The Cheapest Ski Resort In Europe
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- Опубліковано 21 січ 2020
- A recent Post Office study named Borovets in Bulgaria as the cheapest ski resort in Europe, but what's it like? Is it good, or is it rank?
We travelled with Balkan Holidays and stayed at Hotel Samokov.
Balkan Holidays: www.balkanholidays.co.uk
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Robbie UA-cam
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![ЛЕБЕДЕВ у ДУДЯ: муху не обманешь 😁 [Пародия]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/E74h5fvVrqs/mqdefault.jpg)
Lol "took my kids bowling; absolutely destroyed them"
It's important not to go easy on them. They need to learn the crushing realities of life.
I lol ed as well. Competitive Dad
@@RobbieKnox ua-cam.com/video/h2x_DI7tzNQ/v-deo.html
@@RobbieKnox You're probably right but I had to laugh at this aswell. =D
That was freekin hilarious !! Had to rewind it to be sure thats what he said, LOOOOL
ladies and gentlemen: the most british person in the world
Hahahahaha hahaha
I think Jeremy Clarkson or James may are up there
@@nicholasvodanovich1503 I think Judy Dench would agree!
@udgamcl
Love it 😂👍👍👍
Begbie has calmed down a lot since trainspotting
Gone much more middle class hasn’t he?
laughed harder than I should have...
it is all the art
😂😂 great comment
Imaging single handedly boosting the economy of a city, absolute madlad
If I don't get given the keys to the town or made mayor I'm going to go mental.
Take me skiing for a video!
Why don't we do a road trip to Scotland and ski there!
Can I come, I’m lonely
That effect of the words coming up past the mountains was very nice
Cheers Henry. I thought I’d make a bit of effort with this.
What point in video was this?
Oh got it
They were an absolute delight
I thinking that too 👍😂
The hunters ski school in borovets can arrange a traditional "Bulgarian night" in a local village nearby. You go on a bus as a group to someones house for like 20 quid they cook you wild boar and traditional food which is lovely and unlimited drink including home made Bulgarian honey brandy! A great way to spend an evening in borovets!!!
That sounds awesome. I kept trying to get my kids to leave the hotel but they just wanted to go swimming all the time!
Sounds like the start of Hostel 7 to me...
We did that when I went there 25 years ago. I thought we were going to be trafficked.
Never had the experience myself, but i met the guy who actually owns the place. He's a snowboard instructor for both Hunters and Borosport.
His name is Zvilen and i had private snowboarding lessons with him. His mother runs the whole place and he helps out when he's done with his lessons.
We discussed a lot on the lifts. Good lad.
As a bulgarian I ca suggest some things, have been skiing there more than 60 times a year for over 7 years.
As for a hotel the best hotel is Rila, if you dont wanna pay as much the one for you is hotel Ice Angels. For intermediete to andvanced skiers take the gondola up and go down to the yastrebets skiing zones, the chairlift is verry fast, no need to wait for lines, if you like going super sonic speed, you take the gondola and then the pan to the place called markudjik. Again verry fast and no lines.
Food wise, hands down the best place to enjoy everything is resturant venecia (venice). Dont eat at the top of the mountain prices are way higher than the restorant i recomended and the food i milion times worse
For the free riders they can take right from markudjik 3 and enter the free riding zone.
I’m
Thinking of booking for snowboarding is there any advance places here and is there a snow park ? Thanks
Love this, quality content Robbie. Also, very hard to find a "normal" fella talking skiing, subscribed.
Thanks Luke! Although to warn you I only get to go skiing once or twice a year so you’re going to have lots of videos of me growing potatoes and stuff in between. Off to Colorado in March though so you’ll have a bit more ski content then!
Robbie Knox Looking forward to it all mate 👍🏻
Same here haha
@@RobbieKnox excellent, subscribed, love a good potato, have skied verbier and a bit of Bavaria, always wanted north America but things like ski patrol always put me off.
It's good that you put normal in quotes.
We went 3 years in a row about 5 years ago 2015-2017 and we spent very little on a half board holiday at the Rila, full package including 4 hours a day ski lessons and passes and gear for about £600 each. Once we had learned to ski with their excellent instructors, we now cruise the blues and reds in France and this year we’re going to Finland. Thank you Borovets! The main disadvantages are limited skiing for intermediates and poor snowfall so it’s not very picturesque when the snow melts. But all in all. Bloody great! Go there!
