Domes Aulus Zante, Autograph Collection

Sadly having to write this as did not get anywhere with the Management/Easyjet holidays. Nice hotel, we had a large room on the seafront which was really nice. However, check in was very basic and quite rude staff on desk (I assume as lots of people were complaining). Didn’t explain where anything was, or that the beach directly in front of our room charge to use the sunbeds. We were fine with the latter but it should be made clear if your room goes directly out onto the beach? We were asked to book the à la cartes via the app. I had emailed prior to arrival to ask if we needed to book before arriving, but were not told that this was important to do-just sent the restaurant options. When then trying to book at check in, nothing was available! Why ask people to book on the app when you know everything is booked? We have paid thousands of pounds to come here and specifically use the à la cartes in the evenings, and to be told there was no availability is crazy! Every single person we spoke to had the same issue. When we complained, they offered us 2 options only, Italian and the other one was very early or very late (tricky with young children) at a beach shack. We’ve come all the way to Greece and can’t even eat in their Greek restaurant!! The buffet was poor-a few salads, some cooked dishes, but definitely not what you’d expect from a 5* resort. Vegan options extremely limited, and nothing is labelled, so do not book if you have any dietary requirements as it isn’t suitable. We left hungry every evening. Asked to speak with senior management 6 times and no joy until I complained to booking agent. They did then offer 4 options in total in a week’s stay, which when you book specifically for À la carte I don’t think is acceptable. We really enjoy having family meals out on holiday, and a buffet is not that. The Manager did try towards the end, but definitely not worth the thousands we spent to come here. On multiple occasions, they didn’t have a table for 5 of us, and wouldn’t allow us to tag a chair on the end of a table of 4, so had to sit separately on 2 tables! Not the end of the world but just not ideal when coming on a family holiday when it cost thousands of pounds. Also it was almost impossible to get a by the pool! Several people leave towels by pool very early in the morning and do not return until evening/if at all. We had 1 sunbed in direct sun for 5 of us! Would not return here and would not recommend booking! Such a shame as resort itself was nice, and actually the Manager did help towards the end, but it was just too little too late. Definitely not 5* and definitely not worth the price tag. Booking system for restaurants and sunbed system need improvement.

We traveled with children and had a fantastic week. The staff were very kind with families and the resort felt safe and comfortable. The pools were clean, the beach was easy to access and there were always activities during the day. Everyone left happy and relaxed.

Beach, staff friendliness and food were excellent! Management weak - lack attention to detail ( light out in room corridor not replaced until notified, broken umbrellas on beach, stained chair covers, warped frames in hallways, dark olive green type uniforms on waitstaff soaked through with sweat, etc.). Hot water in room a problem for all 5 nights - had to take cold shower and also take another room for showering only after pushing management to accommodate. They tried to fix but never got it. Have stayed at Domes in Chania, Elounda and Corfu and this one is definitely not on par. At least a couple of notches lower.

Beautiful hotel, great location on the sea front, very short transfer from airport, away from the main strip but close enough to walk there down the beach if you wish, food was gorgeous with lots of selection to choice from drinks included as well, no fighting for sun beds plenty to go around and staff were always so happy to help and anything and everything, cleaner came round every day to keep room tip top, had to be one of the best places we’ve stayed at abroad Will definitely be returning again in the near future Many thanks mr/mrs Harris

Lovely holiday but not quite luxury 5* Great things: - excellent location, short transfer from airport but not bothered by aircraft noise. - Beautiful plot right on the beach where the sea is calm and shallow, perfect for kids and adults - Classy decor in muted shades and good condition in communal areas and rooms. We had one small maintenance problem and it was sorted immediately and unobtrusively - housekeeping team brilliant, our room was spotless and they'd nip in at whatever time we got ourselves out and about - grab and go fridge and ice-cream by the pool great to help ourselves to drinks and snacks - main buffet restaurant excellent quality and very well run / friendly service - the duo guitar / singer who played mid week was very high quality Things that would make it 5*: - the unlimited dine around is a stretch of commitment. When we arrived we couldn't get a single booking in the 4 a la carte restaurants and weren't aware that a lot of people emailed ahead to get these bookings. We did finally get 2 lunchtime bookings at meze (really lovely but only open lunchtimes) plus 1 early evening booking at the Maya canteen (not really a restaurant - a street food style patio with great food but should really be open to grab and go) plus 1 early evening booking at the Italian (again very good). We couldn't get a booking at the yellow sea Asian style restaurant (even for 2 people). All the a la carte bookings we could get were in our last 2 days of a week long holiday. I work in hospitality so could see the bookings available at these al la carte were capped at around 50-60 covers each night - the restaurant table capacity was much higher. This is for a hotel that has probably 500+ guests a night at peak. In short the 'unlimited' a la carte is not a truthful claim and despite the buffet being excellent I wouldn't have paid a premium price if this was the only option (without having to beg / challenge the reception team) - no poolside service for drinks (I'd expect that in a 5*) - pool closed at 6pm, felt early especially when it was consistently full with families at this time - pool area also not maintained during the day, dangerous puddles, rubbish and no help with parasols. Loads of sunbeds on the beach but the cabanas and more premium beds were as usual reserved by families who then were not turning up to use them sometimes for the whole day. I know it's a guest behaviour problem but there must be an answer. To increase capacity of loungers by the pool I would remove some of the rarely used seating and replace with more beds - all inclusive stopped at midnight and entertainment finished early - we aren't wild party people but it genuinely felt like both the above and pool closing at 6 was to get all the guests out of the way so staff could go home - no courtesy suite to shower / change in before late flights home. Reception said it was no problem to use the spa but the rather churlish spa manager certainly made me feel like an inconvenience - various supervisors walk around asking how guests are (awkwardly) and then write things down in their notebooks with zero follow up. It would be better not to ask if they aren't going to do anything with the requests. - more flexible beds in rooms - we had a sapphire zen suite - 3 rooms but couldn't get twin beds in one room so the kids could have separate beds. Nothing to do with a 5* rating but the staff uniforms are awful - a cross between pyjamas and prison fatigues. Not sure what the vibe was meant to be but they looked scruffy and even worse showed all the sweat marks. All in all we had a lovely week but it does not live up to it's 5* claim.