The place where I was born! Such a beautiful place... / Raised by storms / Suckled on blood in the midst of the fiercest blizzards.”
This melancholy song was written Communist poet Nikola Yonkov Vaptsarov , born in Bansko at the beginning of the 20th century.
This small town, capital of the municipality of the same name in the province of Blagóevgrad, is located about 160 kilometers from Sofia, the Bulgarian capital , easy by road and with a forced stop halfway in the spectacular Rila monastery.
Wrapped in a beautiful and bucolic landscape , this important focus of mountain tourism, snow sports and well-being – from January to September 2019 it received more than 7.8 million foreign visitors – offers charms similar to those of the country's main city.
That is, remnants of a Bolshevik past very much in current aesthetic taste , a young impulse determined to surprise with gastronomy and design, all well combined with a kitsch essence and a folkloric flavor very typical of ski resorts.
Bansko is the best winter resort in Bulgaria: It boasts of having the longest ski slopes and the richest cultural history, which is nourished by its proximity to Romania, Serbia, the Republic of Macedonia (where, by the way, there are those who claim the nationality of the poet we were dealing with at the beginning), Greece and Turkey.
Located at the foot of the Pirin Mountains, at an altitude of 925 meters above sea level , in the southwest, stands out for its modernized infrastructure for snow sports , although it attracts more and more visitors during the hot months, eager to lose themselves in its lakes and pine forests.
Bansko streets
The Pirin National Park , whose name comes from Perun, the main god of the Slavic pantheon, that of thunder and lightning, was created in 1962 and houses some of the best coniferous forests in the Balkans.
In its limits is a natural treasure: the oldest pine in Bulgaria , a Bosnian variety about 1,300 years old, known as the Baikushev pine.
The moment of our visit, however, is that of the last frosts, which we admire in all its majesty thanks to an excursion to the summits on snowmobiles.
Far from being a plan designed for tourists, we have the privilege of that some members of the rescue team take us as a 'package'.
The experience brings us exclamations and laughter but the truth is that the shirt does not come to the body while we ascend the magnificent and very steep slopes.
We are not lucky enough to come across a wolf or a brown bear, although these are their domains, but the silent magic of these places makes us understand that we are also in the wild kingdom of edelweiss.
Bears, by the way, have a sad history in the region. They are almost a symbol here since in times (not so long ago) the gypsies used to walk them as a lure around the resorts.
Today are protected in a reserve and tourists who do not want to wear skis have to find other entertainment less disrespectful to the fauna.
Fireplace in the reception room of the spa at the Kempinski Gran Arena Bansko
For example, stroll through its streets with old signs browsing the craft and souvenir shops –from enameled clay pots to leather bags and shoes, from Lenin fridge magnets to dolls in huge tulle dresses– to the church of the Holy Trinity, erected in 1835 and that, until the construction of Alexander Nevsky in Sofia, it was the largest in the country.
In this secluded space that smells of incense, they sell icons and thin and very long candles that are consumed tilted in memory of those who left. It also can travel on the narrowest train in the world, with a track width of 760 mm, which connects the towns of Septemvri and Dobrinishte covering a distance of 125 kilometers, a peculiar jewel that crosses the Rhodopes region.
Or treat yourself to traditional restaurants, the 'mehana' , like the highly recommended Vodenicata and Banski Han . In them you will get warm with typical soups and stews, accompanied by a salad shopska (with tomato, green pepper, onion, cucumber and cheese) or a banitsa puff pastry , stuffed with spinach, rice or meat. As a finishing touch, natural yogurt and white cheese.
Forget the topic, Bansko has a varied hotel offer for all budgets. But the main reason for our visit, apart from breathing the cold fresh air, is stay in one of the best hotels in the country.
The Grand Arena Bansko is the only Kempinski in all of Bulgaria and the only international five-star hotel in this charming town.
Exclusive treatment is their motto : throughout this month, for example, they offer as a claim some VIP passes for the Ski World Cup which is held there, providing guests with a special corridor to access the gondola without going through the queue.
** Kempinski Grand Arena Bansko opened its doors in 2005 and is renewed every spring**, explains Emiliya Belcheva, the public relations and marketing director, in a soft tone of voice. "They visit us guests from Serbia and Macedonia, also many Russians, Ukrainians and Israelis during the winter,” she explains.
We chat with her over tea in the lobby lounge, rocked by the heat of the fire and comforted by a staff that welcomes us as if we were family. Let us first admit that our stay in Sofia in previous days left us with a somewhat peculiar idea of the patriotic service.
At Kempinski Grand Arena Bansko the story is very, very different. Here everything is kindness and anticipating our needs. Spoiler: when the driver fails us back to the capital, it will be the hotel manager himself, Anton Momchilov , who gladly and cheerfully takes us in his car.
The figure of the Lady in red , characteristic of the Kempinski is a statement of intent, and the markedly family approach gives much prominence to the little ones in the house.
To get to our room, which is rather a warm apartment decorated in wood, with a jacuzzi and large balconies overlooking the mountains , we cross carpeted corridors with slight touches of modernity. We also visited one of its most special suites, a dream with its own large fireplace.
In the spa, completely renovated in 2018 and another of the great claims , there is also a charming resistance to abandoning the aesthetic schemes of the end of the 20th century.
we delight in the jacuzzi, the indoor pool (cheerfully invaded by a couple of enthusiastic young guests) and another outdoor jacuzzi , of those that refresh your lungs while your body gets rid of relaxation under the warm water.
Another of the treasures of the Kempinski Grand Arena is, without a doubt, his Italian restaurant, Come Prima. We have the honor to dine at his most special table, that of the chef , which is made of large and robust wood and exhibits some beautiful silver candlesticks.
parade before us the most refined pasta, meat, tapas and salad recipes , plus an addictive dessert worth going back to Bansko for: strawberries with mascarpone.
The new executive chef, Nikola Todorov, continues the tradition of organizing special themed dinners: Tuscan Night, Valentine's Dinner, Seafood Night and Bulgarian Night , all accompanied by the best Italian, French and country wines.
Picture in one of the hotel rooms
For March they plan an event with five Michelin-starred chefs , which will consist of two six-course themed dinners, a tapas lunch and the chance to interact with the chefs, who are Jacques Pourcel, Sergi Ar la, Thierry Drapeau, Joël Césari and Jean-Baptiste Natalie.
During the summer, guests enjoy alfresco dining on the restaurant's open terrace and the hotel is filled with concerts, jam sessions, opera singers...
At this moment, with the crackling of the fire and the face still flushed by the icy mountain air, it is hard for us to imagine that postcard, so We already dream of returning to witness it.
*This report was published in the number 135 of the Condé Nast Traveler Magazine (January) . Subscribe to the printed edition (11 printed issues and a digital version for €24.75, by calling 902 53 55 57 or from our website). The Condé Nast Traveler January issue is available in ** its digital version to enjoy it on your preferred device. **
