Diana Palace Hotel Zakynthos

Avoid avoid avoid!!! How people can rate this hotel above 1 star I do not know I really feel conflicted. The staff are lovely but the place itself is a poor example of a badly badged 4 star hotel, who on earth gives these ratings. The food makes hospital canteen food look appetising, the drinks well the only good thing about the bar was the lovely bar man who made a watered down drink a bit more palatable! The hotel has lots of cats roaming about begging for food which to be fair we were more than happy to give them the food as it was poor and we ended up eating out most nights. All in all really disappointing. What a let down!

I have never written a negative review before, as I appreciate no place is perfect, but I feel it is my duty to warn others about this hotel. Our initial booking was for a different property, but we were moved here by OnTheBeach just three days before departure. It turned out to be one of the worst “4-star” experiences imaginable. False promises & closed facilities On arrival, we were told the spa, gym and A’ la Carte Restaurant were closed the day before — hardly the start you expect from an all-inclusive hotel. The smaller canteen offered limited, repetitive food which quickly went downhill. As the hotel prepared to close on 1st November for the season (something OnTheBeach never mentioned when rebooking us), it became obvious that we were being fed leftovers. One night, there were only tubs of strawberry ice cream (contrary to a range of ice cream choices when we arrived); the next night, none at all — the freezer was literally covered with a cloth and flowers! It became a pattern that when a dish ran out, it was replaced by something completely different — for example, fish would suddenly be replaced with meatballs (frozen not fresh). One evening they ran out of chips at 7:30pm (dinner started at 7pm) and replaced them with frozen potato bites, not even attempting to ensure enough of the food choices for all guests. We had waffles the first morning, never to be seen again. Running out of drinks They kept running out of drinks too. For example, the diet coke, which they tried to pass off with regular coke instead, before running out completely and simply shrugging their shoulders, saying, “no more.” Then tonic water disappeared too from what was on offer. So much for “all-inclusive.” The older gentleman that served the drinks during the day was kind and friendly, but the lady and younger man serving in the evenings were shockingly rude and unfriendly. Room issues Our “jacuzzi room” was clean and looked nice, but the toilet smelled awful. A mix of vinegar which was used by the cleaners (which meant this issue was known to the hotel prior to arrival), but over the course of the day it turned to a awful sewer smell. We also had to unplug the fridge as it made noises. As mentioned in other reviews, the hot tub is dangerously high to climb in and out of, with no handrails or steps. The balcony tiles were extremely slippery when wet — we both slipped (one of us quite badly injured - plus getting stung by a bee just added to the misery) – I also overheard cleaning staff saying they slipped on the tiles as well when it was raining. After we slipped, we used our swimming towels to soak up the water on the balcony when using the hot tub, but when we went to reception for replacement towels, we were repeatedly told, “Housekeeping is working on it.” By day three we gave up asking, as they never had fresh towels in stock. End-of-season shutting down From Thursday to Saturday, the hotel was effectively shutting down around us. The lovely entertainment lady (who deserves credit for her effort) did her final shift Wednesday evening and the “entertainment” for the final nights was led by a receptionist with zero entertainment skills — truly painful to experience. Thankfully, a heavy downpour one evening drowned out the noise – we could not understand why they didn’t just play good music if they couldn't be bothered to keep proper entertainment going until the very end! Our final day, the 1st of November, staff were packing up the restaurant while guests were still eating a truly disgraceful lunch outside (by now they have also shut the small canteen), draining all the pools so children couldn’t swim and clearing away all the outdoor furniture. No music played for quite some time (I think a guest then requested for them to play music), which was switched off at 4pm, as well as the WIFI! We literally sat watching them dismantle the hotel while waiting for our evening flight (8pm). Staff told us they are coming back the next day to clean up, so why couldn’t they just wait with clearing everything until the next day when guests were gone? The manager’s response summed up their attitude: “It is what it is — end of season.” My point was simple — if the hotel is open, it should be fully open and provide the experience guests have paid for. If they are not willing to deliver a full service, then they shouldn’t be taking bookings. Instead, the attitude was dismissive and disrespectful, showing zero care or standards. With almost all nearby places already closed, we had no real alternative but to eat and stay at the hotel — all the more reason the hotel should have upheld its 4-star promise. Many other guests we spoke to during those final days felt the same and I truly hope they share their experiences too. The only saving grace was that the Greek gods blessed us with sunshine most days, and as a family, we made the best of being in Greece. But the Diana Palace itself? An absolute disgrace to hospitality. Avoid at all costs.

