Equipping Your Property Furnishing Companies If you are based in the UK, personally shopping to furnish your new Bansko apartment may not be a viable option. There are many companies that will provide you with a service to suit your budget, though you may have to search around for a company that can offer a range to suit your taste. Most companies will offer a selection of fixed packages, depending on the size of your property and your budget. These packages are designed to furnish and equip your entire property, providing everything from matching bedroom suites and home entertainment systems to ironing boards, cutlery and linen. Some companies will be also be able to offer you a more individual service, where you work with the company to decide the best furnishings for your new home. Although more expensive, this option is perfect if you want to style your Bansko pad yourself without leaving the UK.   Furniture Shops If you decide to furnish your property yourself, you will need to visit towns outside of Bansko to purchase your goods. Vellingrad is around 60 km North East of Bansko and contains many furniture shops and warehouses. You should be able to find a great range of products for a fraction of the price to furniture shops in other towns. Other places with a good variety of bathroom, kitchen and furniture retailers are Blagoevgrad and Sofia. Prices of furniture are not that different to the UK, as many of the items are imported and not Bulgarian made. Bulgaria still has a lot to learn about quality and style when it comes to furnishings, which means you really have to shop around to obtain the look that you are after, for a price to suit your budget. However, if you are renting your property and are happy to keep the décor to a basic standard, you shouldn’t have too much difficulty in equipping your property for a low price. Internet & Telephone To add internet to your property, you have a number of options; dial up connection, a local cable supplier or ADSL. We would recommend using one of the two latter options as dial up is extremely slow. In some rural locations you will not have the option of cable internet, but in these cases you should be able to receive ADSL wirelessly. There are many internet providers in Bulgaria, so the prices are competitive but not all of them provide a reliable service. Shop around for the service that best suits you. Once you have organised your internet, you may consider purchasing a wireless router, so that you can receive internet from anywhere in your property. These boxes are around 100 Leva (Approximately £35). BTC is the national telephone company in Bulgaria and they will be able to arrange all aspects of providing you with a landline. Again, in rural areas this may not be possible, so in these cases you should look to using ADSL to provide you with a wireless internet landline.   Electrical Products Most decent furnishing companies will be able to provide you with the electrical products that you require for your property. However you may be paying more than if you shopped yourself. Therefore, if you get the opportunity, you may wish to self source these products. The main electronic outlets in Bulgaria are ‘Techno Market’, ‘Technopolis’ and ‘Metro’ (but you need a Bulgarian business to acquire access to Metro). While prices are only insignificantly lower on imported items, than the UK, you will be able to find good deals on some products. The range and choice is excellent and many different brands are represented in these large superstores, allowing you to acquire just what you need for within your budget.