"I have never written a negative review before, as I appreciate no place is perfect, but I feel it is my duty to warn others about this hotel. Our initial booking was for a different property, but we were moved here by OnTheBeach just three days before departure. It turned out to be one of the worst “4-star” experiences imaginable.
False promises & closed facilities
On arrival, we were told the spa, gym and A’ la Carte Restaurant were closed the day before — hardly the start you expect from an all-inclusive hotel. The smaller canteen offered limited, repetitive food which quickly went downhill. As the hotel prepared to close on 1st November for the season (something OnTheBeach never mentioned when rebooking us), it became obvious that we were being fed leftovers.
One night, there were only tubs of strawberry ice cream (contrary to a range of ice cream choices when we arrived); the next night, none at all — the freezer was literally covered with a cloth and flowers! It became a pattern that when a dish ran out, it was replaced by something completely different — for example, fish would suddenly be replaced with meatballs (frozen not fresh). One evening they ran out of chips at 7:30pm (dinner started at 7pm) and replaced them with frozen potato bites, not even attempting to ensure enough of the food choices for all guests. We had waffles the first morning, never to be seen again.
Running out of drinks
They kept running out of drinks too. For example, the diet coke, which they tried to pass off with regular coke instead, before running out completely and simply shrugging their shoulders, saying, “no more.” Then tonic water disappeared too from what was on offer. So much for “all-inclusive.” The older gentleman that served the drinks during the day was kind and friendly, but the lady and younger man serving in the evenings were shockingly rude and unfriendly.
Room issues
Our “jacuzzi room” was clean and looked nice, but the toilet smelled awful. A mix of vinegar which was used by the cleaners (which meant this issue was known to the hotel prior to arrival), but over the course of the day it turned to a awful sewer smell. We also had to unplug the fridge as it made noises. As mentioned in other reviews, the hot tub is dangerously high to climb in and out of, with no handrails or steps. The balcony tiles were extremely slippery when wet — we both slipped (one of us quite badly injured - plus getting stung by a bee just added to the misery) – I also overheard cleaning staff saying they slipped on the tiles as well when it was raining.
After we slipped, we used our swimming towels to soak up the water on the balcony when using the hot tub, but when we went to reception for replacement towels, we were repeatedly told, “Housekeeping is working on it.” By day three we gave up asking, as they never had fresh towels in stock.
End-of-season shutting down
From Thursday to Saturday, the hotel was effectively shutting down around us. The lovely entertainment lady (who deserves credit for her effort) did her final shift Wednesday evening and the “entertainment” for the final nights was led by a receptionist with zero entertainment skills — truly painful to experience. Thankfully, a heavy downpour one evening drowned out the noise – we could not understand why they didn’t just play good music if they couldn't be bothered to keep proper entertainment going until the very end!
Our final day, the 1st of November, staff were packing up the restaurant while guests were still eating a truly disgraceful lunch outside (by now they have also shut the small canteen), draining all the pools so children couldn’t swim and clearing away all the outdoor furniture. No music played for quite some time (I think a guest then requested for them to play music), which was switched off at 4pm, as well as the WIFI! We literally sat watching them dismantle the hotel while waiting for our evening flight (8pm). Staff told us they are coming back the next day to clean up, so why couldn’t they just wait with clearing everything until the next day when guests were gone?
The manager’s response summed up their attitude: “It is what it is — end of season.” My point was simple — if the hotel is open, it should be fully open and provide the experience guests have paid for. If they are not willing to deliver a full service, then they shouldn’t be taking bookings. Instead, the attitude was dismissive and disrespectful, showing zero care or standards. With almost all nearby places already closed, we had no real alternative but to eat and stay at the hotel — all the more reason the hotel should have upheld its 4-star promise. Many other guests we spoke to during those final days felt the same and I truly hope they share their experiences too.
The only saving grace was that the Greek gods blessed us with sunshine most days, and as a family, we made the best of being in Greece. But the Diana Palace itself? An absolute disgrace to hospitality.
Avoid at all costs."
