Arhontiko Ermoupolis - Stam Vafiadaki

Amazing place and great service.

classy, retro, comfortable hotel

Neoclassical Hermoupolian architecture, unique place with a unique hostess, Rania will make sure everything is nothing less than perfect for you. One of the best beds i have ever slept in a hotel! Well Done Rania

Let me start by saying this is one of the saddest reviews I ever wrote. I generally do not leave reviews outside booking and TripAdvisor but specifically made an effort to share my very poor experience at this property. I booked arhontiko Ermoupolis for the first 2 days of October 2019. I was very excited at the idea of staying here since I love luxury boutique hotels. Especially if they are in an amazing and traditional setting such as an original Syran villa. I arrived with my girlfriend in the afternoon at the property and were absolutely stunned by the amazing look of the property from the outside. The house is beautiful, well conserved and just a couple steps away from Agios Nikolaos (you can see the bell towers right above you). Unfortunately the marvel ended there. As soon as they opened the door (you have to buzz in, not exactly a 5 star reception) the first thing we saw was the downstairs room that is sold as one of their 4 units. There were plenty of objects, clothes, empty bottles and just a bunch of junk thrown all over the chair and table outside this room. We thought maybe the guest was messy, until we learnt we were actually the only guests on property. At the time the owner Rania was not on property. In her stead there was a senior man that came to greet us in a very unexcited fashion. I felt almost as I was intruding in aomeone’s home. As we are traveling for several weeks, we have a lot of luggage; I was carrying 3 big bags, while my girlfriend was carrying a little cabin trolley bag. This person, instead of asking if he could help with the big bags, went and took the small cabin bag basically leaving us and more specifically my girlfriend with the weight of big luggage. Now I wasn’t expecting him to actually carry my bags as i’m Young and do that myself, but I was expecting him to at least make a show and ask. This is a 5 star for god’s sake! Now to the house: it’s pretty, looks authentic, but we were never shown around. We were quickly shown our room and that was it. Also the tv was constantly on with this guy watching it comfortably in the sofa. Is this a 5 star property or a bed for rent in someone’s home? I can’t figure it out. Our room: a deluxe double room on the main floor. I read reviews stating that rooms had no windows and the owner replying that all rooms have windows and that wasn’t possible. Well, no window in my room or st least no window to the external. There is one window that gives on to a roofed “patio”. (This space is about 100cmx100cm, it is roofed, so not a lot of light, and right across you there is the window of the bathroom of the second unit on the ground floor. Luckily we were alone.) Additionally, I read a review stating towels were dirty and poor quality and the owner very unkindly pointing out that the towels are Coco-may and always clean. The ones we got were old Zara Home ones, extremely rough (know the kind that gives you a scrub when you dry yourself?) and even worse, dirty! One had a massive stain! As per the slippers, they were reusable ones. No robe. The room itself is dark, hot, old and SO SMALL. The wardrobe doesn’t open as it crashes in the bed. There is no space to have an open bag! Just a mess. Next day we had breakfast......very simple breakfast with tomatoes, grapes, 1 croissant split, 2 Danish pastries split, a couple cookies, a bit of yogurt and cornflakes and that’s it. Not exactly a 5 star Next day: they gave us the leftovers! Finally, while getting ready to leave we learnt that there was a ferry strike and our boat was cancelled. When this happened this man got alarmed and enquired when we would be leaving, almost scared at the possibility of us staying a bit longer. Please note, this was a few hours before our check out time and we still had the right to be there. We felt compelled to leave even though we hadn’t figured out what to do This man almost kicked us out of the property and closed the door while we were loading the car. KEEP AWAY!

Beautiful old mansion which is well maintained while staying true to the original characteristics of its time. I will be visit the island again, but have no intention of staying there as the owner of the property is tremendously rude and pushy. She acts as is she is doing you a favor for allowing you stay in one of her rooms. I booked the suit for 2 nights over the phone and was told that I am lucky as this is an exception to her 3 day minimum stay policy. For this reason, she will only accept cash for a slightly discounted price (200 euro per night vs. 220 eur per night) and not provide a receipt (basically hide profits of her business to the tax authorities). I have no idea what I was thinking but in the spare of the moment I accepted this arrangement as this was a last minute booking and needed a place to stay. I truly regret this. Upon arrival she complained how I was 15 minutes late (remember, this is a 5 star establishment I should be able to check in any time I please). She was pushy to make restaurant reservations for us which we declined (She must be getting commission) and expected to be paid immediately and reminded of the ‘friendly’ arrangement she made (this was not mentioned over the phone). We did not have cash on us so asked to pay the next day. The next morning we have barely woken up and are having breakfast where she walks up to us asking to be paid then and there. We said is she could wait until the afternoon when we head to town and find an ATM machine at which point she declined so my partner went out to return with the money. She also said that due to the ‘friendly’ price we need to check out the next morning by 11 rather than 12 as she wants to prep the room for the next guests. Also, when asked to leave our carry on side bags on the property she declined but said there are lockers at the port. Due the to nature of my work I stay at 4 and 5 star hotels all the time and this is unheard of. Also, some basic prerequisite to be considered a 5 star hotel are e.g. bathrobes, new slippers (ours were reusable), toothpaste, bathrobes, possibility to book a room massage etc). Overall, I don’t mind paying high prices for a holiday accommodation but I do have an issue with unprofessional, rude staff and being talked down to and pushed for her payment. Did she think we would walk out on her? Also, breakfast options and portions were very little-also not 5 star level. Random note: there is a housekeeper called Rosa who is the sweetest and kindest! The owner called Olga would speak to her as if Rosa was her maid. Shame shame shame!

Really disappointing and amateur. The landlady seemed anxious and was therefore aggressive and rude. Mutton dressed as lamb, avoid it, it really isn't 5 star, the booking.com room description it very disingenuous.

My wife and I stayed with Raina in 2018. While we were there we gave her cash 3000 euro to book for several weeks in 2019. I am leaving my previous review as I wrote it. The place is pretty, but up a steep slippery hill from town and there are many fine places much nearer the Main sandy beach. Here is the principal problem. I have lost faith in the safety of staying here. They defrauded me. In 2018 my wife and I prepaid for several weeks here. Unfortunately, early in 2019, I developed cancer and was unable to travel. I contacted the her many months prior to our proposed arrival and she said she would return my money. I'm sorry to report that she returned only a small part it. I suspect that she had no trouble rebooking our room and has not paid taxes on the room that she rebooked (2019- precovid). Also, when I paid her she reported to me that she didn't need to report the 3000 euro on her income tax because "we were friends". Bottom line is this place is not reputable. If you have to stay here watch out. It may not be safe for your money!

I am not sure if the place matched my preference. It surely looked quite smaller than in photos. It has a good aura from the past and is sooo beautifully decorated. It is in a very quiet neighborhood if you don't count the bells of the nearby church. For the cons now, we definitely needed a breakfast of 5 stars, instead we have been served every day the same 5-6 choices mostly remaining from the day before.