Thanks Laura, I agree with your review. Whereabouts in France have you skied?
wtf ive literally just spent the past 2 days looking up whether borovets is a good ski resort. Such a coincidence. Absolutely legend for this
Yeah, when I was booking up I noticed there weren’t many reviews of it online so I thought I’d provide a community service for you all and make my own!
@@RobbieKnox do you know anything about bansko? I heard its better but im not sure
if you had a huge dump of snow id imagine it could be quite good but honestly, if you're used to big ski areas and loads and loads of runs id give it a miss, me and 7 mates went for a week and we're all experienced, we did the whole resort in 2 days and the piste bashers are lazy, they'd rather close the run than piste it tbh
I’m there right now staying in the same hotel as him and it’s pretty good but i’ve been to better places
@@bobmylo The reason we would be doing it would be because of its price, do you think there are any places that are better for a similar price?
We have two experienced skiiers and two people who have never skiied before.
Did you go to bankso or borovets btw?
When I subscribed a few months ago I didn't expect you to visit my country. Hope you had a good time and enjoyed it. Cheers
I did Simona! Your country is great.
Didn't expect it either
Hi. How is the weather in Borovets middle March? Is there still snow? Thank you
You sum up the serenity of skiing Perfectly, I’m currently in Alpe D’Huez, France.
Amazing. I’ve never been. Is it great?
I went to apps d’huez over New Years was amazing really good snow but busy
Alp de hues one of the best ski resort, absolutely beautiful but cannot compare with les deux alps
Quality & informative video Nice to see a ski resort review in diff. part of the world than America. Thanks for posting this & glad you had a nice family holiday.
Cheers Donna. Yeah, very different to the big American resorts...
Absolutely loved this video, had me cracking up but proper informative as well 😂 nicely done!
Thanks pal, you're very kind. I'll hopefully have some more ski content up soon!
Excellent video Robbie. Loved the in depth review and all the information you gave. Hope you and the kids had a great holiday!!!!
Cheers Karen! We had a lovely time thanks. I mean most of my week was getting them changed for skiing, or after skiing, or for swimming, or after swimming, but apart from that it was mega!
Love your personality and sense of humour. Great editing too. Top quality youtube content
Refreshing to get a normal bloke on UA-cam! Cracked me up..keep up the content..I’ve subscribed
Thanks Benny, I won't let you down.
(I almost certainly will let you down)
This was such a great video, mate. Keep it comin', Robbie...i'll keep watching.
Thanks pal! I will continue to serve you.
Really Enjoyed this video! I’m looking to learn how to ski soon, i really fancy a skiing working holiday with my girlfriend. Looks amazing to ski and this kind of video helps me get an idea of what a ski resort is like! Thank you!
Aw, cheers Sam. I did a working holiday in Canada when I was 21 working in the ski resort of Whistler and it was incredible. I made friends from all over the world who I'm still in touch with now and I can't recommend it enough!
Beautiful review! Thank you for the helpful tips
I’ve got an exam today but this video and your positive has really put my mind at ease thank you Robbie x
Cheers Jay. Good luck in the exam. You're going to smash it.
Another fabulous video. Thank you Robbie 👍❤️
This was so informative. Thanks Robbie
Cheers LM!
That nod after the strike is the kind of vibe I want to be on for the rest of my life
So proud of myself.
Nice video mate! Just returned today from Borovets from one good skiing day. I am happy you liked Bulgaria. Cheers!
I loved it. I'll definitely return to Bulgaria soon.
Outstanding ! I’ve done bansko 2years running with 2 kids and loved it. Toying with borevets this year. Thanks so much for taking the time to review and thanks so much for confirming there are no mentalists in bonkers! As a cautious Brit myself this will save hours of pacing a peering through the windows 👍🏻
Super pleasant video mate, was so surprised when i saw its 20mins felt like 7 or 8. Keep it up!
Thanks Felipe, you’re very kind. Cheers for watching!
Great video, very informataive and great narration. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Philip, glad you enjoyed it!
Great review. Covered pretty much everything. Might give this place a try. Cheers.
