Rila Hotel & Studios, Borovets, Bulgaria
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Hotel Description:
The recently modernized Rila hotel complex is ideally located near the base of the nursery slopes, close to all resort amenities. The Rila offers very good accommodation and wide range of facilities including a new indoor pool. All rooms and studios have been renovated. loading...
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Rila Hotel & Studios Reviews
" Holiday Feedback "
Submitted By: min2009
03-10 Jan 2009 Hotel Rila, Borovets HB 4adults 4 children.
Had to write a review as I previously checked out this website prior to going and was dreading how bad it may have been. Can I just put your minds at rest for those travelling with children (ours ranged from 6 - 11 yrs), this holiday was the best action packed week we have had. The hotel was lovely, warm, clean, friendly staff, everyday room cleaning, large selection of buffet available from meats/fish/salads to kids pizzas, spag bol and the best for the children was the pancakes for breakfast! Pool was a bit chilly for me, but the spa baths made up for that, would recommend you take flip flops as floor is very wet and no shoes allowed in. Also towels are given to you, so dont need to pack those!
Sking school was superb, our children had a lovely instructor, Christine, we dropped them off at 10am and then met them at 3pm. Our youngest went to the kindergarten for 2 days, again the staff were very good and they had an hr in the morning and afternoon out in the snow. (cost 54 levs for day inc lunch at nursery)
Ski slopes were great, plenty to choose from, only wished we had gone on the pistes up on the gondola a bit sooner, as its amazing how quick the week goes and most of the lifts stop around 4pm. (queue is long after 10am!- catch taxi to half way gondola stop and from there not much queue. cost: 15lev)
The staff at the Crown Pub were great, the chap that guides/welcomes you in and out past the ski pole (on the left of piste outside hotel) is lovely, he made us really welcome, sitting by an open fire with warm wine or hot chocolate was great and the food was super. Also Mamma Mia pub was welcoming and their shots warmed the right spots! Didn't venture into the Karoake Bar next door but on way home, we heard that that was a good pub too.
For those flying with Balkan Holidays, do take sandwiches/food as their inflight snack isn't worth bothering with! We had half hr delay on way out and 1hr and half delay on way back - this was the only complaint we can say we had throughout the whole week. Our Balkan Rep at the hotel, Rubina, was very helpful.
Wish I had taken more socks, especially pop socks. Supermarkets seem to sell postcards but no stamps?!?
Would definately go back again - our friends are going back next month! We were very lucky with the weather - it had snowed prior to our arrival and again whilst out their.
Had to write a review as I previously checked out this website prior to going and was dreading how bad it may have been. Can I just put your minds at rest for those travelling with children (ours ranged from 6 - 11 yrs), this holiday was the best action packed week we have had. The hotel was lovely, warm, clean, friendly staff, everyday room cleaning, large selection of buffet available from meats/fish/salads to kids pizzas, spag bol and the best for the children was the pancakes for breakfast! Pool was a bit chilly for me, but the spa baths made up for that, would recommend you take flip flops as floor is very wet and no shoes allowed in. Also towels are given to you, so dont need to pack those!
Sking school was superb, our children had a lovely instructor, Christine, we dropped them off at 10am and then met them at 3pm. Our youngest went to the kindergarten for 2 days, again the staff were very good and they had an hr in the morning and afternoon out in the snow. (cost 54 levs for day inc lunch at nursery)
Ski slopes were great, plenty to choose from, only wished we had gone on the pistes up on the gondola a bit sooner, as its amazing how quick the week goes and most of the lifts stop around 4pm. (queue is long after 10am!- catch taxi to half way gondola stop and from there not much queue. cost: 15lev)
The staff at the Crown Pub were great, the chap that guides/welcomes you in and out past the ski pole (on the left of piste outside hotel) is lovely, he made us really welcome, sitting by an open fire with warm wine or hot chocolate was great and the food was super. Also Mamma Mia pub was welcoming and their shots warmed the right spots! Didn't venture into the Karoake Bar next door but on way home, we heard that that was a good pub too.
For those flying with Balkan Holidays, do take sandwiches/food as their inflight snack isn't worth bothering with! We had half hr delay on way out and 1hr and half delay on way back - this was the only complaint we can say we had throughout the whole week. Our Balkan Rep at the hotel, Rubina, was very helpful.
Wish I had taken more socks, especially pop socks. Supermarkets seem to sell postcards but no stamps?!?
Would definately go back again - our friends are going back next month! We were very lucky with the weather - it had snowed prior to our arrival and again whilst out their.
Advice: would recommend the resort for family holiday
Activities: Golden Crown, Mamma Mia, Horse Ride
Good for: Ski
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- Date of Holiday:Jan 2009
- Board Basis:Half Board
- Tour Operator:Balkan Holidays
" Weeks skiing in Borrovets "
Submitted By: cornick1982
Hey just came back yesterday from a weeks skiing in Borrovets and decided to write a review as I found it useful to read up before I went away.
