Hotel Sofia Reviews

By the end of our holiday at the beginning of October Kambos was getting to the end of its season. It was also incredibly windy so sitting on the beach was difficult as the sand blew everywhere. We did sit round the pool at the Sophia hotel on the free Sunbeds but we thought it was very poor cushions for the beds were not available and we hope the owners read this review and change this policy for next year. The other negative was the number of cats that roamed the hotel who were regularly fed by the ";Mrs Sophia";. Sometimes you wondered who were most important the cats or the guests and if you do not like cats then you will have a problem staying here. There were lots of good points about the hotel the rooms were adequate with a television being cleaned most days, the staff always had a smile for you and the poolside bar was a lovely focal point to socialise with the other guests. Also for us it was wonderful no children staying here which meant peace and quite. Kambos is very much a couples resort rather than a family one.There are some excellent tavernas here and one of two low key bars but no bus service so car hire is recommended to explore the island. The roads are very hilly and bendy. Apart for the little shortcomings overall we thought the Sophia was good value for money.

Th Sophia Hotel was a pleasant 2 star hotel ideally located offset from the main road but only 2 minutes from the beach and nearest tavernas. The rooms perhaps could have been brighter with not much of a view and a bathroom with all the usual Greek plumbing problems. But otherwise breakfast was different every day although there was no choice. An excellent pollside bar, the staff were all friendly and Kambos was a great place to chillout. Lovely surrounding scenery and good for walking.

Car hire is recommended. The resort is not ideal for family holidays as the children are likely to get bored. No fast food outlets and only a couple oflow key music bars. One world of warning the owners of the Sophia Hotel have adopted lots of cats and if you do not like cats you may find them a nuisance.

All round a nice stress breaking holiday.

Kambos in the resort to stay if you want a tranquil and relaxing holiday without loads of bars and larger louts. In our opinion it is ideally suited to couples as it is a romantic setting. Definitely not for the night owls and has limitations for family holidays.

The beach is average long and uncrowded but a mixed texture of course sand and shingle. Dining out is a dream and you are spoilt for choice. Difficult to pick out the best but after consideration our award to the top three are. First Nick the Greeks Fish Taverna; Second; Angelos; Third Nostros; Car hire is recommended for part of the holiday to view this diverse ideal there is only one bus a day from Kambos.

The Sofia Hotel had good and bad points.

GOOD POINTS. excellent position 3 minutes casual stroll to the beach. Quiet area. Better than average continental breakfast. A nice but small swimming pool and a well run and sociable poolside bar. Free Sunbeds; A good book exchange library;Staff generally friendly.

BAD POINTS; No view from room; Small Balcony; A bathroom where the floor never dries;the excessive cost of hiring the air conditioning. No Cushions for sunbeds. The number of cats the hotel has adopted and they are a problem roaming everywhere and coming uninvited into the room.
SUMMARY KAMBOS- SUPERB
HOTEL SOFIA: GOOD VALUE BUT HAS LOTS OF LIMITATION>

This was our first time to Samos, and we could not have picked a better resort or accommodation.
We have been to Greece many times before and are quite used to Greek accommodation.We were therefore plesantly surprised to find that the hotel was far better than we expected, having read some of the previous reviews!
The family that own and run it were very fiendly and welcoming...especially Vasillis who runs the pool bar and has a wicked sense of humour.
The rooms were kept exceptionally clean, breakfast differed every day and was quite adequate...nothing wrong with the orange squash.

The pool area and bar were brilliant...great for that last drink or lunch....it was also children friendly!
As for the resort it was all that we look for......long beach that doesn't get crowded...clear blue sea and a laid back atmosphere that reminded us of Greece of 10 years ago.
Plenty of tavernas...if you want good Greek food you will not beat The Blue Bucket, Rina's, Leonida's or Elvoinos and Nick the Greek's Fish Taverna.
If you want fast food Greek style try Chesters or Angelos.
But for a great end to the evening have a drink at Johnny's bar...opposite Cosmos Bar...and get to know Costas, who is a truly great character.

Had a wonderful Holiday at Hotel Sofia, Kambos, Samos. We will be going back next year the first time we have ever gone back to the same place.

Samos/Kambos
Samos is the best of the Greek islands I've been to, its relatively quiet but has plenty to do for those wanting a relaxed time. Lots of lovely scenery, greek villages, museums and historical sites ect. Kambos is one of the quieter resorts on the island but has plenty of good bars and restaurants and a good beach. Not much else but ideal for a chill out Holiday. The local people all seemed so friendly and helpful and this seems to have affected the tourists as they seemed unusually friendly as well. Kids and teenagers looking for thrills,spills and exitement should look elswhere. Votsaliaka is the neighbouring resort but they are virtually one as there is only 100 yards between them. A little more lively than Kambos but still a chill out resort.

