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Bulgaria is covered in mountain ranges, and when Hope and I heard about how beautiful the Bulgaria mountains are, we knew we had to check it out for ourselves. In the winter, the mountains in Bulgaria are a playground for skiers and snowboarders, and in the summer they are a haven for hikers. Nestled at the base of the Pirin Mountains, about two hours south of Sofia, Bansko is a bustling ski town that provides peace and tranquility to visitors in the summer months. We decided to take this peace and tranquility to the next level and experience pure luxury in the Bulgaria mountains at Lucky Bansko Aparthotel Spa & Relax, where we spent hours exploring everything the large spa area had to offer – all for free to its guests.
Spacious Apartment Style Rooms
After finding our way to Lucky Bansko Aparthotel and parking our car in the large parking lot across the street with free parking for hotel guests, we checked in and headed up to our room. Immediately I noticed that the room was spacious and contained not only two comfortable beds, but also a kitchen area, sitting area, bathroom, and small balcony. There was also a desk area and free wifi in the room and throughout the hotel, which made it very easy for us to get some work done on our laptops and jot down some notes for this blog post.
Having had quite the long journey to Bansko, Hope instantly plopped down on the large comfortable chair in the sitting area while I headed over to the balcony to check out the views. While small, the balcony let in fresh mountain air and looked out onto the picturesque Pirin Mountains and the luxurious Leonardo Restaurant across the street, which I’ll talk more about later.
The bathroom at Lucky Bansko Aparthotel was similarly spacious and well equipped with not only the necessities like shampoo and shower gel, but also luxuries like a heated towel rack, body lotion, cotton swabs, and more. There’s definitely something to be said about living more comfortably while traveling than at home!
Hope was particularly excited to find soft, comfy bathrobes in our room, as well as slippers, which she wore down to the spa area since she had forgotten to bring flip flops on this trip. We saw other guests wearing their bathrobes around the spa area as well, even though there were also big comfy towels available at the spa area (more on that later).
The Largest Spa Area We Have Ever Seen
When we arrived at Lucky Bansko Aparthotel Spa & Relax, it quickly became obvious to us why “spa” was part of the hotel name. The spa area included a large, beautiful pool, and several hallways next to it with saunas, steam rooms, jacuzzis, ice baths, and more spa facilities we had never even heard of before. You can find a full, detailed listing of all the spa services offered here. Of course, we had to try everything, and Hope kindly obliged to giving you all a tour of the spa area and demonstrating how each spa treatment worked.
We spent a few hours at the Lucky Bansko Aparthotel Spa on the night we arrived and only regret not being able to stay here longer to have that same experience every night. This is luxury at its finest, and there is something so calming and therapeutic about coming back from a long, tiring day of skiing or hiking in the Bulgaria mountains and unwinding at this spa. Not only will your muscles get the relaxation they need, but your mind and spirit will as well.
Dining at “Leonardo” Restaurant
With four bars and restaurants on site, you’ll never go hungry or thirsty at Lucky Bansko Aparthotel. We had the pleasure of dining at one of the four restaurants, Ristorante Leonardo Italiano, or “Leonardo” restaurant. The restaurant is located in an adjacent building to the main Lucky Bansko Aparthotel building and is part of the Leonardo Aqua Complex, which includes two outdoor pools and a water slide (open from June to September). During the colder months, there is a fireplace inside Leonardo to give an extra cozy feel to an already cozy and stylish restaurant.
The food at Leonardo Restaurant was cooked to perfection. We ordered a couple of drinks to start, as well as a tuna carpaccio with pine nuts and arugula to share while we waited for our main courses to arrive. I had never seen such thinly sliced tuna before, and the dish had a wonderful flavor and texture. We could only imagine what flavors our main courses would bring!