Stayed in the hotel Rila on half board basis for a week with my girlfriend i'm 26 & shes 24, we both found the hotel clean and comfortable. The food is very bland but you wont go hungry, by the end of the week we were feed up of eating processed meat though. For breakfast they have a variety of cereal, fruit & hot buffet breakfast (fried eggs,scambled eggs, frankfurter type sausage, baked beans & toast). Evening meal changed everyday and was bulgarian type food which was hit or miss but as a fail safe option they had fresh pizza & salad available every night which was as good as any resturant in the resort.
We ate out on a lunch time and found the best places to eat were Frankos, Chilli Peppers & the Alpina bar (opposite Flora hotel) which has a web cam & the coolest bulgarian bar man 'Bobby', the link is www.skidvd.com.
The apri ski was quiet but nice & relaxed, apparantly doesnt get busy till late jan/feb. Price of beer ranged from 2.5 - 4 Lev for a small beer & 3.5-5 Lev for a large, everywhere offers Happy Hour and it is genuine!!
The skiing was brilliant with a variety of runs for all levels, and the lifts generally aren't to busy the only 1 which was is the main enclosed lift to the very top of the mountain. We found it was best to do this 1 first thing in the morning!
Borrovets is a very small resort and a week is defiantly enough as apart from drinking theres not much else to do!
The only downside to the whole holiday was that as soon as people knew it was your last day they where only interested in one thing, squezzing every last lev out of you which was really disappointing because on whole we found the Bulgarian people to be very polite & friendly. We got over charged big time in the 'Napoli Pizza' resturant and ended up arguing with the owners until they came clean & changed the bill. The food was shocking aswell I ordered Lasagne and its was made with processed ham instead of mince, it was disgusting defiantly steer clear of this establishment!!!!!!!!
Anyway on hole had a brilliant week & would recommend to everyone to at least experience this resort once.
Stayed in the hotel Rila on half board basis for a week with my girlfriend i'm 26 & shes 24, we both found the hotel clean and comfortable. The food is very bland but you wont go hungry, by the end of the week we were feed up of eating processed meat though. For breakfast they have a variety of cereal, fruit & hot buffet breakfast (fried eggs,scambled eggs, frankfurter type sausage, baked beans & toast). Evening meal changed everyday and was bulgarian type food which was hit or miss but as a fail safe option they had fresh pizza & salad available every night which was as good as any resturant in the resort.
We ate out on a lunch time and found the best places to eat were Frankos, Chilli Peppers & the Alpina bar (opposite Flora hotel) which has a web cam & the coolest bulgarian bar man 'Bobby', the link is www.skidvd.com.
The apri ski was quiet but nice & relaxed, apparantly doesnt get busy till late jan/feb. Price of beer ranged from 2.5 - 4 Lev for a small beer & 3.5-5 Lev for a large, everywhere offers Happy Hour and it is genuine!!
The skiing was brilliant with a variety of runs for all levels, and the lifts generally aren't to busy the only 1 which was is the main enclosed lift to the very top of the mountain. We found it was best to do this 1 first thing in the morning!
Borrovets is a very small resort and a week is defiantly enough as apart from drinking theres not much else to do!
The only downside to the whole holiday was that as soon as people knew it was your last day they where only interested in one thing, squezzing every last lev out of you which was really disappointing because on whole we found the Bulgarian people to be very polite & friendly. We got over charged big time in the 'Napoli Pizza' resturant and ended up arguing with the owners until they came clean & changed the bill. The food was shocking aswell I ordered Lasagne and its was made with processed ham instead of mince, it was disgusting defiantly steer clear of this establishment!!!!!!!!
Anyway on hole had a brilliant week & would recommend to everyone to at least experience this resort once.
Advice: Worth a weeks skiing
Activities: Chilli Peppers, Frankos & Alpina.
Good for: Ski
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- Date of Holiday:Jan 2009
- Board Basis:Half Board
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" rila hotel borovets "
Submitted By: Jackie1964
I spent xmas 2009 in the Hotel Rila, the hotel was nice , clean and always warm, the maid service for the rooms was spot on, the food was fine although nice to eat out sometimes, the Xmas gala food wasn't great but I hear a place down the road does an english real Xmas dinner which is where I wound go next time. The pool area was nice and clean but the pool a little cold for me the spa pools were warm if you did'nt stay in too long and the bubbles didn't work.The sking was great, I have only been to Andorra to compair but as an interskier I liked it here better. There was a group of us kids age 6-15 and young adults 18-22 and adults 40+ and it was great for all. The ski schools were great and our instructor was Bobby he took us all over we started with blue runs and was doing black at the end.I would go here again although i'm looking for somewhere different to go this Xmas but am finding it hard to find anywhere that has all this at these prices it was great value.
