Borovets
Comprising a central area (measuring ½ ml by 500 yds) and a lower, older, purely residential part of town, Borovets has enjoyed previous incarnations as both a royal hunting area and, under Communist rule, a retreat for the upper echelons of the socialist hierarchy. In more recent years it has reinvented itself as a relaxed, still-developing ski-resort (one of Bulgaria's first), somewhat lacking in sophistication but managing to retain a little original character. The focus of the resort is in the area around the nursery slope, in front of the Rila Hotel, where the main street is packed with small, family-owned shops, bars and restaurants which are quieter during the day but start to bustle in the evening; while not exactly pedestrianised, vehicles are not encouraged along this stretch of street. As with the majority of Bulgarian resorts, there is a slightly sleazier element in evidence at the edges but this is easily ignored