Devonshire Lodge, Bansko. Skiing, walking and activity holidays .

From Fred & Bob (Feb 2004)To be totally honest I'd never considered Bulgaria for skiing, and had I not bumped into my old mate Nigel in the pub last year, I probably never would have. Nigel told me that he and Glynis were buying a Hotel in a small Ski resort, and once it had sunk in, I said "that takes some b***s", and without hesitation threatened them with a visit the following Skiing season.

And so it was, Fred and I were booked on a BA scheduled from Heathrow to Sofia (£168) and Nigel and Glynis duly made the 2 hour drive to pick us up and take us to Devonshire Lodge. Bulgarian driving's a bit interesting, and the outskirts of Sofia were everything you'd expect of a post-communist block city. Still, you should never judge a book by its cover, and I'm glad I didn't.

Devonshire Lodge sits on the outskirts of Bansko, which is situated at the foot of the ????? mountain range. Fred and I were given a large warm and comfortable chalet in which we spent very little time in apart from sleeping that is, and we didn't do too much of that! Before we went, I said to anyone who asked, that Nigel and Glynis would look after us. We weren't disappointed, the food was first class plentiful and cheap to boot. As for the drinking, I soon tired of Bulgarian beer, favouring instead, the local Rakia which Nigel always served with a smile on his face.

Having been skiing in Austria and France for twenty years, I was happy enough to have a holiday where I did some skiing as opposed to a skiing holiday. A brand new fast eight man Gondola whisks you up to the slopes which are wide and intermediate, the big plus being that most of the skiing is below the very high tree line. It reminded me very much of my early skiing years in the Austrian Tyrol. As an aside, I had two days snowboarding for the first time and can't thank Glynis enough for giving me two days of free unselfish tuition.

Glynis and Nigel are not running the show entirely on their own. They also have a Bulgarian colleague who lives with them called Tosh, he's a real diamond if a little bit loud. If he's on his mobile phone, you may want to retreat to another room. As for the rest of the Bulgarian people they seem charming in a Balkan sort of way. You get the feeling that Bulgaria's going to be a happening sort of place once they've shaken off their state-run mentality.


	Guests Comments 2004 - 2005	Comments from other years
		2006 - 2007
		2007 - 2008

Richard, Paula & Hollie Webber (July 05) It was lovely to meet you both at last. We enjoyed Bansko but the holiday was made even more enjoyable by your kindness and help. I hope we'll meet again soon - you can teach me to snowboard.		Mark & Lisa (June 05) You both made our holiday, we had such a great time. Will see you very soon.	R Mort (Apr 05) Bansko excellent, Devonshire Lodge = superb! Thanks Glynis & Nigel for being the most friendly accommodating hosts. Thanks for all the advice given on buying an apartment! Will be back for skiing next time.
Denis Elakhovskiy, Moscow. After a great party here. (Feb 05) WOW!	Katrych, Sergey, Tabachenko & Nana (Feb 05) Thanks a lot. Very very nice. I'm really very lucky that I spent a week here. Very nice atmosphere. Thank you best wishes.		Jenny Ling, Jess, Fran, Gav, Phil, Tom, Emma (Jan 05) We have had the best holiday. All of you were such lovely hosts, do any of you ever stop smiling and being friendly? The room was so warm and cosy. You looked after us so well. I will definitely come back. Don't want to go home. Love from No 5, No 2, No4, No 1, No 6, No 3, No 7.
Rob, Lynette & Emily Cornish (Dec 2004) First timers, now we can ski, thanks Tosh. Glynis & Nigel thanks for looking after us all so well. We will be back xx Tom Cornish (Dec2004) Quality holiday. I had a fantastic time and loved snowboarding. Food was great and Lodge felt very homely. Thanks for a great time.	Jonathon Hughes & Mandie Butcher (Oct 2004) Thanks for a wonderful time. Glynis & Nigel taught us a lot about Bansko, taught us to speak a little Bulgarian and the difference between a right and left handed knife!! Until the next visit.
			Karen & Bob Petitt (Sept 2004) Haven't done so much walking in my life! Going home fitter than ever. Our stay here was fantastic. Thanks to you both for taking us around and showing us the sites. Hopefully we can persuade Bob to come bask in the ski season. We will definitely come back as soon as we can. Good luck and take care.
Martin & Sally Imison (Sept 2004) We had a great stay. Fantastic location, fantastic hosts with great service. Glynis & Nigel were a great help in finding our new holiday home. WOuld recommend the hotel without a doubt. Thanks for the help.	Claire & Leigh (Sept 2004) Lovely rooms- had our monies worth as Leigh was bed ridden. Glynis was great in arranging a doctor to visit. Never hasd such a thorough examination. What we saw of Bansko looked lovely. Will return to finish our tour of Bulgaria again. Breakfast great. Good luck with your venture.		Ian Robarts (July 2004) Thanks very much for a fantastic experience. This was my first visit to Bulgaria, but I leave with so many good memories and friends. I'LL BE BACK.

