hotel sofia — Hotel in Municipality of Festos

We booked a family room for 3, and we had a room at the back of the building, ground floor, no window, with a glass door onto a patio area. First reaction was get us out of here! The patio area was on the side of the building, walled in with plants, open to the street and the front of the hotel, and not very private, however it had a hammock and my 19 year old was suddenly very happy and asleep in the cool shaded area. Once we'd sussed out Matala, the hotel location and some of the nearby facilities, we settled down into the hotel, actually enjoying the basic, but clean facilities, the ease of getting to and from the beach, and the chilled come and go ambiance. To be fair, the air con worked, the room was clean and cool, and suited our needs well; I've just never stayed in a room without a window. We had board only, but we saw a few guests having breakfast in the front open seating area. It's perfect for the beach, very close to all the restaurants and cafes, and I wouldn't hesitate to book it again for our return visit! Nice hosts, friendly and laid back, and that's what Matala is all about! Tight parking in front, but there is a nearby paid parking area, and it's a bit first come first served. Recommend bringing walking shoes for the nearby Red Beach if the Matala beaches get a bit crowded. Great beach tavernas and town bakeries for breakfast, lunch, dinner, so no need to book B&B. Try Zouridhakis for breakfast and all day food (right by the open market, and the only bakery/restaurant on pedestrian bit) and the fabulous Eleni Restaurant on the beach (best food in Matala!). I would say this hotel is perfect for the beach, although technically it's not right on the beach, but...

The bedroom was like an actual prison cell, NOTHING like the pictures on the website. We were in room 6 on the ground floor, right next to the side entrance and with no windows, just a door that if you opened led you into our room from where people come in outside. Paper thin walls, could hear everyone coming and going. ||||Spent an hour trying to get the air con to work, no instructions whatsoever and no one on the front desk to ask as it was past 10pm. I phoned the reception desk phone and it was answered from a bedroom, one of the owners came to look at it and managed to get it working after 10 minutes of fiddling. ||||Had a terrible nights sleep, thank god we were only there one night. Got up at 7am to get out of there and the lady owner checked us out. Went to pay with my card, she refused to take it, said I had to go get cash out or wait for her son to get there after 8am as she didn’t know how to work the card machine....? My card is a prepaid travel card so I can’t get cash out, she then SCREAMED at me saying how dare we sleep in her prison cell of a room without paying at check in......erm, perhaps because you didn’t ask us to?!!!! My husband went and got cash out using his UK bank card to pay the €65 and then the very last insult, she tried to short change us of €10 and got very angry when we mentioned it. ||||I’ve stayed in some questionable places before but this really is the worst and actually quite expensive...

Hotel Sofia is located just a few minutes’ walk from the beach. There is no parking directly at the hotel, but you unload your car right in front, and the hotel gives you a voucher for parking a few minute’s walk up the road. ||||Check-in was quick and easy. There is no elevator, so a room upstairs means carrying bags up the steps. We had a room for 4. The front room had a double bed and the bathroom. The second room, divided by a door, had a bunk bed for the kids and a kitchenette, with a fridge/freezer. It included some pots and pans. ||||The room and bathroom were clean. The back porch had a drying rack for our wet swimsuits. The A/C was only in the front room, so the door between rooms needed to be left open so the kids received cool air. But the unit was plenty strong to cool both rooms. The wifi was FAST. ||||The hotel provided towels for us to use on the beach. They had some mats to lay on the sand and a water air mattress to use as well. We enjoyed the ambiance of this hotel and would gladly recommend this location to anyone...