AluaSoul Zakynthos

Excellent experience with Paola, very attentive and caring. In tune with the pressure I needed and the areas that needed more work. Felt completely relaxed and refreshed afterwards.

Thanos Great massage and lovely atmosphere

Alua soul is an amazing hotel. The facilities are clean and modern. The staff are welcoming, friendly and helpful. The pool and sea are gorgeous. The food is yummy. Only downfall was not having gyros or at least having flatbread or pitta out so you can make your own. Music by the pool was good, kept high spirits. Spa staff offered free taster shoulder massage few times a week. Which completes the luxury experience. I would recommend this hotel!

We chose this hotel specifically because, in your marketing, it is presented as a four-star hotel with “all inclusive”. The total cost of the trip – flights, hotel, transfers and all inclusive – was approximately 34,000 NOK. We have extensive experience staying at four- and five-star hotels, and the experience this time in no way matched the expectations created by your descriptions. Below, I will outline the main points of my complaint: The “all inclusive” concept was highly misleading What was sold as all inclusive turned out, in practice, to be very limited. We discovered that if you only had the “blue bracelet” (the standard package we had paid for), you had restricted access to the hotel’s facilities. Among other things, access to several of the pools was reserved for guests who had upgraded to a more expensive level. To gain access to all pools and full use of the facilities, you had to pay an additional 8,000–10,000 NOK for one week. This is a considerable amount and contradicts the expectations one would reasonably have for “all inclusive” at a four-star hotel. In my opinion, this is misleading marketing and not in line with how you present the product. Poor and limited food offering We also expected a good and varied food offering, including Greek cuisine when travelling to Greece. In reality, we found that the kitchen was largely dominated by simple “English” food, and Greek dishes were almost entirely absent. The food appeared both boring and of low quality. In addition, the labelling of allergens was inadequate. Only a few dishes were clearly marked with allergens, which is both unsafe and unprofessional for a hotel that is marketed at this level. Standard and maintenance – not four-star level The hotel and room generally appeared worn and poorly maintained. There was little that resembled a modern four-star hotel. The room we received fortunately had air conditioning, but apart from that, the standard was disappointing. Most seriously, we discovered silverfish in the room. These are pests that can be problematic to bring home in your luggage. As a consequence, we constantly had to be on guard – not placing luggage on the floor, and when we returned home, we put our toiletry bags in the freezer and left the suitcase out on the balcony to try to avoid bringing the pests into our house. This is far from the safe and relaxing hotel experience one expects. Noise and lack of consideration from hotel staff As “blue bracelet” guests, we only had access to one pool area. At this pool, a large speaker was placed, and music was played at such a high volume that it was impossible to relax or have a normal conversation. When I asked the person in charge of the music to turn down the volume, I was clearly told that he could not do so. This shows a total lack of consideration for the guests and contributed significantly to the stay feeling stressful rather than relaxing. Feedback not being taken seriously After returning home, I have read the reviews from other guests at the hotel and can see that several have complained about the same issues – noise, poor food, limited “all inclusive” and low standards. The hotel’s responses suggest that they “regret” what has happened, but it is evident that they have not made any real changes, since the problems persist over time. THE RESONSE FROM David G, General Manager at Aluasoul Zakynthos: Dear Anne, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback regarding your recent stay at AluaSoul Zakynthos. While I fully respect your right to express your personal opinion, I would like to clarify several points for the benefit of future readers, as some of the statements made in your review do not accurately reflect the services and products offered by the hotel. Firstly, regarding the All Inclusive concept, we respectfully disagree with the suggestion that the hotel's marketing is misleading. We would strongly encourage guests to carefully review the accommodation category, room description and included benefits before making a reservation. The information provided prior to booking clearly distinguishes between the standard All Inclusive product and the enhanced My Favourite Club experience. The published descriptions explain that My Favourite Club includes exclusive areas and additional premium services reserved for guests who choose this upgraded category. Equally, the description of the standard room categories does not state that all pools, all exclusive areas or all My Favourite Club facilities are included within the standard All Inclusive package. The additional amount referred to in your review relates to an optional upgrade to a different accommodation and service category, not to facilities being removed from a product that had already been purchased. For this reason, we do not believe it is accurate to describe the product as misleading. The distinction between the standard All Inclusive experience and the My Favourite Club experience is clearly established in the accommodation information available prior to travel. Regarding the food offering, our buffet includes a combination of international, Mediterranean and Greek cuisine designed to cater for the wide variety of nationalities that visit our hotel. Greek dishes are featured regularly throughout the week alongside international options. Naturally, food preferences are highly subjective, and while we regret that the offering did not meet your personal expectations, many guests express very positive opinions regarding the variety and quality of the food available. Regarding allergen information, food safety is something we take extremely seriously. Following feedback received from guests, we have recently strengthened our allergen labelling system and are progressively incorporating allergen information directly on the food displays and buffet labels. Until recently, our procedure relied primarily on guests consulting directly with the Maître d’, Executive Chef or a member of the culinary team. This approach was intended to ensure that guests received the most accurate and up-to-date information possible