Aliv Stone Suites & Spa

We were so excited to have stumbled upon this beautiful beach bar on our last day in Zakynthos. The hosts greeted us, showed us to sun lounge and bought us over some cold water. We had checked out of our hotel in the south of the island with plans to spend the whole day there before heading to the port for our evening ferry. Unfortunately the friendly service ended when we ordered lunch. The first meal arrived after half an hour. After 45 minutes, we started asking about the other meals, to which we were told "5 minutes". This went on for another 45 minutes, then 1 more meal and our starter (a trio of dip and bread). By now we were losing patience - as were many of the other tables who had been waiting as long. One waiter served everyone small glasses of liquid although when asked, he didn't know what it was. The 2nd waiter said "it's a secret" but it had been served to small children at the next table and was alcoholic. A 3rd waiter removed them from the children. It was a comedy of errors. Almost 2 hours after ordering, the last meal arrived (a caesar salad) which was lettuce with small processed cubed chicken smothered in a yellow sauce. Inedible. People at other tables were walking out, and one person refused their meal when it was finally served. I asked to speak to the manager - the first waiter said he'd get in trouble - the manager was apparently in Athens, and no-one on site managing the restaurant). I advised the host that we had waited over 2 hours for a terrible meal and they would have been better telling us they had problems in the kitchen and to stay at our sun lounge and call us when lunch was ready. The host said her parents were the owners and that they (the family) were doing their best. All staff by this stage were extremely rude and were talking over the top of me as I was trying to calmly discuss. The waiters all laughed as I left. To add to the angst, at about 3pm the music changed to crude swearing lyrics (despite all the families around) and the volume was increased significantly. It could have been so good...

Alvi Stone disappoints. Beautiful property, great room, views, ocean access. There is something strange with the management, they didn’t want you to leave the property, weren’t helpful with anything off site. Food was just food, when we asked about a deli, we were told there wasn’t one nearby; then rented a car and found a great deli a few minutes down the road. We decided it was best to make our own adventure/restaurant selections on our own. The staff seemed uncomfortable and on edge. We felt we were watched, unless there is a change in management, I wouldn’t recommend. A shame because it could be a great property.

- Property in general, rooms and beach area very modern, clean and of superior looks. Breakfast for Greek standards great. Staff at the beach very friendly and helpful. - access road steep and sometimes bumpy, dinner quality okay, but range of food options very limited and service quality max. average for the level of the hotel