Lion Hotel

This review is based on my OVERALL experience of being on a winter holiday in Bulgaria . . . I will give the hotel 5 ⭐️ and my reasons are towards the end of review. Starting with the airport and on arrival, I was getting good vibes because the process was really quick from getting off the plane and picking up our luggage. Probably about 30 mins until we met up with cab driver arranged by tour operator. We expected to have a 3.5 hour transfer but it was more like 2.5 so that was a bonus as well! As we arrived in Bansko, there was literally NO SNOW anywhere except in the mountains and this was a bit concerning but there were skiers and boarders everywhere and the people I spoke to said that the snow was good up top. I have never been to a resort where you had to rely on transport to the mountain, I have always had ski-in / ski-out, so that was all a bit weird which is when things start to become apparent about the lack of infrastructure for this resort. The one gondola from Bansko had a que approx half a mile long which was 6-10 deep and was taking 2-3 hours! It opens at 8:30 and people were queuing from around 6:30 am! A few of the tour operators were able to provide fast track passes which is an absolute must at an additional cost to your lift pass BUT it’s money well spent and worth bearing in mind when planning the trip. The alternative was to take a mini bus which cost 15-20 lev per person, per day. It was the same in a taxi providing there was a group of you. I would recommend the gondola over taxi or minibus because it was carnage getting up there. One day, it took an hour and a half I appreciate it was half term week but I have never been to a resort where it was so busy, I mean it was heaving, which obviously meant long ques at chairlift. The ski runs themselves were actually really good and we were lucky to have fresh snowfall nearly every day so there was plenty of powder 🙌👊💪 If you wanted to buy food during the day, it was table service only, providing you managed to get a table! More often you were sharing with randoms coz every seat was taken and payment is cash only!! Basically, the resort has become so popular because of how cheap Bulgaria 🇧🇬 is but the infrastructure has not kept up with that. Something else I found interesting that I have never seen before at any resort I have been to, was just how ‘male dominated’ the restaurants, bars and venues were. By that I mean the staff, waiters, barmen etc and they all look like they want to kill you! Most of the locals were rude, never smiled and quite obnoxious to be honest and didn’t really make you feel welcome which was a bit disappointing. As for the hotel itself, I was quite impressed with 👍👍👍 The room we had was top floor and the same size as a small apartment which was great to have so much space. The pool was really good and the spa was good. Sadly the jacuzzi was out of order. Typical help yourself restaurant and I thought the food was very good along with th

We have previously stayed at the Lion Hotel in Borovets so had high expectations for the Bansko resort. We were disappointed that the bar staff just didn't seem to be as friendly or courteous, they refused to put drink orders on your room saying that it's 'broken' when it wasn't, so we were forced to continue to go get cash out. No cocktail menu like there was in Borovets either. The spa facilities are lovely, although the hot tub was out of order the entire time. Rooms are basic but clean, very very low light in the rooms & there's no ceiling lights only very warm yellow dim wall lights. I had to just put make up on in the bathroom & kept clothes in my suitcase because I couldn't see anything in the wardrobe. The best thing about the hotel was the food, it was great every night and breakfast was great too. The restaurant staff were also very quick with removing used plates etc too which was really appreciated. Free wine & beer is included in your meals too.