Weather

Hot every day often with a bit of a cooling breeze which was usually quite pleasant. At times the winds does get up quite a bit and this can be unpleasant on the beach.

Restaurants.

Read all the reviews before I went but realy everyone should try for themseleves and make there own mind up.
We didn't like Leonidis or the Blue Bucket.
Chesters was very friendly and the food was good. Agrokiali (Nick and Olga) was good as was the Votsalikia Cafe which has excellent views accross the beach.
The best food we had was in Angelos Taverna. Try Christo Petro Taverna on the right as you leave Kambos just before Ormos. Brilliant panoramic view.
Try the Aegean Beach cafe for day time drinks/snacks Maria is a lovely lady.

Beach

The Beach nearest the hotel Sophia was good being mainly sand with some large rounded stones no problem to walk on. Some shingle at the waters edge. The rest of the beach in either direction seemed the same but with varying amounts of stones or shingle.

Hotel Sophia.

Is a 3 star Greek BandB Hotel. It is very clean, reasonable facilities, reasonably comfortable. It has lovely views to the mountains, you can see the sea (hundred yards away), a lovely pool and a great pool bar (good company and laughs day and night). Breakfast is typically greek very basic and sometimes a little odd (to english taste).
Excellent value Hotel with all you need.
If you want luxury with a full english go 5 star and pay 5 star prices.
Never mind what some people say about the dog Marios he's lovely. Ok he Barks a bit when you walk into the hotel. It lasts 5 seconds, is never threatening and he doesn't even bother after a couple of days.
The hotel staff are lovely friendly people mainly Stavros (the owner)Sofia (his wife ) and Vasailly (the son).

Car Hire
I got quotes from several and the cheapest I found was ";Star";. 170 Euros for 1 week, a good car with air con and full insurance.

I recommend this Hotel and this island to anyone who wants a chill out, inexpensive Holiday with beach,pool, good food, good drink and good company.

If you want a basic holiday without any luxuries at a reasonable price then the Sophia hotel is not a bad choice. Our room overlooked another block and the view was uninspiring. The bathroom flooded very easily and took ages to drain. The was a large number of cats around the cats that the owners adopted and if you do not like cats you may find this point a real problem They got into our room once. Everything else about the Sophia hotel was good a different breakfast each day(no choice) and a small but nice swimming pool with free sunbeds but no cushions and a wonderful well run and friendly pool bar that was a good place to finish the day after your meal. Located 2 minutes from the beach but well back from the main road, so no traffic noise.

Kambos was rather windy which took away some of the heat and this had advantages and disadvantages. there is an excellent choice of good value tavernas the best being Nostros, Nick the Greeks and Angelos. Try walking into the fishing village of Ormos a 35 minute eay walk. Car hire is a good idea as no bus service from Kambos. Both the hotel and the resort are ideal for couples requiring a tranquil and larger lout free holiday.

in our opinion not suited to families and certainly not for the young single night owls.

Report Submitted Via Brian

Samos is the most lush and attractive of the Aegean Islands. Kambos is a quiet partially developed resort at the SW of the islaned following the line of the attractive longest beach on the island having offices of themain travel agencies, money exchange car hire and more tavernas than can be sampled in a few weeks. The island is a delight to explore but the bus services is limited so a car is essential.

Hotel Sofia is a small, basic, family run hotel 150m from the beach, a quite clean hotel in a tranquil setting. There are 34 rooms with 2/3 beds (TV A/C fridge and safe available) The swimming pool has a children's pool and a bar where snacks are available.

Samos is a lovely island and Kambos a lovely resort, wher you can just enjoy the immediate ambience or get out to enjoy your explorations. The islanders are the friendliest of all the Greek islanders I've met (perhaps I'm freindlier when there).

Mount Kerkis is the firm backdrop behind the Holtel. The warm evenings were enjoyed on the balcony watching swifts gliding through the air or swooping close to the surface of the pool to snatch their meal of insects while the shadows darkened on the mountain and enjoying a nightcap or three or more of anti mosquito juice (ouzo) before retiring gently (or maybe not too gently) to bed.

We are a couple of oldies in our twighlight years whose ambition is to go on several holidays each year whilst our money lasts out before one of us takes our final holiday ";Upstairs in the Sky";

When booking we look for a quiet resort with a reasonable beach (sandy preferably)and a selection of eating places. Our accomodation must be on the flat not be on a hill. It must be near the beach, have a swimming pool, a bar and above all be clean. We are also on a budget so tend to go for 2 or 3 star accomodation.

