Date of review:
the island of zante is a beautiful place to holiday. but would advise anyone strongly not to stay in (the zante village hotel) from the start of our two weeks holida
y all nine of us contracted a stomoch bug wich lasted for the duration of the holiday. we had paid to go all inclusive and feel we have been let down by the choice and quality of the food. the staff were unfriendly and the rooms were dirty.
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Date of review:1 Sep 2011
all arangements were with Thomas Cook who provided us with a holiday through First Choice.i would recommend this island and location to anyone.We had a fantastic hol
iday.Apart from the self-catering facilities, which are very basic.Brilliant.
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Date of review:1 Aug 2011
We stayed at the Letsos Hotel, Alykanas, it was not listed above. We had read very bad reviews on trip advisor. However, we were open minded about what to expect. We
have stayed in many Greek hotels and are used to the basic standard of most hotels.
After the worst flight I had ever experienced (3 large groups of young boys heading for Laganas, fueled by the constant supply of alcohol that was continuously offered to them by air line staf., At one point a fight broke out and I went to report our concern, drinks being thrown over us and my hair being pulled during the scuffle, to the crew. They promptly responded by telling the boys to 'shhhh' and then offered to sell them more Stella! I have never seen so much alcohol on sale during a flight. I can only assume the air crew were on commission.) When we arrived at our accomodation. We were pleasantly surprised by the appearance of our hotel. The pool area was lovely, although in need of a facelift. The reception area was bright and modern. However, our room was unbelievably hot. We paid the 50 euros necessary to have air con. It didn't work and when we spoke to the manager, he was extremely rude. We reported the problem to our rep but didn't hear anything from her for the rest of the holiday. We spent our holiday sleeping on the floor with the balcony doors wide open. This resulted in very bad mosquito bites which I am still receiving medical attention for, 3 weeks later. Having said this, some staff were very polite, especially when they were taking the 50 euros from us for the air conditioning.
Having said this, the resort of Alykanas was beautiful and the locals very helpful and friendly.
Our transfers to and from the airport were extremely efficient and our rep very helpful. The staff checking us in were also very helpful and friendly. The flight home was much better than the outgoing flight, although I was not happy that the head steward was laughing and joking with the boys who had caused so much discomfort and concern to the other passengers on the way out. I would reccommend Alykanas to anybody but not the Letsos.
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Date of review:1 Jul 2011
Zante Village Hotel, Zante
We recently returned from our holiday at the Zante Village Hotel in Zante and I unfortunately feel compelled to write and complain at my e
arliest opportunity
Because of the low standard of food we were forced to eat out a number of times when ordinarily we would have stayed at the hotel.
No food was labelled and it seemed for was generally reused from meal to meal with even the juice dispenser been emptied after breakfast and refilled from the same container at the next breakfast.
As Mrs McGrath is allergic to fish it was a surprise to find tuna flakes scattered on an old looking salad a number of times at dinner.
The food generally was not warm enough and there were no heating lights to aid this.
Breakfast – This was of a low standard throughout all the hot food was cool, bread was generally stale and the milk for cereals was warm! Cereals were open in large bowls, stale and tasteless. We were not sure who they were catering for as dirty shelled boiled eggs, mini cold hot dog type sausages, almost raw streaky type bacon sitting in fat and kidney beans that seemed to be reused and fermenting were generally turned down by all the holiday makers and were definitely not a Greek delicacy. Fresh fruit “Tinned Peaches” got a little repetitive after 14 days the only other fruit served in two weeks was water melon. There was no fresh fruit juice and the squash that was served was so dilute it could have passed for water! The continental breakfast consisted of the same processed cheese and a ham similar to Billy Bear reconstituted meat every day, accompanied by tomatoes and cucumber with no variation.
We were forced to buy cereals, milk, bread, fruit, butter, sauces in bottles and fruit juice to eat in order to have a breakfast or on a number of occasions travelled to other establishment for a hot breakfast.
