- Greece Holidays
- Kalamaki
- Marelen Hotel
With a stay at Marelen Hotel in Zakynthos, you'll be near the beach, just a 3-minute walk from Kalamaki Beach and a 4-minute drive from Laganas Beach. This 4-star hotel is 3.8 mi (6.2 km) from Zakynthos Port and 6.2 mi (9.9 km) from Zante Water Village. Enjoy recreational amenities such as a waterslide and a seasonal outdoor pool. Additional features at this hotel include complimentary wireless Internet access, concierge services, and gift shops/newsstands. Featured amenities include a 24-hour front desk and luggage storage. Free self parking is available onsite. Grab a bite at Buffet restaurant, one of the hotel's 2 restaurants, or stay in and take advantage of the room service (during limited hours). Relax with a refreshing drink from the poolside bar or one of the 2 bars/lounges. Make yourself at home in one of the 118 air-conditioned rooms featuring refrigerators and flat-screen televisions. Rooms have private furnished balconies or patios. Private bathrooms with showers feature complimentary toiletries and hair dryers. Conveniences include phones and in-room massages, and housekeeping is provided daily.
Don't miss out on the many recreational opportunities, including a complimentary water park, a fitness centre and a seasonal outdoor pool. Additional features at this hotel include complimentary wireless Internet access, concierge services and an arcade/games room.
Due to the surrounding area and the number of steps around the hotel, it may not be suitable for those with mobility difficulties.
We’ve returned from our weeks stay at the Marelen, this was our 3rd time. Whilst we agree of plates & tables not being cleared away quickly at breakfast time it did not detract from the overall cleanliness of the hotel. Our room was kept clean with fresh towels daily & frequent bed linen changed. The cleaning staff are all so friendly & helpful. We were a bit worried hearing that it was under new management but we needn’t have been. The choice of food & quality at breakfast was amazing, we know as regular travellers. We look forward to returning in September 2027.
Having been to this hotel before we both feel it’s gone downhill in its standards. Last year as soon as tables had been vacated the waiters cleared the tables quickly and laid them up for the new guests. This year that did not happen and ourselves and many other guests had to not only clear the tables with so many wasps around the used plates etc, but also get the cutlery mats and napkins before we sat down to breakfast and dinner. This is not good at all and it made people feel uncomfortable. The staff have changed and are definitely it as efficient- maybe because of lack of training. We felt sad because the previous staff were incredibly efficient and attentive. The food was mediocre and too salty. The chef in the mornings was very kindly and attentive. The other observation and annoyance was the house cleaning lady woke us up several mornings in a row making so much din banging and shouting at around 7am. We were not impressed and felt the need to complain. It was quieter after that but she made a point of not cleaning our cups and glasses for a few days after. Not good. We did enjoy last year but will not be going back again after this years experience.
We have been coming to the Marelen for the past 4 years, and have always had a wonderful time. We still did this year except there were a few things we noticed that were not so good. The breakfasts and dinners are still excellent as I think it’s the same Chef as we now know the hotel has changed hands. However during breakfast we noticed lots of tables were laden with crockery that hadn’t been cleared which resulted in swarms of wasps everywhere. People were coming down for breakfast and couldn’t find a clean cleared table. Wasps were landing in Peoples orange juice. We have never experienced this before, tables were cleared immediately and therefore no wasps. Also the pool bar staff were definitely not as friendly as before and for 3 days on the trot I asked for a tuna salad or tuna wrap but there was never any tuna. I cannot understand why that was, I was not the only one who asked for tuna either. We ended up going up the road to the Delight Bar for a tuna wrap. I couldn’t understand why it was on the menu when clearly there was never going to be any. We did also have a bit of an issue with the shower as it flooded the bathroom into the bedroom. As I say we still did enjoy our week as everything else was excellent, the maids, Nikos (as usual), the pools, reception. We are coming back next year too and hopefully the couple of issues will be resolved.
Lovely hotel conveniently situated near kalamaki. Rooms clean and modern. Breakfast was freshly prepared each day. Staff are great especially Nikos the barman in the Eden cocktail bar.
Just returned from another visit to the Marelen. The hotel has been taken over this season by new Polish owners who I believe also bought the Golden Sun across the road.
We noticed a few changes and not for the good.
On arrival a welcome drink is promised. This turned out to be a plastic glass of cold water. Refreshing but not exactly 4 star.
Our room was one of the smaller rooms, with a double and single beds, aircon, kettle, TV, safe and fridge.
Its OK for 2 but a very tight squeeze for 3 people.
The toilet really lets the room down. Its tiny and very awkward to get in to. The shower area is OK but again small. The shower itself was pretty good.
There is a door stop screwed to the floor directly in front of the toilet basin which prevents the glass door from hitting it. Its positioning however meant painfully standing on it as you maneuvere around the small area.
Two electronic keys are provided which is very handy and the balcony is a reasonable size with a table and 3 chairs provided.
Breakfast was the usual affair with a plentiful selection. Sadly there is no longer freshly made omelettes available or fresh honeycomb.
The young girl at the restaurant checkin desk was friendly but the other staff not so.
There is an evening outdoor cocktail bar which was very popular.
The pool bar serves standard stuff during the day but the three barmen who serve there are not welcoming and at times rude. More interested in their phones than their customers. I wasn’t impressed.
The chicken baguette we had was dry, with the chicken being deep fried in oil. We ordered a tuna wrap but was served the same style chicken instead of tuna.
The Greek salad however was quite nice. Ice creams were pricey at €4.50 for a Magnum.
Reception staff were efficient and friendly as were the room cleaners and baggage porter.
The pools were all lovely, with a main pool, a childrens play pool with slides and an adults only pool.
Music around the main pool was loud and pretty awful.
A life guard was on duty at the main pool. The other pools were not covered other than a 3 second visual check from the pool area entrance, twice a day.
General maintenance around the pools have seen standards drop from previous visits.
A manhole cover, at the adult pool, was left propped open over our whole stay, a real trip hazard.
Garden water hoses were left lying around and the hose was left running for a day despite staff being advised. I eventually found the source tap and turned it off myself.
The adult pool shower dripped constantly.
The adult pool safety cut off switch and life rings are inaccessible as they are located behind wide dense hedge. A real safety concern.
The steps into the whirlpool are very slippy and we saw 3 people injure themselves from slips.
The pool toilets are unisex. The toilet pan is poorly designed and dirty toilet water is cascaded onto the floor with every flush.
Paper towels were not provided for two days despite twice being advised to staff.
These points are not good enough for a 4 star hotel.
The hotel appears to welcome dogs and we witnessed one poor dog being left in an apartment during the day. It barked quite a lot.
Did we enjoy our visit? Yes.
Will we return? Most probably.
We did think standards had dropped from previous years. Perhaps the new owners have brought in a number of their own staff who are still new to the job.
The Marelen is a lovely hotel and with a little more attention to detail and a warmer friendlier smile from the pool bar staff, could be back to its former glory.
