Zelia Resort Halkidiki Hotel

Our suite was spacious and pleasant, with overhead fans to keep the air moving. A 10ft slider opened onto the pool deck, where there were two chairs, a table, and two comfortable loungers cantilevered over the water. I wish they'd left us a skimmer net. The pool had only been skimmed, not fully cleaned, a couple of hours before checkout after our 3 night stay. With all the trees, vegetation, frogs, and grasshoppers, things get into the water. That's hard to prevent, but having a way to clean it ourselves would've helped us use the pool. The view is very nice and the grounds were looked after. Check in went smoothly, and they honored our Globalist suite upgrade at the end of building 4, near the pool bar. But only one room key registered, and the bellman couldn't get the other one working. The internet was fussy, with very poor download speeds at the desk, and both our phones kept dropping and reconnecting around the suite. We didn't order room service, but the 20 euro tray and delivery charge seems excessive. Breakfast was the only meal we had there. It was consistent across all 3 days, with no menu variety. The made to order omelette ranged from good to overcooked to good enough. I'm glad I could switch away from all inclusive, or I might have been more disappointed. Restaurant service wasn't great, though the staff were pleasant. I saw one cook resting their elbows on the serving counter, apparently bored, and other staff had long hair without hair nets. Maybe Greece doesn't require them, but I noticed. The unpleasant arrival starts well before the property. Driving in from town, I said I was surprised Hyatt would invest in a resort but not improve the last few hundred yards of road. For several kilometers the route was barely wide enough for two cars, partly paved, full of potholes and litter. The approach near the property was more of the same. The sense of arrival only came at the flashing gate arm. I know they aren't responsible for the whole road from town, but that final stretch could've been much better. As others have mentioned, there was a sewage smell near reception by building 2 and in the front parking area by the guard gate. If this weren't a Hyatt property, I would probably stay somewhere else next time I'm in the area. It didn't exceed my expectations.

The food quality wasn't up to the standard I'd expect from a 5* hotel. Still, the trip itself was wonderfully relaxing and peaceful, and I'd happily return. Everything else was close to faultless.

The design and architecture are definitely nice, but that’s about where the positives end. Service is very poor, and there’s a charge for everything. They wanted 20€ just to bring water to the room and 15€ for the stuff, which was unexpected. The food was just so-so, nothing special for a hotel with that “premium” hyatt vibe.

The staff were friendly and smiling, and the rooms were cleaned really well. That's about all I can say in the hotel's favor. I left tired and irritated instead of rested, and I won't come back. We couldn't sleep for 4 nights in a row because there was no soundproofing. The neighbors played loud music, argued, laughed, and we could even hear their intimate life. Their footsteps on the stairs and upper floor sounded like they were inside our room. It went on until 3 a.m. each night, completely unacceptable at this price and for this category of hotel. The room was advertised as a “47 m² studio,” but was actually a narrow, corridor-like space over two levels. The food was scarce and very poor even at breakfast, so we didn't dare try dinner. For a restful vacation with a nice beach and good food, this isn't the place. The hotel is in the middle of nowhere, reached by a narrow road through the fields. Parking is a dirty, dusty lot with only about 10 spaces in front of the hotel. They advertise it as “beachfront,” but the route to the beach is a dusty, rocky path from the side of the hotel, and it's quite far. Then there's a narrow, steep staircase down to a dirty strip of sand just 2 meters wide, with only 10 sets of umbrellas. I've used Booking.com for years and trusted it when choosing hotels, but this time it seems they hadn't properly checked the property.