Bansko Ski Resort Bulgaria

Pirin Golf and Country Club

I have seen very few pics appear online for this development and having walked up to the place I can see why. Althoguh it appear to be close by when looking at it from Redenka it truns out to be a 3 day camel ride when you actually make the track up to it.

There is only a dirt track up to the overall Pirin Golf development. There is a tarmaced road but it has been blocked off at the bottom by a few boulders. John was reluctant to take his hire car up the dirt road so we decided to hoof it.

I have to say the whole complex looks amazing with plenty of space between apartment blocks. At a guess there looks to be around 15 different blocks of apartments at various stages of development. Some of them are finished or very close to it from what I can see from the outside.

We couldn’t get close enough to see the actual golf course and can only guess that it is closer to the mountain, behind the ongoing developments.

The views from this area are amazing too. In my opinion anyone who has bought here is on to a real winner.

I am happy that our apartment is just a 5 minute drive away. Contrary to what is being touted by the developers, I believe the golf course will be open to both residents and non-residents, with residents getting preferential treatment and access of course.

Countless lorries passed us in both directions too as we made our way to and from Pirin Golf. So work is continuing.

Here are a few photos I took along the way to the Pirin apartment blocks.

Tags: priin golf and country club, bansko, razlog, golf bansko, golf bulgaria, Redenka

Dobrinishte and Beyond

We took a trip out to Dobrinishte yesterday which is a town just 6 kilometres from Bansko.

The centre is much like Bansko and Razlog with a tree lined central square and a dotting of cafe bars surrounding the area.

I saw a few finished apartment developments on immediately entering the town but no obvious over-development in the area. Although it was a Sunday there was quite a few people, especially teenagers, in the small bar where we had a cappucino before moving on.

We headed south from Dobrinishte to check the area out and ended up driving over 50 km, passing through Mesta and some other small towns before deciding to head back towards Bansko – mainly because we couldn’t find anywhere to eat that looked like it would cater to English speakers.

On the way back I stopped on the road to buy a couple of water melons. I think this was more out of courtesy to the old man selling them by the roadside. Two watermelons for 2 Leva. He could have easily got away with letting me go with one but insisted that he put another on the scales.

So, I returned to Redenka with enough watermelon to keep me hydrated for at least a week. I actually gave one to John, my travelling partner, who was a wee bit surprised when I asked him to stop the car in the first place

Here are a few pics of Dobrinishte and the road out of the town towards Mesta:

Tags:Dobrinishte, mesta, bulgarian towns, bansko

View of Mountains Near Bansko

Today was the first really clear day I have had since arriving in Bansko last Tuesday. I thought the irish weather had followed me but I awoke this morning to the sun blazing through the curtainless windows – yeah I don’t have curtains yet but I’m working on it.

Here’s a short video of the view from my apartment:

Furniture at a Good Price

I met Frank Nadler yesterday who is a frequenter over at the Talk Bansko discussion forum. Frank is a very nice fella and interesting to talk to. He certainly knows more about Bansko than I do .

He was the first foreigner to settle in Bansko – so he says. I suspect Frank has told a yarn or two in his time but I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. Frank if you’re reading this I’m only kidding .

Anyway, Frank has given me a very reasonable price for a couple of furniture items that I needed for my apartment, including a single bed and couple of wardrobes. Frank owns Ardmore Properties and Pirin lodge and this is the same furniture that he offers to his own clients.

If you want to contact Frank you can get him over at the Talk Bansko forum.

Tags: bansko furniture, bansko, ski, bulgaria, mountain view

Robbed by a Bansko Waiter

We should have realised when we the waiter told us that the menu was only available in Bulgarian until the Ski season started that there was something amiss – especially in the middle of Bansko – but at the time I thought nothing of it. After all the waiter was so friendly and seemed so concerned that we make the right choice when it came to order.

We couldn’t read a word of the menu so rather than play ‘Pin the Tail on the Menu’ we decided to let the waiter recommend us some dishes, which he was very happy to do.

When I got the bill a couple of hours later it was for 108 Leva. To make matters worse, I had already taken 60 leva out of my wallet and thought ‘I’ll leave him the change from the 60 for a tip’. There’s nothing like the feeling of knowing you’ve just been taken for a ride as you hand over the money.

Ok, if you’re in the U.K or Ireland this is a reasonable price – around 40 quid. In Bansko, we were stung for about 4 times the average price. 108 Leva is a weeks wage in Bansko for many of it’s workers.

I know, I know, I should have asked him to explain the price, I should have asked for the manager but when you’re in a foreign country it’s difficult to do and I suspect people who hike prices up like this to unsuspecting foreigners know that.

To cap it all the meat was tough and the meal was nowhere near the standard of the other places we had eaten. So, ‘food buyer beware’ – If you are told the menu is only in Bulgarian then better to go elsewhere.

Most restaurants in Bansko and even in some of the smaller towns elsewhere will have the menu in Bulgarian with English equivalent below. They will also have the prices. This way you can be aware of what you are getting and for what price.

That said, I can’t remember seeing anything on the menu that could ever have added up to the price we were charged. If the waiter hadn’t been 16 Stone and built like a shithouse I’d have headbutted him. As it stands, I give him his dough and quietly left, vowing never to return .

It was a dear lesson learnt.

Tags: bansko, ski, eating out bansko, bansko restaurants, bulgaria