Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Location Hotel Rila is located in the heart of the first mountain resort in the Balkans - Borovets, only 70km from the capital Sofia. At the foot of the ski slopes - 200m from the Gondola lift, 50m from the Martinovi Baraki lift and 100m from the Sitnyakovo Express lift, Rila is the ideal ski-in / ski-out hotel for mountain lovers in every season. For every age and every season Hotel Rila is the place for your vacation, suitable for all ages in every season, offering ideal opportunities for recreation through sports and outdoor and indoor entertainment. In the Winter Rila is the perfect ski-in / ski-out hotel in the bottom of the ski pistes. You can buy your lift pass and book your ski or snowboard lesson here. The hotel also offers rental equipment and a personal equipment storage depot. In the Summer For nature lovers, Rila Hotel offers mountain guides and selected hiking trails, cycling in the mountains, horseback riding, fishing, picnicking and more. The hotel design The design of the hotel, inspired by the French ski resort Les Arcs, incorporates the rich history of the region and current trends and creates the unique modern alpine style of Rila. Accommodation Hotel Rila offers its guests accommodation in SUPERIOR and SIGNATURE rooms, with views of the slopes or the ancient pine forests of the Resort. Restaurants and bars Wide variety of restaurants and bars for every taste - two buffet restaurants: Seasons and Les Arcs; a-la-carte restaurant Samokovi – regional cuisine with modern touch by Chef Veselin Kalev, Champions Lobby Bar & Diner – seasonal menu with home-made pastries by our pastry Chef Gergana Shipochka; and The Terrace Lounge - terrace bar with impressive views of the slopes. Conference center The brand new conference center offers various opportunities for organizing congresses, conferences, trainings, workshops, cocktails, parties and other business and personal events. Rila SPA Recently renovated, the SPA center offers a thermo-zone and the most up-to-date treatments in a soothing environment. For kids The youngest guests can have fun in the renovated ski kindergarten in the winter and the new children's club open year-round. Children's animation program during the summer season - from Friday to Sunday. Services The hotel offers its guests parking, shops and beauty salons, ATM and currency exchange desk, ski depot and many other amenities.
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Nestled in the heart of the mountains, Hotel Rila Borovets garners praise for its exceptional location with direct ski access and stunning views that captivate guests. While the hotel's spa and diverse breakfast options receive commendations, there are mentions of crowded pools and oversight in child supervision. The service quality receives mixed reviews, ranging from commendable friendliness to instances of inattention.
Although the hotel's cleanliness stands out, with guests appreciating the meticulous upkeep of rooms and public areas, concerns arise over the value, with criticism centered on high rates and food variety. Additionally, while the rooms are lauded for their size and cleanliness, some guests note problems with noise and air circulation.
Location
Central
Atmosphere
Inviting
Rooms
Comfortable
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Meticulous
Service
Inconsistent
Amenities
Well-appointed
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We had a wonderful stay, and my daughter and I went for a ski holiday. The hotel has access to direct slopes, featuring comfort highlights, especially for skiers. The ski room was large and with a sufficient online check-in, we got things done without a bustle. The breakfast and food were very successful and abundant and everything was fresh, quality and delicious. On-site facilities are very good Spa area, restaurants, cafes and bars are very enjoyable. At its best, the employees, receptionists, waiters and employees are very attentive and polite. The rooms are cleaned daily, and when you enter the very clean room, the hotel has been refurbished, you get a smell of fresh room-to-room. When we arrived at the hotel, we finished everything in 10 minutes and settled into the room about 4 hours in advance. We had a very comfortable and enjoyable trip.
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Date of stay: February 2025
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Wow, what a surprise, we’d not been to Borovets for 15 years and always stayed next door, obviously recently renovated but wow, what a revelation, efficient reception, smart, warm sports lobby bar, with so many tellys showing different sports, constant table service friendly waitresses. Unbelievable rooms for a ski break, and no sign of skiwear damage anywhere as the hotel have a leave everything in the ski rental policy, boots on boot warmers all night, skis and boots stored on an excellent bar code system, such a big modern powerful shower (that leaked a little but ok) in the wet room bathroom, rock solid squeak free beds that gave perfect sleep, tidy fully carpeted, brightly lit rooms with loads of coat hooks, a brilliant metal tray above the radiators to ensure warm toasty gloves each morning, fridge, kettle, loads of surfaces for skiwear. And a lovely temperature at all times. We had a slope view room (355) , rarely get a decent view on any holiday, us Brits always seem to get the bargain tucked round the back ones. I swam a couple of times, the pool is chilly, and exceptionally deep (1.4-2metres) but soon got used to it, novelty of seeing so many people in the bar wearing bath robes made us giggle. The bar had a couple of singers and a dance group during the week, nice to have entertainment of any level sometimes. The thing that we worried about most maybe, hotel food, we always ate out next door, the breakfast and dinner options in the rila are absolutely spot on, salads , a decent variety and always meat and chips for even the most fussy eater, and a selection of puddings.
