Mariana Aparthotel

10 of us went on a club 18-30 holiday on 30th June for a week. 6 of us stayed in the studio block, 3 in each room.
Our room with the 3 of us in faced fields and our friends 3 room was opposite ours across the corridor (which was nice) and faced the opposite apartments which were for 2 people (the 2 people rooms were old and a bit shabby but clean enough).
The 3 person rooms were really spacious and lovely, the shower didn’t have a curtain and was just in the corner of the bathroom lol so it got really flooded but we just had to mop it up.
When we went you didn’t have to pay for a fridge so when I read that other people have to since I was shocked! We were allowed to buy our food from anywhere and the Aussies didn’t check.
Guess we went at a good time! The little kitchen area is adequate just 2 electric rings, no toaster or anything just a saucepan and frying pan etc. so you can’t make an awful lot but it was fine really! Cheap hol if you cook your own stuff like we did (pasta! lol)
I did notice that there were sick stains on my sheet when I arrived yuck but we just got them changed right away so it wasn’t too bad. I don’t think we got towels in the rooms so bring towels!
The maids were sweet and pretty nice if you got talking to them. Loo roll in a bin not down the loo btw, but it’s not a probably when you get used to it. We just kept forgetting and putting down the loo but it was fine nothing happened lol.
The two Aussie brothers were pretty grumpy and will take you for all you got! As you have to pay a (I think) 35 euro deposit each and give your passports in on arrival you have no choice but to pay up if they find a fault with your room at the end!
This happened to our friends in the 3 room opposite us, the brothers found a scratch in the mirror in the bathroom which they failed to notice on our arrival and so charged them 50 Euros for it but some random old man said he’d pay it for them (weirdo but v kind) so they were very lucky lol.
So if you notice anything wrong in your room when you arrive GO and tell the brothers asap! So they know it’s not you.
The Mariana is just off the main laganas strip down a dark 3 min road so don’t walk on your own!
Its quiet off of the main road and the studio apartments were nice and quiet apart from our neighbours lol but bring earplugs if you want to sleep, as it is exclusive to 18-30 so what do you expect ha-ha.
The pool was clean and nice, but smelt a bit of eggs- I think the sewage system or drains or something are a bit dodgy in Zante though!

Food at the pool bar was great snacky stuff- expensive though so if u can be arsed go down the road 4 cheaper food.
I think it was 5 Euros for a magnum ice-cream!
Oh yeh and you’re not allowed anything food/drink wise you didn’t buy from the hotels own shop so here’s a tip, buy your water (big 6 packs) down the road (5-10 min walk) and then buy a little bottle from the hotel shop and fill that up each day with your own water ;). Bit annoying but cheap as.
The clubs were amazing, great variety! Did not see one fight whilst we were there!
Just make sure the Mariana is the kind of place you'd like to stay, you get what you pay for basically but the studios for 3 people really are lovely, they’re not next to the pool but you just walk across the gravel road and you're there.

We went to this hotel for a week. Laganas was brilliant but the hotel was poor.

The reputation of being bumped for money is spot on. We didn't mind paying the 50 Euro deposit but when they make bar orders up and try and take the money off you at the end of the holiday, it's out of order.
There is an old man just walking around the pool and emptying your drinks in front of you if they weren't bought from their supermarket or bar.
The sheets were not changed all week and to be honest it was a bit of a dump.
I would highly recommend a holiday in Laganas, just stay away from this hotel.

Overall Zante is amazing and to be honest I found the Mariana Studios to be pretty good as well.
Even though I have to agree, the two Australian guys that run the hotel really do try to bump everyone out their money. They pretty much try to get money out of you any chance they get and there's nothing you can do about it. It is good business from there own selfish point of view, but a rip off from a customer’s point of view. Fair play to the two guys though coz they don't half put in a shift. My friend got his mobile stolen and I got a t-shirt stolen so lock up your valuables in your suitcase.
The rooms do rarely get cleaned as well!
24 hour bar almost makes up for the way you get treated by the Aussies coz if there's a good crowd at the hotel you are all bound to meet back at the bar at the end of the night which was always a good laugh.

I can’t believe what people are saying about the Mariana. This hotel is fantastic and Pete and john are great.
Some people are so rude, believe it or not if you break something you have to pay for it and they are entitled to name the price as it is there hotel.
Me and my friend went for a club 18-30s holiday and ended up having one of the best holidays ever, the accommodation was great, food was good and the pool area with bar was fab.
As for the cats!hey are pets and keep mice away, I would have thought people from England would realise that.
Any concerns or worries Pete and john would deal with it for you, and they never once try and take more money off you. The reps were great they made our nights out fab and even paid for a taxi back to the hotel for us. Everything was well organised and planned and I always felt safe both at hotel and out with the reps. Well done Pete and John, and Simon (rep) keep up the good work.

Firstly I must say Laganas is absolutely fantastic, I had a great time. The accommodation was an absolute disaster though!
To look at from outside the place looks really nice and clean. But the rooms are absolutely filthy, on arrival the bedroom floor was dirty, the walls were covered in suspicious looking dirty marks.
We had read some reviews before we left and couldn’t imagine it was that bad! The maids came in every day but all they done was empty the bins, the floors were never cleaned even though it was impossible to keep them dry because of the showers.
On day 4 I had to ask for my sheets changed, and some people never had them changed for the whole week! There were cats running about everywhere. The aussie's who ran the place were rip off merchants. On arrival you had to pay a 50 Euro damage deposit and were told you could only buy stuff from their supermarket to keep in the fridge otherwise you would have to pay 35 euros, absolutely outrageous considering its a self catering board basis!
One of the aussie's was a nice enough bloke but the other bloke was rude and obnoxious. The whole holiday was spent with someone watching your every move, as far as I was aware I went on holiday not to boot camp, the 18-30 rep was rude also, so I would say to anyone planning to stay in the Mariana, do not waste your money it’s an absolute shambles of a hotel!