Advice: everything was there that u needed, places to eat , bars, clubs, sking on your doorstep.
Activities: mama mia's was great for food and very friendly, franko's was great for drinks and great music.
Good for: Ski
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- Date of Holiday:Dec 2009
- Board Basis:Half Board
- Tour Operator:Airtours
" This was my first time skiing and my... "
Submitted By: Miss G Murray
This was my first time skiing and my first time in Borovets. I found that the hotel was pleasant enough; I was in a studio apartment with 3 of us sharing. The room was very warm all the time which is nice when you have been skiing all day up the cold mountain. The food in the restaurant was a bit naff sometime... but they have such a choice they cater for everyone.
There is loads of great bars and other restaurants to eat out, if you don’t fancy the hotels, the best my far was the chili bar!! Really lively fun with all ages enjoying the music. They serve food during the early part of the evening and then have a happy hour with buy one get one free on most drinks. I had a couple of lesions with a skiing instructor Dan the man, he was very patient with our small group of learners and found he always gave the slower people more advice- really found him helpful.
I did find that it is not a good idea to purchase the ski lifts before you get there, as on 2 days of our holiday it was really snowing, so much so that the actual ski lift was shut! so we would have wasted our money. There are a few shops down stairs in the hotel which i did buy a pair of shoes and a handbag.. both bargains!! for gifts i went to a shop just outside the hotel if you go down stairs and past all the shops and go out the doors next to the mini super market, you will find a few clothes shops that sell jumpers for next to nothing, all really good quality and makes so don’t miss out. The last thing i found that was very nice was the swimming pool in the hotel, very clean, warm and no one ever in there!! it was great. I will be looking to go back to the Rila hotel next year 09 with the hopes of finally going down a black run!! i was too much of a bambi on ice last time according to friends.
There is loads of great bars and other restaurants to eat out, if you don’t fancy the hotels, the best my far was the chili bar!! Really lively fun with all ages enjoying the music. They serve food during the early part of the evening and then have a happy hour with buy one get one free on most drinks. I had a couple of lesions with a skiing instructor Dan the man, he was very patient with our small group of learners and found he always gave the slower people more advice- really found him helpful.
I did find that it is not a good idea to purchase the ski lifts before you get there, as on 2 days of our holiday it was really snowing, so much so that the actual ski lift was shut! so we would have wasted our money. There are a few shops down stairs in the hotel which i did buy a pair of shoes and a handbag.. both bargains!! for gifts i went to a shop just outside the hotel if you go down stairs and past all the shops and go out the doors next to the mini super market, you will find a few clothes shops that sell jumpers for next to nothing, all really good quality and makes so don’t miss out. The last thing i found that was very nice was the swimming pool in the hotel, very clean, warm and no one ever in there!! it was great. I will be looking to go back to the Rila hotel next year 09 with the hopes of finally going down a black run!! i was too much of a bambi on ice last time according to friends.
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- Date of Holiday:Mar 2008
- Board Basis:Half Board
- Tour Operator:First Choice
" Hold it a second, you have to be fair... "
Submitted By: Mr Pants .
Hold it a second, you have to be fair to Borovets, the same holiday in france will cost you three times as much.
Borovets IS extremely good value for money.
Rila Hotel was fine, location was perfect situated at the bottom of the slopes.
The food funnily enough was Bulgarian which is going to be different. It will never get a michelin star, however, it was interesting trying different things. My wife is quite fussy about her food and was very happy with the variety.
We ate in the restaurant 4 nights of the week. Because you do not pay much for the holiday you can afford to eat out if you wish.
I have stayed in many ski resorts and unless you pay a fortune most of the rooms in Ski hotels/chalets in europe are adequate for what you should expect. You should not be disappointed with the accomodation in the Rila.
If you have kids the kindergarten down stairs in the Rila is great and there is an English lady there all day to help but all the Ladies are super.
The pool is wonderful after being on the slopes all day and when you jump into the 36 degree hot tubs it feels wonderful.
From a seasoned skiier I was not disappointed with the ski field albeit not huge. It is not the Espace Killy in France but ample for a weeks skiing. Don't be late for the Gondola otherwise you will queue Disney style.
Go there, experience the value, and make your own judgement.
I will venture back, I like saving £2000 (2 adults and a 3 year old)
Pants.
Borovets IS extremely good value for money.
Rila Hotel was fine, location was perfect situated at the bottom of the slopes.
The food funnily enough was Bulgarian which is going to be different. It will never get a michelin star, however, it was interesting trying different things. My wife is quite fussy about her food and was very happy with the variety.
We ate in the restaurant 4 nights of the week. Because you do not pay much for the holiday you can afford to eat out if you wish.
I have stayed in many ski resorts and unless you pay a fortune most of the rooms in Ski hotels/chalets in europe are adequate for what you should expect. You should not be disappointed with the accomodation in the Rila.