Cheers James. Yeah, it's well worth considering. So much cheaper than the Alps.
Thank you for sharing this to us, going to borovets next month for the first time so this vid was helpful
Excellent! I hope you enjoyed it. Make sure you check out the terrace at Hotel Rila on a sunny day. It’s beautiful!
Brilliant review. Also, absolutely hilarious. Thanks.
Thanks Lucas, glad you enjoyed it!
A really good review. Thanks for sharing.
Awesome video. Loved your style of preventing
Never heard of this place, cheers for the heads up.
It was surprisingly great.
This is a very nice video! Keep up the good work! Would like to see more ski resort reviews.
Cheers Giles. I'm going to Telluride in March so expect a video from there shortly after. I'd love to do more ski resort reviews, but sadly I can't afford to go more than once or twice a year. Thanks for watching and saying nice things!
@@RobbieKnox yeah it is damn expensive but you might get more popular on UA-cam and earn a bit of money from it. Who knows? There is really a market for down to earth ski resort reviews on UA-cam. I was very curious about this video because skiing is not cheap and it looks like a nice place for a shortski.
@@gillesputtemans Yeah, hopefully. Maybe I can wangle my way onto a press trip sometime (hopefully some ski resort PR people will read this) and get another video made. I'd love to be able to make a few videos like this every season.
And yeah, a weekend for a good skier would be enough. It would make a good bonus long weekend of extra skiing rather than a main trip for an experienced skier I'd say.
Thank you sir! Very insightful!
Great video Robbie, looking for a cheap ski holiday for next year with my mates and this could be ideal
Yeah, it certainly fits that remit! Investigate it further!
I went there last February, definitely one of the best ski resorts I've been in terms of the slopes, even up there with the likes of Austria.
I stayed in the Club Hotel Yanakiev and it was great, I recommend it if anyone is planning on going to Borovets.
Legend! More please. I learned to ski here 10 years ago, nowt much has changed apart from the fact the prices have gone up 😅. I think they realise they were too cheap. As an add on. There is a decent 19km run back to town from the top, lots is flattish stretches but nothing up hill and scenic. The Derby was a decent pub back in the day. If you mention the poor food to the ski instructors they might offer to arrange a mini bus and a trip to a nearby town for restaurants with wider menus, with some good food especially salads which can be hard to come by in Borovets itself. I had so much fun when I went I went back 8 weeks later. Blackpool on ice I describe it. Definitely an experience. Also I found the ski school excellent, good English, and runs morning and afternoon so you learn more. Great if a friendly group. They also tend to find good restaurants on the mountain in exchange they get a free lunch. One on one tuition is also a real option here, expect to pay for a day what would cost an hour in the alps. Agree with the H&S comment. Check your kit before leaving the shop, I had a broken binding which flew off on the slope!! Enjoy
To your point on expert skiing, Borovets has access to some amazing backcountry terrain. Definitely worth exploring with a local guide. You could even summit and ski down Bulgaria's highest peak.
Amazing. I think I did say that it didn't have much expert terrain "in bounds" at one point because I did wonder about the backcountry. How do you access it? Via the lift system, helicopter, hiking, etc? I'd obviously get a proper guide if I went.
Robbie Knox the top of the Yastrebetz gondola is the usual starting point for most tours and it’s mainly hiking. I think from the top of the gondola to peak Musala is about 3h skin. There is a very knowledgeable guiding community in Bulgaria so next time you visit definitely an option to explore further out. Skiing the Balkans is also a great English language guide book with a lot of routes covering the main 3 mountain ranges in Bulgaria.
Great video!
You should definitely check Szczyrk Mountain resort in Poland with around 40km of ski slopes! It has changed a lot recently(modernized chairlifts, gondola, slopes etc)
Just Keep in mind that from 11.01 to 22.02 schools in Poland have winter holidays so slopes might be a little bit crowded than usual
I realy liked your video.. Thinking about taking a trip down there to see for myself.. cheers!
Thanks, how kind of you to say so. Go and check it out, I really enjoyed it.
Backpack music knobheads. Absolutely love that Robbie. Cheers for the content, love it.
The scourge of the mountains.
