Aliv Stone Suites & Spa

What a gorgeous hotel! Boutique with only 20 rooms. Really well appointed & beautifully designed. The view from our balcony we could have looked at forever. Super rooms, amazing bed linen. Loved the bathroom products. We often had the pool to ourselves. The beach area is gorgeous too, but the trek to get into the sea to cool down was a bit too long, so we stuck to the pool. Breakfast is very bijoux. Brilliant coffee machine. We enjoyed a dinner there too. The chef is the star of the show, and has a huge caeer ahead of him. THE OLD WINDMILL nearby is a must if dining out, and LA STORIA taverna at the nearby harbour is Greek perfection. On the downside, it's expensive. 2 beers costs €20. It's on a steep hill, although the staff are always available with the buggy to make that easier. And some of the female staff need to warm up - there's too much surly aloof ice maiden going on, which is never necessary.

Our Signature suite was stylish and spacious with very comfortable bed and pillows - also two sofas fine to sleep on. Large terrace and 5mx4m plunge pool was private with wonderful sea views. Excellent pool (20/25m?), very comfortable sunbeds here and at the lovely beach bar. The only sea access is via pontoon as rocks pretty sharp and steep but during the course of a week we only had a few hours one morning when access to sea was closed due to choppy waves. Beautiful clear water. Any negatives? Nothing major. Loud music from 1100 at beach bar - when we just wanted to appreciate the serenity of the environment....staff turned down the volume a little when asked which was nice but I think it's a decision for management....maybe louder music from late afternoon/evening vibe? That is a personal opinion of course, could be an age issue! The staff are an absolute credit to Aliv Suites. Kostas was wonderful from the time he met us at the airport to our goodbyes, Zoe in reception, Ira in the restaurant, Marius and the delightful girls at the beach bar all made us feel at home. Not pushy/fake just charming and friendly. Excellent food on the evening restaurant menu. We would highly recommend a holiday here and hope to return!

We just came back from an amazing stay at Aliv Stone Suites & Spa. We loved that it is a family run business, and that the owners are hands on. The location is perfect, with a private beach and crystal clear water. It is at the north end of the island, away from the busy tourist areas around Zante. The staff are friendly and helpful and share their suggestions on places of interest that are "must see". The buffet breakfast is included and was excellent, as well the meals offered for lunch and dinner were also very good. Our room was spacious, clean and modern with an incredible view of the ocean and Kefalonia in the distance. The grounds are beautifully landscaped and well-maintained. All in all, it was a perfect stay for us!

Aliv did the most difficult possible (fabulous facilities) but then failed in doing what's normally the easiest, to be good hosts. Holidays are those special moments you want to cherish and be pampered, even more, when you are paying top price for your accommodation. My partner and I were much looking forward to finishing our trip on a high after having spent the previous couple of days on the south of the island. We booked one of their signature rooms with a private pool for 4 days but it all started off a bit sloppy because no one was at reception and then only were 'greeted' by someone from the team in the most unfriendly way possible, feeling almost like we were causing them an inconvenience. We had to wait for the receptionist to arrive and after a couple of minutes, the manager showed up who barely greeted us, no questions were asked, no further information, just asking for the payment before guiding us to our room. At any decent hotel when you do your check-in, the basic information is provided to the guests, such as an overview of the facilities, recommendations on where to go and eat, etc., but clearly this wasn't the case. Our room was beyond fantastic so both of us were wondering if those two initial interactions with the staff were unfortunate, maybe we caught them at the wrong time (3pm). To our surprise, the overall unfriendliness continued as we made our way to the beach bar and even though we were almost the only ones down there, the two staff members did not even bother to offer us a drink and preferred to keep on chatting between them. We then moved to the pool area to chill and grab a drink but there was no service, no drinks, no towels, nothing whatsoever. Moving on to day two, the first breakfast which usually at top-level Greek hotels are always a delight, but again, this wasn't the case. Their offer is pretty limited, nothing prepared on the spot, no fresh juice and to top it up instant coffee, because the fresh coffee prepared by a barista is charged extra. I mean, you get a better breakfast at a budget hotel without a doubt. Throughout our stay, the mood continued and all led by the manager's bad example, which is a shame. To summarise their approach, it's all down to their lack of manners, i.e., hello how are you, how can we help, what's the plan for today, the typical chit chat but clearly non of that is in their scripts. This truly baffled us because this was the first year of proper holidays in Europe post pandemic and it seemed that they were doing us guests a favour. For £350 a night, this was by far one of the worst value-for-money stays we've had in Greece. An enjoyable stay in a hotel comes in a bundle, you expect to have a comfortable room (like we paid for), good food, friendly service and nice facilities overall. What they offer is just the latter and for all the reasons mentioned above, I would not recommend staying at Aliv. There are plenty of better options in the area... what a shame Aliv!

We stayed at Aliv for 3 nights before we got married in Vasilikos. We stayed in a suite with a private pool and it was breathtaking - a private infinity pool with uninterupted views of the sea! The suite itself was spacious and had everything you could need! The staff were amazing from check in until we left. The restaurant served fresh authentic greek food and the beach bar was really chilled and stockee with local craft Zakyhnthian beer. Its not in a tourist hotspot which is great! If you want a luxury getway with amazing views, staff, food and accomodation then Aliv is the place! Will definately be back- thank you for looking after us!

Aliv is simply amazing. We just returned from a 10-day trip on three of the islands (Corfu, Kefalonia, Zakynthos) and the absolute highlight was our stay at Aliv (the last five days of our trip). The hotel itself is full of interesting and beautiful design decisions. Our room was spacious - two adults, and two teens (18, 16) could stay comfortably and still get along! The outdoor room space and private pool were KEY - it got beautiful sunlight all morning which is where we spent our time before transitioning to the beach in the afternoon. The food was absolutely incredible. Chef Mario deserves his own 5 stars -- from the delicious breakfast (custom omelette orders that he remembered every day), to "snacks" (literally the best pizza any of us have ever had), to the dinner (the arancini balls are to die for and the mushroom risotto was top notch). The Beach Bar was such a great vibe -- we wish it was open a little later - but we spent a lot of time there as it is. The service, chairs/umbrellas, drinks, food, and access to the ocean were perfect. There were great spots to swim and snorkel, a private little beach cove two min away, and Port Nikolaos just a 20 min walk (including a *slight* uphill) with multiple restaurants along the way if looking for variety. The real reason to go to Aliv is the staff - they are beyond helpful, kind, knowledgeable, and good-humored. A special nod to Irinya who was our server every day and was so attentive and kind; Kostas, who gave us a ride to the airport and shared so much knowledge about the island on our way; and most of all - Sakis, who despite working 17-18 hour days always had a smile, an offer to help, a suggestion for food or drinks - he literally wore every hat at the resort and was so reliable and responsive that he absolutely made our stay. I'm normally not one to write a review, especially a long one - but this place is worth it. We miss our time there and are ready to plan a return trip!

This truly was one of the most wonderful holidays we’ve had. The accommodation, the pool, the food, the service were all just incredible. We felt at home somewhere we had never been before. Our baby and ourselves were made to feel so welcome and like nothing was too much trouble. The entire property and setting is beautiful, it completely surpassed expectations. We are already looking to plan a return trip next year. Thank you so much to all at Aliv Stone Suites & Spa for such an unforgettable time.