If you have kids the kindergarten down stairs in the Rila is great and there is an English lady there all day to help but all the Ladies are super.
The pool is wonderful after being on the slopes all day and when you jump into the 36 degree hot tubs it feels wonderful.
From a seasoned skiier I was not disappointed with the ski field albeit not huge. It is not the Espace Killy in France but ample for a weeks skiing. Don't be late for the Gondola otherwise you will queue Disney style.
Go there, experience the value, and make your own judgement.
I will venture back, I like saving £2000 (2 adults and a 3 year old)
Pants.
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- Date of Holiday:Jan 2007
- Board Basis:Half Board
- Tour Operator:Crystal ski
" Initially i would like to comment... "
Submitted By: Mr T Fisher
Initially i would like to comment that i am a first time snowboarder and consequently i have no point of reference for comparison on snowboarding. However, having visited borovets and the Rila apartments i have no wish to ever try snowboarding again. I knew my holiday was going to be long and tiresome when i saw the transport to the hotel which was a bus that looked like it had just taken a detour down the Gaza Strip. To be fair there is a lot to see on the way to the hotel and the picturesk views are something to behold, although we did not get chance to fully appreciate them due to being mythered by the tour guides incesant stories of drunkeness in borovets.
Due to our flight being delayed we did not reach the Rila apartments until 2am where we were greeted with a smoggy lobby filled with loud, lewd stag do parties and other large groups of males just generally making a scene. We had not eaten for roughly 4 hours and were promised a meal on arrival but unfortunately we all got a plastic bag consisting of three soggy sandwiches and and very bruised apple. To be fair that was the best meal of the holiday as it was the only food we ate that did not have some form of stuffed hog in it. The room service menu itself had a total of eight dishes, 5 of these containing some combination of yellow cheese and sausage meat and the buffet style resteraunt was like a cattle market. Outside of the hotel the other eating establishments are geared towards making as much money as possible and you are constantly being pesetered to come in. A good meal in Borovets is as difficult to find as a pleasant staff member in the Rila apartments.
The rest of the hotels amenities follow suit with the hotel food and are absolutely appauling. Due to the vast number of people staying in the Rila the swimming pool is like a sardine tin in the evenings and trying to get a few lengths in becomes like a ride on the dodgems. Furthermore there are no cubicals and the changing rooms are slightly smaller than the average closet. The rooms themselves were probably the biggest dissapointment, we very stunned at the conditions on arrival. Due to us having a slightly larger party our requirement was for 2 rooms sleeping 8 people with around 16 items of luggage in total. Rila's answer to this problem was to use a bunk bed system cramming two full sized adults in them and Placing a double bed in the corner for the others. The fittings and trimmings of the room were, for want of a better word, Dangerous. One member of our party tried to turn double bed lamp on and the entire fitting fell off the wall, which was no surprise as the walls looked and sounded like they were made from popadoms. The final dissapointment with the room was the implied sky television we were all supposed to have access to. The bold truth was we had two music channels and the rest was a jumble sale of channels picked up from whatever networks were free. I have learnt more about the german language this holiday than i have about snowboarding.
The snowboarding itself was pretty good if you venture high up into the slopes, but the instructors are so unhelpful no one really has any confidence to go. For an advanced snowboarder this may have been different but with no point of reference for that i would find it difficult to comment. At this point i will have to wrap up this discourse as i am currently in Borovets about to be turfed off a slightly obsolete machine. So in summary if i had the choice next year i would rather spend my time self catering in Baghdad.
Yours Truly
A very angry boarder
Due to our flight being delayed we did not reach the Rila apartments until 2am where we were greeted with a smoggy lobby filled with loud, lewd stag do parties and other large groups of males just generally making a scene. We had not eaten for roughly 4 hours and were promised a meal on arrival but unfortunately we all got a plastic bag consisting of three soggy sandwiches and and very bruised apple. To be fair that was the best meal of the holiday as it was the only food we ate that did not have some form of stuffed hog in it. The room service menu itself had a total of eight dishes, 5 of these containing some combination of yellow cheese and sausage meat and the buffet style resteraunt was like a cattle market. Outside of the hotel the other eating establishments are geared towards making as much money as possible and you are constantly being pesetered to come in. A good meal in Borovets is as difficult to find as a pleasant staff member in the Rila apartments.