We stayed at the Hotel Sofia for a week which overall was very good value. It did have some highs and lows like most places.

THE HIGHS.
1. Excellent position a very short stroll from beach and other amenities.
2. Apartments were very clean.
3. Pool small but nice with an adequate number of sun beds.
4. Pool bar Friendly a great meeting place.
5. Breakfast above average for Grekk BandB.
6. No children staying here so peaceful.

THE LOWS.
1. Air Conditioning ridiculous price especially in comparrison to cost of holiday.
2. The orange juice at breakfast so watered down it was horrible.
3. We found the owner to be difficult. He pretended not to understand English until it came to money then his English improved considerably and he could converse. Also his small dog Mario never left his side and would bark harmlessly everytime you walked passed.

THE RESORT.

A nice long beach of sand and shingle never crowded.Can get windy on some da
A good selection of Tavernas, the best of which were Nicks The Greeks Fish Taverna, Angelos and Nostros. We were warned off Votsalkia at the top of the town overlooking the beach, as several guests staying at our hotel had eaten there and been ill.

Samos is the 17th Greek island we have visited at we rated it in 5th position so far. Skiathios was the best and Corfu the worst.

You may find our reviews of other resorts we have visited on this site giving the more muture clientele's perpespective of resorts. We certainly find other peoples comments on this site very useful when considering our holiday resort and accomodation.We try and take a balanced view as everybody opinion can vary but you often get a number of common themes.

RESORT: the island itself is a stunning place of natural beauty and we found Kambos to be a great base to explore the rest of Samos. Nice, quiet beach with some great little bars to cool off in and have a beer. The tiny fishing village of Ormos about 40 min walk away felt much more traditionally ";Greek"; and you should definitely see it. Samos Town and Pythagoria are well worth a visit as are the Caves of Pythagoras.

Booked excursions with tour operators in Kambos rather than through Thomsons which we found to be cheaper. Booked a trip to Patmos, and while it was interesting, it does feel a bit like being on a school trip. We were herded through the Cave of the Apocalypse and the Monastery and had just over an hour to explore Scala. Altogether, the trip involved 9 hours on a boat and 3 of those on the return trip were hellish in a crowded cabin full of seasick passengers.

PLACES TO EAT: eating was a pleasure, with good food and wine at v reasonable prices. Staff were always incredibly friendly and welcoming. At night, most places were crowded by about 8pm. Best places, Nick and Olga's (Akrogiali), Muses, Nostos, Angelos, Leonida's and yes... Chesters! Be warned though if you're veggie because the Blue Bucket thinks that pigs are vegetables!

HOTEL:
If you like uncomfortable beds, flooded bathrooms, giant tomatoes for breakfast and an owner who cares more about his little yapping dog than his guests, then this is the hotel for you! But on the positive side, there's a great pool bar in the hotel Pavlis next door.

We booked this holiday on the recommendation of friends who stayed at this resort and hotel earlier in the season so we had some idea what to expect.

The Sofia Hotel had a 2"; rating which was probably correct. It was situated centrally and off the main road so no traffic noise. Easy access to beach and other facilities, supermarket 3 minutes walk. The rooms were cleaned most days and were not too cramped. The bathroom suffered badly from the perenial greek drainage problem when we had a shower it took an age for the floor to dry which was a bit of a bind.

The breakfasts were adequate but without any choice. At least they had something different everyday. The orange juice was so watered down nobody seemed to drink it.

The pool and surrounding area was clean and not too crowded. Always managed to find a sunbed or chair. The pool bar was the hub where many of the guests met. It was excellently run by the owners son who spoke perfect English and always seemed pleased to see us. The drinks were very reasonably priced. There was also a good Hotel Barbeque every Saturday evening.

You don't want to come to this hotel if you dont like animals. there are a number of well fed cats roaming the premises and a small dog called Max who always was barking at the guests. He was the love of the propreitor's life and when we complained about the noisey dog he took offence and made us feel awkward.

All in all we felt we got good value for money at this hotel. You only get what you pay for!! and if you exclude the owner the staff were generally friendly and this includes his wife who was in charge for breakfasts.

The resort of Kambos is wonderful. If like us you want a quiet and relaxing holiday this is the place to chill out.

We visited a number tavernas and our review is listed in descending order.

1. Nick the Greeks Fish taverna. Top of the pops. Beachside location, succulent fish cooked to perfection. Owner attentive, friendly and with a sense of fun.

2. Chesters. run by two Greeks Canadian.A nic atmosphere, staff all friendly. Good freshly prepared food.

3.Angelos. Another beach side setting. Could be considered romantic A varied menu
food well cooked and tasty.

