7 Nights Bansko Ski - Royal Park Hotel & Apartments

• Unwind with a sauna or massage in the Spa.
• Evening meals with unlimited wine and soft drinks – cheers.
• Take your pick from rooms or apartments, each with a private balcony.

If you’re after peaceful surroundings on your Bansko ski trip, try the Royal Park. It’s built on the hills overlooking town, so you’re away from the hustle and bustle in the centre – and you’ve got great views of the peaks in the Pirin National Park to boot.

When it’s time to hit the piste, you can walk around 20 minutes to the gondola. Or save the legs for skiing and hop on the free bus that stops outside instead. Then once you're done, swap the slopes for some swimming and sauna-ring in the spa, before sitting back with a glass of something in the bar.

Moving on to food, there’s a hot and cold spread to start the day where you can fuel up on everything from cereal to eggs, bacon and stacks of pancakes. And it’s well worth upgrading to half board as well to get buffet-style evening meals, which come with all-you-can-drink wine and soft drinks too.

As for where you’ll sleep, there’s a choice of rooms for up to four, or you can pick an apartment to get something a little simpler style-wise – and as an extra perk, whatever you pick, you’ll get your own private balcony.

Skiing in Bansko

Bansko is Bulgaria’s biggest ski area, with 75km of piste to explore. Intermediates can carve the reds and blues from the Todorka peak, or check out the Tomba black run for more of a challenge. When it comes to learning, there’s a quiet nursery slope at the top of the gondola, as well as a snow garden for kids. Just note that with only one gondola heading up the mountain from town, there's often a queue in the mornings – so get there early doors if you plan to max out your mountain time.

Beginners

The nursery area here is at the top of the Bansko gondola, so you’ll head up there with everyone else in the morning, then dive straight into lessons to get to grips with the basics. Ready for the next step? Take the Kolarski chairlift from here to start exploring some shorter blues, like Blue 6 and the top section of Blue 1. Then when you feel ready, you can carry on down the whole 5km length of Blue 1 all the way down to town instead of hopping on the gondola to get back at the end of the day.

Intermediates

Wide blues and reds make up most of Bansko’s ski area, and they’re mostly north-facing so the snow sticks around. You’ve definitely got to tick off the longest run, a 14km top-to-bottom route down Blue 11, 10 and 1. If reds are more your speed, take the Todorka or Banderitza chairlifts up to get to Red 2 and 4 – they’re long, fast and have some of the best corduroy around if you get there early.

Advanced

Bansko has a few challenging runs to keep advanced skiers tested, top of these being the Tomba black run. Taking its name from the star Italian skier, its used for World Cup races and is a steep, tree-lined run that finishes up in the Bunderishka Polyana area – so you can enjoy a beer at the bottom.

Snowboarding

Long, wide runs and only a handful of drag lifts – which are easy to avoid – make this a good pick for boarders. If you’re still finding your feet, try the lower blue runs like 1A and 16, which tend to be quieter during the day. Bansko’s also home to the first snow park in the Balkans, and though it’s not the biggest, it’s got a good mix of rails and jumps and even a halfpipe.