Great. Please keep us informed. Perhaps you could take a glance at my appt, B304? I have had an e mail this week from developers asking again for final payment.

St George Ski & Spa
Hi Daniel We are buying apartment B202 so looks like yours is above us. If you could look in at our apartment (and possibly take a couple of photos) that would be fantastic. We are reluctant to pay the full amount owing at this stage despite a reminder from the developer that it is due. It is impossible for us to go out to Bansko at the moment so news from anyone who visits St George would be welcome. Have a good trip Jude

Hi Daniel It would be great to see some up to date photos. I was there at Easter and if you send me a pm with your email I will send you some I took then. It would be interesting to compare the situation from Easter to the current position when you visit. If you are able to look into C408 and possibly take a couple of photos I would appreciate it. Although they have Act 15 and building work was in progress when I was there it doesn't seem to me to be "completed". I feel that the solicitor should have advised that the prelim contract should have a balance of the final payment at Act 16. Clipper, from your earlier post you asked for photos and I will send you a few too. Enjoy you visit and I hope you find it productive. Margaret

Hi Daniel, I have bought in apartment C204 and am still holding onto my final payment until I get some documentary proof that Act 15 has been granted. I did get some pics from Margaret who was over at Easter and although we are lucky that unlike some other developments work is actually happening all be it a bit too slow. I think you are doing the right thing by getting out there, I am hoping to go out in August. I would be grateful if you get the opportunity if you could get a couple of pice of c204 as it is only a couple of doors down from yours. Margaret took some before, so it would be interesting to see if anything has been progressed. It's also good to know that other Brits have bought here as I thought for months that Margaret and I were the only ones!

I would also be really grateful if anybody has any photos of the development and appts.As you say it is good to have other people out there to converse with on this.

Pics
I will share my pics as soon as I come back. Wish me luck, talk to you all soon. Daniel

Trip to StGeorge
All, I am back from our development in Bansko. It was very nice to be in the development and appreciate the almost all-around breathtaking views. There is expectacular views of the sky runs, which can be seen as a framed picture from inside the swimming pool. To the back of the development the views of the other mountains are awesome too... and because of its location, close to the gondola but still away from the main crowded area, the atmosphere is so so relax (well, for now you have to ignore the constant construction noise to feel such tranquillity). From outside the building looks great, but the road leading from Bansko to the complex has not yet been done and the immediate surroundings to the complex resembles a construction site (which indeed is). On this respect, my concern is that while our complex surely will be open by next season, many of the nearby complexes will be not and that will means noise, dust and heavy machinery going up and down the road (at least in Summer). As some of you commented, there are plenty of people constantly working in different areas of the build. Most of the work now seems to be concentrated in the common areas; the spa, pool, reception, etc. The reception is all plastered and some parts are displaying the final look already: a bit of the ceiling and one wall to the right. From recption, the glass doors leading to the rooms have been installed. The spa/pool is coming up: all interior glass and floors have been done; the treatment rooms have the stone detail in the first meter of wall installed; pool is finished but the pool ceiling and jacuzzi are not there yet; showers near the pool were at that time being tiled with small blue square tiles. In average rooms seem to have been all plastered, have one hand of paint, toilet tiling and connections ready, flooring done, kitchen connections in wall, and windows/slide doors installed. In general, rooms with the above installation were closed while others were open because the flooring was not installed yet. All toilets seem tiled up but none show the fixes. None of the apartments had the electric plugs installed. There is a general feeling when you walk around the building that there is still lot of work to be done, and you don't get the impression that this could be finished before Aug - but this is only me impression, I hope I am wrong. Even if the interior work is done in 3 months, then you need to decorate the building inside and finish all the outside, including the road. I have seen the pilot rooms showing the two furniture packs and you need lot of imagination as they have only installed a small number of pieces without general decoration and thus you get the feeling of cheap materials and lack of style, or as if you are in an IKEA store. My personal opinion: the Gold option looks rather plain and very IKEA like; the Platinum stands out better in general and especially with the bed that looks awesome when you are there standing in front. Something that called my attention is that they didn't have black outs installed in the windows and they said there will be not. I would have expected to have same type of courtains as you would in any other hotel; you can close them and sleep regardless of the light outside. I am sure she was confused as it cannot be right so I will check this point with the developer again and get back to you. Those of you that purchase a studio have the option to get or not a kitchen, so there will be some work to make the wall flat (hide the kitchen connecitons) and finish the flooring. Then they need to install all toilets, finish all painting work, clean and decorate the whole place. Overall the feeling was good and things are moving in the right direction. What I don't like is the significant delay in the management contract and the lack of specific detail on the same. This should have been all agreed and signed long time ago. Act16 should come when the hotel is apt to work, and that is still far from today. Aug 2009? maybe not, but I don't see an issue getting all finished before the winter. Pictures: upon request Please note that all the above is my personal experience/opinion and may not be the same as yours. Any question please pm me! All the best... Daniel

