Alykanas Beach Grand Hotel by Zante Plaza

We have just returned from a one week family holiday and our experience was generally good. It definitely helps that my expectations were set quite low after reading some of the reviews. It is officially a 4 star hotel and that is what Jet2 list it as. However, I’d say the Tui rating of 3 star+ is more accurate and I think this is what you should base your expectation on.

Whilst we did have a good time, I would describe the hotel as tired. Many areas need a good lick of paint at the very least, there are wobbly tables and un-matching plates and cutlery in the restaurant etc. Several tiles in the pool area are left broken and very uneven which I feel is pretty unacceptable, especially when it is clearly a family holiday location.

The pool is good and just about large enough for the number of guests. The children’s splash pool has a slide, but it’s clearly just taken from a garden and not meant as a water slide, no running water down it so it’s very hot to the touch by the afternoon. (Tip: take an empty cup with you if your child wants to play there, you can tip water down it to make sure that they can actually slide down easily.) People do tend to reserve sunbeds early here, I was usually up and about around 7:30am and some of the prime spots around the pool were already gone, I’d say you should plan to put some towels down well before 9am if you want to be sure of securing a few beds together in a good place.

The food was decent. The selection isn’t the biggest, but we found we could usually find something we wanted. However, eating here is functional as opposed to a nice dining experience. It gets very cramped when you’re trying to fill your plate up and you have to get your own cutlery and serviettes. This did make it feel a bit like a cheap canteen as opposed to a relaxing mealtime.

Drinks were less decent. Cocktails were all premixed by a machine and are way too sweet (imo), the wine wasn’t much better but at least it felt like you’d had an alcoholic drink. I reckon you’d have to get through a LOT of cocktails to be drunk here (not that I wanted to be drunk of course, but y’know 😉) we went out each night after dinner as the only bar here is the one by the pool, we found we needed a change of scenery and a decent drink each evening.

Bedrooms were ok, yes they are a little basic but beds are comfy enough and you could make the room dark so a good sleep was possible once you figured out the right noise / cooling ratio for your air conditioning. It’s a shame that the external part of the air conditioner is at floor level on the balcony, this made the balcony pretty unusable in the daytime as it turned an already hot location into a furnace. The bathroom looked surprisingly new, but the water gets everywhere so it takes some getting used to (tip: put the bathmat outside the bathroom door and just accept that the floor in the bathroom is going to be soaked)

Like others have said, the staff are all very helpful and friendly, all had smiles on their faces and were keen to help. Each interaction, from the reception team to the cleaner was a pleasant one, they are a credit to the brand.

The main plus point is the location, it is literally beachfront. It’s so close to the warm, calm and very shallow water that the Ionian Sea is essentially another, very large pool for you to use. It’s great for families, especially when the actual pool gets busy. Also, the hotel is only a short walk away from plenty of bars, restaurants and shops, so even of you - like us - do find yourself wanting to venture out of an evening, you'll have plenty of walkable options.

In summary, I’d say set your expectation to a good three star hotel as opposed to a four star and you’ll not be disappointed. There is a lot that could be improved upon and I doubt very much that we’ll return, but we had a very good time during our week-long stay and would recommend to people who have their heart set on visiting Alykanas.

We've just returned from a week's stay at Alykanas Beach Grand Hotel. We travelled as a family of 9 (3 children) and stayed in 3 rooms. We have had a brilliant time at this hotel. It is kept spotlessly clean, with plates cleared immediately from tables, pool sides kept debris free and daily room refreshes. The food is great, different themed nights means plenty of variety but always staple, more simple choices for children and those wanting a more plain meal. Snacks consisting of pizza, hotdogs and sandwiches were also available daily which was handy. The rooms are a decent size, with air conditioning and the whole hotel is based over 3 floors which makes everywhere easily accessible. The hotel is right on the beach, with direct access via steps. Perfect for choosing between relaxing by the pool or splashing in the sea. If you walk all the way along the beach, you will reach a small fishing harbour, which is where you can find turtles swimming in the morning. The scenery is stunning with the bay being surrounded by mountains. We visited the waterpark which is approx 20 minutes away and booked from the information in reception, which all ran smoothly and was a well organised trip. There's a main street with shops, restaurants and bars just a short walk away which is lively with a great atmosphere. We have had an absolutely fantastic holiday and would not hesitate to re-visit again one day.

Recently home from a weeks stay at Alykanas Grand Beach Hotel. This hotel is everything it says to be. It's in a great location with plenty of restaurants, bars and shops within walking distance. Right on the beach with water sports just a few metres away. The sea is beautiful, shallow which is great for a family, if you can go further out keep a look out for star fish and hermit crabs! Pool area is always clean, the only downside for us would be that the pool shuts at 6. We spent a lot of our time in the sea so not a huge issue but it just felt a little early for how hot it is. The main pool is only accessible by ladder style steps rather then sloping steps which wasn't an issue for us but maybe for others. The food area is only small, which in peak times this can feel a lot but once you have your meal there are plenty of different dining spaces to sit and eat. The food being served is typical all inclusive with a different theme every evening. Some better then others but we always managed to find something to enjoy with fresh salad being served every meal time, pastas, chips and various meats/fish. The snack bar serves pizza, hot dogs, a type of wrap with ham and cheese and burgers. We found the pizzas in particular to be really good. The staff all work incredibly hard and were very friendly. Overall we found it to be good value for our money and would definitely stay again.