Lesante Blu Exclusive Beach Resort

We just returned from four magical nights at Lesante Blu. The facilities are top-notch and the pool is absolutely breathtaking, if you're visiting Zakynthos and looking for a relaxing retreat, you must book here- you won't regret it! As a new hotel, there are some areas that Lesante Blu could improve in; however, I am still giving them five stars as the facilities were truly top-notch, the service was excellent a majority of the time, and we had a fabulous time. I also felt like the value for the price we paid was very, very good. Check-In: Felt like VIPs upon arrival. We were provided champagne and sat on plush couches in an incredibly modern lobby. Can't comment much on the check-in process as my husband managed and preferred to speak Greek with the hotel staff; however, the process was efficient and thorough. We were given a quick tour and shown to our room. Bell/luggage service was prompt and excellent. Room: O.M.G. The room was outstanding! We had a huge jacuzzi tub in our room. Twinkling lights illuminate clouds painted over your bed. Plush robes. A bottle of champagne and fruit provided upon arrival. We had a semi-private (it felt private) pool separated by a partition with a large daybed and tables/chairs. Great shower with strong pressure. It should be noted that, as in many "romantic" hotels the bathroom is open-concept, which means the door to the toilet is partially transparent/it's not separated from the bedroom. As one reviewer stated, you might not want to stay here with someone you just started dating...unless that sort of thing doesn't bother you! :) Great bathroom products and amenities. Rooms were very clean with new towels and beach towels provided daily...also free bottled water and fruit/Greek pastries await you! A very nice and unexpected touch. In terms of room cons, again; the open concept bathroom is not for everyone. We had amazing weather while we were in Zakynthos (sunny every day!) but as other reviewers stated our private pool area only received full direct sunlight for one hour daily due to how it is covered. Now, you can walk 3 minutes to a local convenience store (great for cheap soft drinks, snacks, foods, beauty products, etc. and any miscellaneous products you may have forgotten) and purchase a pool float (known to the British as "lilos" apparently); the staff at the store will blow it up for you. If you take the float to the edge of the pool you will receive direct sunlight, but if you are looking to tan on your balcony you may be out of luck. I don't know if this was just the location of our room or if this is the case for all rooms. We also found that the drain in our tub did not function properly. The "Handy" phone provided in your room is great for making free calls and using data/maps without needing to use an international plan and speakers were provided as well. It's clear that Lesante Blu put great thought and effort into the room design, and it shows. The bed was soft which was a nice plus particularly for Europe! It should be advised that the king bed is two twin beds pushed together with an insert in between- again, this is VERY common to find in Europe, but I'd advise not sleeping in the middle of the bed as I did one night- uncomfortable for your butt/bum. They also only had a top sheet and no blankets on top of it - it would be nice if Lesante provided additional blankets in the closets, as I like to sleep with one on top in a cold room. Overall the rooms are absolutely gorgeous and we never wanted to leave! Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi (complimentary) was EXCELLENT. Fast throughout the entire resort. I was able to do work with ease. I appreciated how fast the Wi-Fi as I was able to quickly touch-base with my job without a headache/hassle of trying to connect- it always worked, and it was always incredibly fast. Pool/Beach: Lesante's facilities are SECOND TO NONE. The infinity pool is absolutely spectacular. Where does the pool end and the sea start? I could look at that view forever and ever. It was amazing. Pool chairs were comfortable and we were fortunate to nab a daybed for a few hours one day. As with any resort, there are always "chair hoggers" but it is impossible for staff to really enforce. We found that other guests were courteous for the most part and we always found chairs, even if they weren't always in the most prime of locations. Pool staff comes around with complimentary fruit and water which is an amazing touch! The pool is cold, but you will find non-heated pools EVERYWHERE in Greece. Pools simply are not heated. I am usually a wimp and do not like to swim in waters less than 86F (30 degrees celsius). However, I found that I was able to tolerate the water temperature! Once you are in, I promise that it is refreshing! Private beach was also very nice, very comfortable chairs and seating arrangement. I do recommend chartering a boat or going to other beaches on the island though as well, as there are so many wonderful beaches in Zakynthos to explore. Dining: We ate at the hotel three times- twice for lunch at the pool bar, and once for dinner also by the pool. Prices were very expensive which is to be expected at a five star resort; however, prices were inconsistent. For example, I found the drink prices to be very reasonable; but the entrees to be very expensive. For dinner I had the bolognese pasta and my husband had the pork steak. My husband said the pork steak was outstanding, the pasta was just "okay" and the noodles were a bit cold. Drinks were always consistently good and strong. For