Alykanas Beach Grand Hotel by Zante Plaza

This is a tired resort. We came at the end of the season / low season but would still have expected better from somewhere professing to be 4*. A lot of areas cordoned off with plastic tape and the kids swimming pool was really shabby. There was a lot of food so plenty of choice which is good but perhaps less is more. We chose this hotel because it was family friendly but the evening entertainment was noisy and tacky - you couldn’t block out the loud 2 hours from 9pm to 11pm so considering how many guests had toddlers with them it was just grim. Rooms were clean but average. Def not 4*. Photos on Tripadvisor and other sites are misleading.

Hold this thought, we are returning guests now and this is our fourth visit in the last 24 months. We visited in May and expectations were high as we had previously experienced wonderful Holidays at the Alykanas Beach Grand. We requested and received the room of our choice as my wife has accessibility issues so a positive start. There was a change of staff at reception and they were not as engaging as previous staff. We knew the system and reluctantly paid the inflated tourist tax and found our room. You do not receive help at this Hotel and I would imagine some guests would find it difficult to navigate with their luggage. We went to lunch, unpacked and enjoyed the remainder of the day relaxing on the Sunbeds. All did not seem right at dinner as areas were closed off within the grounds. The following morning because of some medical issues we bribed the Grounds Maintenance guy and he let us have some Sun Bed cushions for the Garden Area. On inspection and to are horror all the wonderful Terraces and outdoor eating areas were closed off due to structural damage. This experience played a part in our return and we were disappointed. My wife could not access the Beach due to the damage and alternative arrangements had not been put in place. Cables and Pipes were exposed and the Terrace and retaining walls continued to deteriorate whilst we were there. The Plastic Chairs are all broken and the Tables all warped. The Sunbeds are ready for the skip, the outside Toilets are disgusting and have not received any maintenance in the last six months, the Pools and Jacuzzi could really do with a deep clean and repair. The Jacuzzi didn’t work and the damaged lights lying around the Pool that were reported six months ago is still there. The Life Guard is a bit hit and miss around the Pool drinking Coffee and smoking in different locations around the Hotel. I’m at a loss because everything is washed down and I mean everything at 7am and 6pm. We witnessed several accidents whilst here and quite a few guests injured with one reduced to a wheel chair. The Bar Staff would rather do anything than serve drinks. The all-inclusive concoctions are thrown in a reusable stained plastic cup with no finesse. I resorted to mixing, shaking and preparing my own drinks. With reference to all the staff the culture of Mobile Phone use is shocking with staff hiding in every corner possible catching up on social media. Remember the Hotel is pushing 4 stars so some basic uniform would be nice for its staff instead of filthy stained t shirts. If you’re lucky you occasionally get one of the mis match glasses that were like you get at a car boot sale. In all honesty these were reserved for other nationalities as they were all using glasses around the Garden Areas. I don’t quite know what’s happened to the Restaurant. Why the fish, Sardines are prepared for the lunch and evening meals at breakfast time is beyond me as the fans distribute the smell throughout the Res

OK we will start with the positives . The location is beautiful right on the beach. The maids came everyday cleaned the room changed bed linen and supplied new towels. Room was overlooking the car park with mountains in the back ground and also big balcony. Now for the negatives the buffet area is a free for all once you get your food you try and get seated in what can only be called a canteen. This is the same place you sit at night if you stay for any entertainment that might be on. Never stayed in a hotel where the ' canteen ' is the same place as evening entertainment. Really poor no atmosphere. Food was really not very nice . Flies everywhere. Drinks are very weak served in picnic cups. Spirits are so weak and cocktails are a joke. Pool area also full of flies sun loungers are in a terrible state and need replaced. Outside toilet is dreadful never cleaned and smells. Also drainage smells throughout the hotel and especially beside the 'canteen ' pool area hosed down in the morning causing a severe slip hazard. Me and my partner are fairly laid back and don't normally moan but considering the way this hotel is promoted it's only fair to let other people know what to expect. Thankfully there is plenty lovely bars/restaurants just a few minutes away where you can get edible food and proper alcoholic drinks. Will never return.