We really did find it hard to fault the hotel, we had an excellent stay
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Date of stay: February 2023Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Svetoslav Manov, General Manager at Hotel Rila Borovets
Responded Feb 12, 2023
Dear Guest, Thank you for the great review and kidn words! We made big effortts to improve our kids program and also the entartaiment program for the adults and I am glad you appreciated. I hope you will visit us again next winter season. Best Regards, Mirella Aleksieva Guet Relations
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First ski holiday as a family with a 6 and 11 year old. Husband and I had been skiing a few times before, but this was our first time as a family. Hotel Rila was a very good hotel and really clean. Wr saw the housekeeping staff cleaning touch points and disinfecting surfaces regularly which was reassuring.
The restaurant food was good especially the evening food. The only negative thing about it was the hygiene of other guests which although the hotel isn’t responsible for, I do think they could supervise and manage this better. For example, almost every day we witnessed people using hands to touch foods and eat bread over the toaster areas while waiting to cook toast and also dropping tongs on the floor and simply putting them back rather than giving to staff!! Staff appear to turn a blind eye to this.
Another downfall is the evening meals don’t include juice, and all the half board hotels I’ve stayed in over Europe provide at least a choice of juice. Only water included. The good is very tasty though and a good variety and we were happy with the quality on offer.
The swimming pool and spa is lovely. Very clean and well maintained. The saunas are lovely and immaculate and there a few to choose from, the only negative thing I’d say is the lifeguard on duty is hell bent on whistling at the slightest thing such as jumping in the pool (understandable) but turns a blind eye to 30 people occupying the jacuzzis despite a sign saying maximum of 15 people allowed. I just feel this is a water safety risk especially for the smaller younger children. There’s a bat at the poolside too which is a nice touch. Towels all included too.
Room was on 1st floor overlooking the main piste. Nice view HOWEVER very noisy, especially Friday nights where music pounding until 5am, don’t expect the greatest of sleeps on this side of the hotel. I wish I’d asked to be moved to a quieter room, rooms v clean though and v comfortable beds.
Ski hire - we used the hotel ski hire located in basement area of the hotel. I’d read a few negative reviews about it but we found them excellent - service and friendliness. No issues whatsoever. You can drop off equipment and pick it up again very easily and efficiently throughout the day no problem.
Avoid the house wine in the hotel, I thought it was awful. Another thing is the wine is very expensive - you can look to pay £40/50! For a quarter of a bottle!! We went to the supermarket opposite the hotel instead,
I would return to Rila if I was visiting borovets again but I do think they could make it a bit better.
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Date of stay: March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We had the Deluxe suite which is 2 interconnecting rooms. The rooms are spacious, newly decorated, warm and cosy and the slopes view side have amazing views over the mountains.
The spa area of the hotel is great - 25m pool, jacuzzis, several saunas, steam room and a large Turkish Hammam steam room. Really perfect after a day on the slopes.
The breakfast buffet had a very wide choice and was never too crowded, the evening buffet was also good but with less choice.
The lobby bar is huge but somehow very inviting with log fires and has a great menu. the Terrace bar has to be the best located bar in the resort, perfect to chill in the late afternoon.
The hotel location is right by the nursery slopes and ski school, surrounded by bars and restaurants and a few minutes walk from the Gondola. The only downside is the noise from the bars and drunk people in the main resort area means you can't open your windows even on the 6th floor.
The ski store is well organised.
The service at the hotel was faultless, both before arrival and during our stay - great staff.
We used Hunters for ski hire and lessons, both good but a walk to collect and drop back the skis. (Located in the Flora hotel).
