Winter Holiday, Bulgarian Style
Snowboarder on the Piste
Just back from a snowboarding trip to Bansko, Bulgaria. Bit of a schlep to get there, a 3 hour flight followed by a 3 hour transfer, but well worth it if you’re going for a week.
The facilities are all pretty new and, although the ski pass is comparable in price to the Alps, food and drink is pretty reasonable. The apartment I stayed in was also considerably larger than anywhere I’ve stayed in the Alps, it also had a communal pool, sauna and jacuzzi.
There was a couple of snowfalls during the week so conditions were also really good, my only complaint is that the piste down from the gondola to the town is not particularly steep and quite narrow so it’s a tedious ride on a snowboard.
If you like meat and potatoes you’re sorted. Beer and wine is also pretty cheap provided you don’t go to the more touristy places. The best restaurant is a place called Motikata (hoe in English) which serves Bulgarian food; lots of variations on pork and chicken with dried meats and potatoes, cheese and dill as well as some decent wine. It’s on Pirin Street heading out of town towards Shiligarnika.
Also on Pirin Street is a restaurant called Victoria, just opposite the Kempinski Hotel, the photo of the meat platter below was taken there. The photo above is of my friend Theo taken near th top of the mountain.
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- Snowboarder on the Piste
Tags: Bansko, Bulgaria, snowboarding