Cavo Zoe Seaside Hotel

My two friends and I stayed here for four nights. The location was great, with shops, bars, and restaurants nearby. The atmosphere was amazing, and the hotel had a really classy feel. The rooms were spotless and very clean, and the pools were amazing. The staff were incredibly friendly and always ready to help in any way. I’ve stayed in many hotels around Cyprus, and this one is definitely at the top of my list. I would highly recommend it — 10/10

One of the worst all-inclusive experiences I’ve ever had — avoid

We stayed at Cavo Zoe for 7 days for my brother’s wedding, and what should have been a memorable and enjoyable week was seriously let down by this hotel. Having paid for an all-inclusive package, we expected a reasonable standard of food, drinks, service and organisation. Unfortunately, Cavo Zoe failed on almost every front.

From the moment we arrived, things were disappointing. Because we had missed dinner, we were given what was supposedly our “dinner” in a paper bag. It consisted of bread, an apple and a collection of random pieces of food. It honestly looked like a children’s packed lunch from the 1990s. For an all-inclusive hotel, this was frankly embarrassing and hardly the welcome we expected after travelling to Cyprus.

The room was nothing special — perfectly average. Maid service was one of the few positives, and the staff were good, although it did seem to end quite early in the day.

Then there was the food. Quite simply, it was awful. The quality was so poor that we quickly stopped looking forward to eating at the hotel. On one occasion, the fish smelled off, while the chicken was so dry and tough it was practically inedible. We eventually found ourselves going elsewhere just to get a decent meal.

The drinks were no better. Everything seemed so heavily watered down that the all-inclusive drinks were barely worth having. We even noticed guests bringing their own alcohol into the hotel, which says a lot about how little confidence people seemed to have in the drinks being provided. We also ended up going elsewhere for drinks ourselves on many occasions. At that point, what exactly were we paying for? The whole point of all-inclusive is that you shouldn’t have to spend additional money elsewhere just to get food and drinks you actually enjoy. The package felt like a complete waste of money.

There was also a particularly uncomfortable experience involving one of the managers. I don’t know his name because he never introduced himself to us, so I have to describe him so the hotel knows who I am referring to. He appeared to be in his early 60s, shorter and heavier-set, wearing glasses, and seemed to wear extremely large Slazenger polo shirts on a daily basis.

He repeatedly stared at my partner, which we both found strange and uncomfortable. On one occasion, he approached our table while we were eating and stood there staring directly at my partner without acknowledging me. After several uncomfortable seconds, he asked her, “Have you been here before?” She said no, and he simply turned around and walked away. There was no explanation, introduction or context. The interaction was bizarre and uncomfortable enough that we felt increasingly uneasy eating in the hotel afterwards.

The organisation of the hotel was equally bizarre. During our stay, a christening was being held in the downstairs lobby, and hotel guests had to walk directly through the event to get to the elevators and access their rooms. I have never experienced anything quite like it in a hotel. There seemed to be very little consideration for paying guests.

To be fair, most of the general staff were friendly and polite, and they deserve credit for that. The problem appears to be much higher up. The management, organisation and overall running of this hotel are seriously lacking. Having read responses to other negative reviews, it also appears that management has a habit of deflecting rather than genuinely acknowledging the problems guests raise.

There are several more negatives I could list, but I’m sure you get the picture. For a hotel charging people for an all-inclusive experience, the standard was nowhere near good enough.

If you’re considering staying here, I would strongly recommend looking elsewhere, particularly if you’re thinking of paying extra for all-inclusive. Based on our experience, it simply wasn’t worth the money, and we certainly won’t be returning.

Location is excellent. Just a short taxi ride to most places of interest. The hotel is beautiful. Spotlessly clean with excellent facilities. Rooms are beautiful. The food is absolutely amazing. Probably the best hotel we have stayed in!