The rest of the hotels amenities follow suit with the hotel food and are absolutely appauling. Due to the vast number of people staying in the Rila the swimming pool is like a sardine tin in the evenings and trying to get a few lengths in becomes like a ride on the dodgems. Furthermore there are no cubicals and the changing rooms are slightly smaller than the average closet. The rooms themselves were probably the biggest dissapointment, we very stunned at the conditions on arrival. Due to us having a slightly larger party our requirement was for 2 rooms sleeping 8 people with around 16 items of luggage in total. Rila's answer to this problem was to use a bunk bed system cramming two full sized adults in them and Placing a double bed in the corner for the others. The fittings and trimmings of the room were, for want of a better word, Dangerous. One member of our party tried to turn double bed lamp on and the entire fitting fell off the wall, which was no surprise as the walls looked and sounded like they were made from popadoms. The final dissapointment with the room was the implied sky television we were all supposed to have access to. The bold truth was we had two music channels and the rest was a jumble sale of channels picked up from whatever networks were free. I have learnt more about the german language this holiday than i have about snowboarding.
The snowboarding itself was pretty good if you venture high up into the slopes, but the instructors are so unhelpful no one really has any confidence to go. For an advanced snowboarder this may have been different but with no point of reference for that i would find it difficult to comment. At this point i will have to wrap up this discourse as i am currently in Borovets about to be turfed off a slightly obsolete machine. So in summary if i had the choice next year i would rather spend my time self catering in Baghdad.
Yours Truly
A very angry boarder
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- Date of Holiday:Feb 2008
- Board Basis:Half Board
- Tour Operator:First Choice
" Borovets - Third World Skiing.
Borovets - Third World Skiing.
I was staying at the hotel RILA. Until I moved out. I'm fere now at a different hotel -the Ela, much nicer. I moved out because 4 of us were sharing a 'studio' and it was way too cramped. A 'studio' is a standard size hotel room with a set of bunk beds shoehorned in. When I explained this to the (Nilson) rep his best efforts from the RIlA amounted to an offer of a room for 5 nights for 375 pounds (thats about 550 euros). They did get me into the Ela for 25 pounds a night, and although its 200 yards down the road its MUCH nicer than the RILA which gets by on a reputation for 4 stars, although I can't see why. It's one of those hotels where you hear every chair scrape and toilet flush, and 2 out of 4 lifts don't work. Oh, and its smoky all the time in the public areas.
The food is passable - just.
The Boro ski school is a joke. The ski instructors are not that at all. They are local lads who make good money in the winter by donning a ski instructor outfit. They do little more than take you on the chairlifts. At my daughters snowboard school the guy stands around smoking while the class does virtually nothing.
The ski class started on the first day as usual with the grading into groups. Except that the instructors didn't watch me - they asked me howe many times I have been skiing, and on the basis of my answer (3) they put me in an upper intermediate group. We went straight up to the top of the mountain and down - fast - a very hard red. I fell and tore a rotator cuff and tendon insertion in my shoulder. After a 2 hour walk down I went to see the instructor. He laughed and bid me join them for lunch. I declined and went ot the medical center where I was relieved of 50 pounds for what was very good treatment. Seems like they are used to injuries?
The 4 hour lesson (nothing more than repeated chairlifts to the top of the mountain and a hard and boring ski down a narrow, icy tree-lined 'run') is broken by lunch at a restaurant. This is so that the instructor can get a commission from the retaurant. Lunch costs about 15 pounds sterling and is mediocre. I had chicken that was red and bloody in the middle and fried potatoes. With a coke it came to 15 pounds. The ski instructor gets something that does not seem to be on the menu and is free.
Skiing on the slopes is a free for all. There is no attention to safety, and the locals send people flying all over the place. The reality is it's downright unpleasant most of the time. If you are a beginner, watch out.
In Borovets, you are constantly hounded in the street to go into restaurants and bars. There are beggars on the street and in the hotel. It is not family friendly. I'm with my teenage daughters, and there are 2 unavoidable girly bars, and an 'erotik' show next door. Prostitutes populate the bars and public areas in the hotel RILA after about 10.30pm.
My advice? Don't even think about Borovets. The runs are narrow, icy and dangerous, the locals are out to squeeze every last penny off you, and the hotels and service are derisory. In short, its horrible.
Robert
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- Date of Holiday:Feb 2008
- Board Basis:Half Board
- Tour Operator:Neilson
" The resort is good but the hotel... "
Submitted By: kirby
The resort is good but the hotel poor. Food in hotel is of a poor standard, as are the rooms. Health and Safety standards are minimal - take care!
The lifts are scary as they are so old; I was told that they were bought from a resort in France in the 80's when the French resort updated them. They often grind to a halt for a couple of hours with people stuck in them!
Lots to do at night if you enjoy drinking!
The lifts are scary as they are so old; I was told that they were bought from a resort in France in the 80's when the French resort updated them. They often grind to a halt for a couple of hours with people stuck in them!
Lots to do at night if you enjoy drinking!
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- Date of Holiday:Dec 2007
- Board Basis:Half Board
- Tour Operator:Inghams
" I was pleasantly surprised with the... "
Submitted By: Miss S Harris
I was pleasantly surprised with the hotel Rila, I had been advised not to go for less than a 4* rating in Bulgaria and I would very much agree. The hotel Rila was not what us British would class as a 4* but was very clean with fresh towels every day and a lovely swimming pool area, dining room and bar area.
