My boyfriend and I (28 & 26) just back from a great week skiing in bankso (12-19th feb) where we stayed at hotel tanne with thompson / crystal ski.

Overall bankso is great skiing for intemidiates and as long as you have fresh snow that keeps the runs open there is more than enough to keep you entertained. Limited black runs though and some really flat parts on the blue runs which is a rel pain if you are a boarder. The resort of bankso is great value and pretty cheap (prices are in lev and not many place take euros so make sure you take local currency).The food leaves a little to be desired - burgers, kebabs, pizza, chips is the usual if you don't want traditional bulgarian food (which is ok although you will struggle if you are a veggie... its all meat, meat, meat!!). The best meal we had was at a place called victorias - always packed so make sure you book!!! Food is a lot more european and has more choice than any of the other resturants!

Other places to check out are Harrys bar - good food, nice staff and great cocktail menu. A little off the beaten track but a great place for a few drinks after a day on the slopes. Generally the bars are all pretty good - amigos is lively in the evening and has a fantastic live band and worth a visit.

So on to the not so posertives...

1) Hotel is not a 5 min walk from the gondola - more like 10 - 15 min with ski boots on and up a hill. Its still a good location though and didn't ruin the holiday! Also when it comes to time the transfer is 3 hours + not the 2 and a bit they state in the brochure.

2) Hotel staff are seriously unhelpful, don't speak or do anything to try and make your stay more enjoyable! One tip that would have been useful to us was there is a bus that takes you to the gondola every 30 mins (leaves at 8:30 &9:00am) we never got told about this until half way through the week from someone we met on a night out!

3) As other reviews say the walls are thin and can be a little noisy at times although not really bad.

4) Breakfast was average.. nothing to complain about but noting to shout about either.

5) Bar was never really open (this was probably due to the lack of people in the hotel!!) so nowhere to me chill in the evening if you didnt fancy going out.

6) Spa... what spa? Never open, no information on it... big dissapointment!

7) The queues for the gondola are a bit of a joke... takes about 30 mins to get onto the lift and another 25 to get up the mountain! I you're going to skii school you need to be at the lift for 9:00am latest to get to your lesson on time at 10:00am. It isn't a deal breaker however we went the week before half term and it was bad enough so I would imagine it would be a nightmare this week!!!

Overall on paper the hotel looks good and is great value for money.The staff and small things about the hotel that could really make it a great ski hotel let it down. Resort is great and fantastic value an we had a brillient time!

I have stayed at the Tanne during the ski season in Feb 09 and Feb 10 through First Choice ski. Location is good and only 5 minute walk from the Gondola. I think they put minimal buses on as most people walk. Only ever stayed B&B, and the breakfast is limited but quality is good. I would never recommend staying half -board in Bansko as there are so many Mexana's and good value restaurants to chose from. The rooms and balcony's are spacious and clean, and in my experience much better value for money than the alps.

Bar and restaurant tend to be a little queit, but I have found all the staff to be nothing but pleasant and friendly. Pool and sauna are great but as per other reviews only downside is the Jacuzzi has never been open. It would also be good to have wi-fi, but there is free internet in reception (all be it slow).

After our 1st trip in 2009, we took another couple this year, who were not disappointed. I have stayed in Kempinski previously, but I think in the balance between quality, location and price then Tanne is a good choice. We have just booked for Feb 2011

The Hotel Tanne is in the top end of Bansko, not far from the Gondola station. It has an atmospheric Mexana, a great roaring logfire in the reception area, cozy rooms, and a nice little swimming pool and steam room. Its location is good for skiing, and it only takes about 15 minutes to walk down to the older part of town where there are the old mexanas.

Have just got back from the Tanne after a week skiing in Bankso with Thomson. I travelled with my boyfriend and 2 other friends and we all loved the Tanne. It's a small hotel (about 30ish rooms)but the rooms are furnished to a high standard with lovely modern comfortable bathrooms. Our room was warm all the time - I note that other reviewers have said that theirs was cold, perhaps they have fixed that problem as I had to sleep on top of the duvet every night as I was too warm. The staff were all brilliant on reception. I left cash with one of them to be collected by one of those guys who films you on the slopes, which I was a bit dubious of, and he got the money and left us our dvd, no problems at all. They also went out of their way to help us with getting hold of the rep when Thomson failed to collect us on the last day (resulting in a hilarious race by car to catch the coach up!). The only thing they weren't keen on was changing pounds - they prefer Euros, but there are loads of exchanges within a five minute walk to change money, and they said if we had any difficulty they would do it and guess the exchange rate. We were bed and breakfast which was a continental buffet and had plenty of choice. The swimming pool was quite nice and is overlooked by the lobby bar. However, the jacuzzi is still not working!
As mentioned in another review there are two ski buses in the morning - 8.30 and 9am, and two in the afternoon, 3.30 and 4pm. We tended to get the 9am and then walk back in the afternoon. It is about 5 mins walk to the gondola station so it's no problems walking back with ski boots. They can take you on the ski bus at other times but you have to pay as they are a small hotel and there is no point in them offering any more runs than this a day. Overall a great hotel, tradional but with modern comforts (this may be true of most hotels in Bankso though as they are all newish - the Tanne opened in 2002).

About Bansko - lovely old town with loads of cheapish tradional mehanas to eat in. Our favourite was the Butcher's Hut. Nice Bulgarian wines to enjoy. Yes there is building going on but Bankso as a ski resort only opened in 2000 so of course there are new hotels being built. Having said that we didn't see any construction work or hear any noise. There were a couple of half built buidings near our hotel and we wondered if there was some problem due to the credit crunch, our ski instructor told us there were only about half the number of tourists as the same time last year. On the first day (Sunday) there was a HORRENDOUS queue for the gondola due to everyone arriving for ski fitting etc at the same time - be prepared to sit it out. After the first day we arrived at about 9.15 and only had a two - five minute wait. If you go at 8.30 or at 10am (or later) there will be no queue at all. We had to wait 5 mins as all the ski schools start at 10 and thus more people want the gondola from 9.15 - 9.30. The main thing I disliked about Bankso (and this is really a minor thing) was the touts outside the restaurants trying to get you to go in. It's a bit of a "run the gauntlet" type thing due to there being less tourists. However, they will leave you alone if you just smile politely and say no thank you. Or you can walk to the old town down back streets rather than Pirin Street.

Overall I would recommend Bankso for a good value skiing holiday and would definitely recommend the Hotel Tanne.