Chios Chandris Hotel

Pandlis was the reason our stay worked as well as it did. He listened whenever I raised an issue, treated us like family, and worked hard to fix several problems. When the school group on our floor woke our baby from naps and came back noisily around 10-11 pm, he moved us to a nicer room on another floor. I assume the lost sleep was an overbooking problem. My husband has stayed here often on his 30-plus trips to Chios, and we’ll come back because of the staff, especially Pandlis. The queen room was cramped with a baby, but the suite we moved to was much more practical, and my family also booked suites. I’d recommend those for families. Pandlis sent breakfast to our room when getting down before the cutoff was hard with our 7-month-old adjusting to the time zone. He also made sure I had enough water while breastfeeding. Other staff and managers weren’t as accommodating, and sometimes just told me to use the vending machine. The bar staff were great too, though whoever handled breakfast cleanup often rushed us. There were some downsides. My husband noticed the breakfast quality had dropped and complimentary water was no longer provided as it used to be. Pandlis made an exception for me, but family in other rooms didn’t get water. We also had trouble with the laundry service, and some of my son’s clothes got permanent stains. At our hotel in Syros, the laundry came back unstained. My husband has also noticed cost cutting, so while the staff are five-star, I wouldn’t call the hotel itself an outstanding five-star stay. The kindest thing Pandlis did was arrange for someone to take our son’s baptism documents to Athens after my husband forgot them while rushing to catch our flight. They met him at the airport. He’s a huge asset to the hotel, and I can’t imagine meeting a kinder person.

We missed our ferry to the island and called to ask if the booking could be moved to any future date. The staff didn’t try to help with an adjustment or even offer a small coupon toward another stay. There was still time to resell the room over the next three days, while keeping us as customers for a later visit, but they chose not to. The way we were treated felt petty and very rude.

They upgraded us, let us check in early, and gave us a later checkout, which was great service. The room was lovely, well designed, and equipped, and there are plenty of restaurants and cafes within walking distance. The hotel also has a restaurant, bar, and swimming pool. Its location by the main port comes with a great view of the sea and harbor. The place feels a bit dated, and I hope they plan to modernize it. Food at the restaurant, including breakfast, was just okay, with room to improve. Since it’s so close to the sea, strong winds can whistle through the window and door frames, making noise and sometimes letting in the cold. The rooms aren’t soundproof either, so you can hear the wind and nearby street traffic. I’d recommend it somewhere in the middle-to-high range.

The harbor view and location are fantastic, and there’s a bowling center next door, which is handy. Cars make it somewhat noisy, though. The rooms feel dated, and breakfast wasn’t exciting, with no local food choices. But the room-service chicken gyros were gorgeous and tasty, and actually not as fatty as the ones from other shops.