Sofia Apartments

We have just returned from a week at Sofia Apartments. Let me start by saying that the owners are fantastic and cannot do enough for you! Let me follow that up by saying it's a good job really because you are in the middle of nowhere with no real warning! We had a 2 bedroom apartment for a family of 4 which included 2 teenagers. It was large enough with plenty of space as far as apartments go. The kitchen / dining area is small with limited facilities. It has a large fridge freezer which was great! It had four of everything crockery / cutlery wise. We asked for some mugs as there were only small cups (love a cuppa tea!!) Katerina (the owner) bought 4 new mugs for the apartment and gave us them within the hour! :) The cooking facilities were very limited, it was a small counter top oven / grill with 2 hobs on the top, perfect for tea and toast etc but we didn't attempt anything more than that, it seemed quite a task! There was a couple there with their daughter who had been allocated a studio apartment which they said was tiny and not functional at all. On the day we checked out the owners kindly allowed us access to one of these as a base as we had late flights and I have to say that had we have been allocated it as a family of 3 then I would have been very disappointed however is was doable for a couple but not a patch on the 2 bedroom apartment we had, The owners took my fella to the local shop to get necessary supplies on our first day and fresh bread is provided in the reception each morning. There are two restaurants within reasonable walking distance (about 10mins) however one does not take card payments and the other will do but quite reluctantly. There is nothing else around. We hired a car and drove to some lovely restaurants within 10mins, only set back is that you cant have a drink but it's so beautiful it really is worth foregoing this. As advertised, the beach is at the end of the drive, however I wouldn't call it a beach, more a strip of dried seaweed and stones where the sea meets the land. The water is amazing there though, my fella and our son spent many hours swimming and snorkeling. Stunning views and a real feeling of relaxation. The pool within the grounds is kept very clean and due to the small amount of apartments it never gets overcrowded, we had it to ourselves for part days most of the time. It is a deep pool so no use to non swimmers. There are lilos and pool noodles provided by the owners too. There is a small shallow area with a sudden drop to deep. I have written all of this as I really wish someone had told me about the lack of facilities and entertainment. There is free WIFI however it is limited as to where you can get it and how long the connection lasts. Personally I dont go on holiday to be attached to a device so this was not a concern but I can see it would be for anyone depending on it. We did have a fantastic holiday and it is a beautiful island but preparation is the key! 1) Take cash not card 2) Hire a car (90 - 135 euro for 3days depending on the car) 3) Don't expect a beach I really hope this helps anyone visiting the Sofia Apartments and allows you to make the most of a truly beautiful establishment, in fantastic grounds with really great owners! (On a sidenote, absolutely no reflection at all on Sofia Apartments. Again to prepare you - the coach / transfer dropped us off about 3.5miles away from the hotel and said we would have to get a taxi! We were not informed of this at all until we were stood at the side of the road with our suitcases at nearly midnight! The taxi was 15 Euro - again just a heads up on what to expect but this is of the transfer company / booking agent and not the Sofia Apartments. A coach simply cannot get anywhere near Boukhari) .