4.Everything Grilled. As it says excellent grilled food and provided you like food cooked this way well worth a visit.

5. Costas. Small and family run. Very good helpings Meat Balls in Bacon especially recommended.

6.Nostros. Fabulous food but gets very busy. Our evening spoilt by long wait for table and then once seated waited 30 minutes before being with any food or drink. this is the only reason it is low in our pecking order. If you are prepared to wait bot to be missed.

7. Leonidas. Small but friendly. If its value fopr money you looking for this the place to eat.

8. Akrogiali. Good for Pizza but Greek food cooked in a hurry. found service rushed and not very helpful.

9. Reinas. Did not enjoy this taverna. Most expensive. Service plastic and food only average.

10.Votsalakia Taverna.The only good point to say about this establisment is the view,at the top of the hill. The service was awful got our order wrong twice and the food evenworse. Not cooked properly and to send back and we still both were sick in the night.We understand other diners during our stay had the same problem some even worse!!

Finally find some energy and take a 45 minute sroll to the fishing village of Ormos. This is the original Greece.

Kambos is the ultimate in chill out resorts sedate, friendly and no larger louts. Ideally suited to couples who want a peaceful holiday, not rcommended for the young and lively or family holidays.

The beach is long,sandy with a significent number large pebbles. Not crowded and clear sea. Be aware at times this resort can get very windy and then the beach is a no go are as the sand blows up into a ";Desert Storm";.

There is a wide variety of tavernas severing either Greek food or Pizzas.the best of the bunch are Nick the Greeks fish taverna, Chesters (especially the monday Night Buffet) and Costas family run (the one with the small blue bucket hanging up outside) Give a miss to Agrogiali unless you want a pizza. the greek food is hurriedly Microwave and you get the impression they want you in and out as quickly as possibly. the waiters seem to have had a charism by pass operation. Also worth trying Nostros but be prepared for a long wait, can get extremely busy. we waited 40 minutes for our starter to arrive.Lunchtime Angelos on the beach do good salads and local beer.

Don't book car hire or excursions through tour operator extremely expensive. Go to one of local hire companies Hermes or avis good and reasonably priced.

There is no bus service so if you want to see the island 2 or 3 days car hire the best way. Also well worth the 45 minute walk to the fishing village of Ormos; there are some nice harbourside tavernas here where you can watch the world go by.

Sofia hotel overall good value for 2"; Hotel.Super poolside bar which does not have music blaring out. ideal place to have a drink before retiring for the night. run by the owners son Vasilli who is charming, helful and has a great sense of humour. The breakfast was basic but varied better than expected but the insipid orange juice they serve is undrinkable. The hotel also does a good BBQ on a saturday evening which we recommend providing you are not a vegetarian.

The downside of this hotel is there is a continually small but harmless yapping dog that seems to have the run of the hotel. The owner who can be abrupt gives more care to his dog (that can do no wrong) than the guests.Why he cannot lock him up was beyond us. He really was a pain in the backside. The rest of the staff are friendly. Finally our bathroom never drained properly and we always had a wet floor which was a pain.

Overally we would unhesitatingly return to Kambos and possibly go back to the Hotel Sofia.

Stayed at Hotel Sofia for one week. Our room was first floor overlooking the pool (requested and got from Thompson). Hotel is very clean, pool clean and family run. Rep Angia was very pleasant. Their son speaks excellent English and was very friendly and helpful. Breakfast was basic which we expected. You pay extra to hire a fridge but well worth it we paid five euros for a fan - watch out because despite brochure not all rooms have air conditioning available. We coped ok with the fan.

Bar stayed open until 2.00 a.m. each night. We hired our jeep through Hermes much better value than the tour/travel agent and ws fully comprehensive - Stephanos speaks English well, gave us helpful information - his mother owns Anna's Restaurant - turn right out of hotel and keep walking up the top of the hill on the right excellent food very cheap - you don't get a menu - she takes you up to to the clay oven and shows you the food that's available - excellent fresh fish to there and at Nick the Greeks. Chesters was good too very good service more British food but Greek dishes available too. Watch out because you pay for fish by the weight normally at most restaurants so make sure you ask how much. We went to Ormos just outside Kambos pretty village with a port - good fresh fish there.

We didn't like Samos Town but did like Pythagorio good fresh fish there too and shops. The weather can be very very (I mean it too) windy in Kambos windy for half our staff so the sand covers you but if you hire a sun bed you are a little higher above the sand which will help. Kambos has a lovely uncrowded beach and there is Psilli Amos just outside that beach is beautiful but don't confuse it with the other beach with the same name just close by Pythagorio that beach is beautiful too - very shallow with soft sand but much busier than the one by Kambos. Would def return to the Island - didn't bother with any trips which we thought were very expensive. I think the people who stayed in the buildings behind the pool (separate from the building we stayed in) found it a bit noisy - barking dogs and chickens in the eary morning!

