Ionion Blue Hotel Zante in Kalamakion

Couple with no kids staying for 7 days. Location: 5 minutes to Kalamaki’s main high street and to the beach. 6-7 minutes by taxi to the airport/Zante town. Room: We paid extra for a family room. Initially we were given a room on the 1st floor, which felt as nice and romantic as a dungeon. Luckily we were changed to a room on the 4th floor, which had a brilliant view, plenty of space, decent air conditioning and a very small fridge which was handy. The 1st floor is probably more suitable for families with children who can get back and forth to the swimming pool quickly. Mostly quiet in the evening/night. Service: The receptionist was nice when we arrived, but after a few questions/requests her friendliness seemed to end. She was dismissive for the rest of our stay and rolled her eyes when we contacted her later. Luckily we managed to change rooms before the friendliness disappeared. Standard: Very basic. The hotel seems dated and run down in some areas. As others have pointed out, there is some rubbish around the outdoor areas. Cleanliness: The room was (superficially) cleaned every day, but at times not untill the afternoon which was annoying. Bedding and towels changed almost daily. Staff were very polite. Room looks clean, just don't look too closely. The toilets in the common areas are pretty nasty, though. Among other things, there are old towels laying on the tiles outside some stalls, and dirty soap dispensers that seem to be really old. Breakfast: Mediocre selection with poor quality food. Very little fruit and other healthy options. WiFi: Almost non-existent, as it works extremely poorly. We experienced generally poor internet access on Zakynthos during our stay. Other: AC was €12 per day (!) and local tax €5 per day. I note that prices fluctuate based on what others say they have paid for AC... The hotel has no safe room for luggage, if you have to wait. They offer to leave your luggage behind a small bar that is accessible to everyone. «Fun» fact: The fire alarm went off at 3am one night and didn't go off until 30 minutes later, as there was no staff present. We received absolutely no information, and some of the parents seemed quite upset, understandably. Fortunately it appeared to be a false alarm. Not a 4-star hotel. Maybe 3. Maybe even 2, actually. We won't be coming back.