Best ski review ever. I loved you in the wild thorneberrys. Good work mate
Aw, thanks pal. I'm off to Colorado skiing tomorrow so there will be a new one soon!
@@RobbieKnox Amazing! Have fun man.
Thanks for posting, I went there with a mixed ability group, that included 2 older beginners. One didn't take to skiing at all, and became a real pain in the ass as there was little else to do in Borevets.
That was in 1989, a few months before the wall came down. The town still looks the same as then.
The only thing that seems to of changed are the prices. A pizza was under 2 Lev, a bottle of red 2.50 lev, Russian bubbly 7.50 lev. At 10 lev to the pound on the black market, that was cheap. In fact the most expensive meal we had that trip was on the M4, travelling back from Gatwick to Wales.
We stayed in the Hotel Ela, just down the road from the Samakov, that seemed to be the best place to stay.
I wouldn't go again, but I'm glad I did that once.
I imagine it's changing at a rapid rate. I spoke to a few people who have been going there for a few years who said there were lots of new buildings going up in the area. I bet it was amazing in 1989!
"watch this melt" always so spot on 🤣 hahah
It's so anti-social isn't it?
Only been skiing once before but this looks like a great place for someone of my level! Thanks for the great video!
Do it Mia. It’s a great resort to learn in.
You sound like you're right on my wavelength very helpful as thinking of going for 2021 with the kids for their 1st time
Do it! My kids love being in the snow, and it’s a great sport you can do together for years!
@@RobbieKnox
Took my eldest years ago when she was younger....I go every year without the buggers! If i could leave the wife behind, that would be brilliant
14:30 It's just..... the vibe. Love a good Castle reference
This comment is going in the pool room.
Great video gets me excited to graduate university and take an extended trip to Europe for a year or two backpacking and snowboarding throughout
Have fun Chris.
Great review - have just booked a Feb week there, thanks for such an informative and articulate clip!
You’ll have a great time! Enjoy!
Its actually quite good, I've gone there every year for 5 years and its always fun, also the lift queues (not the gondola) tend to be quite short
Agreed, I was really impressed by the place.
Good review. Keep it up :D
Thank you! I will.
Asking for a friend.
The 6 day kindergarten pass for £131 is that unlimited use.
Say I flew over and dropped the kid off for 18 days. It's going to cost roughly;
6 seats total, 4 trips.
Me + kid drop off,
me back home,
Me heading back,
Me + kid getting home. £300
18 days in kindergarten. £393
It's total is roughly same price as 25h p/w in day care. Yet you get almost a complete 3 week break and a few days on a ski resort.
Again asking for a friend and I have no means of exploiting this loophole.
Sadly it only runs 8.30am-4pm so you need to childcare apart from that. Sorry to disappoint!
“Asking for a friend”😂 yeah yeah yeah
HAHAHAAH DROPPING KIDS 3 WEEKS IN CHILDCARE TF USE CONDOMS
PIP
Diego van den Hemel, I have tried following your advice regarding using condoms as an alternative childcare. Iv now got a kid that's suffocated. Any more advice on what I should do next? The wife wasn't best pleased with your first idea.
Great little video. I previously went to brorvets about 12 years ago. Looks a lot more modern than it was when I went
There do seem to be a few new looking buildings around. I imagine it’s changing pretty rapidly. I hadn’t heard of it two years ago.
Stayed in Borovets in 1990 for a ski holiday. Great experience. Seeing your video not much has changed.
I loved it. Will definitely be back.
The Serenity, that line earnt you an aussie sub, love ur content robbie keep it up
This comment is going in the pool room.
@@RobbieKnox Earned a like from another Aussie fan here. All we have here is pretty crappy mountains that cost an arm and a leg and are hours drive away. You should come and take a look at them. E.g Mt Buller, falls creek, Hotham
@@RobbieKnox come down to bonnie doon
Loved this video, im a beginner and thinking about taking my 8yo for a short break and found your video really good and funny! Subscribed!
Aw, thanks. Bulgaria is a great place to take beginners. You’ll love it there!
love this video Robbie!
Cheers George.
