Caravel Zante

I feel obliged to give an honest assessment of our experience staying at the TUI BLUE Caravel as follows. I will get straight to the points and try not to labour them or waffle. The island of Zakynthos is truly a beautiful destination for a holiday however the same cannot be said for the TUI BLUE 5 Star Caravel hotel.

Our room was adequate , the balcony had a view over a huge tiled roof area but we did get a glimpse of the sea , the decor was plain , wardrobes had tiny handles on which seem to have been butchered into the wood with chip marks and scratches , the shower area was inadequate , namely the water pooled and did not run away quick enough which meant the bathroom floor flooded if you showered for more than a couple of minutes also the shower head would not hinge to any position as it was so worn , that aside it was ok but not 5 star , realistically 3 star at best.

The food options were very repetitive & hot food choices were often only lukewarm at best sometimes even cold , this was the same for all sittings. At breakfast on multiple times our table was presented without teaspoons so I had to either get a Waiter to source a pair or go and find myself , additionally the hot drinks , tea or coffee were more often than not were served only lukewarm , definitely not a 5 star dining experience at any point during our stay , what star do you give to an establishment that serves lukewarm or cold hot food ?

Bar area was quite nice , comfortable seating area. Outside , the alleged 5 star experience was AWOL , the loungers were only set up on grassy areas where the ground was uneven in places , the loungers themselves were a mixture of wooden and aluminium frames , the wooden ones had seen better days years ago and some looked as if they had been knocked up using driftwood from the scruffy beach.

Pool areas were ok with clean anti slip surfaces however the pools themselves looked murky and uninviting , the outside seating areas were pleasant but the furnishings were very dirty and grubby , which leads me onto the bean bags located in front of the main pool , these were presented in the most disgusting state , visibly ground in dirt , I am guessing a season of sweat and sun cream residue mixed with dirt from endless people lying on them , I am not exaggerating but I would not let my Daughters dog lie on them , I know its coming to the end of the season but to present furnishings in this condition is not 5 star , not even close , 2 star at best.

I am normally easy going and accept challenges that hotels have during a busy season and make allowances for that , however on this occasion the TUI BLUE Caravel has fallen well below the standard I would expect , in reality the classification for this hotel is nowhere near 5 star but you are still paying a 5 star premium for the displeasure of staying there.

The Management Team present themselves in the bar area and wander around raising their glasses to the guests , this really is a kick in the teeth knowing that they oversee such a poor presentation of this hotel , very hypocritical attitude.

The front line staff were outstanding , friendly , efficient and a credit to the hotel and TUI , could not fault them at all , just a pity the hotel doesn't match their standards.

Finally as I said the island is beautiful and I will not hesitate to visit again , however sadly I will not be returning to the TUI BLUE Caravel and I would go as far to say that based on my experience I will steer clear of TUI BLUE in the future and even drop TUI as my holiday provider and look at other tour operators.

It blows my mind why anyone would make a bad comment about this hotel. I have been here 4 days and have to say it is one of the best I have been in. 3 steps and the sea is there. Two pools to choose from. The food is 5star and the staff in every department are the best we have come across. I have seen on many occasions the bar staff have to put up with customers who don’t seem to know the word please or thank you! The all work very had and go above and beyond for the customers and the least we can found be polite to them 😡. They like to have a chat when taking your order which is very nice. You are greeted at every bar/restaurant with a smile and good morning/afternoon/evening. The manager seems very grateful to his staff and actually hugs them.
I have been to many hotels around the world and again I would like to say this is one of the best I have stayed.