Exotica Hotel & Spa by Zante Plaza

“Great holiday in Kalamaki”

We are currently staying at the Exotica but leave tomorrow. We have has a fantastic holiday and are gutted to be leaving. The reason for four stars is only because I like to be realistic in my reviews and whilst we would definitely love to return, I do agree that this hotel is probably more 3 star,… more

We are currently staying at the Exotica but leave tomorrow. We have has a fantastic holiday and are gutted to be leaving. The reason for four stars is only because I like to be realistic in my reviews and whilst we would definitely love to return, I do agree that this hotel is probably more 3 star, than 4. That being said, we have not been disappointed. It is a lovely hotel, with a chilled, laidback vibe and excellent staff. So refreshing to stay at a hotel where you do not need to be up at the crack of dawn to secure a sun-bed in a prime location. We had the luxury of a private pool room, which we very much enjoyed but still made use of the excellent main pool. This was manned by the most conscientious lifeguard I have ever witnessed on a holiday. Yes, the rules are strict - no one under 12 allowed in pool unsupervised, and strict hours of 10-6 opening - but they are the hotel rules, nonetheless, and therefore Alexis, the lifeguard, has to abide by them. I honestly believe that this commitment to the rules led to such a positive vibe around the hotel, meaning the range of holiday makers- families, couples, young groups, all had a fantastic holiday in harmony with each other. Special shout outs must also go to Magdelena and Panos who kept everyone hydrated, and also the wonderful Mary on reception, and the lovely maintenance man (sorry, don’t know his name) responsible for looking after our private pool. We will definitely be back!

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“Disappointing”

Disappointing for a 4-Star Hotel We are currently still staying at this hotel and, unfortunately, there have been a number of things that have left us disappointed, particularly for what is advertised as a 4-star hotel. The biggest issue for us has been the swimming pool. The pool doesn’t open un… more

Disappointing for a 4-Star Hotel We are currently still staying at this hotel and, unfortunately, there have been a number of things that have left us disappointed, particularly for what is advertised as a 4-star hotel. The biggest issue for us has been the swimming pool. The pool doesn’t open until 10am and closes at 6pm, which feels very restrictive when you are on holiday, especially with children. Children under 12 are also required to have an adult in the pool with them. Our 9-year-old daughter is an excellent and very confident swimmer. She has been happily swimming for the last three days, with us supervising her. We have been in with her on and off, but today the lifeguard asked her age. When we said she was 9, we were told that we either had to get in the pool with her or she had to get out. We completely understand the importance of pool safety, and we have no issue supervising our daughter, but we don’t feel it is reasonable to expect us to be physically in the pool with her for the entire holiday when she is a capable swimmer. What makes the situation even more confusing is that there is another girl who is 12 but is clearly a much less confident swimmer, yet she is allowed to use the pool without an adult. There is also another pool on the complex which isn’t supervised by a lifeguard, where children are allowed to swim unaccompanied throughout the day. The rules therefore feel very inconsistent and difficult to understand. Unfortunately, the pool isn’t the only disappointment. The food is very basic and doesn’t feel to the standard we would expect from a 4-star hotel. The drinks are often warm, which is particularly disappointing in the Greek heat. There is also very little in the way of comfortable evening space to relax with a drink. There isn’t really a bar or lounge area where you can sit and enjoy an evening drink, meaning guests are essentially left sitting in the restaurant if they want to stay on-site in the evening. Overall, we feel the facilities, food, drinks and restrictions around the pool do not meet the standard we would expect from a 4-star hotel. We have tried to make the most of our holiday, but unfortunately, we would not choose to stay here again and feel the hotel needs to seriously review the experience it is providing to families.

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