Pension Sofia — Hotel in Paros Municipality

We enjoyed 2 delightful nights at Pension Sofia. We planned on dropping off our bags and then exploring Parikia because our ferry would arrive before check in. The proprietors told us the room would be ready in about 20 minutes, so we waited. They offered something to drink and we enjoyed a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice and tea bread. The owner answered all of our questions about laundry, restaurants, and transportation, and gave us highlights on the popular sights. When we got into the room we were well prepared to go adventuring.

The bed was not 2 twins pushed together. It was actually a full/queen (I am not an expert on the difference) and very comfortable. The air conditioning was powerful, which was welcome in the hot summer weather. The shower had great water pressure and was sufficiently large with a curtain. It was the hose type that allows you to hold and move the nozzle. It did not have a place to hang it above the body, which took some getting used to. The room had a private porch which we enjoyed using.

The property is an oasis in the town. It is a 10 minute walk from the ferry terminal and center of town. It's set back a few blocks from the waterfront in a more residential neighborhood, which achieved our goal of being in a quieter area. The lush gardens have many secluded seating areas. We got takeaway gyros from To Souvlaki Tou Pepe and drinks from one of the nearby markets one day and enjoyed eating at one of the tables in the garden.

Several breakfast options are provided. We opted for the buffet, which I would recommend. We thought we need to book breakfast when we booked the room, which wasn't necessary. The buffet breakfast spread included tea, coffee, fresh squeezed orange juice (we both had several glasses), tea breads, homemade apple pie with a very crispy pastry crust, real Greek yogurt with crushed walnut or honey toppings, watermelon, honeydew melon, peach, banana, kiwi, sliced meat and cheese, and hard boiled eggs. Guests enjoyed their breakfast at the large table on the porch or around the garden. It was the first time we'd seen other guests.

The proprietors offer a ride to the ferry terminal, but we wanted to take the short walk before sitting on a ferry for several hours.

We highly recommend staying at Pension Sofia if you...

I am conflicted about my stay here. ||On the plus side: very beautiful property. Very close to the Port of Parikia. Quiet and peaceful surroundings. Great price. Clean room. Loved the balcony.||One the minus side: overall I found the customer service somewhat disorganized, poor, and lacking warmth. My sister had weird issues upon check-in: her reservation (the host showed no record of her reservation upon arrival?), the room size she paid for was not the room she got, and her room had no power at all when she checked in. We had to search for and flag down a man (presumably the host's husband?) in order to flip the breaker to get the power to come back on. ||There are no signs with information on how things in the room work (such as the power/light switch, the AC, and the shower, which were quite tricky - at least for me and the guest across the hall, too) and the hostess became quite hostile when she had to come to my room one night at 10pm to help me with the AC to get it to work. At that moment, I wanted to pack up and leave and go to another hotel.||It seemed as if something was wrong (outside of the B&B) that was affecting her ability to be happy, warm, and welcoming with her guests. |I also got the distinct feeling (from older reviews) that this accommodation used to be a lot more customer-friendly in their offerings (such as breakfast, and rides to/from the port, etc) and now, once you check in, you are basically on your own. I usually have such wonderful connections with my hosts, and this experience just left me feeling very flat, cold, and a bit sad. I avoided her as much as possible after the AC incident because I was so uncomfortable around her. ||In summary, with improvements to customer service, Pension Sofia could be such a heavenly place to stay. However, as it is, while I would go back to Paros in a heartbeat, I would definitely choose another accommodation for my stay. I have enjoyed so many amazing and kind hosts around the world (including other Greek islands), but this experience definitely fell short, and sadly, I would not recommend this accommodation experience for your...

I am conflicted about my stay here.

On the plus side: very beautiful property. Very close to the Port of Parikia. Quiet and peaceful surroundings. Great price. Clean room. Loved the balcony.

One the minus side: overall I found the customer service somewhat disorganized, poor, and lacking warmth. My sister had weird issues upon check-in: her reservation (the host showed no record of her reservation upon arrival?), the room size she paid for was not the room she got, and her room had no power at all when she checked in. We had to search for and flag down a man (presumably the host's husband?) in order to flip the breaker to get the power to come back on.

There are no signs with information on how things in the room work (such as the power/light switch, the AC, and the shower, which were quite tricky - at least for me and the guest across the hall, too) and the hostess became quite hostile when she had to come to my room one night at 10pm to help me with the AC to get it to work. At that moment, I wanted to pack up and leave and go to another hotel.

It seemed as if something was wrong (outside of the B&B) that was affecting her ability to be happy, warm, and welcoming with her guests. I also got the distinct feeling (from older reviews) that this accommodation used to be a lot more customer-friendly in their offerings (such as breakfast, and rides to/from the port, etc) and now, once you check in, you are basically on your own. I usually have such wonderful connections with my hosts, and this experience just left me feeling very flat, cold, and a bit sad. I avoided her as much as possible after the AC incident because I was so uncomfortable around her.

In summary, with improvements to customer service, Pension Sofia could be such a heavenly place to stay. However, as it is, while I would go back to Paros in a heartbeat, I would definitely choose another accommodation for my stay. I have enjoyed so many amazing and kind hosts around the world (including other Greek islands), but this experience definitely fell short, and sadly, I would not recommend this accommodation experience for your...