Bulgaria - Eastern Europe - page 95

Park; all of these include all transportation, a guide, and lunch, and cost only 59lev
($38/£20).
WHERE TO STAY
Broadly you have two choices in Bansko. You can stay in a B&B in the old quarter,
where facilities are basic but a great deal more atmospheric, and you're a stone's throw
from the best restaurants in town (note however that these may be a little too close in
high season, when evening festivities can continue until quite late). Or you can base
yourself in the new part of town, where the main benefit is the proximity to the gon-
dola ski lift (a 15- to 25-min. walk if you're based in the old quarter).
The selection below includes the best available in late 2006, but note that develop-
ments continue apace. If you're here for an extended skiing trip, you may get a far bet-
ter package deal in a hotel not listed here; while the hotel will be forgettable, and
service nonexistent, the price may be just right. For details on agents who can arrange
lodgings, see the last entry of this section. Expect to pay double the summer rate dur-
ing winter, and triple over the peak time (usually the period just before Christmas and
a few days into Jan); hotels and even B&B owners are not keen to divulge these win-
ter rates early (supply and demand being the order of the day), so be prepared for some
fluctuations to rates quoted below. Children aged under 5 or 6 usually stay free.
Old Quarter
There are plenty of places to stay in the old quarter, but Dedo Pene ( & 0888
795970, or 937/299-5643 in the U.S.; www.dedopene.com; 50lev/$32/£17 double)
gets my vote. The 1820 home is a bit eclectic, so rooms vary quite a bit, but all share
a wonderfully authentic, rustic, and cozy atmosphere, with traditional furnishings and
fittings (including the lovely basins—traditionally used to carry water from the well),
and wood-and-coal-burning fireplaces. Rooms number 1 and 4 have lovely views of
the distant Pirin; others look out onto the red-tiled roofs of the old quarter—make
sure you request a room with a view. A close contender, and a tad cheaper (in every
way) is Dvata Smurcha (2 Velyan Ognev; & 07443/2632; 16lev-18lev/$11-$12/
£5.50-£6.20 per person, including breakfast), located a few steps away from the bril-
liant Baryakova mehana (see “Where to Dine,” below). It's named after the two pine
trees that stand proud in its well-tended garden. The friendly proprietor speaks virtu-
ally no English but is all smiles, and offers five spotless en-suite rooms, most with bal-
conies. The old part of the house (over 100 years) has rooms with balconies that
provide lovely views of the Pirin, while rooms in the new part (just over a year old)
are slightly bigger and fresher, with garden views. If you fancy staying in a museum of
sorts, another good option is Hadzhiruskovite kushti (33 Pirin St; & 07443/8422;
15lev-18lev/$10-$12/£5.20-£4.15 per person). Once home to the man who
Missing in Action?
While walking the cobbled streets of the old quarter, you will pass timber doors
and stone walls papered with photographs of people, many of them repeated.
The notices in fact are of the recently (and not so recently) deceased and adver-
tise dates and times when the family will again be gathering in their memory.
This is an integral part of the Orthodox 40-day mourning rite; many gatherings
continue after 40 days, hence the many papers.