Caravel in Tsilivi is very expensive regarding the average prices in Zakynthos.
The staff is not nice (never "hello", or "thank you", even at the check-out). Service=0.
The rooms are ugly.
The hotel is clean, but nothing more.
They claim to be a 4 stars hotel, but they are probably 2, may be less...
You have to pay extras for everything : 20 euros /week for the key of your safe, extra for the airconditionning before July and after August.
You have a mini-bar in the room but empty.
If Zakynthos is not a luxury destination in Greece, Caravel gives the worst image of Greece that you can find.

Like the previous posters really concerned having read the reviews after booking. Met many other guests with the same concerns upon arrival and did spot also the missing E.

I cannot speak for the previous guests from last year as it has had a 3 million Euro refit this winter ,but I was amazed at the quality of the rooms, the fridges, showers, regular cleaning which was first class, hair driers and even scales to check yourweight which you will need on AI.

The dining hall was brilliant, plenty of room and I disagree with the previous poster, the food choice was superb. The only way it would repeat is if you tried a bit of everything every day because they had about 6 different choice of meat or fish everyday. Some peole have mentioned the staff, I can only assume it was an attitude problem by the guests as they could not do enough for us overall, you will always get the odd one who is not quite as cheerful and happy but overall great from reception to the cleaners, waiters and bar staff. I am told most have worked there for some years so they haven't changed.

The area is not too noisy and you can get a good nights sleep and awake to a glorious sunrise and calm sea. The sea is a bit rocky as you enter but after about 4 metres you come across a beautiful sandy beach with crystal clear water and you can walk and swim for quite a way. The evening entertainment is not for the young but you are never far from the night life of the Town if thats what you want. They have a resident young lady entertainer who tries very hard to make your stay enjoyable with quizes etc but you are not forced to join in if you want peace and quiet.

The hotel has two pools and you do not have trouble with sun beds as they had new wooden ones delivered with matresses whilst we were there. They have kept the old ones which some prefer, so you generally have a choice rather than trying to scrounge one some where.

A brilliant stay and would highly recommend the Caraval and I did not meet one dis-satisfied guest whilst I was there and we made friends with many. I met people who go there every year and now have even more reason to return. The only worry I have is future prices to stay there as it is very reasonable now.

Incidentally by the time we left the E in Caravel had been replaced.

please dont worry about past reviews i honestly went to the caravel full of trepidation after reading past reports .. i was really happy and relieved when we got there , the hotel was spotless , the pool area clean and tidy , the food was good and differed each day as much as you possibly can differ it when feeding hundreds of people . the staff were friendly , we had to check out at 11am but did not fly untill 6am the next morning we were given the option to book a room for another night or what we did were given a locked cupboard for the bags and later in the day a room to shower in free of charge . there was entertainment of sorts in the hotel but hell there's a whole resort of entertainment just outside the door ....the beach is beautiful with 2 beds and a parasol for 6 euro's a day .we enjoyed our holiday and would reccomend it to anyone including couples and families

My wife and I have just returned from a week's all-inclusive stay at the Caravel. For all those worried people who've read the previous reports, I have to say that we found the hotel complex and the food to be very good. I must admit that my heart sank a little when we first arrived to find the E from the illuminated CARAVEL sign outside was missing...memories of Fawlty Towers came flooding back! But when we stepped inside the bright polished marble reception area with its deep leather seats, our spirits picked up.

Apparently the hotel has had a multi-million euro makeover during the winter months. Our room overlooked the pool and was very spacious and furnished/decorated to a high standard with fridge, hair dryer, satellite TV, balcony, aircon etc. Likewise the lobby and dining rooms are light and spacious.

As we've found with all the inclusive holiday's we've been on, the food get's a bit samey after a few days. But it's all freshly prepared, healthy and nutritious. On the fifth night we went for a Chinese meal to get our MSG fix and spice up the jaded palette!

A few minor gripes stopped us from giving the Ravel a 5 star rating:
- With a couple of notable exceptions, staff are a bit surly, but I guess, in their defence, they do work very long hours
- Apart from the weekly Greek night there is no evening entertainment worth mentioning and the daytime activities are only really of interest to the children
- For such a big hotel complex there should be a larger pool and sunbathing area. There is a limited supply of beds and parasols and they've normally all been taken by 8.30am. It's right on the beach but it's only a skinny stretch of stony sand and you have to pay for beds on the beach. The sea is shallow for a long way out and safe for bathing.

All in all we really enjoyed our stay at the Ravel helped by the fantastic weather. It's an ideal location - just a ten-minute stroll from restaurants, bars and cafes of Tsilivi and just a 30-minute airport transfer. Zante (or Zakinthos as it is known in Greek) is a pretty island, which is green and lush with some lovely bays and coves. We'd recommend the turtle spotting/swimming trip and the trip across to the mainland to see Olympia, home of the Games.