The guestrooms at the Harbor Inn combine the traditional Cycladic island layout (alcoves making use of all available space, mattresses on raised platform instead of a bed), with modern amenities such as ensuite bathrooms and kitchenettes.
Travelling off-season to the Greek islands (as we were, in late September) it's advisable to rent a room with a kitchenette included, as many of the local tavernas close down after the summer months are over, and it may be necessary to prepare your own meals. In Kini all but two of the tavernas had already closed when we arrived.
Near the Inn there are a couple of groceries, where one can purchase locally made bread, milk, eggs, vegetables, fruit, cheese (Syros is known for its excellent cheese) as well as handmade pasta, bottled sauces, & jams, all produced by Syrian women.
We stayed in a ground floor room that adjoined onto another room, so it was more like a 2-bedroom apartment. Because there's limited space however, instead of a proper dining table, there's only a small round table and 2 chairs, the kind you see at island cafe's or ouzeries. There are a couple more of these tables in the narrow but well-shaded courtyard, perfect for sitting outside.
The Harbor Inn's owner/manager has made every effort to provide the place with greenery & shade, despite the limited space. And at one end of the courtyard there's also a public shower stall, for rinsing off sand after bathing at the beach, which is ideally located about 20 to 25 meters away. There's also a common kitchen / lounge area in case the courtyard is too hot during the summer days; here one can find a sizable bookshelf stocked with many books in English, French and German, to borrow from for some summer reading.
These little details make you feel right at home, as if the Harbor Inn is your own private summer house by the beach.