Snacks – Toasties made from the same meat and cheese from breakfast was to say the least very disappointing! The dry tasteless cake that was served with it was unfortunately no better. I would write more about the snacks but that was all that was on offer every day. To be advised that sancks were available daily and then have this limited and low standard available was to say the least shocking. The ice cream served from 1400hrs until 1800hrs must have been the cheapest locally available as it was mainly ice and the scoop used was left in a glass open to the elements and exposed to flies. If it had have been washed and the water changed more often we would have possibly sampled the three flavours a little more often.
Lunch / Dinner – Were both disappointing and of a low standard, below are a number of complaints.
Half cooked chips
Burnt pork gyros
Stews that were cold greasy congealed and inedible
Fish that was bathing in fat and frankly I would not feed to our pet cat
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Date of review:1 May 2011
Stayed a Danny's apartment, lovely place, lovely greek family, made us feel very welcome, will certainly go again!
Date of review:1 May 2011
had a great great time, i've been to loads of hol destinations around the world but this was one of the best for entertainment and nightlife was out of this world
Date of review:1 Oct 2010
The accommodation was great, friendly and clean - the maid came every day. I can't do much about about the bad weather or the "end of season" feel to the place when
I travelled, but I met some nice people all in the same boat. The place must be jumping at the height of the season. I would go back in the summer with the rest of my family. We all love Greece, but usually the other side of the mainland.
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Date of review:1 Sep 2010
great little place not to big not to small , handy for getting around the island some great trips available
tranfer time from airport 25min
Date of review:1 Sep 2010
Wanted - Good clean safe accommodation on a nice Greek Island and easy access to restaurants and bars.
Must be able to get access to beaches, hills, scenery and bea
utiful warm sea to snorkel in.
A full round of ticks was achieved. Lovely island. Nice resort (especially if you do have kids!). Good clean accommodation.
Not rowdy. Lots of food options. Snorkelling was spectacular if you put the effort in to find the best locations (down the steps at the windmill....shhh don't tell everyone!)
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Date of review:1 Sep 2010
The flight to Zakynthos and onward transfer to the resort of Alykanas were uneventful and quite pleasant. The accommodation, basic by UK standards, is reasonable by
Greek Island standards. The resort is being overdeveloped, but is still nice. The locals are extremely friendly and helpful; that is true for all parts of the island we have visited. We have been coming here for 17 years and have been to most places,even the highest point on the island, marked by a stone plaque, from where one can look down on the aerial masts that can be seen high above Alykanas.
However, the whole holiday was spoilt by the organisation of the return pick up and treatment at the airport. We spent 1 and a half hours on the bus for what was effectively a 10 mile journey, and then spent 1 hour 10 minutes queuing for the check-in. This was down to Thomas Cook checking in 4 aircraft full of passengers at the same time. It was an absolute shambles. The then 15 minute queue to put luggage through the scanner was down to the airport organisation. A very tiring and disappointing end to a pleasant holiday. The actual flight home was good; the flight crews on both journeys were excellent.
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Date of review:1 Sep 2010
we stayed in the rosa apartments they were very clean and comfortable all we needed as we eat out no pool but you can use the one nesk door most of the greek people
speak english we had excellent food i would recomend these apartments
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Date of review:1 Aug 2010
ALTHOUGH THE ACCOMMODATION COULD DO WITH UPDATING THE ACTUAL POSITION ON THE BEACH WAS FANTASTIC. IT WAS A 5 MIN STROLL TO THE MAIN STREET WITH ALL THE RESTAURANTS,
SHOPS AND BARS. THERE WERE NO 18-30S JUST FAMILIES AND OLDER COUPLES. LOADS OF RESTAURANT CHOICE, BARS WERE FEWER WITH SOME OFFERING A QUIET DRINK ,WHILST OTHERS HAD BLARING MUSIC. WOULD DEFINITELY RETURN
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Date of review:1 Jul 2010
This place is beautiful, I took my 2 children and we all loved it. The staff at the Alykanas hotel are amazing, so friendly and helpful, they really get to know you
and are always smiling.
Graet food at the hotel and at most of the surrounding places.