Kambos, a lovely laid back resort,with a quiet beach, sand and pebble, but beware of the very strong winds it blew the whole 2 wks we were there, its only advantage it keeps the heat down.

Restaurants:- for us the main one was commonly known as the Blue Bucket, because of the little Blue Bucket hanging from the tree in front of the taverna,which contains sweets for the children. [ Greek name translated is Night Fall] turn left as you leave the Sofia about 3-4 mins, a wonderful small traditional Greek Taverna,family owned and run,Hello to Costos, Marios,Stella,and the other members of this lovely family, these people made our holiday evenings,and very helpful with my food problems,being a celiac.

the other eatery was Chesters,completely different,very large,but still the service was very good, and helpful with the food,and at the time we went a huge screen on which we watched the Footie, so glad the Greeks won...what a way they celebrated....

The Sofia, clean,[cleaned every day except sunday by delightful ladies] and basic, but who cares its a place to sleep,nice clean pool and snack bar/bar run by the son Vassili,who spends his winters in england, very nice and helpful person, His parents don't seem to speak hardly any English.Breakfast was basic,what was expected, but one request please. the Orange Juice,either serve it as comes or not at all, nobody hardly ever drunk it, surely that was a hint, water with a hint of orange...

Didn't hire a car, my husband drives for a living, but done some lovely walking, all in all a lovely holiday, will return one day, but am slowly working our way around all the Greek Isles, recommend this one highly....

A first visit to a lovely island - very varied and lush geography - spectacular mountain scenery and plenty of lovely beaches - if not all of fine sand.

Only had a week to relax in but hired a car for 4 days and saw practically all the various parts of the island. I recommend hiring from 'Hermes Car Hire' Kambos - fairly centrally placed. The proprietor Stephanos was very helpful, polite and honest.

My holiday was spoiled somewhat by the unpleasant attitude of the proprietor at the Hotel Sofia. I will skip any details but would never want to return.

There we're lots of good tavernas - I found it best however to avoid those strung along the main street and to frequent to ones with a beach frontage.

The ultimate get away from it all holiday, so laid back we nearly fell over!! A long and nearly deserted sand and pebble beach with a spectacular mountain back drop. Kambos was void of larger louts and is a place to go if you want a quiet and relaxed holiday. Only one bus a day so you can feel a liitle cut off from the outside world.

We stayed at the Sofia hotel which is well situated, a 2 minute slow walk from the beach with no noise from the road. The accommodation is basic, clean and comfortable what you would expect from a 2* classification. We thought the bathroom was the biggest negative it never seemed to drain never having a dry floor, it was probably the worst in over 15 visit to Greece. However the positives outweighed this fault. We were pleasantly surprised with the breakfast which was different every day of the week so we knew what to expect in our second week. The poolside bar was a great meeting place with a good atmosphere.Many of the guests congregated here at the end of the evening which was a peaceful and nice way to finish the day off. A lot of this was due to the friendliness of Vassilli, the owners son, who made everyone feel really welcome. his dad the owner could be a bit surly at times.

There was a tremendous choice of tavernas for a small resort. We had some great meals and the pick of the bunch was Nick the Greeks Fish taverna. Also not to be missed is the Monday night Greek Buffet at Chesters. A wonderful and varied spread and superb value. We would also highly recommend Angelos and Costas. The only poor meals we had in 14 nights were at the Muses taverna were the food presentation left a lot to be desired and Akrogiali taverna which served quickly prepared microwaved food with our main course arriving before we had finished our starter.

If you get the opportunity have a meal in the fishing village of Ormos a 40 minute walk away.It is a beautiful and romantic setting sitting by the harbour.

Finally hire a car so you can explore this picturesque island. Avoid using the tour company recommendation which is 3 times more expensive than almost anywhere else. We used Avis and hire a car for a day at a time for £21 a day inclusive. The waterfall at Potami is a must, and also drive through the valley of the Nightingales to the mountain village of Manalotes providing your nerves can take the steep climb and the hairpin bends. Pithagorian is certainly worth spending a few hours at, but Samos Town itself was very ordinary.

Unless you want to be herded around like cattle and pay exorbidant prices avoid the organised tours.

All in all a great holiday and would recommend Kambos to anyone who enjoys a relaxed holiday. It also retaines a feeling of the ";real Greece"; with the locals being very welcoming.