and to minimise the risk of any misunderstanding regarding ingredients, preparation methods or potential cross-contamination. However, we also recognise that some guests may prefer to review allergen information independently without having to identify themselves or discuss personal dietary requirements with members of staff. For this reason, we fully understand the value of clear visible allergen signage and have been working to improve this aspect of the guest experience. Whilst our previous procedure was implemented with guest safety as the priority, we acknowledge that the availability of clearer written information is beneficial and we have already taken steps to improve this area. With regard to the condition of the hotel and your room, we recognise that guests may have different expectations regarding style, décor and facilities. Regarding the presence of silverfish, we take any report of this nature seriously. As with many destinations located in Mediterranean climates, occasional sightings of insects can occur despite regular professional pest-control programmes. Had this issue been reported to Reception or Management during your stay, an immediate inspection and appropriate corrective action would have been arranged. Regarding the pool area and music, daytime entertainment forms part of the holiday experience enjoyed by many of our guests. Our team always aims to maintain an appropriate balance between relaxation and activities. We are sorry if the atmosphere in the area available to you did not correspond with your personal preferences. Finally, I would like to address your suggestion that guest feedback is not taken seriously or that concerns raised by guests are simply ignored. I can assure you that every comment, complaint and suggestion received is carefully reviewed by Management and discussed with the relevant Heads of Department. Where improvements are identified, corrective actions are implemented and operational decisions are taken accordingly. In your review, you mention having read comments from other guests whose views appear similar to your own. That is, of course, your right. However, you will also find a significant number of reviews from guests who stayed during the same period and who express very positive opinions regarding the very same aspects that you criticise, including the food offering, cleanliness, facilities, atmosphere and overall holiday experience. This does not mean that your opinion is not valued. On the contrary, we fully respect your opinion and your right to express it. However, it also demonstrates that guest experiences and perceptions can vary considerably from one person to another. Some guests share concerns similar to yours, while others describe the very same aspects of the hotel in a highly positive manner. For this reason, Management cannot base its decisions on any single review, whether positive or negative. Instead, we assess the complete picture formed by all guest feedback received, satisfaction scores, quality audits and operational reviews. Whilst we fully respect your personal opinion, it would be equally unfair to present it as representative of all guests when many others have reached very different conclusions after experiencing the same hotel, facilities and services. Although we are genuinely sorry that AluaSoul Zakynthos did not meet your expectations, we thank you for sharing your views and wish you all the very best. MY RESPONSE TO MR. DAVID G. : Thank you for your response to my complaint. While I appreciate the fact that you took the time to reply, I find your answer both disappointing and unprofessional. My concerns were specific and serious: the presence of silverfish in the room, noise issues, limited access to hotel facilities despite having paid for all‑inclusive, poor food quality with inadequate or missing allergy labelling, and a general lack of improvement despite many similar complaints from other guests over time. In your reply, you focused on how other guests during the same period were satisfied with their stay. With respect, this is completely irrelevant to my experience. The fact that someone else might have enjoyed their holiday does not change the conditions I personally encountered, nor does it address the problems I raised. My holiday was significantly affected and, for me, this has unquestionably been the worst hotel experience I have ever had. Furthermore, I am aware that other guests have reported seeing rats inside the hotel. Combined with the issues I described, this should be of serious concern to the hotel management. Instead of acknowledging these problems and explaining what concrete steps you will take to resolve them, your response came across as defensive, as if the existence of satisfied guests somehow invalidates the complaints of dissatisfied ones. A professional approach would be to: Clearly acknowledge the specific issues I raised, Offer a sincere apology for the impact they had on my stay, and Explain what measures you are implementing to correct these problems so that future guests will not have the same experience. As a paying customer, I expected both a higher standard during my stay and a more responsible attitude when I took the time to give detailed feedback. I hope you will reconsider the way you handle complaints and take my feedback seriously, not only for my sake, but for the sake of future guests and the reputation of your hotel.

My mum and I decided to book the Aluasoul as the hotel offered an ideal room for us, with easy access to an infinity pool and a beautiful room overlooking the sea. We loved our stay and found the room spotless! The staff extremely friendly and accommodating with the general manager, Alexander, reception staff and Elion in particular especially welcoming and helpful. My mum wanted a relaxing holiday to get away and celebrate being cancer free and that's exactly what we got! We were served pizza bites, drinks and ice-creams each day on our patio, which was a lovely touch and also enjoyed the buffet restaurant plus visited the a la carte twice during our stay. The only disappointing thing I found was the repetitiveness of the food and particular spaghetti bolognese. When I asked why there wasn't any Greek Moussaka, I was offered lasagne which is Italian, not Greek. It would have been nice to have some authentic Greek dishes on the buffet menu. Despite the buffet being limited we found the food was cooked well and all waiting staff couldn't do enough for you. Maybe the hotel chain needs to give the hotel a better budget! Food is important to paying guests and the staff are limited with what budget they are given :-( Its down to the staff that makes the resort such a wonderful place to visit. They are a real asset! Well done to Alexander & your team 💗