I have just arrived back from Zante & it was the best holiday I've ever had - I cried my heart out when I had to go home. I returned home exhausted from all the long nights and even longer days. The nightlife is fantastic and the people I met were all AMAZING (especially the fellow Geordies!)
The holiday was the best but it did have one big down side; the Mariana hotel.
It is run by two brothers – They will speak to you like you are five years old and charge you whatever he wants at the bar. He is the most miserable person I have ever met in my life. The younger brother is much nicer but don’t take anything he says at face value. He'll be nice to your face but I heard him be quite nasty about so many people behind their backs that I am in no doubt that he will have done this about me also!!
The room when we arrived was absolutely FILTHY. The floor was not washed or even swept once in the week that we were there and the sheets were only changed once, after four days and this is because we asked for them to be changed.
On arrival you will be given two keys - one is for a safety deposit box - make sure you give this back if you do not intend to use it because you will be charged anyway.
Even if you have paid for a self catering holiday, you will be charged for use of the fridge (35 euros) unless you buy all of your food and drink at the supermarket across the road which is run by the hotel as well. You MUST keep your receipts also. The supermarket is more expensive than all other food and drink shops but it's not extortionate.
The hotel is noisy at every hour of the day but you do learn to sleep through this. This is definitely the place to be if you want to party at all hours of the day and night (which my sister and I did regularly - ha ha)!
We heard a lot of horror stories about people getting charged for ridiculous things like ''sand stains'' on the bed sheets and one girl got charged 200 euros for a new mattress when she was sick on the bed even though it was only on the sheet (trust me those mattresses are not worth anything near 200 euros). Nothing like this happened to us however, and from what we experienced you will get your deposit back as long as you report all faults with your room immediately & don’t damage ANYTHING. They will go into your room with a checklist for inspection before they will check you out.
After reading all of that you might rethink staying in the Mariana but please don’t rethink Laganas if your planning on visiting - it is a brilliant place and I highly recommend it to anyone. A holiday is, after all, what ever you make it!

This hotel is a real let down. It looks nice enough in the brochure but when you get there you soon realise that all the negative reviews on here are true. I read the reviews and thought it can't be that bad but it is.
This is what I experienced
1) Rooms were cleaned only twice in two weeks.
2) Bed sheets were changed twice with the second time being two days before we came home.
3) The toilet roll was never replaced until we started buying our own.
4) No air con in the rooms however there was a fan on the ceiling that you had to pay for if you wanted to use it.
5) You get charged for using the fridge unless you had bought the items from the two specific stores. You have to keep the receipts in the fridge to prove where you purchased from.
6) When we arrived we were given the room key along with a safety deposit box key. What we wasn't told is that if you didn't hand in the safety deposit box key the next you would be charged for a full weeks use of the safe. We only found this out when we saw a piece of paper on the back of our door detailing this info, so we ended up paying for a weeks use.
7) They keep Parrots in a cage and they screech throughout the day and early evening so you will get no sleep especially if you’re staying in the studios next to them.
If you’re thinking of visiting Zante I would seriously recommend staying in another hotel.

1 reader found this review helpful

I can’t believe that people have slagged off the Aussie guys at the Mariana! We found them to be very helpful and would always answer any questions we had and call us a cab anytime night or day. We stayed for 2 weeks all together and during that time we saw countless things get broken or destroyed and people not owning up to it even though it was in their room. I can fully understand why they charge you... If you break it you fix it or pay for it to be fixed.... It wouldn’t be any different at home so why should it be ok to wreck someone else’s stuff when you’re away? Overall it was a great holiday the pool was big and always lively and a bar rights next to it what more could you ask for. I would recommend the Mariana to anyone

1 reader found this review helpful

During my stay at the hotel Mariana i found the hotel to be of a high standard in both cleanliness and facilities. The hotel staff were always pleasant and polite and extremely helpful. The rooms were cleaned during the week and if there were any problems in the mean time they were dealt with quickly. A lot of the guests that were there the week we stayed were young 'lads' who were obnoxious and rude to both the guests and the hotel staff.
From reading other reviews of previous guests that have said the hotelier is only out to get your money is untrue. The people that were charged for damages were those with animalistic tendencies who did not know how to conduct themselves in other peoples property, I even witnessed doors being kicked in and thumped on at all hours of the night, the hotel cat being thrown in the pool and general foul behaviour from what are supposed to be human beings.
All in all our stay at the Mariana was thoroughly enjoyable and I would recommend the hotel to any future guests.

First off Zante is fantastic! The bars and people are great.
They have cats running around and the cats are crawling over the pool bar when your trying to eat breakfast. i saw one cat leaving the kitchen!
The cleaners wont clean your room if your in it, even if you tell them its ok. We were there for a week and the sheets were changed once cuz they wouldn’t come in. If you were in the room they locked the door when they left, weird!
They charge you for everything. and i mean everything! we said we didn’t want a fridge. When we got to our rooms there was one already in there from the last person. It stayed there unplugged for the week cuz no one mentioned it to us. On the last night the manager tried to claim we asked for it and that he was charging us for it.
On our last night we kept a room on as we had flights in the morning. Our friend from another party had, had an operation out there and so we took him up to our room for a shower (not that he could with stitches!) before he flew home and the guy charged us 8 euros for it!! The guy is injured and they wont allow him to freshen up!
My advice, don’t go, if you do, don’t back down and let them win.