 Poster: A snowHead
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Hey the wonderful group of "white Knowledge"
In January next year (2010) departing the 2nd Jan to the 9th Jan. I am looking for a very cheap holiday destination for 5 people.
Requirements
1. Cheap (sub 400 for everything including food and drink ideally!)
2. Ideally a self catering apartment where booze n food is cheap to buy to keep budget below 400 per person.
3. Cheap beer (this should be number 1 )
4. reasonable amount of skiing (although not key as its very much a social holiday with the lads)
Thats it really I was looking at bansko but reading it has become expensive for what it is now.
Im tied with the price due to going with friends who have poo-poo jobs.
So any suggestions as ever be great.
Cheers
Stuski
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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im thinking Andorra type places tbh not France!!!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Andorra is still in the euro so no benefit there 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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thats why i was going with bankso but apparently its not so cheap anymore
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Stuski
Does your £400 include flights? There is a 5* fully catered chalet here offering £199 early booking for a week in Jan and flights to Calgary are £300ish reurn at the moment. Beer in Canada is around $5 a pint lift passes about $59 a day and the exchange rate is $1,75ish to the £
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Bansko lift pass approx £140 for 6 days flights about £80 p/p if booked in advance, transfer £250, self catering appartment £200 that will sleep 5 and beeer in the big supermarket cost £1.8 for 2litres, in bars between £1.5 & £2.5 a pint
hope this helps
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| romeowner wrote: |
Bansko lift pass approx £140 for 6 days flights about £80 p/p if booked in advance, transfer £250, self catering appartment £200 that will sleep 5 and beeer in the big supermarket cost £1.8 for 2litres, in bars between £1.5 & £2.5 a pint
hope this helps |
...and the place is grim, the skiing limited, the locals can be horrid and the queue for the only gondola up to 2hrs during busy weeks. Other than this, Bansko is great. 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I'm going to Slovakia (Jasna) next week. Will report back, but it looks good from here.
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| Lechbob wrote: |
| Ski resorts are very expensive places to drink with the state of the £. - Like £8 a pint in Courchevel. |
Try Austria, I just got back you can get a large beer on the mounatin for €2.90 about the same as the UK, Generally speaking they were on a par with UK prices.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Stuski, you will be struggling to find a ski holiday for £400 all-in, even excluding beer.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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wait till december next year and book last minute always deals around for the weeks just after xmas\NYE
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Sub 400 for everything, that's a good one  !
it's the lift pass and ski/boot hire that kills it - that alone will cost you £200 min. if you are really lucky you might find a catered chalet deal for £300 last minute, maybe £500 to £600 is a more realistic cost of a cheapie?
or you could do a long weekend for closer to £400, a few people on here that can help out with that.
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You know it makes sense.
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We've just returned from Bansko and shock horror.......we had a fab holiday! We got a week HB in the 4* Katarino Spa hotel (very nice place with lovely food) 2 free lift passes (crystal offer for Jan) transfers, flight and ski hire for £814 for 2 people. Obviously if it wasn't for the free lift pass then we wouldn't have been paying £400 each but if you keep an eye out for such offers it might just be possible. Because this was our first ski holiday we didn't have high expectations of the place or anything to compare it too (like the Alps) but we honestly had a wonderful time, maybe our down to earth and easy going attitude helped and the fact that we are still beginner/intermediate so there was enough runs to keep us occupied. I can well imagine fairly experienced skiers getting very bored with the place and i guess it just doesn't compare to more upmarket ski resorts. It strange how the skiing forums seem to really slate the place and yet boarding forums really like place 
Anyway, the price of food and beer was pretty comparable to here in the UK, it was bit more expensive on the slopes but nowehere near as expensive as places in the Euro, a friend has just returned from Courmayeur and he said it was pretty costly.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Fee750, Anywhere with snow and mountains is good. It's just that some places are more good than others. No idea why boarders would prefer Bansko to skiers? Maybe the boarding forums attract a lower age group with less money to spend?
