Yria Island Boutique Hotel & Spa

We recently stayed at the Yria hotel after my wife had broken her ankle. We needed a hotel that had a pool so we could relax for a few days before taking an early flight home. The Yria is a gorgeous property with a wonderful pool area. It is also a short walk from the beach. We were here during the quiet season so the staff were very attentive to our needs, including helping my wife with her crutches throughout our stay. The room, which was one of their standard rooms, was well apportioned and had plenty of space. Our two critiques of the hotel would be that the Internet was quite slow unless you used it right by the lobby. Additionally, the food prices were considerably higher than other hotels we had stayed at in Greece. The food was quite good, but charging €35 for a decent, but not amazing breakfast buffet, is a little exorbitant. But again, the food was definitely of a high quality. We would also recommend getting a car as the resort is not right by the city and thus you could feel isolated without a car.

I'm an SLH member and have stayed at a number of luxury hotels around the world. So, the fact that Yria is an SLH property and recommended by luxury travel agents was the reason we booked here, not having ever been to Paros or Greece before. But we didn't really know what to expect. Overall, my family and I had a relaxing and comfortable stay in a duplex maisonnette, which was the only room available for a family of 4 during their busy August season. It was comfortable enough, but for the price we paid (around 700 Euros per night!) we expected a lot more in terms of the amenities and the furnishings in the room and services provided at the hotel. I will start with the pros of this hotel: - the grounds are lovely, with lots of beautiful flowers, green lawns full of lemon trees, with lovely views of the mountains behind it - The staff and service were friendly, particularly in the restaurant and pool area - The large pool is wonderful and you can spend hours here. - The rooms were clean and comfortable. Cons: - The front desk staff were friendly but not super helpful when it came to helping us with arranging taxis or even advising on things to do locally. For a hotel of this caliber you'd expect a concierge to help you or at least the front desk staff to share their knowledge. They share brochures of car rental companies and local tour companies and bus schedules, without offering to make any calls for you. - The wifi is unreliable and of poor strength anywhere around the property. - The gym is very basic, with just one of each machine, and those were worn out. - The TV in the room was very small, and outdated, and there were very few international channels. I think it was about a 15 inch screen--the size of a laptop screen -- and we were in a duplex maisonette at over 700 Euros per night! - the bathrooms were in good condition, clean but I would have expected more luxurious bathroom amenities - The food at the poolside and at the restaurant was good, but very overpriced for what it is - The driveway leading to the hotel is covered with white pebbles and dust, which makes for a dusty, bumpy ride - They should provide hotel cars to take people around the island (they can charge for this of course), if people have not rented a car, or at least shuttles to the main towns nearby. It cost us a lot to stay here, and we had an overall pleasant stay, but I think we paid twice as much as we should have had to.

A sanctuary of sorts. Quite relaxing atmosphere. Professional, friendly, responsive staff. Walked no distance to great little cove beach with amazing blue clear water and great little tavernas... rent an ATV to see the island. Great island stop after one f the busier more touristy islands for regenerative peace and quite.

Beautiful hotel within walking distance to the beach. Friendly staff always willing to help with anything. Lovely food, nice breakfast. The pool area is beautiful also. Was rather windy during our stay, but that's just normal for the time of year we went. Would visit again.

Despite its impressive location and public areas on the gorgeous island of Paros we left the Yria Resort after a three night stay without any yearning to ever return. As an elite member of multiple hotel chains and long term traveller in more than 100 countries who has written over 150 reviews on higher end hotels and resorts on TripAdvisor since 2010, I have some experience of what sets the mark of a great hotel from a very ordinary establishment. To be fair, there is nothing really that is not at least 'adequate' about this Resort - my unfortunate assessment however is that if it were not as expensive (assume with breakfast for two at a base room circa in excess of US$400 per night) and marketed as a "luxury" hotel, I would not be writing this adverse review. Positives -The manager present and charming, -The staff and service levels were generally good without being great, -The large & deep pool area looking across the Aegean is a delight and -The rooms spotlessly clean and comfortable and the bathroom (shower only) seems newly renovated Negatives Most of the negatives relate to the ambitiously high tariffs even for a basic room for what is delivered (or not). The rooms are modest in both size and quality of bedding and furnishings - for example the television screen is smaller than most 1990's desk top screens. Other irritations inconsistent with the luxury branding include -No power sources for your devices anywhere near the bed; -No complimentary water is supplied even on the first day of arrival; -No coffee/tea facilities; -No turn down service or evening replaced towels and -Limited amenities do not include some basics such as tissues, hand lotion or sewing kits. The breakfast would be fine for a 3/4 star motel but at €35 euro per head terrible value and the worst to date experienced in this level of accommodation. No fresh orange juice and frankly awful coffee ( machine coffee is an extra!). For €7 or a little more you would do better in town! To add to the negative experience, the wifi is unreliable and of poor strength. Alarms bells usually ring for me when a hotel fails to respond to a pre-arrival email small request and I should have been ready to lower my expectations! Paros is an absolute gem in the Cyclades and for accommodation you can do much better than the Yria Resort which seems fairly and lowly ranked currently at # 71 of 136 hotels on Paros or # 26 of 46 Hotels in Parikia. P.S. Subsequent to our stay at Yria we went to the Liostasi Hotel on Ios and for a lower room rate are enjoying a true 'luxury experience!