Borovets Hills Ski & Spa - Half Board

This was generally a 4 star spa hotel. The 1 bedroom apartment was very spacious, clean, hot powerful shower with complimentary toiletries, fluffy dressing gowns and slippers, and balcony with nice views. The food was incredible and not the same every night as per other reviews. Restaurant staff were v friendly and welcoming. Daytime reception staff v helpful, evening staff a little surly. Sofa bed was not the softest for my two 11 & 13 year olds but they managed. Spa facilities were lovely but don’t rely on the lifeguard who were either v grumpy or v inattentive! Complimentary spa towels available at spa reception. Different saunas, aroma room, relax room with hot beds, jacuzzi and swimming pool all working, and complimentary tea and water available on tap. The biggest downside were the shuttle buses to the main slopes and ski school. 8.30, 9.30 & 10am, and then 4.30 back in the afternoon. A 9am would be really good, and 5.00 or 5.30 back would’ve been better. Hotel is 10mins shuttle away, 20leva taxi ride. We’d come again I think, and accept the need to budget for taxi rides.

This hotel exceeded our expectations in terms of value for money! A really lovely hotel with a fantastic spa, surroundings and really good food. As it was located out of town it felt like a retreat and has one of the best ski slopes in the resort which is only 5 minutes walk away.

Myself and 3 friends were staying locally at the pine forest apartments, just across the way, and fancied a treatment with spa access after a long day skiing. We approached the reception in the morning of the visit on the way to the slopes and unfortunately were unable to book in for treatments...there were 3 hour slots from 5pm till 8pm which were booked and it looked like they only had 1 therapist for the entire place... Knowing this we agreed to return just for the spa access in whcog we were informed this was ok....no inclination there were any issues with the facilities. At around 6pm 2 of the 4 girls headed over payed to get access and entered the spa. Myself and another followed 15 minutes later. Upon arrival we spoke with the reception about what we would like to use and at this point we were informed the jacuzzi was broken, supposedly the day before! I complained slightly and was able to get a 5Lev discount for each of us. With this knowledge we payed and asked for towels and ropes....guess what they had used them all up and we were offer 2 small face towels to compensate....this was not acceptable. Getting changed and heading into the spa we were yet to be further disappointed.... the solarium was not working, the steam room was also not working, the cold pool was green and slimy, the ice fountain was not working and the pool was cold. The whole experience was a disappointment we were left to 2 saunas, a salt room that was not salty and an aroma steam room that was cold and non aromic. At 7.30 promptly the staff began closing the spa starting with the pool being covered and slowly working around to have the rooms emptied by 7.40. We were asked to leave quite abruptly to be honest. The changing room is fairly small and as we were not from the hotel we had to use what we had. The showers were ok and there were lockers provided. While getting changed on 2 occasions the staff entered the changing room asking us to leave (including a Male staff member) during the process of us trying to change quickly. We were all out the door by 7.58 and the staff were rude, abrupt and inconsiderate. I would highly reccomend *NOT* to use the facilities and find something else on the resort. Never had I used a facility as such before and felt i was more of a burden than a paying guest. The most ridiculous customer service and spa experience I have ever experienced! Fact! Dont waste your money here, if possible I would give this a 0 star rating!

Our room had plenty of space, lots of storage & was lovely & warm. The bathrooms (2 in a family room) were clean & well stocked with toiletries. Our double bed was comfortable but the sofa bed was not! Kids did not sleep well all week. The food was edible but not great, choice was more limited than expected, & you had to arrive when the buffet opened to get fresh food & the full choice. The waiters & restaurant bar staff were friendly, but drinks at dinner were expensive & there wasn’t even any water on the tables. At breakfast, you had tea, coffee, water & fruit juice, but these dispensers were locked up at dinner. The spa was great, bathrobes & towels were provided, & there were plenty of sun loungers around the pool & other areas to sit in addition to the various treatment rooms. The pool was a good size, but there were a lot of loose tiles on the pool floor & a few cut toes as a result. The lobby bar was a big let down! It was never open after dinner so, despite the cosy fire & comfortable chairs, there was absolutely no atmosphere - everyone either went into town or back to their rooms. You could bring drinks up from the restaurant bar, but this closed at 10pm. The hotel’s forecast location was lovely, but it’s too far out of town to walk & had very limited shuttle buses - only 3 in the morning up to 10am to get to the gondola/rila & 2 to return to the hotel at 4pm & 4.30pm. Taxis were the only other option at 20 lev each way. You can also walk 10 mins to the Yastrebets slopes if you’re happy skiing reds. Overall, I would not return. The hotel could be so much better, but cons outweigh pros at the moment.

Rooms were large and comfortable, spa was really good. however that’s as good as it gets. The lobby bar was never opened and there was no atmosphere. The food in the buffet was limited, the same every night and not of a good quality. No drinks included in your evening meal. Not even soft drinks or coffee. Bar in the restaurant was more expensive for alcoholic and soft drinks than any other hotel in the area. It was a short walk to the slopes if you’re comfortable skiing a red. Beginners would have to get a shuttle bus to the gondola. Of which there was only a couple of runs in the morning and a couple before 4pm. I wouldn’t stay here again. It’s a shame as the hotel had so much potential