lunches, we had the caesar salad, the club sandwich, and the burger. The club sandwich, which was served on pita, is a hit and is highly recommended! Service at the pool restaurant was usually excellent; prompt and courteous- with the exception of our final lunch in which the service was extremely slow. We had to remind the staff to bring my drink and the food took forever to arrive. This was disappointing due to the high price; especially when the service before was excellent. We also contemplated the buffet one night but it seemed extremely expensive for the value. Even though it is a five star resort, I don't think 35 euros per person for a buffet is reasonable. Breakfast: Breakfast (complimentary) was very good and service was ALWAYS excellent. Kind and courteous staff and a nice selection of hot and cold items. They had an omelette station daily and a build your own Bloody Mary bar. Beautiful terrace overlooking the sea and pool. The waiters bring coffee and fresh juice. My only suggestion would be to perhaps switch up the items each day as it seemed that the same items were offered daily. Spa: My husband and I both received massages while we were there. The price for a one hour massage was extremely reasonable. This was interesting to me as other services within the hotel (dining etc.) are expensive- but hey, we will take it! Both of our massages were very good and an excellent value for the price. The therapy rooms were luxe and clean! Lesante might want to consider heated massage tables or heated location in the future. Of course, my therapist asked if I was comfortable; but it might be a nice touch as a suggestion. The spa facilities were clean and nice, but you couldn't really have more than one woman in the locker room without it feeling crowded. Additionally, we were VERY disappointed in the spa pool. Even though we received a treatment, we also negotiated access to the spa facilities in our room rate. We wondered why it was always empty as it is BEAUTIFUL and we were so excited. The spa pool is FREEZING. It is not heated whatsoever, and unlike the outdoor pool which receives the sun's rays, it consistently stays cold. There is no hot tub or warm water facilities. This is crazy to me- I have been to many indoor spa pools and they are always heated- and if not, there is a hot tub you can access. I would NOT pay the 30 euro fee to access the spa facilities- we were the only people there, and for good reason. Again, the indoor spa pool is breathtakingly beautiful and we were SO excited based on pictures/videos/etc. and it was a huge letdown. My husband, who can pretty much swim anywhere, could not get in because it was SO cold. We were expected a warm hydrotherapy, spa pool; not a freezing pool. I truly hope that Lesante reconsiders this and decides to add a heater to the spa pool. It would make the facilities so much more attractive to prospective guests. As a side note: There are also NO hot tubs on Lesante's premises which was kind of disappointing especially if you like bathing in the evening (outdoor pool is too cold to swim at night). Your jetted tub inside your room is your only option for bathing in warm water. I think Lesante needs to add hot tubs to their facilities - one indoor in the spa, and one outdoor. Location: Lesante is a bit off the beaten track, especially if you aren't renting a car. Again, we were mainly there to relax and spent a tremendous amount of time at the hotel- with that pool and view, why wouldn't you?! :) We also had pre-booked excursions that included hotel pickup, so it wasn't a huge problem for us. As I mentioned earlier there is a convenience store within easy walking distance. Tsilivi (8 euro cab ride each way) is a 45 minute walk away, but we were informed that there are no good walking paths to get there. I believe there are some bars in Tragaki that may be within walking distance, but we did not explore them. The town of Zakynthos is a 15 euro cab ride away. The hotel often called a cab for us; and sometimes we'd have to wait upwards of 15 minutes to be picked up. This wasn't a huge deal for us as we were on vacation enjoying ourselves without time constraints, but if you plan on exploring on your own and you don't want to rent a car, this may be a bit of a problem for you. Again, having the "Handy" phone was great when coming home; we could phone a taxi to be picked up for free. Although we always easily found one at a taxi stand in Zakynthos town; sometimes we had to phone one while in Tsilivi during the day. Although it would probably impact their on-site dining revenue, I'd LOVE if Lesante implemented a complimentary shuttle system to Tsilivi - I think it would make staying there much more attractive to prospective guests. Overall: Overall, if you are looking for a magical and relaxing vacation you must stay at Lesante Blu! While there are a few areas they could improve, I cannot wait to return! Magical stay and excellent, courteous staff! Very hard-working individuals. WE WILL BE BACK!!!

We loved this resort so much because of its infinity pool and the views that the hotel offer, also the design and the friendly staff. The breakfast was also very good. What we didn???t liked was the fact that for two days in the row they didn???t bring us shower gel, shampoo, body lotion and the complimentary water and we had to call and ask for it. Also we didn???t like that the sun beds at the pool were always busy because some guests of the hotel throw a towel on them at 8 am and come to stay at the pool only in the late afternoon. At all this time these sun beds are not free...