Farewell Bansko
Farewell Bansko
I left Bansko yesterday at 9am Bulgarian time to make the long journey back home. The sooner direct flights to Sofia are available in Ireland the better. I didn’t look forward to the two flights I had to get, ie. Sofia - London Luton, London Luton-Belfast and I didn’t enjoy the reality of the trip either.
The increased security at the airports is a pain in the bollox(Excuse my french), especially when you have the added extra stress of a few too many cheap cigarettes 
For those of you who smoke or know people who are one of this dying breed, you can buy 200 Marlboro and other brands for 32 Leva, which is about £10 sterling.
You can buy cigs at the duty-free for those flying to the EU for around the same price. If you’re flying to a country other than the EU, you can get a 200 box for 8 Euros 
.
Disclaimer: Please check the customs regulations for your contry as I would in no way encourage you to take more than you are regulated to take home.
I had to also return to checkin to put another bag through, as when I arrived atsecurity they wouldn’t let through my bottles of aftershave and Rakia, because they were over 100ml. Any liquid below 100ml goes in a clear plastic bag. Apparently they thought I was going to drink the bottle of Rakia, blind the pilot with my aftershave and go on a joyride around Eastern Europe
Before I left Bansko I went to the notary in Razlog to give Property Management BG the power to run my account (Minus making withdrawals) from Bansko. This takes around 5 minutes and the notary basically acts as a witness to my signing of the Property Management contract. The notary relieved me of 8 Leva for this privilege.
I also set up a bank account at the first investment bank in Bansko. It is possible to apply for a bank card which you can use in Bulgaria to remove your funds from ATMs. This card requires a 1 Euro desposit. For a 50 Euros deposit you can get a card that will allow you to withdraw your funds from the U.K. I will get the latter card the next time I am in Bansko.
Before I left I also discovered the name of the resort which is right next to Redenka on the road to Bansko. The resort is called Silver Mountain - the info was revealed thanks to the Property Management Rep. who translated the Bulgarian writing on the banners at the front of this new complex. Simple really, but it took me nearly two weeks to find this out!
Having Googled Silver Mountain Bansko I found that it is being built by MRI and includes 866 apartments.
The mind boggles why they believe that there is going to be a market for these properties when there are so many still available in Bansko. Maybe global warming is going to wipe out the snowfall of every other resort in Europe! 
At the rate they are building in Bansko it will be the only way these apartments will sell in the short-term. Mind you, I hope I have to eat these words at some time in the near future.
Overall my experience and visit to Bansko was very positive. I love the place and can see myself and family enjoying many weeks in this resort. The facilities in our apartment block, including, indoor and outdoor pools, sauna, jacuzzi and gym are due to be opened in early January 2008. So, if nothing else we will have a great place to stay.
I hope to return in January or February of ‘08. I am praying that there are Irish flights at this time.
This winter season will show whether there is potential for making some money back from rentals. This would definitely be a bonus.
Bansko is looking good and will do well long-term providing the developers’ greed desn’t spoil it for everyone concerned.
Tags: bansko, ski, razlog, notary, airport security, winter holidays, property in bansko, silver mountain