I have stayed at Princess Tia for the last 4 years and intend going back again this year. Balos is totally unspoilt, everyone is very friendly, the beach though stony is a delight as there are thousands of interesting and beautiful stones, no shops, no buses, no nightlife, just wonderful food in small family run tavernas.

We have just returned from a wonderfully relaxing two weeks staying at the Princess Tia in Balos. We were made very welcome by the owner Tia as soon as we arrived and were provided with a range of complimentary provisions to get us off to a good start. The apartments are very clean and comfortable, as are the pool and bar areas. The quiet, pebble beach is quite literally a stone's throw from the apartment; the only sounds on the beach are the waves tumbling on the pebbles!
There is no shop in Balos but the bread van calls daily (except Sunday) and you can order other provisions through Tia which are delivered with your bread. A fruit and veg man also pops along on some evenings.
The week before we arrived in Balos a new bus service was introduced. There are about four buses each day which take you to the neighbouring resorts in the South west of the island. The road down to Balos is in the process of being widened which should make the resort more accessible.
Through Tia we booked a car for a couple of days - we didn't find car hire cheap on the island but Tia did get us a good deal. Driving is good on Samos; uncrowded roads but some interesting hairpin bends!
Tia speaks excellent English and is always available to help out or just for a chat!
Food - there were really only three tavernas in Balos. We liked the taverna on the square which is run by Thernos but my husband is vegetarian and there wasn't a great deal of variety for him there. We found our food heaven at Stella's Cypriot restaurant! Fabulous home-grown, home-made food. There's no menu; you are offered food which has been freshly prepared and cooked in Stella's stone oven. It is beautiful! The vegetarian choices grew as Stella and her son Kyriakos rose to the challenge of providing a different veggie dish each time we went ( we went a lot!). You must try the Cypriot salad (made with fresh salad vegetables from dad Nikos's garden), the homemade bread and the aubergine dip - everything here is delicious, be guided by Kyriakos and you won't go wrong! By the end of stay we were being told what they were going to cook for us the next evening - not once were we disappointed!
Wonderfully relaxing break with everything you need for a quiet "couples" holiday.

Arriving in Balos was like entering a secret, peaceful world - far from the madding crowds! Princess Tia studios however has all mod cons - spotlessly clean rooms (all sea-facing), air con, pool, quiet bar, freshly baked breads delivered every morning, lovely deserted pebbly beach with tamarisk trees and Tia's brollies. We saw dolphins on a couple of occasions. Tia is charming and makes you feel very welcome. There are no buildings either side and inland views are of the hills. Although technically the studios are separated from the beach by a road, there is virtually no traffic to speak of as it is a 'no through road' and ends at a lovely taverna within easy walking distance. Food in the village tavernas was very good with all having daily 'specials from the oven'. Local wine is also very palatable!

We would recommend Princess Tia's studios if you are looking for somewhere pretty and quiet but with all the necessary trimmings! You can book with Cachet Travel or direct with Tia (who speaks excellent English)

We booked our holiday at Princess Tia through Cachet Travel, who from the very outset were fantastic and full of knowledge about Balos and Princess Tia. On arrival at Samos airport they provided us with a cold bottle of water, perfect after the flight and a smooth transfer via taxi to the apartments. I am not going to add anything else about the apartments beacuse basically the review above sums it up! Needless to say I can't wait to get back there! Credit must go to Tia, her husband Yannis and Katerina on the bar, who all made us feel extremely welcome and nothing was too much trouble. We hired a car for a week (as part of a two week holiday) and were worried that we might struggle for food whilst we didn't have a car, however this was not the case as Tia can order from the supermarket for you and the bread and fruit vans stopped regularly. We were very sad to leave, feeling that we had found the perfect place for two weeks relaxation, eating and drinking. My memories are - perfect view of sea from the studio window, great food at the tavernas, lovely pool, friendly people and beautiful landscape , empty beach and the sea was great for swimming in,