From Fred & Bob (Feb 2004)To be totally honest I'd never considered Bulgaria for skiing, and had I not bumped into my old mate Nigel in the pub last year, I probably never would have. Nigel told me that he and Glynis were buying a Hotel in a small Ski resort, and once it had sunk in, I said "that takes some b***s", and without hesitation threatened them with a visit the following Skiing season. And so it was, Fred and I were booked on a BA scheduled from Heathrow to Sofia (£168) and Nigel and Glynis duly made the 2 hour drive to pick us up and take us to Devonshire Lodge. Bulgarian driving's a bit interesting, and the outskirts of Sofia were everything you'd expect of a post-communist block city. Still, you should never judge a book by its cover, and I'm glad I didn't. Devonshire Lodge sits on the outskirts of Bansko, which is situated at the foot of the ????? mountain range. Fred and I were given a large warm and comfortable chalet in which we spent very little time in apart from sleeping that is, and we didn't do too much of that! Before we went, I said to anyone who asked, that Nigel and Glynis would look after us. We weren't disappointed, the food was first class plentiful and cheap to boot. As for the drinking, I soon tired of Bulgarian beer, favouring instead, the local Rakia which Nigel always served with a smile on his face. Having been skiing in Austria and France for twenty years, I was happy enough to have a holiday where I did some skiing as opposed to a skiing holiday. A brand new fast eight man Gondola whisks you up to the slopes which are wide and intermediate, the big plus being that most of the skiing is below the very high tree line. It reminded me very much of my early skiing years in the Austrian Tyrol. As an aside, I had two days snowboarding for the first time and can't thank Glynis enough for giving me two days of free unselfish tuition. Glynis and Nigel are not running the show entirely on their own. They also have a Bulgarian colleague who lives with them called Tosh, he's a real diamond if a little bit loud. If he's on his mobile phone, you may want to retreat to another room. As for the rest of the Bulgarian people they seem charming in a Balkan sort of way. You get the feeling that Bulgaria's going to be a happening sort of place once they've shaken off their state-run mentality. So there you have it, no regrets and I'll be visiting next year for certain. Cheers Bob
John & Karen Cornish (Feb 2004) We have had wonderful time. Glynis & Nigel were wonderful hosts. The food and accommodation were great and we will definitely be back. Thanks very much for everything.	Steve & Linda Brooks (Feb 2004) Thank you Glynis, Nigel & Tosh for a memorable holiday, comfortable accommodation, good food & great company, not forgetting brilliant skiing. hope to see you all again soon.		Sheila & john Smale (Feb 2004) What a super holiday, Glynis Nigel & Tosh are great hosts- pander to your every whim!! This is almost home from home with snow, local culture, good food & great skiing. Thanks for everything.
Violeta (Dec 03) We are very thankful, because of your kind welcome. We had great time being your guests in a warm and nice room, and a lot of nice and delicious food.			Marina (Dec 03) we had a great time these days in Bansko and your welcoming, and all the nice conditions we took advantage of at the Devonshire Lodge played a great role for this. thank you very much foe everything (starting with the bed clothing) the breakfasts and your friendly attitude. we are already looking forward to next days we could come back and spend at the Devonshire Lodge. See you all.