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Poster: A snowHead
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Fee750, as UKTrail says, skiing is great period. However, when you take a trip you somewhere like Courmayeur you wont be too keen on returning to Bansko.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Mollerski, I can well imagine, i'm planning on going somewhere like Courmayeur next year and i don't suppose i'll be in a hurry to get back to Bankso after that........unless of course my bank account tells me otherwise.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Mollerski,
i always felt courmayeur was pretty limited in terms of the ski area, I think they are kind of similar 1 mountain ski areas (shock horror!), although courmayeur town and accomodation def better! I think boarders generally find a run they like and stick to it......
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Hi there, we were in Bansko last March, 2 adults and a (then) 3 yr old, Stayed at the Hotel Perun, we had a great time, was enough skiing for us as we weren't able to do as much with having our daughter with us. We priced it up this year and could have gone all of us in the Perun for 800 ish, (not inc lift pass etc). Prices were cheap then, if they have stayed the same in resort then a beer will still be cheaper than the UK even with poor exchange rate. Would have booked again but we plan to get our 4yr old daughter lessons and Bansko ski school doesn't take little ones until they're 5 yrs old. Would say that we got a great standard of accomodation for the price, we would have had to pay A LOT more for equivalent anywhere else.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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There's one mountain and theres 3 runs as you pretty much have in Bansko excluding a bit of off piste. It's not just about the skiing, for me, the whole Bansko package is nasty.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Bansko or Banff/LL? Tough choice that one......... I would have done without the food and beer myself
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I've been to Jasna in Slovakia and would recommend it, I've posted a review on here in the trip reports section. if you book the liftpass in advance through the website it is only abou £70 for any 10 days out of the season so ideal for a 2 week holiday.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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[quote="Bekz"]........All the hotels are rated very highly and from pictures look brilliant for the money... food is apparently great (as long as you love meat) and the apres ski is rated pretty good too.
If you keep those rose tinted goggles on and perhaps double-up with a pair of beer goggles then add a dollop of blind optimism and I'm sure that you'll have a great time.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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uktrailmonster wrote:,
| Quote: |
Maybe the boarding forums attract a lower age group with less money to spend?
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Did you pick up this idea from the Daily Mail??..
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| Bekz wrote: |
I'm a very optimistic person... make the best out of what I have lol  |
I'm sure you'll have a great time Bekz. Coming on snowHeads and trying to get positive response about Bansko can be a little soul destroying.................
If you limited by budget, it's decent choice, and not half as bad as some make out. If you go out not expecting too much you're unlikely to come back disappointed.
Terrain/area mainly for beginners/improvers, but there are areas where you can explore. First rate lift system (but do your homework about the morning gondola queue ie get there for when it opens or after 10.30am).
As regards apres, reasonable choice, but try "Amigo's", the "conservatory" bit out the back, but get there for about 10pm as it gets busy and you'll struggle for a seat. Gets busy shortly after, and you should have a good time. A lot rated the "Lion Bar" but personally I hated the "Brit Pub" image.
Beer around £1.50-£2.00 a pint most places (cheaper in the Mehanas), food reasonable, but if you go to buy anything, anywhere, ask the price first if it's not marked......................
And if you hire any equipment locally, don't let it out of your sight, especially if you stop off at the "Happy End" bar at the base of the gondola. If it's your own kit, and decent, likewise.
Drawbacks? Gondola queues, gets busy/kamikazes, limited terrain.
Positives? Cheap, decent apres, lift system.
How about a review on return?
John.
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| lynseyf wrote: |
| I've been to Jasna in Slovakia and would recommend it, I've posted a review on here in the trip reports section. if you book the liftpass in advance through the website it is only abou £70 for any 10 days out of the season so ideal for a 2 week holiday. |
Looks an interesting choice! Do any budget airlines go there or close to?
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You know it makes sense.
