Matilda Hotel

Please read this review if you want a 100% genuine description of this hotel. There are many dubious reviews of this hotel on here and any review giving 5 out of 5 for all aspects of it should be studied carefully. The 4 star rating of this hotel is not justified in any aspect and 2 stars would be considered generous. Before my review proper, I want to point out two issues that hopefully you will not have to suffer. Firstly, we booked and paid extra for a room specifically with 3 beds due to a medical issue with my partner, but only two were provided when we arrived. Secondly the TV did not work. Both these issues would turn into long winded problems that completely spoiled our holiday. After mentioning both issues to reception and to TUI through their app (no rep available at he hotel) there was no response for two days. Then, on day three a child's bed was added to our room minus any bedding - not really much use to a 6ft 16stone man! Again on day three someone appeared to repair the TV but after repeating the tuning process that we said we had tried several times before they left without a word mid tune! The manager then said someone from 'outside' would fix the TV on Friday, 5 days into our 7 day stay. That never happened and the TV remained unusable for the full 7 days. The next day a fold-up camp bed appeared, this time with bedding, and although more useable than a child's bed it would tip over should you deviate from the dead centre of it - yes, I ended up on the floor! On the subject of beds, the two standard beds were not particularly comfortable as they were on the hard side, but some may prefer that. The last straw came when the shower fixing came loose on the wall and the metal shower head fell on my foot causing me to fall into the cramped bath. At no point was TUI any help at all. We even asked for an early flight home after 2 days but they refused to help. The hotel itself looked really nice in a very pretty location and we had a friendly greeting on arrival so were looking forward to the week ahead. We soon realised the location is very remote and we would not recommend coming here unless you are renting a vehicle or can afford the high taxi prices. We were disappointed to find there is no on-site shop and the nearest one is a 20-25minute walk away on very dangerous narrow roads with no pavements or walkways. It was also a similar walk to the nearest beaches. The bus service consisted of 4 buses a day and were rarely on time and we had to wait up to 45minutes many times. The restaurant was a huge disappointment as the choice of food was very limited and often cold. We're from the UK so like our egg and bacon in the morning so the fact fried eggs were only offered on ONE morning was awful. Instead, a variety of egg based 'stuff' was there instead which wasn't very pleasant. The overwhelming dependence on pasta was boring and we dreaded mealtimes and by the end of our stay tried to avoid them completely. One evening we watched as a guest dropped some tomato and cucumber on the floor, then a member of staff walked past it, looked at it, then spilt some liquid from a plate he was carrying. We waited for him to return with a cloth or mop to clear it up but he continued to collect plates from other tables and just left it! We had to clean it ourselves with serviettes to avoid an accident. Drink machines often ran dry and cutlery was always running out. Risking death walking to the mini market to buy a sandwich became a regular trip most nights! We even started a 'game' each mealtime to try and spot someone smiling in the restaurant but not a hint of enjoyment from anyone the whole week. Funeral parlors have more atmosphere! The general condition of the hotel was on the poor side and definitely not 4 star. The balcony net curtain hem had come undone causing my partner to trip over it. Other areas had poor drapery in need of repair. One mealtime my partner had left her handbag on the floor while we ate and picked it up to find it soaked through - the radiator next to our table had leaked all over the floor. The poolside toilets were atrocious. In the men's one toilet had no toilet seat and the door lock didn't work. In the ladies you had a choice of a loo with a toilet seat that didn't flush or one that flushed without a toilet seat! Only one had a lock on the door. The pool, which was probably the best part of the hotel, had loose safety rails around it with missing screws which left it very wobbly. The whole place left us with a feeling of general grubbiness and neglect. Please see the accompanying pictures. There are a few in-depth reviews on here about this hotel - please read them and trust them more than the over enthusiastic with no detail ones. To sum up: A week in Zante ruined by an over-hyped poor quality hotel extremely poorly managed. It seems even TUI is too embarrassed to send a rep there. Be warned.

If I could summary it all in one single sentence, I would say a peace of mind. The location is perfect. Very close to the beach. In the quiest place in Vasilikos , the view excellent. The stuff welcoming and friendly. They event treat us a basket with traditional gifts from ZANTE. I totally recommend Matilda for your vacations for both Couples and Families. The pool is clean without the smell of chlorine which is very important for us. The food was fresh and very tasteful, Greek cuisine mainly but there is an option for Pizza or Pasta. Room nice and tidy and all the facilities were nice and they were cleaning it daily.

Totally worth it