with didn't really like it and they didn't offer any vegetarian meals. Apparently you can request them though. Our hotel also offered a free meal in the panoramic restaurant on the 9th floor as part of our stay. I wasn't expecting much from what we had witnessed at the main restaurant, but it was actually quite nice. We got a 3 course meal and the view was fantastic we had a great view of the resort and the night skiing slopes, we vowed we would definable have to try that.  

Anyway the resort/holiday is so cheap you can afford to eat out pretty much ever evening, so we tried all of the recommended restaurants/bars in Borovets. The meal at Bobby's bar was pretty good, I chose the vegetable fajitas and the portion was massive. I couldn't finish it, so if you want a big meal I would recommend going there. :)

Another great place was Hunters, the owner was some friends snowboard instructor and the atmosphere was great. We sat on a large table near the fire, it was nice and cosy. The place was so cute with tea-towels all of the walls from all over the world, many of them were from the UK. And some really weird places too. So funny!

Isaac and Emily relaxing at lunch.

One of the best places we went for lunch was Snack Bar Joy at the bottom of the gondola. They offered great pizzas made in an outside pizza oven. The service is a bit slow, as they have to cook them one at a time. But they are worth the wait! We ate here probably too many times!

Another, bonus of being in Borovets is the beer is so cheap! Definitely, a lot cheaper than our usual Ski holidays in Les Gets. 

Snow!

So, anyway on to the skiing! Firstly, a 6 days lift pass is half the price of what it is in The Alps, so this is great bargain resort and great for beginners. Now on to the conditions, in the weeks leading up to our ski trip Borovets had been very, very cold at around -15 degrees and had had quite a bit of snow. But during our stay the temperature had risen, so it wasn't totally freezing, which was nice for me. I do not like to be cold! But skiing keeps you warm anyway for the most part so even if it was super cold it shouldn't have made too much difference. 

Before we arrived there had been a big dump of snow so there was enough snow for us. It did snow however a few times during the week, so we did have at least one powder day. So Rob was happy, as he was initially quite disappointed in the lack of powder. For most of the holiday we skied at top of the sky resort, which is quite high at around 2100 m, so even on one of the last days when it rained in the resort, at the top we were high enough to still be in the snow. Woop, woop! I did get a little bit bored of skiing down the same black everyday though. But there is a really long blue run that takes you back down to the resort, which I particularly enjoyed. It was like you were strolling through the forest just enjoying the view.

The resort itself is quite small but it offers a lot of variety in different types of runs, with green, blue, red and black runs as well as a small park with a few jumps. Apparently, off-piste skiing is illegal in Bulgaria but we did a little and it was fine, no one said anything to us and we survived. It wasn't too dangerous! Rob however likes to do things to the extreme and took the off-piste to another level, he managed to break both of his poles doing a few jumps and crashing into both a large rock and a chair lift stanchion in the same morning! I think he hurt himself both times, so not really the best thing to do. :( 

Him, Isaac and John had decided it would be a great idea to climb Mount Musala and then ski back down to resort. It took them all day and resulted in Rob breaking his skis. They were all pretty tired on their return but had a good time and got some great photos. :)

I did not join them on their quest to the top of Musala. I must admit it was quite tempting to be on the highest point of Bulgaria, but mountain climbing is not really my thing. And anyway, I came on holiday to Ski downhill fast not go uphill slowly! So, I spent the day skiing with some of the other guys and drinking coffee out of a straw! Fun times, only in Borovets! It was so funny, why offer a straw with a coffee! This made me happy! :)

Coffee through a straw, only in Borovets! Love it!

As Rob broke his skis he needed some new ones for our last full day in resort. He chose to rent some of the better skis in the shop but apparently they were terrible. Borovets does not cater for experienced skiers. I guess this is more of a beginners resort. In the end he opted for a snowboard, as he thought it may be more fun! This was not the case, as he is much better a skiing so all he did was complain about being wet due to constantly falling over! 

I must also recommend night skiing. Okay, you have to buy a additional lift pass and only a few runs are open, but it's cheap and it was an experience. I think night skiing runs from 6 pm until 9:30 ish, which is definitely enough time to get a few runs in. As after skiing all day and feeling rather hungry I was ready to go by 8 pm. However, the experience of skiing after dark is quite a novelty and a must do! :)

Happy!

Our last morning before catching the bus back to the airport was spent on a skidoo. I thought this was so much fun! Okay, it was a little scary at first, as in an attempt to climb the first hill I pulled a massive wheelie but I managed to recover it and we didn't die! Phew! I think I shocked Rob a little as he was on the back. 

To accelerate you must squeeze a lever on the handlebars quite hard, so after a while it starts to hurt your forearm, so Rob and I took it in turns to drive. 

Rob drove somewhat faster than me, he liked the speed. It is quite relaxing driving through a quiet track in the snow covered forest, almost tranquil if it weren't for the noise from the skidoos. I had never ridden a skidoo before and I thought it was awesome! I would definitely recommend it. But if like me you lack forearm strength, go with a buddy and share the driving! :)

Skidoo!

A nice little fact about Borovets is that most of the town is actually illegal and doesn't exist under Bulgaria law. It is only the large hotels in the village that have planning permission and postcodes. The rest of the town consists of buildings which are just little shacks that have built up without planning permission. Quite fun really! 

You learn something new everyday!

Samx