Thanks for the info good video
Good video. Thanks. I'm going skiing again with Oak Hall to Germany, Feldberg soon. Good for kids
Really enjoyed this video. Ski holidays have been out of my price range in years... Now I'm having second thoughts :D
Yeah, I looked and you could get a holiday for two people sharing for under £1000 half-board (including ski hire, lift pass and tuition). It's such a fun way to spend a week.
@@RobbieKnox that sounds great. I just need to find someone to share with now! :) Thanks for responding and keep doing what you're doing :)
onelegout Cheers pal!
Great Video Robbie
Going here next week all being well great video thank you!
You’ll love it Rob! Have fun.
stayed here 2 weeks ago. fully recomend for the price. all the bars round there are very welcoming definitely going back!
I can’t get Bobs Burgers out of my mind
Great show. My style icon.
Good information , cheers .
Hi Robbie
Great review matey, went there last March and stayed at the Rila hotel which was great, no problems, food a little basic but ok, snow in March was a little thin with most tree lined routes closed, but up top of Gondola was ok, cost us £600 each including ski hire & ski pass for week, bargain but probably as last week of season, all ski schools finished that week too, overall not a bad place to give a go
Regards Gary
Cheers Gary! Will definitely look into it for next year. £600 is a bargain!
Great video bud - we are off to Borovets in the last week of Jan - looking forward to it. AND HEY, your Bulgarian is no worse than mine!!
Great video...been in borovets loads of times in the last 20 years and going again Saturday...its great for a cheap week away .
If you get chance go to malovista which is a cab ride away ..great off piste area .....
Thanks for the tip - are there lifts there or is it just off piste/backcountry?
Hi
There are a couple of drag lifts there ...but loads of off piste stuff
Its about an hour away and nobody knows about it !!!!!
This is the best UA-cam channel 😂
Thanks licenseplate. It’s a nice mix of stuff isn’t it!
Great real world review. Officially declared as "not rank" seems damned with faint praise to me ! Backpacks with speakers... definitely agree with your opinion about these... Almost feel sorry for the deluded who use them thinking they're piste gangstas! I'm not sold on the place but I feel I know enough now to make an informed decision.
Yeah, it's not the resort for everyone but would be a good place for people trying the sport for the first time I think.
And yeah, it's the arrogance of people thinking everyone should hear their music I think. It's like people who play music on their phone's speakers on trains and buses.
You had Mrs M and me choking on our tea, ROFL. Just brilliant. Thank you. We are both good skiers looking for somewhere to take my sister and kids. You've just sold Borovets to us! Thank you. What camera (and microphone) did you use? Love the quality.
Excellent! Glad you enjoyed the video. Yeah, it's a great place to take beginners. The camera for (almost) all of the video was just a Go Pro Hero 6. No external microphone - you just need to be aware to avoid recording audio in places where it's too windy.
Just stumbled across your vid, Love your honest explanations of skiing, accommodation and summation. Would love you to do a report on my home mountain. Sierra Nevada, Spain, apparently is the furthest southerly resort in the world. Springtime it is possible to ski in the morning and sunbath in the Mediterranean beach in the afternoon. Loads of varied terrain to ski. Personally, I staff at a hotel at the bottom of the mountain and drive up each day which takes about 30 mins. The Sierra Nevada is in the Andalusian community and served by local airports. I have to drive as I live 4 hours away, been in Spain for 18 years and only found out about this mountain 4 years ago. If you want any further help or advice, please get i touch, would be happy to help
Brilliant video thank you
Glad you liked it pal!
Top quality!
Cheers Oscar.
Like your style Robbie :)
I went there in Feb 2017. It's basic but very pleasant, certainly very good value. I hade a nice time there. I'm fortunate enough to have the steep techy chutes of the NZ club fields in Canterbury as my go to for the weekends, but one of my fondest memories of Borovets is the long (5-7km+) gentle glide back down to the town at the end of the day. I think your final piece to camera was filmed as you did this? :-)
Entertaining video!
Thanks Luke, you’re very kind sir.
Nice video dude, I recommend you to check skiing in Georgia, it's far cheaper... Dunno bout the flight tickets price tho.. GL on ur next adventures!
Amazing - how big are the resorts? Any particular place worth checking out?
i find it very awesome when someone blasts a retro song on the mountain :D makes me want to follow them
Fair play Jakob, maybe I've just been unlucky with the music I've heard.