We travelled to this Hotel with a 4 month old, Our In Laws and Our close friends. On arrival we were met with reception staff who were friendly but not very helpful. The questions we asked were just very short answers and almost like. 'Go and find out for yourself'.as we had a 4 month old we had a lot of baggage as well as a pushchair. We were not helped at all with any of our bags to the room which were all upstairs. There are NO Lifts. The smell of drains at the front of the hotel is off-putting. Our room was spacious and clean. The Maids worked very hard to clean our room daily and replace the towels. However, you were lucky to get a hot shower and the bath in the room had to be filled by a leaking shower over the bath. The smell of drains in the bathroom was overbearing in our room. The balcony was a big space which overlooked the side of the hotel with a partial sea view. The hotel is very noisy and the people we had staying in the room next to us were very loud and disruptive. There are no locks on the main doors to the rooms. The Smart TV saved us really as we had a young baby you could setup your smart channels and watch TV. The bed was not too bad and quite big. There was a working fridge. You have ti pay for the safe key and the pool towels separately. The Hotel is quite run down and very dated in the external areas. The pictures on the website do not reflect what the hotel looks like now. The TV in reception playing the hotel video over and over again only made you feel like. 'here's what you could have had!' The food was very average and it was always warm. Not hot. But that's what you expect from a buffet. There were themed nights every night so always something different which was a positive. There were a lot of flies around and although there were hand sanitising stations. i didn't see one person use these. The knives and forks were often dirty. The plastic white cups were stained inside which put you off using them. The local drinks were not really fit for purpose and very watered down and weak. we actually went to the supermarket and brought our own drinks so we actually enjoyed them. There is a foul drainage smell around a lot of the hotel and around the outdoor dining space. The pool we didn't use once but seemed clean. The kiddies pools looked dirty. The lifeguard spends his whole day sitting around the bar smoking on his phone, or sitting in the shade on a sun lounger doing the same. He gets paid to put the chains around the pool and remove them the next day. The beach area at the front of the pool was taped off as the ground is subsiding and falling away. i wound be surprised if this hasn't fallen away by the end of the winter. The water on the beach was lovely and clear. and warm. we swam in the sea every day. The views from the beach are lovely. Everyone in our party became unwell with sickness and diarrhoea around 3 days in to our trip. we were unsure whether this was due to the food or drinks. but on fur

I stayed here for a week and it's amazing the location is perfect rooms are clean bar staff is okey food is tasty and every day different meals I felt safe in the pool area I had never seen a lifeguard at this professional level...during the week I stayed at the hotel I saw with my eyes the lifeguard rescue a little girl 6years old I was shocked good bless this man!!!

The hotel staff were very friendly and the rooms were very clean and the maids did a fantastic job. The food was good and a good variety. However when we got there we had to carry our own suitcases up the stairs. Normally someone from the hotels I have stayed in they would help with them. Also there was a lot of water on the floors a lot of the time. They should have been washed early in the morning and left to dry before people were walking around. I slipped on the front steps hitting my back hard which winded me and it is still hurting as they were wet on foot. The water in the showers wasn’t draining away quick enough so there was water all over the floor in the bathroom by the toilet and sink. A lot of people had slipped in the bathroom in relation to this.

We were looking forward to going to this hotel, however upon arrival the photos on the website looked nothing like this hotel. Room was ok, we overlooked the carpark, maids cleaned everyday. Food was horrendous, lukewarm at best and far to many flies, everywhere around the food, when I commented about this, I was told it was due to the hot summer and now the rain had bought them out? If they know there's a problem, why wasn't there fly control. Cutlery was dirty, plates chipped and plastic white stained beakers for your cocktails. Pool was fine, except area around was always wet, several people slipped while we were there. Outside toilets disgusting, no locks and no lights and you were lucky if you had paper towels. We decided on one star, due to the three of us getting very ill, we lost over three days of a week's holiday and were told there's a bug on the island. Sea was lovely, although a challenge getting down on a walking stick. Sorry we won't be back.

My stay at this hotel was extremely disappointing. The receptionist was very unpleasant, and when we asked the cleaning staff to return in a few minutes, they completely neglected to clean the room. The lack of hygiene was alarming. We suffered severe food poisoning, experiencing vomiting and diarrhea, which forced us to spend part of our vacation in poor health. Out of all the vacations we've had, this was by far the worst. The hotel is not worth the price at all. The surroundings were untidy, and I would never return. At best, this hotel deserves only 2 stars."