Time For Travel
08:00 Fri 22 Sep 2006 - Petar Kostadinov
History is one of the strong sides of Bulgaria with its more than 1300 years of existence and the Borovets ski resort, situated in Rila mountain, 1300 meters above the sea level, is the real proof for that.
Borovets is the oldest Bulgarian winter resort, with a history dating back to 1896. Today Borovets is one of the biggest and most modern resorts in the country, offering the full list of services typical for a read more 
more from Time For Travel
08:00 Fri 22 Sep 2006
A winter holiday in Bulgaria means an avalanche - of superlatives. Ample snow, generous sunshine, warm and hospitable hosts, delicious food, extreme sports, expert tuition, skilled rescue services, memorable apres-ski and all for affordable prices - these are the reasons why, as a winter holiday destination, Bulgaria is climbing new peaks. The country boasts resorts and facilities read more
08:00 Fri 22 Sep 2006 - Magdalena Rahn
All around the country, guest houses and family hotels welcome visitors. Directly in the historic heart of towns, in villages dotting the countryside and in cities, warm hosts open up their lives and invite you to experience true Bulgarian hospitality. Some specialise in hiking excursions or strolls through nature, spa experiences or biking, while others focus on gourmet cooking, wine, fine arts and times of ultimate read more
08:00 Fri 22 Sep 2006 - Magdalena Rahn
Ivan Obreikov is director of the ski centre at Bansko and chief of facilities of Ulen AD, the concessionaire of all things ski in the resort town. In other words, Obreikov, himself an avid skier since his youth, holds the fate of Bansko in his glove, and holds it skilfully. Since Ulen (pronounced “yulen”) obtained its 30-year concession in 2003, it has been working hard to make Bansko known worldwide. And with its 65km read more
08:00 Fri 22 Sep 2006 - Clive Leviev-Sawyer
An interview with Mario al-Djebouri, head of Bulgaria’s State Agency for Tourism
The groups of fellow students that a younger Mario al-Djebouri brought to his Bulgarian homeland from London swiftly became enthusiasts about the wonders of the country. They were enthralled by Bulgaria’s warm and hospitable people and by the great snow in the winter resorts. “What we didn’t have then but do have now,” he says, are Bulgaria’s world-class facilities that can stand on equal footing with well- read more
08:00 Fri 22 Sep 2006 - Magdalena Rahn
Bansko is a lovely, charming town with a population of about 10 000, a summer jazz festival, and a paradise for winter sports and relaxation. And that’s not to mention the upcoming golf club and the futures for building that present themselves. The Blagoevgrad region, and the city of Bansko in particular, has the most expensive land for building in the country. According to area realtors and investors, there has been an read more
08:00 Fri 22 Sep 2006 - Magdalena Rahn
An interview with Konstantin Zeuke, general manager of Kempinski Hotel Grand Arena Bansko
How long has the Kempinski Hotel Grand Arena Bansko been in existence? How long have you been there? Give me your personal background, and that of the hotel (sq m, rooms, prices, amenities, etc.). The hotel opened in June 2005, but I’ve been here since December 2004 - I did the pre-openeing, process management and everything. Before that, I was in the Middle East, in UAE, also for read more
08:00 Fri 22 Sep 2006 - Magdalena Rahn
Interview with Momtchil Damyanov from Zig Zag Holidays
As a mountain guide at the Sofia-based Zig Zag Holidays, Momtchil Damyanov has years of first-hand experience in exploring the Pirin mountains, where the resort Bansko is located. He has been hiking around Bulgaria for at least 12 years, and when he saw an advertisement in a nature/hiking newspaper for a mountain guide who knows French, he decided that this was the position for him. Thing is, read more
08:00 Fri 22 Sep 2006 - Clive Leviev-Sawyer
Not only was Pamporovo the first ski resort I ever saw in Bulgaria, just more than five years ago, it was also the place where I had my first, faltering skiing lessons. So I am sentimental about the place, but in addition, I take account of Pamporovo’s virtues as they were first set out to me - that its slopes are probably the most wind-free of any resort, making conditions ideal in almost all weathers and idyllic when read more
08:00 Fri 22 Sep 2006 - Petar Kostadinov
With its 32 teams, the Bulgarian Mountain Rescue Service (MRS) is a reliable partner to anyone in trouble in Bulgarian mountains. The 650 qualified and highly-trained rescuers of the MRS are ready to help everyone at any time of the year. In an interview with Time for Travel, the head of the MRS, Pencho Baboukchiev, speaks with pride of all the men and women under his command. Winter, however beautiful it is, read more
08:00 Fri 22 Sep 2006 - Petar Kostadinov
A am not sure whether I first learned to ski or to walk.” So says Irina Tzoneva, interviewed by Time for Travel about her passion for Bulgaria’s mountain ski resorts. A reporter at Bulgarian National Television and a popular TV face, she comes from a family of keen skiers - everyone except her mother relishes time on the slopes. Today she races with her husband and with her cousin Dimitar Tzonev, read more