The room was very nice. The pool areas were great but the pools were very cold, a lot of sundbeds (some with towels at 8 am already). Breakfast was very good, lunch was ok and dinner was good with different themes. The stuff in the restaurant were excellent, so welcoming, warm and happy. Especially Kieu, Regino, Christos and Almario. They put an extra star to our one week-stay, especially for our children!

We enjoyed our 7 nights at Diana Palace during the second to last week of the season in October. Most other reviews are accurate in their descriptions of the local community, such as how quiet it is at this time of the year, and on the general upkeep and condition of hotel facilities - so I won't dwell upon these aspects in my review, focussing more on the food and drink. Food: We loved the food, and as it was our first experience of a Greek all-inclusive, tried to sample as many delicious local dishes as we could, as well as international favourites on various themed nights: Italian, Greek, Chinese, Steak night (albeit pork used instead of beef). English roast dinner dishes also appeared on the Sunday lunchtime which was very welcome on a rainy afternoon. Of the Greek food, we especially enjoyed souvlaki, stuffed vine leaves and lamb kofta on Greek night, with these dishes thankfully reappearing later in the week too. Daily treats for us were the endless Greek salads, mixed up by the chef most days into interesting special salads. We also loved the bruschetta and feta cheese. Breakfast was the most disappointing as the bacon and sausages were not what you'd expect, and the fried eggs were somewhat raw on top but passable. Plentiful and varying Greek yoghurt types, pastries and occasional freshly made Belgium waffles and French crepes made up for this though. It was also great to make my own Greek coffee every day using the pot of heated sand - and thanks to the staff including Marina for helping me finesse the technique. Drink: After reading other reviews prior to arrival, we did not really know what to expect with respect to the all-inclusive drinks, but were pleasantly surprised by the options available. The draught lager was Minoan Era Beer from Crete, somewhat disappointing - although did the job when thirsty from the sun by the pool! Not so great with a meal. The wine was on tap (self service) when the restaurant was open, but otherwise available from the bar the rest of the time - the Red wine was passable, but the White wine wasn't really drinkable, reminding me more of Greek Retsina... Away from the restaurant, there were better spirits and mixtures, liqueurs and cocktails which were much more delicious. About 6 cocktails available up to 6pm, then after that it is just quicker to serve spirits and mix - and I'd recommend the G&T, coconut rum and Coke, local Irish Cream, or simply Whisky on the rocks for a night cap. Sustainability: Not something many people talk about, but it is important to be as ecological and environmentally friendly as possible. The hotel could do more to reduce single use plastic at the bar - I see there are some purple hardened plastic cups that people are given by the pool, but not enough, and most have plastic cups that are simply binned along with other rubbish. Perhaps they are segregated and recycled but this isn't clear. The bar lady in the evening is at least very keen to save the planet, and promotes reuse of your prior plastic straws, rather than a new on each time - which should be commended! One idea could be making people pay a deposit for a good quality plastic cup at the start, and they keep hold of this and reuse throughout their stay - has worked well in Spanish hotels I've stayed at. We would like to visit again in the next year of so, and especially when the weather improves - so not October again.

Just returned from a weeks holiday with the family at Diana Palace The hotel is very clean with exceptional staff at reception and restaurant We give a special mention toElannor who ran the full poolside and evening entertainment by herself she was amazing and Erri and Cristos our waiters again amazing friendly guys as were all in the restaurant The food is very good and the hotplates actually kept the breakfasts hot which is a first !!We were in the last week before shutdown so many pubs n shops were closed but the few that were open served lovely food and was able to watch my beloved Man City with a pint of Mythos The beer in the hotel is average and the wine not so good The rooms are kept clean with sign of wear but nothing to complain about with comfy beds and plenty of hot water Overall enjoyed and would return to Sunny Zante