So Shiny Apts

The location and landscape are the only good things about this hotel. Clean rooms seem to depend on leaving a tip, and the staff quality is zero. Some male staff members who aren't Cypriot behaved rudely, which doesn't fit hospitality work. Nearly every evening, we saw them lying in the guest gazebos by the pool, drinking beer and smoking.

The surroundings are pleasant and the beach is close, but that's nowhere near enough to recommend this place for what we paid. The cleaning staff were kind and did their work, yet the hotel is poorly maintained and needs renovation. The approach to guests was also far from good. We spent a week at So White Club Resort in Cyprus in July, and it was our most disappointing stay ever. Our friends paid exactly the same price but got a much higher-standard room with a living room, bedroom, balcony and jacuzzi. We were given a dirty single room that looked mid-renovation. Water leaked from the ventilation; there was sand and dirt in the shower, mold in several places, and dead insects and dust on the floor. We tried to switch rooms from the start, but got excuses that made us feel foolish. They told us to return another day, then said the check-out system supposedly wasn't working, so they couldn't change our room the next day. Despite our requests, the manager never came out. Instead, we spoke to a staff member who kept checking with the manager every few minutes. We found that very unprofessional, and the staff member was rude and laughed at us while we were clearly frustrated. They tried to tell us our room was still better than our friends' even though the difference was huge. After 1.5 hours of talking and waiting, they finally showed us another room. Only because we insisted and wouldn't let them brush us off did we get the option to switch, even though they initially said it was occupied. The second room was better, but still dirty. The mattress was badly stained, the fridge was so old and filthy we were afraid to put anything in it, and the towels were stained and not fresh. The pool, poolside mattresses and the whole pool area also needed cleaning and maintenance. The food was frankly inedible. The ham and cheese weren't refrigerated properly, flies were around, and even though breakfast was included, there was hardly anything worth eating. Some of the hotel's advertising photos were AI-generated when we booked, something we only realized on arrival after comparing them with the actual rooms. For the price, we expected a much higher standard and more professional staff.

The view and hotel itself were lovely, and the pools were great. The staff were really friendly and hospitable too. We went before the season started, and the three of us booked a studio at So White with a double bed and an extensible couch. The room had a big bed, but the sofa wasn't extensible, so it wasn't what we had booked. The hotel is advertised as five stars, but I don't think it deserves that. Housekeeping was another story. For seven days the bathroom was never cleaned, and vacuuming didn't happen. At most, they swept the middle of the living room. The cleaner came almost every day, but mostly just made the bed, even though we left it unmade as a sign to see whether anyone would clean the room. We left used towels on the bathroom floor, as we do everywhere we travel, and found the same towels folded neatly back on the floor. Toward the end of the trip, they gave us two extra towels for three people. :D The food was really good and always fresh, and the beach is wide enough for lots of people. With the nice view too, those were positives. Based on stays in other countries, I'd rate it three stars.

I stayed in early September and had a very good time. The food was good and the staff were kind and friendly. The cleaning could use a little improvement.