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Date of stay: March 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip:The slopes view rooms are worth the extra
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Yordan Krastev, Guest Services / Front Office at Hotel Rila Borovets
Responded May 8, 2024
Dear Mr. Joyner, Thank you for your review. I am glad that you enjoyed your vacation with us and I hope to see back again. I agree that sometimes it could get noisy from the pubs and bars outside. Unfortunately the only thing we can do is to change your room from slope view to resort view. Next time, please let us know if you would like a quieter room looking towards the forest in the back. Best regards, Yordan Krastev Guest Relations Manager
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The hotel is excellent. Great rooms, nice staff, the bars and lounges are lovely. The spa and pool is great. It's in the perfect location in Borovets, a few metres from the chair lifts and ski school meet point and about 100m from the gondola. We would definitely stay again.
Unfortunately the only downside was the hotel was terrible at dealing with specific dietary requirements. Allegedly there is a good selection of vegetarian and vegan food, and they have allergen cards on everything. However on 4 separate occasions we were given food which we were told had no dairy in which turned out to contain milk or butter.
One of our group has a dairy allergy and ended up being quite ill during the week as a result of this. We are now home and he's still recovering from the side effects. He had hash browns, cake, bread and margarine during the week, all of which we were told were dairy free / vegan, which all turned out to contain butter or milk. Luckily he doesn't go into anaphylaxis but the consequences are still pretty bad and it's a completely unavoidable situation if the food had been marked correctly.
We discussed with the catering staff and management at the time and the response was pretty appalling. Initially they argued that the products were vegan but then admitted their mistake. We were given a free bottle of wine, like that would help somebody overcome an allergic reaction. They either didn't seem to understand the importance or didn't particularly care. Catering for vegetarians or vegans by choice is one thing, but not understanding allergies is something far more serious. Be very careful if you eat here and have an allergy, and don't trust the allergen cards.
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Date of stay: March 2024
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Returning guest which speaks for itself. The Rila ticks all the boxes for us.
The slopes are literally across the road!
The staff are helpful and friendly, rooms are well cared for and spotlessly clean, the food is wonderful - clearly displayed and named. The pool and spa are great to use after a busy day on the slopes.
The dining room is always busy and that is probably my only criticism in that mealtimes always seemed rushed and not relaxed as I would have liked. There were just two of us and we had to go to the buffet separately in order to save our table from being cleared by the enthusiast waiting staff. Even full plates were cleared away if you left the table to get something you’d forgotten!
However, a great stay and we shall be back.
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Date of stay: March 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled with friends
Room Tip:Slope view room
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Svetoslav Manov, General Manager at Hotel Rila Borovets
Responded Mar 21, 2023
Dear Guests, Thank you for the great review and kind words! It's always nice to hear that the effords of the team are appreciated and that you enjoyed all our services. I am sure you are coming back again next seasn. Best Regards, Mirela Aleksieva Guest Relations
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Possibly one of the worst hotels I’ve visited with the rudest staff and lowest quality service one can experience.
From the moment we arrived we felt like unwelcome guests. Refused entry to our room any earlier than the 3pm check in due to ‘room cleaning’ but when we got to the room we were greeted with greasy handprints on the wall, a rogue sharp pin on the floor, hairs and dust everywhere and a bed head that left one wet wipe completely brown after one swipe.
Don’t expect any sort of service at the bars or restaurants either. When we asked if they have maple syrup I was looked at like I’d just told them I like to kick dogs. Want a drink quickly? Bring your own. Find a hair in your food? It was probably your fault. Get sauce thrown on you by a waiter? You should leave and clean yourself up so they can make space for other people.
Common decency is not understood so if you’d like a ‘good morning’ when entering the breakfast room then pretend that’s what they say when they ask for your room number and to put a mask on. Also don’t take your skis back to the depot with any snow on them or at the end of a lovely day you’ll have an angry little man shouting at you.
The buffet food was delightfully warm, but hot food is overrated anyway. If you’d like to ask someone about any ingredients of the food or if they have an allergen free alternative then you may get someone who looks at you for a few minutes then walks off, but that’s only if you’re lucky. More than likely they will just tell you to take what’s there.
Regarding your room, you’ll get one complementary water and a coffee per stay, but that’s because of their generosity. The ‘dryer’ will work well for half of your stay and the phone may or may not have a dial tone. We refused maid service the whole stay because we didn’t trust their cleaning so I can’t comment on this other than the initial state of the room upon arrival.
Lastly, the casino is a bunch of slot machines, the PS4 room are some second hand and rated arcade machines the terrace lounge would be great if they made it like the advertised pictures.
The location is fantastic, that is Rila’s only good point.
