What stops most active winter sports enthusiasts from going to a ski resort somewhere in the Alps or Pyrenees? Well, firstly, the prices, which in Courchevel or Andorra are very bite. Secondly, the need for a Schengen visa. Thirdly, a long and expensive flight, which, if you focus on family vacations, will also cost a pretty penny. Fourth, the language barrier. But if we choose the ski resort Playa as a place for winter holidays , then we will not have to overcome any of the above problems. After all, Play is located in the Ukrainian Carpathians, in the Lviv region. For many years, our compatriots have been traveling to the neighboring resort of Bukovel (Ivano-Frankivsk region) and returning alive, and most importantly, satisfied. Let’s try to find out what the new ski resort of Play is.
Where is
As already mentioned, this complex is located in the Lviv region. To be more precise, then in the Skole district, between the villages of Plavye and Oryava. This is a very young resort, which is an ambitious project. He can compete with the “untwisted” Bukovel. It was opened in 2007. As the reviews of Russian tourists assure, the novelty of the Play Group has pros and cons. The advantages of the resort are that from the very beginning it was built according to modern European technologies according to international standards. Everything here - equipping tracks, lifts, etc. - brand new, "straight away." A drawback is called the feedback that few hotels have been built at the moment. In the absence of competition, prices in two hotels are unreasonably high, so most tourists prefer to stay in the private sector. Also, there is some congestion in the lifts on weekends when residents of Lviv come.
How to get there
The ski resort Play is located in close proximity to the Kiev-Chop highway. As the motorway runs across the state border to Europe, its coverage is good. By air you need to go to Lviv. From the regional center on weekends a charter bus runs directly to the resort. Departure from the main railway station at 6 am, the cost is 50 hryvnias. The nearest railway stations are Skole and Volovets. Minibuses run to the resort from both points. If you drive your own or a rented car, then missing the desired turn is unthinkable - as many billboards and road signs will show you the way. If you go from Lviv, then after Skole you need to drive through the villages of Korostiv, Kozyova and Oryava. Before reaching Plavier, you need to turn off the track. Parking at the resort is free.
When to go to Play (Carpathians)
The ski resort is located at an insignificant height. Therefore, there are no crackling frosts. Normal winter temperatures do not drop below -15 degrees, which is a positive factor if you intend to bring young children with you. Do not be afraid of the winters with little snow. Only the first light frost will be established (in late November - early December), how special guns manufactured by Nivis begin to work. And when the surroundings of Playa are snowy, professional Pisten Bully grocers go onto the slope. This technique maintains the tracks in excellent condition until the end of March, and in some years until mid-April.
Where to stay
Since Play (Karpaty) is a very new ski resort, today only two hotels work in it. Moreover, they are all called the same. The Big Play is a three-story building with 42 double rooms, located in the very center of the resort. It has all the amenities, including Wi-Fi. To the lower station of the lift go just a couple of minutes. But the pleasure of living near the ski area is not cheap. Room costs 750 hryvnia. A small namesake of the hotel - Play Motel - is located near the highway. There are exactly the same amenities, but due to some remoteness, living there is cheaper - 400 hryvnias. But the motel has only 11 rooms, so they must be booked in advance. An alternative to hotels are numerous mini-hotels in the surrounding villages: Plavye, Oryavchik, Kozyova, Korostiv, Oryava. If you are on wheels, you can stay at the cozy Hotel Golden Trout ten kilometers from the ski resort.
Nutrition
The ski resort of Play in its territory has a restaurant "Polonina" and two bistros. In all establishments you can enjoy dishes of European and Ukrainian cuisines. From the panoramic windows of Poloniny, enchanting landscapes open onto the snow-capped mountains. There is also a Play restaurant on the ground floor of the eponymous motel (near the highway). You can drink hot mulled wine or tea brewed on the odorous Carpathian herbs, as well as a snack right on the slope, the upper station of the ski lift. The Verkhovyna Bistro is located below. The reviews suggest that the average price for a dish in a restaurant is fifty hryvnias, which is insanely cheap for Russians, but a bit expensive, when compared with the cost in similar establishments in neighboring villages. Tourists recommend trying banosh, mushroom yushka, sheep’s cheese and other Hutsul dishes.
Trails
Many Ukrainian skiers and snowboarders choose the resort of Play for skiing. The Carpathians, with their enchanting landscapes, the local Hutsul flavor and well-developed infrastructure by European standards, attract tourists to this new competitor Bukovel and Dragobrat. Skating takes place on six tracks on the slopes of the Playa massif and Mount Kremen. The longest of them is one thousand two hundred meters. The height difference is 260 m. Reviews say that Play is ideal for beginners and insecure skiers, although the resort also has trails for extreme sports. The slopes are served by four chair lifts (Doppelmayr company) and one yoke. The latter takes the skiers to the start of the beginner trail. The path of each chair lift stretches for a kilometer. There is also a baby and multi-lift. Children can indulge in snow tubing. Unfortunately, the resort has no night skiing.
Infrastructure
The Playa ski resort, at prices inferior to Bukovel, provides many services to skiers and snowboarders. You can buy a daily subscription - 250 UAH. on a chairlift and 80 hryvnias per yoke. It will be better and more convenient: after all, for one lift you will have to pay 20 and 10 UAH. respectively. There are queues, especially on weekends, but they move fast. The resort has ski schools for children and adults. You can hire a personal instructor. There is an emergency station. There is an equipment rental office at the lower lift station. A ski or board costs 80 hryvnia per day. Therefore, reviews recommend taking equipment with you or renting it from the inhabitants of the village of Plavye. Near the rental point there is a luggage room - free of charge.
Après ski
Since the Playa resort was built (and continues to be built) according to European standards, the evening entertainment program is thought out to the smallest detail. There are swimming pools, saunas, a spa, gyms. Of particular note is the Museum of Boykovo and Hutsul cultures. Having visited it, you can see the operating forge, follow the process of making cheese, see the weaving and carpentry shops. Very beautiful local church. Holy Archangel Michael. It is valid (the UGCC rite), and if you wish, you can admire the exquisite carvings and filigree forging not only outside the building, but also inside.