@@RobbieKnox but i too get where you are coming. Its something you and i cant choose (blasters taste in music)
@@RobbieKnox ease don't think bulgarians only listen to chalga😂😂 that's what it looks like but it really isn't
Hi Robbie, Nice Video :D
Thank you!
Love the bit about the dude being a “melt” for having a speaker in his back pack lol
Ha ha. It's true.
really am gonna try to get booked in there for next Jan but at hotel Rila like you said, looks perfect for me the Mrs and 2 kids, thanks dude I wouldn't have the foggiest where to start to learn to ski with 2 kids in tow, Robbie with the minerals again!
You'll love it Kurt, it's great! Send me a postcard.
I remember teaching Otto in kindergarten. He was great! I hope that he enjoyed his experience with us.
This is the UA-cam channel I’ve been looking for. And ditto re the freaking backpack speakers.
Aw, thanks pal. Really appreciate it!
(And yeah, backpack speaker people aren’t the best)
@@RobbieKnox Seriously, this is the channel I didn’t know I needed - for the middle aged skiing, beer drinking & Oktoberfest fan father. Keep up the good work.
I think I went at the same time as you. Big problem is that they flatten out the snow in the evening which means when it builds up overnight and is a bit of a pain in the morning. And the snow cannons only come out in a small area which created a massive mound. I found the red runs particularly challenging compared to Alps
Yeah, in low light I did find myself going over the top of the bumps and the ground disappearing from under me! Interesting what you say about the red runs, was that because of the condition of them or because of the steepness?
Went skiing in Bulgaria last year, in Pamporovo. Was quality
Awesome. I think we'll go back to Bulgaria next year as well. Will look into Pamporovo.
great video!
Thanks Ian, you're very kind. Will hopefully have another skiing video up in the next few weeks.
'Backpack-music-nobheads' is a term I am going to try and make part of my regular vocabulary from now on! Seriously though, great video and really informative. Is there enough to do there for 5/6 days without getting bored? I'm planning on taking my family to Borovets in early 2022 for their first ski trip and I want them to absolutely love it!
Try Pamporovo next time if you happen to opt for another Bulgarian skiing holiday. Much higher quality in every aspect possible :D
Nikola Mladenoff Except maybe they skiing…
dont know why this was recommended, but i really enjoyed it! I'm from Austria, so there isnt much incentive to go skiing somewhere else. I've thought about going to Georgia for a few weeks, flight, accomodation and ski pass would be cheaper then just the pass here!
Yeah, if I was in Austria I don't think I'd go anywhere else! I LOVE skiing in Austria. You guys are the best at apres ski!
I’ve been there before on my way to my trip to Romania and I absolutely loved it I also love snow
i did the same last year and I went to bansko for relaxing and taking snowboard lessons.. it was cheap and I enjoyed it as much as possible.. maybe this year i'll go to borovets.. ;)
Nice video. I might think about going next year. Going there from here (Spain) it might cost more or less the same as going from the UK. Subscribed.
You can ski in Spain can't you? Have you skied there?
@@RobbieKnox Yeah, I do. There are like 50 something ski resorts all over the country. But the prices are not as cheap as in Bulgaria. If you add transport, accommodation and so on. I do ski in small resorts which are like 200 km from home, but those are ok for just two days. Bigger resorts like the ones you find in the Pyrenees or Sierra Nevada in Andalusia are too far from here to go by car.
I stayed in samakov my first time then the rila the next time definitely recommend! I would also suggest venturing to a non-touristy pub for traditional Bulgarian food one day, though it is tempting to just have pizza all the time😂
Yeah, I wanted to but the kids just wanted to go swimming. Would you recommend going to the Rila then? It looked much better.
Rachael: Try the Hotel Ela, it’s about 500 meters back from the centre. Very nice.
I was just back from there yesterday. It's pretty good
You are spot on.. Boarded there last year for 4 days and stayed in the same hotel.. It is what it is for the money and 65 quid for the lift pass.. Sweet review 👍
ginge625 did you think it was good?
Went 3 years ago, for skiing on the cheap its great. Greene King restaurant is a must. Snapped MCL so had fun being ski'd down by the rescue team. Would go again 👍
It's a sign of a good resort when you have fun even though you did your MCL.