Bulgaria’s leading lifestyle hotel welcomes passionate ski lovers

Kempinski Hotel Grand Arena Bansko offers the ultimate ski and spa experience in the winter capital of the Balkans

The picturesque town of Bansko is located 150km away from Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, at the foot of the majestic Pirin Mountain, which is a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site. Bansko is the fastest-developing winter resort in the Balkans and the prime location for practicing winter sports in Bulgaria. The mountain climate and the alpine scenery provide excellent conditions for skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing and hiking. Naturally, the snow is there from December till April. There are 75 km of perfectly groomed ski runs, split into sections for beginners, intermediates and advanced skiers. Professional ski and snowboard instructors, speaking multiple foreign languages, take care of the ski training for all visitors, from kids and beginners to the experienced ones. The local region also offers plenty of options for all-season activities, such as hiking, rafting, fishing, biking, horse riding, mountaineering and golf, which makes Bansko a sought-after destination all year round.

Being the only ski-in and ski-out hotel in the town, Kempinski Hotel Grand Arena Bansko is located in the very heart of the mountain resort, ideally positioned right across from the Gondola lift station. During the winter season, the hotel provides VIP ski passes to its guests, which guarantee direct and quick access to the Gondola. The five-star luxury hotel is the only international brand hotel and is open year-round. It features 157 Alpine-style rooms, including 26 suites and an exclusive Presidential Suite, fully renovated Kempinski The Spa with unique thermal facilities, four conference rooms and dining rooms with spectacular views of the majestic Pirin Mountains, offering an authentic Kempinski gourmet experience. The hotel has five bars and three restaurants, including the fine-dining Mediterranean restaurant Come Prima with live cooking stations. The exotic Sushi Bar & Teppanyaki Grill is the only place in Bansko that offers authentic sushi and Japanese grill specialities prepared by skilled Asian chefs.

The SPA centre of Kempinski Hotel Grand Arena Bansko has been renovated in spring 2018 and features, unique for Bulgaria, thermal facilities of the world-leading Germany company Klafs, including an authentic Finnish dry sauna, a last-generation herbal sauna, an innovative sanarium, an infrared cabin and a tailor-made aroma steam bath. The new thermal area also consists of two experience showers for heat-cold contrast, a deep digital detox area, a self-heating laconium wellness bench and a unique snow room. The state-of-the-art Kempinski The Spa further features one indoor and two outdoor swimming pools, a kids’ outdoor swimming pool, an indoor and outdoor Jacuzzi and a 24-hour fitness centre equipped with the latest Technogym appliances. The modern spa centre offers the world-renowned NORMATEC technology – a legs recovery system for use after sport to enhance blood flow and speed recovery, endorsed by famous sports people and athletes and the new BEMER technology – the secret of Marc Girardelliʼs good shape. With 1200 sq m of space, the new-generation spa centre is one of the biggest and best equipped in the country, offering a variety of seasonal treatments, exclusive cosmetics and authentic healing techniques from the Far East.

Kempinski Hotel Grand Arena Bansko has earned worldwide recognition and multiple international awards. The hotel has been awarded as Bulgaria’s Leading Lifestyle Hotel by World Travel Awards for 2019, Bulgaria’s Best Ski Hotel by World Ski Awards for 2019 and Bulgaria’s Best Hotel Spa by World Spa Awards 2019. Honoured with the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence for the last nine years, the hotel was also featured in the Travellers’ Choice Awards for Hotels in Bulgaria for 2019, ranking first among the ‘Top 25 Hotels’, ‘Top 25 Luxury Hotels’ and ‘Top 25 Hotels for Service’.

So far, Bansko has hosted ten FIS World Cup alpine ski and snowboard races and will welcome soon, in January 2020, the world ski elite in the upcoming series of the FIS Women’s Ski World Cup.