Avant Mar Paros

5-night stay, April 28-May 3. The hotel only opened for the season on April 26 and for the first 3-nights we might have been the only paying customers in this boutique luxury hotel. I kind of liked it!! The staff of the hotel across the board were extremely helpful with any request we had, whether it was making dinner reservations or arranging a wine tasting. Very responsive and friendly. We were upgraded to a suite with a plunge pool which was a pleasant surprise. Room was very well appointed with high quality bedding and bathroom amenities. Rooms came with yoga mats which was a nice touch. Breakfast next to the pool was very relaxing and the options were plentiful. Most of the time we didn't really have pool/beach weather but we did find a few windows in the weather to sit by the pool and it was very relaxing. Hotel has its own private access to the beach with chairs and umbrellas setup for guest use. I could see this being a great option in high-season. Hotel location is ideal, about a 400m walk into Naoussa and all of the shops and restaurants. If you are looking for a luxury retreat, beach access, 5-star service and walking distance to town then this is the place for you. This was our favorite hotel on our 14-night trip to Greece.

Spectacularly designed elegant restful hotel on the beach with lovely pool and wonderful restaurants... This is the best of all worlds close enough to town to walk..... less than 10 minutes away but overlooking the beach and water for a restful and relaxed holiday .... Every detail has been considered when designing this hotel... Service was helpful, friendly and attentive .... many outdoor place to enjoy the beauty of Paros and water views .... Restaurant "Thyme" had superbly prepared food in fact I wish we had eaten at the hotel more often since we were disappointed in the food in town .....

Amazing location by the sea next to the most cosmopolitan town of paros - Naoussa !! Rooms are superb with luxurious loom and feel with all amenities in place. The whole a**osphere is relaxing and luxurious. Beautiful pool that ends right on the sandy beach - plenty of sun beds for everyone. Spa and wellness area very well designed and trea**ents are outstanding. Superb food and cocktails both in the all day restaurant but most unique the matsuhisa Nobu offering by the beach - really well done !!! Staff are very friendly and always there to assist you and accommodating any needs. Excellent experience !!

We really liked this new resort. The overall design aesthetic is superb with high quality fixtures & fittings… especially liked their Aesop toiletries and having a ceiling fan (good alternative to aircon). The staff are lovely and friendly… with a few still learning the ropes and sometimes a lack of communication between them. The food is very good. Restful a**osphere, nice pool area and a private section of the beach (which was nearly always empty). I think the rooms are style-over-substance; and quite overpriced. The standard hotel rooms are SMALL… very small and not big enough to be rated a 5* property (ok you can pay more for a suite - but the base rooms should be bigger). Combined with too much furniture (albeit no desk - odd) there was nowhere to put our suitcases and very limited space for 2 people to walk around simultaneously. Wardrobe was tiny with limited shelf space. Blackout blinds didn’t work and one window had no blinds on it at all. The electric curtains are a gimmick, over-sensitive to touch (impossible to just peak outside in the morning to check the weather without them opening fully). Light switches are not intuitive. Bathroom has no surfaces to put your stuff on. Tiny minibar, only about 10cm deep! Otherwise there are some finishing touches that suggest a lack of attention to detail (e.g. removing the pencil/pen marks used by builders to position hooks, & toilet flushers, no locks on the public toilets, spotty wifi coverage). Not major. We would definitely return… if the price is right.

Let me start with the positives: 1. Highly enthusiastic and proud staff 2. Clearly have spent a lot on the place 3. A great massage at the spa, therapist was excellent 4. The place smells excellent with lots of fresh herbs and flowers everywhere 5. The colour palate and tone are super relaxing and when you walk in, you're whisked into a world where you think you will relax... But sadly, that is there it ends. Here's the reality (and I can be this picky when a hotel charges a whopping 700 euros a night): 1. Waited ages to be served at the beach and restaurant, the hotel was empty and that is generally what happens - staff are bored standing around all day and it takes pace to maintain an a**osphere 2. Food was OK the first time round (pork chop and greek salad), ordered a club sandwich for lunch which was a disaster (canned frozen turkey ham, inedible bacon, like plastic, and there was hair in my fries) 3. Inexperienced hoteliers - no water in the room or by the bedside, staff look a little lost at the beach, at least pass around some water, some fruit or something as a bit of luxury The above can be fixed but the BIGGEST disaster of all is how the place has been built: 1. Poorly designed, there is no celebration of the terroir, literally nothing points to the sea, not the rooms, not the sunbeams, nothing at all 2. it is very crammed, the rooms are TINY and very dark (I booked a second level room and was kindly upgraded to a corner room but it was still very dark) 3. The room is poor designed, the shower is crammed, the desks are so small that even the Nespresso machine is sideways as well as the safe. There's no space of a proper mirror in the bathroom (the vanity one) or anywhere to put your stuff 4. The rooms are by the roadside and passerbys park and speak and you can hear everything, same with people seeing you walk into your room 5. The spa is on the roadside (literally, the car park and people can see you and you can hear dogs barking and locals washing their cars) 6. Their sushi restaurant closed last minute as it was windy and there was sand everywhere (yes, you are on an island by the beach from and decided to put the restaurant outdoors, poorly designed again) They will never be able to justify their hotel rates, after the first night of poor sleep and quite rightly being angry, I decided to let go and spend most of my time with my friends enjoying myself and not on-site at the hotel solo reading and eating as was my initial plan. A real shame.

My wife and I are here as I write this. We have friends and family all around Paros for a wedding weekend. Avant Mar is a new hotel on the island and it immediately shot to the top of the list of places to stay on the island. With unmatchable amenities for being walking distance to the old port, we wouldn’t settle for anywhere else. From the moment we arrived it was clear that the service was impeccable. The large pool, private beach access, on site restaurant, sweet shop and jewelry store, Avant Mar has everything you need and more. Come to Paros and come to Avant Mar. You won’t be disappointed. Will add additional photos at the end of the trip.

This is a fantastic property walk into Naoussa. Staff are amazing. There are a few new 5 star hotels in Paros. This is our favourite

We stayed here in a suite with a plunge pool I believe was 42 mtrs square and it was fantastic. From the welcome to departure we were well looked after relaxed service but attention to detail. We found Avant mar the best place we ever stayed in Greece and we have been coming to Greece several times a year as we have Greek family for the last 17 years or so. Thank you so much to the team, super professional and we loved the hotel and the being right on the beach and a short hop to Naoussa, hope to see you again soon. Loved it.

Excellent location and fabulous services. Beach location is perfect. Staff was attentive and responsive. Food at restaurants was quite good. Shout out to Maria for her excellent beach refreshment services. We will definitely be repeat customers at Avant Mar.