Thanks for the pictures Daniel. They are very helpful.

Thanks a lot for taking the time to post the pics and information -very helpful. I was out there in March and things have definitely moved on since then - really good to see pics of the furniture packs. Have you got prices for these as yet? Trev

Thanks Daniel for your really helpful update and photos. The public areas have progressed a lot since Easter. The views around the development are stunning. Cheers Margaret

It is nice to hear that progress can be seen when compared to old pictures. Indeed the feeling was good when I was there. Trev, I don't have the furniture prices. The developer mentioned that prices should be available soon, and as early as this week, but they have said so in the past so I don't really now when are they going to be available. Margaret, at one moment of the visit we were all in a balcony talking about lot of things and suddenly silence took over... we were all just staring out to the views, it was therapeutic... Rgds, Daniel

Hello Sorry to piss on your bonfire but I feel I have a sworn duty to do so. See these pictures that was recently posted: To any current apartment owner, they represent a number of things, these just being a few of them: 1. Their occupancy rates falling below 1%. 2. The chances of their apartment ever being completed decreasing by 50%. 3. Them increasing the discount of the apartment for sale by another 20% (after already discounting it by 40%). 4. A complete Nightmare. 5. The Somme. A depressing sight if there ever was one. A complete shambles of a place. A total, complete and utter mess. Anyone who hasn't completed, you'd be absolutely, and there is no doubt about it given the resale market, totally and utterly bonkers to complete if it was an offplan with say anything more than 30-40% to pay on it. If you have 30-40% or more to pay on a an off plan property, you'd be mad as a hatter, crazy as a coconut, ready for the padded cell to ever consider parting with the last 30%-40%. Let them rot, chip in and hire the developer a crane with a wrecking ball, before they appoint a Mayor whose brother/son/niece has one. Anyway.......... Hasta luego .......... as they say in certain parts of Greece.

Oh, and those pictures look like an undeveloped part of Bansko, behind Towers, a green field site, the 'Burbs'. Thats before you move into Town and most likely the full horror hits you. Oh, and I know my last post has many gramatical errors..........but quite frankly.........I just don't give a damn...........not in the slightest...........couldn't give a monkey's.

If I had wanted to hear an ars*hole I would have farted! While we complete on our apartments I would suggest that you go and learn to speak English!!! Daniel, some great pics of the complex. There has certainly been good progress since Easter.

Michael, what you have pointed out is something that I think everyone knows already, however you are a bit over pessimistic and you seem not able to see a few years ahead. Do you always see the bottle half empty? Bonfire?... Hey, we are not jumping up and down around a fire... we haven't won the lottery... but I think I speak for everyone when I think of ourselves lucky that our development is coming to an end, just slightly behind schedule, and with no horror attached. Anyway, there is no need to be sarcastic and to a level aggressive... besides if you don't give a damn what is the point of your post? if you don't like bansko, why you even reading this? are you still reading? Nevermind, not interested "in the slightest". Thanks Daniel