Unlikely ski destination makes good on its promise!

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Breaking new ground on the blogging front has just occurred, as for the first time ever this blog entry is the result of a spoken word email which has been interpreted into text format and I have edited the results at the end to make it read like a blog entry. On a similarly pioneering front, let me usher in the charms and delights of the resort town of Bukovel, a place you're probably not already acquainted with. This place, however, is the Ukraine's premiermost ski resort and it's charms are likely to manifest themselves the more you familiarise yourself with the resort proper. Upon arrival in Bukovel, the first constatation was that the resort is slightly larger than anticipated, therefore it is a strategy I would say to try and find a hotel within sufficiently easy reach of the slopes. Should your budget permit, then an ideal property is the Radisson Blu, with a ski in / out location, however I stayed at the hotel Karpatski and found it more than sufficient when it came to facilities, but the location could have been more convenient. The question which you may ask yourself at this juncture is does the resort of Bukovel live up to any hype surrounding it, and for my own personal tastes the answer is a resounding 'yes'. Whatever alternatives might exist when you're considering a ski trip to the Ukraine please bear in mind that Bukovel is the largest of the nation's ski resorts, so is therefore the most suitable for a week long ski trip, with the variety of runs ranging from mostly blues and reds with the occasional black run thrown in for good measure. It has to be said that it functions well as a linked resort, and the variety of on-piste restaurants is impressive to say the least, so having hired out full ski equipment for a very reasonable price and sampling the best of the ski runs, the question you might be asking is what about the apres ski and the range of facilities which the resort has to keep you entertained and occupied when not skiing down slopes. Well, the shops and restaurants are perfectly sufficient in terms of the type of goods and food on offer, but for my money the real star turn when it comes to satisfying off piste activities must surely be the comprehensive spa resort known as Voda which is extensive and well thought-out when it comes to chilling out in the context where water, vapour and sauna type atmosphere surrounds you. If that doesn't quite suffice, then check out the lounge area one floor above which is the final word in relaxation therapy. Getting to Bukovel is rendered possible by flying into Lviv Airport, and making the onward journey by bus or train via Ivano-Frankivsk. So, on the whole, this was Bukovel, and given the conditions and the complete lack of icy patches and tracked-out terrain it has to be said that the skiing was a treat, simply for the lack of implied effort required for the skier to keep themselves stable. If all of the above sounds complete enough then let's throw in the for good measure the existence of a comprehensive entertainment complex at the foot of the main chairlift to satisfy any hedonists's needs. People always tell you never to judge a book by its cover and if you are receptive to new ideas, then all I can advise is that a ski trip to bukovel could well be a piece of planning which, when put into practice, will turn out to be a memorable and rewarding experience.

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