Bansko
The resort itself is a total building site, with hotels and apartments going up everywhere. There are a few good bars and restaurants around the resort and we found most of them very good and very cheap, we also found the staff in them to be very friendly. Some of the staff in the shops however were very rude. I noticed on 2 occasions locals were charged exactly half of what they charged the tourists! The ski area however is very good and well maintained. The gondola takes about 20 minutes to get to the mountain and the runs (be there before 8.30 or expect to que for a while). As you come off the gondola there are 2 chair lifts to take you to most of the runs with access to other lifts after those. There is not a massive amount to keep good skiers/boarders amused for a week, but beginners and intermediates will find plenty to do. Be careful though as some of the blue runs get very steep in places. The ski road back to the resort is good fun but gets very flat in places so can be hard work on a snowboard (watch out for the ski instructors at the end of the day they come down so so fast with no regard for anyone else). There is also a fun park with jumps and rails at the top of the mountain. Unfortunately I think when all the building work is finished there will be too many people for the mountain to cope!
Recommends To: Active/Adventurous, Budget, Couples, Families with small children, Families with teenagers, Large groups, Singles, Young
Tags: ski, snowboard, building site, cheap.