I ordered a veal dish with porcini mushrooms and mashed potatoes and gravy. The mushrooms were cooked so tenderly and were the perfect compliment to the veal and gravy. Hope ordered an organic salmon dish with black rice and fish eggs on top. After just one bite, Hope declared it to be the best salmon she’s ever had. I had to try a bite for myself and can happily confirm that the salmon was indeed cooked to perfection, with a delightfully crispy layer on top.
Although we were both quite full by the time we finished our main courses, we couldn’t resist sneaking a peek at the dessert menu. The tiramisu looked too good to pass, so we ordered one portion to share, which turned out to be a great idea since the dessert was huge! Unsurprisingly, the tiramisu was made perfectly, and despite how full we were, we managed to finish every last bite.
One thing I noticed about the menu at Leonardo Restaurant is the variety of different types of dishes offered and different price range of the dishes. Whether you are craving a casual dish like pizza as you bask by the pool or a romantic steak dinner, you can find it at Leonardo Restaurant. And while you do not have to be a guest at Lucky Bansko Aparthotel to dine at Leonardo Restaurant, it certainly is the perfect compliment to your luxury experience in the mountains of Bulgaria.
We certainly were not expecting to find such high quality food in the Bulgarian mountains, but it wasn’t too surprising after we saw how luxurious the hotel was. Our meal at Leonardo Restaurant was hands down one of the best meals we’ve had not only in Bulgaria, but anywhere in the world.
Full Breakfast Buffet at Lucky Bansko Aparthotel
We were planning on leaving early the next morning and thought we might skip breakfast, but we are so glad we ultimately decided against that. The breakfast buffet at Lucky Bansko Aparthotel included tons of hot food options as well as the basics like bread, juice, milk, and fruit. We were both stuffed from all the delicious food and ended up skipping lunch that day since our breakfast was so filling.
Other Amenities at Lucky Bansko Aparthotel
While the spa and Leonardo Restaurant were two of the highlights at Lucky Bansko Aparthotel in my opinion, there are so many more amenities that you may be interested in as well. If we would have had more time at Lucky Bansko Aparthotel, we definitely would have spent more time at the Lobby Bar, a stylish bar with snacks located inside the main lobby as soon as you walk into the hotel. There are also computer stations at the Lobby Bar that you can use to surf the web or print out your boarding passes as you enjoy a drink or a snack.
There were also tons of common spaces where you could hang out with your travel buddies or sit with your laptop and get some work done. And, if you have kids, you’ll be happy to know that there is a kids center and plenty of arcade games located in the basement level of the hotel to keep your kids occupied for days. Lucky Bansko Aparthotel also offers hiking trips to the Pirin Mountains, workout classes, and summer camp for kids – you can easily take the whole family here for a Bulgaria ski holiday in the winter or an outdoorsy hiking holiday in the summer, and everyone is guaranteed to have a great time.
Lucky Bansko Aparthotel Spa & Relax was everything we could ask for after a long day of hiking and road tripping through the mountains of Bulgaria. We knew before arriving that Lucky Bansko Aparthotel is a 5-star hotel, and we had seen photos of the spa and rooms, but we were not expecting to experience such a high level of luxury at Lucky Bansko Aparthotel Spa & Relax. Lucky Bansko Aparthotel is a place we hope to return to not just in the near future, but in 10 or 20 years when we can bring our families here to enjoy all that Lucky Bansko Aparthotel and the Bulgaria mountains have to offer.
Lucky Bansko Aparthotel Spa & Relax
Website
Book online
Email: res@luckybansko.bg
Phone: +359 2 806 61 78
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A big thank you to Lucky Bansko Aparthotel Spa & Relax for making our stay possible. As always, all opinions are 100% our own.
Bulgaria is not the most common country to travel to. It all looks fantastic in your photos and I would definitely consider going there!
So awesome, I’m going to be in Bucharest this fall visiting a friend, and we were actually talking about trekking down to Bulgaria! If that’s still going to be the plan, I need to go here. That spa looks amazing and I would love to try out the ice baths!