They also have on site a night club and additional bars & restaurants but to be honest you really don't need to visit any of the other restaurants because the hotels food is perfectly eatable and they have a wide selection of food at breakfast and dinner to suit everyone, I class myself as quite a fussy eater and I was never stuck for something to eat (I would highly recommend the sliced oranges they were lovely) We also tried lunch at Mamacita's which was lovely and the bars located at the bottom of the slopes are nice for a snack at lunch time too.
I found the slopes a little disappointing as the green and blue runs tend to be covered with trees and quite narrow so if there has not been a heavy downpour of snow then you have no option but to give the red runs a try. We had 1 good night and day of heavy snow which was good and every day bar 1 was lovely sunshine.
The chair lift I would advise to be very careful when getting on and off as they are pretty dangerous, my sister badly hurt her shoulder because the lift approaches the top so fast it practically threw her off the chair and dragged her underneath. The lift staff don't speak English which is not very helpful and I also wondered if they are given any type of first aid training which I think should be a priority.
Anyway overall opinion I would recommend Borovets and the hotel Rila for first time skiers, not so much snowboarding which is what we were doing. Area very quiet in the evenings but the hotel bar is quite sufficient for a few bevs before bed etc and they also have a small games room and pool tables. Also supermarket and shops within the hotel complex which is brilliant and everything very cheap.
They also have on site a night club and additional bars & restaurants but to be honest you really don't need to visit any of the other restaurants because the hotels food is perfectly eatable and they have a wide selection of food at breakfast and dinner to suit everyone, I class myself as quite a fussy eater and I was never stuck for something to eat (I would highly recommend the sliced oranges they were lovely) We also tried lunch at Mamacita's which was lovely and the bars located at the bottom of the slopes are nice for a snack at lunch time too.
I found the slopes a little disappointing as the green and blue runs tend to be covered with trees and quite narrow so if there has not been a heavy downpour of snow then you have no option but to give the red runs a try. We had 1 good night and day of heavy snow which was good and every day bar 1 was lovely sunshine.
The chair lift I would advise to be very careful when getting on and off as they are pretty dangerous, my sister badly hurt her shoulder because the lift approaches the top so fast it practically threw her off the chair and dragged her underneath. The lift staff don't speak English which is not very helpful and I also wondered if they are given any type of first aid training which I think should be a priority.
Anyway overall opinion I would recommend Borovets and the hotel Rila for first time skiers, not so much snowboarding which is what we were doing. Area very quiet in the evenings but the hotel bar is quite sufficient for a few bevs before bed etc and they also have a small games room and pool tables. Also supermarket and shops within the hotel complex which is brilliant and everything very cheap.
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- Date of Holiday:Mar 2007
- Board Basis:Half Board
- Tour Operator:Balkan Holidays
" We were not expecting much from this... "
Submitted By: Mrs D Millward
We were not expecting much from this hotel as the majority of the reviews were very negative, so we were more than happy with what we experienced.
Warm, clean and spacious rooms with clean towels every day. Lovely views of the ski slopes from our room, which did tend to be noisy at night, but we soon discovered that the combination of fresh air, exercise and après ski guaranteed a good nights sleep.
Food at the hotel was generally good with plenty to choose from, put it this way, you would never go hungry and as the restaurants in the resort generally served fast food I was more than happy to eat there every evening.
We went with 2 teenage girls and they never complained or asked to go elsewhere.
The pool at the hotel was lovely after a day on the slopes.
The weather was perfect the first few days with a whole day of snow making for good conditions. By the end of the week it was much warmer and the slopes were looking very patchy so let’s hope they have more snow or the season will be over in Borovets as it was 20 degrees when we left yesterday 4th march.
We were total beginners and on day 2 were on a green run, I was amazed, also managed to do a bit of the blue runs too.
We were very pleased with Borovets and the Rila and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to first time skiers.
I loved the experience and can’t wait to go skiing again next year.
Warm, clean and spacious rooms with clean towels every day. Lovely views of the ski slopes from our room, which did tend to be noisy at night, but we soon discovered that the combination of fresh air, exercise and après ski guaranteed a good nights sleep.
Food at the hotel was generally good with plenty to choose from, put it this way, you would never go hungry and as the restaurants in the resort generally served fast food I was more than happy to eat there every evening.
We went with 2 teenage girls and they never complained or asked to go elsewhere.
The pool at the hotel was lovely after a day on the slopes.
The weather was perfect the first few days with a whole day of snow making for good conditions. By the end of the week it was much warmer and the slopes were looking very patchy so let’s hope they have more snow or the season will be over in Borovets as it was 20 degrees when we left yesterday 4th march.
We were total beginners and on day 2 were on a green run, I was amazed, also managed to do a bit of the blue runs too.
