More details on White Orchid Lodge

Accommodation

Bedrooms	Brown bedroom with double bed, en-suite shower room. Views of the piste. Red bedroom with double bed. Mountain view. Blue bedroom with 2 bunk beds. Mountain view. Mezzanine floor with sofa bed.
Bathrooms	Fully tiled bathroom with shower, WC and hand basin leading to a sauna. Shower room leading off the master bedroom also with shower, hand basin and WC.
Kitchen	Fully equipped modern and spacious kitchen diner. It has a dishwasher, fridge/freezer, cooker and hob.
Utility Room:	Utility room with washing machine and space for all ski storage.
Living Rooms	Stunning open plan area with cosy log burner and comfortable corner sofa. Feature lighting against a rock wall that creates a backdrop to dining area with table and chairs.
Sauna	Pine clad sauna with temperature indicator and timer. This is a wet sauna where rocks are doused to create steam. Essential oils are provided.
Cleaning/towels/ linen/maid service	Towels and bed linen is included weekly.  There is a charge of £30 for cleaning at the end of your stay and a supplement for logs in winter.

Notes on accommodation
The log burner is extremely efficient and you are unlikely to need additional heating, however, there are convector heaters in every room with radiators providing drying facilities.

Accessibility
Main access to the front door is up a small flight of steps so it is not suitable for wheel chair access.

Outside
The lodge has a ground floor balcony/decked area with a table and seating allowing you to relax and view the mountains with a gin and tonic. There is a small garden with gravelled parking area at the side for easy unloading of ski equipment. A BBQ is available for summer or Easter skiing.

Coast/Beach
The lodge is within walking distance of a beautiful lake where there are opportunities for fishing, swimming, boat hire and water sports. There are restaurants around the lake as well to enjoy the views There are many sights and places to visit the Rila Monastery and seven lakes are well worth a trip. For a relaxing day there are thermal baths and swimming pools very close by.

Golf
Golf is available within a 15 minutes drive at Dolna Banja.

Skiing
Borovets is the oldest ski resort in Bulgaria and it is also the largest and most up to date with improvements every year. A superb area for beginners and intermediates particularly since the ski school is considered to be one of the best in Europe. There are gentle green slopes as well as steeper reds and blacks for more experienced boarders and skiers. The skiing is very scenic with miles of tree lined runs many with snow cannons and nightly grooming. There are no long queues even at peak periods and lift passes and generally half the price of France resorts. Floodlit night skiing is also possible twice a week. The resort has an array of mountain restaurants in all areas. We can put you in touch with the best ski and board instructors to make your learning experience the best.

Special interest holidays
In the summer the mountains are excellent for walking. We can put you in touch with a local guide if you want one who can arrange long duration walks staying at mountain huts on route. The mountains are part of a national park and remain protected from development. Wildlife is abundant with regular sightings of large birds of prey and storks on nests. Temperatures soar in the summer and fall to well below zero in the winter. The snow record is excellent.

Travel
Transfer from Sofia is only 45 minutes and is very straightforward. We can organise for you to be picked up and taken back if required. Car hire is simple with collection from the airport or we can organise a Jeep Grand Cherokee from our local contact if you'd rather be chauffeured to the Lodge. Flights are available direct from Luton-WizzAir, Gatwick-EasyJet or Heathrow-Bulgarian Air or BA.

Distances
Borovets 10 minutes. Samokov 5 minutes, which includes good supermarkets, local market and general provisions. Rila monastery is around 1 hr. Alternative skiing is available at Malyovitsa 20 mins. Vitosha near Sofia 45 mins or Bansko 3hrs.

Further details
The Billa supermarket is with an excellent large array of fresh foods, a range of precooked meats on offer as well as salads. There are many restaurants in the area with three really good ones in Samokov and a fourth on route to Sofia. All are excellent value for money. Banks with cash points are on route to Borovets and in Samokov centre, with shopping facilities in the town and local mall. Ski passes are available daily or half daily from the bottom of the runs.

Booking notes
All prices are for a week for the house. This includes electricity and sauna use. A £150 security deposit is payable and returned if no damage or breakages are found. We ask for £100 deposit to book, the full balance 4 weeks prior to the holiday.

Price
£300 per week.  We do not increase the rate for school holidays or Christmas.

Changeover day
We aim to change over on Saturday but this is negotiable depending on your requirements.

Guest comments

‘It was just like being a local, we drove past the long queues at the start of the day up to a quiet free car park that only a select few seemed to know about and skied straight out onto the piste! A fantastic place to learn’

‘A stylish house with real atmosphere. We had a perfect holiday and it's so lovely to relax in your own sauna at the end of the days skiing’