Look at that spa Diana! Brilliant. Good to see it is no shoebox either LOL. Spacious as can be. Toss in the views and we have a winner. Gotta be a cool hotel I mean apartment or aparthotel – loving these naming techniques – for me to stick around for a little bit. This one takes the cake.
Thanks for sharing 🙂
Ryan
A heated towel rack is definitely a winner in my book! Couple it with a soft bathrobe and I’m there! This hotel looks amazing, and the food at Leonardo’s looks and sounds absolutely divine, definitely one to keep in mind should I ever visit Bansko!
Love the post that swimming pool looks amazing, I think that I need to book myself into the spa! Glad that the apartment was a nice space as it’s always more relaxing to be somewhere that you can move to feel more relaxed.
The property looks so amazing. Especially the pool looks so inviting. The food also looks delicious. Bulgaria is high on our list, we will keep this property in mind while visiting Bulgaria.
Wow! What a luxurious experience! The hotel looks absolutely amazing. I love the spacious and super cozy room. Spa is such a luxurious and relaxing add on to it. Food looks delicious and I love the breakfast options where you are spoiled for choices. If I’ll ever visit Bulgaria, Lucky Bansko hotel will be my choice for stay. Thanks for sharing.
This place looks, and sounds, divine! I know very little about Bulgaria, but if I ever visit I’ll keep this place in mind. I’m not much of a spa girl, to be honest, but after a lot of time out hiking and such, a night at a spa would probably be lovely.
We’re actually not spa girls at all – but this was divine! I think there were just so many cool new spa facilities we had never seen before that our curiosity alone was enough for us to want to try everything and have a good time doing it. 🙂
That breakfast buffet looks so good! I haven’t thought about Bulgaria in a while but now I’m thinking I may have to add it to my list.
Everything about the hotel looks and sounds comforting. The pool is alluring and the food delicious. Great post!
If the spa wasn’t selling me, the food did! What an amazing trip I now want to take!
Aparthotel? I’ve never heard of it, but it looks fantastic! I don’t know much about Bulgaria except Bulgarian rose cosmetics. Hope I can visit soon.
Wow, this place certainly does look luxurious!! Sounds like you had an amazing stay, any place with a spa this good is a yes from me haha
Wow that place is beautiful and that pool is to die for! It literally looks like the best place for a girls weekend!
What an interesting post! Bulgaria feels so off-track so I love that you’ve covered it so well. Will be using your guide for my future visit.
I guess if you’re going to put “spa” in the name, it has to deliver. That view is so charming and I was impressed by all the little touches, but the fact that amenities are free for guests is a huge selling point. Organizing the minutiae of traveling takes up a good amount of mental real estate. Not having to think about having change for parking or finding proper wi-fi to send a quick email is the most luxurious thing you could offer me.
That looks like a really nice hotel. Would have loved to join you for the Tiramisu. I only visited Bulgaria when I was a child but in general, East Europe is awesome. I’m glad you went there.
There is noting better than coming to an apartment and it being nice and big. Space is the ultimate luxury when on the road. Those fountains next to the pool look the perfect place to chill and relax and there is no way I am getting into the ice bath. Great Youtube video by the way, a really cool showcase of what the spa has to offer! We are off to Bulgaria in summer so this place is now an option to stay!
That looks like a great place to stay in Bulgaria! I especially love the spa (more because you say its the largest one you’ve ever seen), the pool is also amazing. I love how spacious the rooms are and the best part is the balcony, I always love having a balcony in my room, especially with a view! Thanks for bringing Lucky Bansko Aparthotel into the light, I will keep it in mind if I am ever planning a trip to Bulgaria.
So, I’m currently drooling over your post because everything looks so delicious. I don’t think that there is a single thing that I wouldn’t try that you mentioned — very comprehensive by the way! This hotel looks like a dream and I’ll definitely check it out, not just for the fabulous food, for the glamorous rooms and service as well!