We were very pleased with Borovets and the Rila and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to first time skiers.
I loved the experience and can’t wait to go skiing again next year.
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- Date of Holiday:Feb 2007
- Board Basis:Half Board
- Tour Operator:Balkan Holidays
" Had a fantastic holiday in Borovets,... "
Submitted By: Miss C
Had a fantastic holiday in Borovets, staying at the hotel Rila.
We read many reviews before going on holiday about the poor state of the Rila. Many of these reviews stated that the food was poor and the rooms unclean.
Our experience was the complete opposite. The food was lovely and the rooms were clean with fresh towels left each day.
Breakfast was fantastic with lots of choice. You could have: pancakes, cereal or full English. Fresh fruit and bread were also available.
Tea was basic but with a different choice each night. A choice of two soups each night (different kind each day and it tasted delicious) or salad for starters.
For the main course, there was usually a choice of two meats and a vegetarian option. Wide choice of desserts and fresh fruit.
There is a microwave provided if you feel your food could be hotter.
Borovets is a great place for beginners. The nursery slopes were very busy during our stay, due to the Rila mountains been the only place nearby with snow. For more advanced skiers, the gondola has a lot to offer.
The ski school wasn't what I expected. They placed beginners and people who had a weeks skiing experience in the same group. This wasn't fair on the beginners and many dropped out from the group after the 1st day.
I think we were just unlucky with our group. The lifts do need updating where the gondola station is.
Unfortunately there wasn't much snow about when we went and some of the runs were dangerous. The gondola station was closed one day due to high winds.
However, Borovets is a great place to ski. I think we were unfortunate with the ski school and the non existent snow fall!
I would return to Borovets and to the Hotel Rila.
We read many reviews before going on holiday about the poor state of the Rila. Many of these reviews stated that the food was poor and the rooms unclean.
Our experience was the complete opposite. The food was lovely and the rooms were clean with fresh towels left each day.
Breakfast was fantastic with lots of choice. You could have: pancakes, cereal or full English. Fresh fruit and bread were also available.
Tea was basic but with a different choice each night. A choice of two soups each night (different kind each day and it tasted delicious) or salad for starters.
For the main course, there was usually a choice of two meats and a vegetarian option. Wide choice of desserts and fresh fruit.
There is a microwave provided if you feel your food could be hotter.
Borovets is a great place for beginners. The nursery slopes were very busy during our stay, due to the Rila mountains been the only place nearby with snow. For more advanced skiers, the gondola has a lot to offer.
The ski school wasn't what I expected. They placed beginners and people who had a weeks skiing experience in the same group. This wasn't fair on the beginners and many dropped out from the group after the 1st day.
I think we were just unlucky with our group. The lifts do need updating where the gondola station is.
Unfortunately there wasn't much snow about when we went and some of the runs were dangerous. The gondola station was closed one day due to high winds.
However, Borovets is a great place to ski. I think we were unfortunate with the ski school and the non existent snow fall!
I would return to Borovets and to the Hotel Rila.
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- Date of Holiday:Jan 2007
- Board Basis:Half Board
- Tour Operator:Neilson
" The Rila hotel is a very high... "
Submitted By: Miss H Goldsworthy
The Rila hotel is a very high standard in Bulgaria with a large bar, lounge, restauraant and a pool.
Right at the bottom of the nursery slopes with ski hire shop and gift shops. The hotel also has a creepy sports physio, which I wouldn't recommend to any ladies.
Meals are buffet style with lots of choice.
Borovets is ideal for those on a budget/beginners-intermediates and wanting lively après ski.
Opposite you will find plenty of bar's and restaurants but also lots of beggars of all ages and PR staff, shouting 'asda price', 'cheap as chips' and so on.
Resort facilities available include many lap dancing clubs/bars, skidoo's, bar crawl, horse drawn carriage rides, tin pin bowling, folk nights, etc, the usual.
The Rila Hotel and Borovets in a nut-shell. Hope this helps you to have a wonderful holiday.
Right at the bottom of the nursery slopes with ski hire shop and gift shops. The hotel also has a creepy sports physio, which I wouldn't recommend to any ladies.
Meals are buffet style with lots of choice.
Borovets is ideal for those on a budget/beginners-intermediates and wanting lively après ski.
Opposite you will find plenty of bar's and restaurants but also lots of beggars of all ages and PR staff, shouting 'asda price', 'cheap as chips' and so on.
Resort facilities available include many lap dancing clubs/bars, skidoo's, bar crawl, horse drawn carriage rides, tin pin bowling, folk nights, etc, the usual.
The Rila Hotel and Borovets in a nut-shell. Hope this helps you to have a wonderful holiday.
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- Date of Holiday:Mar 2005
- Board Basis:Half Board
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" We really enjoyed this holiday. There... "
Submitted By: Amy
We really enjoyed this holiday. There were three couples who went for New Year and we really enjoyed it! We flew out on the 30th December for a week.