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Date of stay: March 2022Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Svetoslav Manov, General Manager at Hotel Rila Borovets
Responded Mar 6, 2022
Dear Guest, Thank you for taking the time to write a review. We appreciate every single constructive feedback we can get. I am sorry that we couldn't meet your expectations. I regret that you did not contacted the Guest Relations team while you were in the hotel so that we can try to fix the issues. We are at the disposal of our guests 24/7. Best regards, Yordan Krastev Guest Relations Manager
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Hotel Rila in Borovets exceeded all expectations! Its prime location right by the ski slopes is unbeatable, and the breathtaking mountain views made the experience even more magical. The rooms were spacious, clean, and comfortable, while the staff were incredibly friendly and helpful. The breakfast buffet offered a fantastic variety, and the spa was the perfect way to unwind after a day on the slopes. Highly recommended for anyone visiting Borovets—can’t wait to return!
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Date of stay: January 2025
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Yordan Krastev, Guest Services / Front Office at Hotel Rila Borovets
Responded Jan 23, 2025
Dear Visa, Thank you for yourt review! I am glad that you enjoyed your stay with us and I hope you will visit us again. It is always nice to hear that the efforts of the team are visible and appreciated. Best Regards, Yordan Krastev Guest Relations Manager
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Beautiful rooms - we had 2 interconnecting rooms which were perfect for our family. Gorgeous views over the slopes, the location is perfect and close to all facilities. The boot room is efficiently run and lovely and spacious. We stayed half board, breakfast was varied and fresh, dinner was a bit limited on variety at the buffet however we mixed it up with some of the amazing restaurants in the doorstep. The staff were always friendly and helpful. Pool area was much larger than expected and very clean. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this hotel.
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Date of stay: December 2024Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Yordan Krastev, Guest Services / Front Office at Hotel Rila Borovets
Responded Jan 3, 2025
Dear guest, Thank you so much for your kind words! We're thrilled to hear you enjoyed your stay, especially the interconnecting rooms, the stunning views, and the convenient location. We look forward to welcoming you back to our hotel in the future.
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If you like staying in a zoo and paying more than double what it should be, then book it.
Location is okay and first impression is good, but not if you want the gondola and nicer experience on the bigger side of the resort.
When people say family friendly, most mean it’s full of ferrel kids running riot until at least 22:00. So not a chance of a quiet drink in the hotel bar after a day on the slopes. In fact, we didn’t do a drink in the bar area once and to be honest, that’s usually a huge part of our holiday.
The pool, jacuzzi, sauna areas are not monitored and “adult only” signs are ignored. The jacuzzi I would only describe as “human soup”! Gross 🤢 and being an owner of my own hot tub I know what it’s meant to look and smell like!
Food reports say it’s good! It’s average and you’re not going to die don’t get me wrong, but it definitely can’t be described as decent, and the scrap for a table and bun fight in the queues for food are a nightmare.
The hotel turn the coffee machine off at evening meal, the ONLY drink available is water. To get a bottle of wine to your table takes a few days before it happens.
Housekeeping and reception staff are lovely and very efficient and your room is kept very clean.
The rest of the hotel, not so clean, we ate out most nights, couldn’t abide the nightly scrap and frosty staff.
We would go back to the resort, but NEVER. again would we pay massively over the odds for a well below average hotel.
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Date of stay: January 2024
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled with friends
Room Tip:Don’t pay for below average just because of the location to the junior slopes.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Yordan Krastev, Guest Services / Front Office at Hotel Rila Borovets
Responded Jan 31, 2024
Dear Nicky, Thank you for your review. We appreciate every constructive feedback we get from our guests. We take seriously your comments and we will do our best to do better. I am sorry we could not meet your expectations. Best regards, Yordan Krastev Guest Relations Manager
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I stayed there this time last year and will be there again on Saturday myself.
If I remember correctly, towels were provided.
The use of the pool was free for all Rila Hotel guests.
There is a small fridge and kettle in the room.
There is no need to take a bag when out skiing.
Massages at the spa have to be pre-booked but the sauna area doesn't.
Sorry I didn’t take note of the exchange rate in the hotel as I’d changed my Lev here with M&S bank before travelling. However I did notice the exchange kiosks near the hotels had pretty good exchange rate, it was better than what I got here.
There are more places to choose from in the Borovets area.
PRICE RANGE
$124 - $192 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
hotel rila borovets, rila hotel borovets
LOCATION
BulgariaSofia RegionBorovets
NUMBER OF ROOMS
490
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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