You’re allowed to do nothing. And now, with the September 1 opening of Bansko’s latest holiday complex, Bojurland Hotel and Apartment Complex, that go-ahead will be even easier to fulfil. Of course, being that the south-west Bulgarian resort town offers a load of activities - skiing, snowboarding, concerts and a huge selection of restaurants and cafes - doing nothing may turn out to be an afterthought.
No matter. When the desire to escape hits, Bojurland is there. Actually, Bojurland is a separated hotel and a three-phase complex of holiday apartments all rolled into one.
A project of Bojurland OOD, led by the investors engineer Kiril Minov, director of the development and responsible for investment control, and Evgeni Gulebov, executive director of the Antim Tower Business Park in Sofia, the first stage - the one unveiled on September 1 - was completed in 14 months. It includes an 85-room hotel and a four-building apartment complex comprising a total of 103 flats.
“Having in mind the winter conditions in Bansko,” said Gulebov, “it’s quite a success, and it’s of good quality, too.”
The second stage of construction will start in early 2007, with expected completion the same year, and the third phase, in mid-2007.
Its architecture preserving the traditional Bansko style, as will all buildings in Bojurland, the first phase was 100 per cent sold out already before the opening. And though the not even started, the second phase is already 75 per cent sold out.
Project lawyer Valeri Voutov said that most purchasers are from Great Britain; only one apartment has been purchased by Bulgarians.
Flats sell for 600 to 1200 euro a sq m, and range from 27 sq m to 70 sq m. They can be purchased furnished for an additional sum.
Amenities in the complex include a spa and wellness centre, a fitness centre, billiards, tennis courts, a covered pool, Jacuzzi, children’s area, and inside recreational space with hearths. In the courtyard in the middle of the first-phase buildings, there is a BBQ.
Investments for this stage totalled about six million euro. The second phase (60 apartments) is expected to cost about four million euro, and the entire project, about 20 million.
In constructing the facilities, which cover about 22 decares, an entire infrastructure had to be created - sewage, electricity and so on - Minov said.
The three-star adjacent hotel has a bar, restaurant, conference room for 20 people, conference equipment, a sauna, free WiFi internet access, a convenience store, shuttle to the ski lift and private parking.
For a standard double room in low season (April 1 to December 12 2007, excluding May 1 to 21 December), the price is 31 leva a night a person. In middle season (January 1 to March 31 2007), it would be 36 leva a night. In high season (December 23 to January 6 2007), one night in Bojurland would cost 54 leva. In the summer (May 1 to 21 December), the same room would be 23.50 leva. For the a double deluxe room during the same periods, it would be 37 leva, 42 leva, 60 leva and 28 leva, respectively. Children under two years of age stay free, and from ages two to 12, they stay at a slightly reduced price. In all cases, additional beds cost extra.
The hotel also offers two-bed apartments, triple rooms and quadruple rooms. All room prices include breakfast, community tax and VAT.
A special feature of the hotel is its karaoke bar on the ground floor.
The name Bojur (a flower, called paeony in English) was chosen to reflect the development’s pleasant, welcoming and natural atmosphere, said Voutov.
Bansko is a town located about about 150km south of Sofia at the foot of the Pirin Mountains. Its population of about 11 000 increases by about 300 per cent in the winter, as visitors come from Bulgaria and abroad to participate in winter sports such as skiing and snowboarding. In addition to winter sports, the town offers a rich year-round concert schedule, a summer jazz festival, 32 architectural sites of note, seven museums and museum-houses, and over 100 restaurants and traditional-style taverns.
Bojurland joins numerous projects in the wave - or avalanche - of construction that has been occurring in Bansko since 2004.