The hotel was nice, the rooms were clean and we had a great view of the slopes. We really liked the hotel bar - the staff became more friendly as the week went on and the table service was welcomed!
The hotel nightclub was good on New Year's Eve. They were not helpful at all.
The buffet dinner was OK - breakfast was pretty good, and I wasn't expecting much having read other reviews, but the evening meals were average - they did have some nice dishes.
The New Year's gala dinner took forever though and a lot of people got fed up waiting - the kebab stand opposite the hotel at the bottom of the nursery slopes is great!
In terms of bars outside of the hotel I would recommend Francos, Karoke bar and Buzz was OK. We ate in most places for lunch - we rated Chilli Peppers and the Mexican meal we had at Marmacitas was lovely - we paid £9 each for a main and wine with the meal and some nibbly starters.
If you want to learn to ski would advise that you get private lessons - we were taught by someone called George who we really liked.
Our Inghams rep booked it up for us and it cost 65 lev for 2 hours, which is well worth it. A lot of people dropped out of the ski schools as they found they had too many people in them and everything took ages.
Due to a lack of snow we found a lot of the runs weren't open the first couple of days, but then everything started to open so there was more choice.
I would definitely recommend Borovets and The Rila - it is good value for money and in a great location.
The hotel was nice, the rooms were clean and we had a great view of the slopes. We really liked the hotel bar - the staff became more friendly as the week went on and the table service was welcomed!
The hotel nightclub was good on New Year's Eve. They were not helpful at all.
The buffet dinner was OK - breakfast was pretty good, and I wasn't expecting much having read other reviews, but the evening meals were average - they did have some nice dishes.
The New Year's gala dinner took forever though and a lot of people got fed up waiting - the kebab stand opposite the hotel at the bottom of the nursery slopes is great!
In terms of bars outside of the hotel I would recommend Francos, Karoke bar and Buzz was OK. We ate in most places for lunch - we rated Chilli Peppers and the Mexican meal we had at Marmacitas was lovely - we paid £9 each for a main and wine with the meal and some nibbly starters.
If you want to learn to ski would advise that you get private lessons - we were taught by someone called George who we really liked.
Our Inghams rep booked it up for us and it cost 65 lev for 2 hours, which is well worth it. A lot of people dropped out of the ski schools as they found they had too many people in them and everything took ages.
Due to a lack of snow we found a lot of the runs weren't open the first couple of days, but then everything started to open so there was more choice.
I would definitely recommend Borovets and The Rila - it is good value for money and in a great location.
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- Date of Holiday:Dec 2006
- Board Basis:Half Board
- Tour Operator:Inghams
" The resort is good, the snow and... "
Submitted By: Mr P Roberts
The resort is good, the snow and skiing was brilliant. Not a huge choice of runs, but enough if skiing for 1 week only. If skiing for any longer I suggest another place.
Accommodation at the Rila is good, but basic. The food at Rila is poor, the food is cold, tasteless and strange. The restaurants around the resorts are very good and very cheap. You can eat out for less the £5 and beer is about 80p per pint.
Be aware, that if there is any wind they close the gondola which reduces the number of runs dramatically.
Overall a good holiday had by all, but not a resort I will be returning to.
Enjoy.
Accommodation at the Rila is good, but basic. The food at Rila is poor, the food is cold, tasteless and strange. The restaurants around the resorts are very good and very cheap. You can eat out for less the £5 and beer is about 80p per pint.
Be aware, that if there is any wind they close the gondola which reduces the number of runs dramatically.
Overall a good holiday had by all, but not a resort I will be returning to.
Enjoy.
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- Date of Holiday:Feb 2006
- Board Basis:Half Board
- Tour Operator:Inghams Travel
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We arrived at our hotel at 8.30pm on a Saturday night, because of all new arrivals the restaurant was open til 11pm that evening, the food was good and plenty of choice infact prob the hardest decisions were made in the restaurant. My advice is too try and sample some of their home dishes because although they looked crap they were delicious.
Skiing in borovets is good providing there is ample snow, it had not snowed for 1 week and we only got home 7/2/09 however the higher you go the better the conditions.
I managed to secure private lessons through neilson at £40 for 3 hours and it was well worth it, i then did a deal with the instructor at a lot cheaper the next day.
Nightlife is fab! We found a bar called Chilli Peppers and football is always on. chris the manager is a nutter! Silvia is a waitress and brill. Many apres ski nights were in here and happy hour is 10 -12 !!!!! Becareful of coffee in borovets they have no clue how to make it - Go to Chilli's i showed them how to make english coffee and you can get this for 300 Lev.
HAPPY SKIING!
Advice: FAB
Activities: CHILLI PEPPERS, BUZZ BAR, FRANCOS
Good for: Ski