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| Stuski wrote: |
| lynseyf wrote: |
| I've been to Jasna in Slovakia and would recommend it, I've posted a review on here in the trip reports section. if you book the liftpass in advance through the website it is only abou £70 for any 10 days out of the season so ideal for a 2 week holiday. |
Looks an interesting choice! Do any budget airlines go there or close to? |
Squeazy fly into Sofia, the 2-3hr transfer is fairly torturous. Sorry to be so negative about the place, but after several visits, I have no love for Bansko.
Last edited by You know it makes sense. on Fri 13-02-09 15:32; edited 1 time in total
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| Quote: |
Stuski wrote:
lynseyf wrote:
I've been to Jasna in Slovakia and would recommend it, I've posted a review on here in the trip reports section. if you book the liftpass in advance through the website it is only abou £70 for any 10 days out of the season so ideal for a 2 week holiday.
Looks an interesting choice! Do any budget airlines go there or close to?
Squeazy fly into Sofia, the 2-3hr transfer is fairly torturous. Sorry to be so negative about the place, but after several visits, I have no love for the place.
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Sofia is surely for Bansko. For Jasna, Air Europe from Luton to Poprad (30 minutes transfer) or Ryaniar to Bratislava (2hrs 30 mins drive).
(edit) that should be sky europe who are doing a two for one offer now
http://www.skyeurope.com/en/special-offers.aspx?ext=10070
http://www.skyeurope.com/en/special-offers/ski-slovakia.aspx
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Poster: A snowHead
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I went to Borovets last feb and was a very cheap hols. bottles of stella for 60p! and a pizza was about a fiver maybe less. the skiing is limited but when the booze is so cheap the next morning your not usually feeling up to a long, hard day of skiing .
Also Kranskja Gora, Slovenia. Eating and drinking out was cheap and u got stack loads of food for your money! the skiing there was not bad but its not that reliable for snow which is the only problem.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| flangesax wrote: |
uktrailmonster wrote:,
| Quote: |
Maybe the boarding forums attract a lower age group with less money to spend?
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Did you pick up this idea from the Daily Mail??.. |
No I got the idea from a very strong hunch that boarders are much less common than skiers in my age group (40). Therefore the average age of boarders will be lower. Otherwise I have no clue why boarders would rave about Bansko.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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i was in bansko 1st week on january this year
we paid £340 half board including list pass
the gondola queue in the morning can be at least 30minutes,unless you get to the queue at 8.15(opens at 8.30)
i heard new years day was 2-3hr queue time!!
easy runs and nothing at all hard but considering the lift pass was only £90 you cant complain
was paying £2.50 in the hotel for 1 pint of stella
dpepending on what way the wind blows you can get this horrible type smog in the town
friendly locals,i wasnt expecting that
beer in the town was cheap too
i heard that was a lap dancing club too for £5 entry(some british guy told me on the lift!)
i was told to make sure you lock your own gear up in case they grow legs but i never leave my stuff lying around anyway
would i go back?
yes
i had a pretty good time out there
for what we paid for the holiday i cant complain at all
i would like to try borovets one year too before the prices start rising
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Just got back from a week with Club Med in Arcs 2000 - the cost was over your ideal budget at £700 however included in this was everything that you could ask for really ...
Flights and transfers
Ski Insurance
Paradiski pass for the week
All inclusive food drinks snacks - you never had to go more than 2 hours without food and it was very good quality
All day lessons with ESF if you wanted them
We ony spent an extra 50 euros all week - so at least you know once its paid you haven;t got to worry about anything else.
First time ever done all inclusive in a ski resort and with the euro as it is at the moment it turned out best value for money ever !!! 
We booked really early in the summer and took advantage of the french and their good deals ... he he
The hotel itself was a 70s nightmare from the outside - the rooms basic but very clean bright and comfortable. Staff were very helpful and nothing was too much trouble - not found that in very many french hotels !!
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FAQ
Under £400 inc 
- I don't think so - a lift pass for a week is the best part of £200. Equipment another £100. The only countries (?) with currencies devalued less than ours I can think of are Iceland & Zimbabwee so I would forget skiing & get the cheapest all inclusive holiday you can find anywhere if you want to drink or to Castleford for the week & stay in a tent. 
