Bulgarian ski resort

Taking advantage of a birthday, I didn’t have better idea than make a gift related to travel. And being in Bulgaria, having a little longer weekend than usual (I’m one of the luckiest AUBG students with free Fridays), I used it to go to Bansko.

I had been there one month ago with my friends, sleeping in a 4 star hotel with spa also for 1/8 of the price. Bansko in summer (they call summer season to everything which is not December-March/April) is a very quiet place, with beautiful views to the mountains and the architecture that is almost a law in every ski resort in Europe. But what I am going to write about this week, is not Bansko itself, it is Kempinski Hotel.

Be calm, there is no snow in Bansko… yet

It is a matter of fact that normally the men are struggling when they have to make a gift to a woman, and the possibilities to fail are always high, no matter how long they know her. So, I decided that my gift would be something that I could buy in Booking.com. After decided Bansko, which is close to Blagoevgrad and very well connected by bus, I saw Kempinski Hotel and I just couldn’t say no to myself.

First of all, the price. The price is high compared to the Bulgarian standards. Very high. But is very low compared to the five stars high quality hotels. For two nights with breakfast in a room with balcony and mountain views I paid 138€ (two people). Much less than I would have paid at home. Well, at home I would not have tried…

I had never been in one of this level and some things are even funny. A person in reception walks you to your room, and shows you everything there, if the waiter in the breakfast keeps you waiting for 30 seconds (the Bulgarian standard for that is 30 minutes), he apologizes… and you don’t know if hug him or just laugh. Better not laugh, because the selection of food is huge, homemade bread and pastry, wine, natural juices, one barista for special requirements in coffee, little buffets with Chinese food or ethnic selection, diet buffet, an island of fruit…

The Hotel itself, is just the best in Bulgaria, as you can see in many places where the put the prize that the Bulgarian Hotel association gave them the last 3 years (or more, but I only saw this 3 prizes), the spa can keep you without words… It even has a snow room!

Missing to swim?

As an experience, it was perfect. I don’t know if I will pay the same amount of money again, probably not. Even when I like many  details that the hotel had with us, they were just that, details. When you are accustomed to budget hotels, it is easy to enjoy very much for a few days this kind of place, but actually the differences are not so big. It does not mean that the hotel does not worth what you pay for it… it means that I can look for the room by myself, that I don’t need the cleaning lady of my room leaving a goodnight story in my chair every day, that the natural juice in the breakfast is better but I can live without it… Definitely, that being rich for a weekend it was perfect, but I am not going to miss it very much