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Date of review:1 Jul 2010
First Time in Alykannas staying at the Alykannas Beach Apart/Hotel, with my husband and 7 year old son.
Cannot fault this holiday, stayed for 10 days wish it had bee
n 14.
Resort fantastic, Hotel and Staff fantastic looking forward to going back next year.
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Date of review:1 Jul 2010
The location of the Alykanas Beach Aparthotel is brilliant - right on the beach and within walking distance of restaurants/bars. The apartment was kept very clean as
were the reception areas, the pool and the surrounding areas. The bar staff were very friendly. There are plenty of areas around the pool to sit in the shade as it was very hot when we went in July. We particularly liked having a drink in the shade overlooking the sea. The beach is very safe for children as it is shallow for quite some distance. If you want to hire pedaloes do it in the morning as the wind picks up at about 3pm - 4pm every day.
Be aware that air conditioning and safe keys are an extra cost. One negative point was the loud music that sometimes filtered through to the apartment until 12.30am. This is something people should be aware of - while it didn't spoil our holiday, it was a bit irritating.
We walked into Alykes most evenings and ate at Fidelios - food and service were good and they didn't stand on the street trying to encourage you to eat in their restaurant - which we found happens quite alot.
We went on two trips with Thomas Cook, the water park and a boat trip. Kids (teenagers) had great fun at the water park - was well worth the money. The boat trip was good although the caves were a little disappointing - but still glad we went.
Overall, I would recommend staying at the Alykanas Beach - we had a lovely holiday with plenty of bars/restaurants within walking distance and good, clean accommodation, a lovely pool and right on the beach!
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Date of review:1 Jul 2010
This was our first trip to Zante. We'd been trying to go for four years but we're "bumped" as double booked several years running. This time we got there. Alykanas B
each Aparthotel is a fabulous setting. The staff are friendly, the rooms are extraordinarily clean and tidy. The cleaning staff are fantastic. The pool bar setting has an assortment of tables and chairs which you can see form the photos. You can sit by the beach for a wonderful breeze or sit within the many roofed areas. Quick, friendly table service adds to the attraction. The food is excellent for a pool bar. You must try the milk shakes.
The only downside was the evening entertainment. Not great and a large red, "Britain's Got Talent" reject button would have been popular, Away from the resort, a hire car is essential if you want to get into the mountain areas. Fantastic scenery and nice tavernas. Sitting at sunset in the high taverna above Alykanas, as the shadows lengthen across the valley floor below is stunning.
Zante has two waterparks. Having tried both, I would recommend the newer one at Tsilivi. It is fantastic value for money. Your Euro14 entry price includes lunch+drink and the staff are much more enthusiatic and friendly. Contrast that with the older park at Sarakinado which has a Euro18 entry price, nothing included but weary staff.
In summary, I would definitley return to the Alykanas Beach, though I believe they're changing tour operator for 2011.
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Date of review:1 May 2010
Three of us stayed in our studio apartment, myself (31), my husband (33) and our little boy (18 months).
We have stayed at Alykanas Beach 3 times, each time has gott
en better. The rooms are basic but clean. The cleaners were always nice - no grumpy maids here! The bathroom has a shower curtain and a decent shower for Greece. The kitchen facilities are manageable (new toaster and kettle), I'm not great with electric rings but we were only cooking for our little boy. However there was a nice big swing bin under the sink!
The beds and pillows were comfortable (nice and hard, but not solid like many Greek beds!) and the cot for the baby was perfect. We had no need for the A/C, but it is available should you need it. There are English channels on the TV, we mostly stuck to the usual Sky News. The rooms are always nice and cool even if it's hot outside with shutters for the patio doors to keep the sun out.
The pool area is immaculately clean and the surrounding gardens and play area are welcome additions. Have a go on the swinging recliners, oh so comfy. The pool was quite cold - our usually happy water baby found it too cold, although he managed a couple of go's on the slide ;0). The shallow pool was perfect for the other little ones in our group who were a bit braver. The sunloungers aren't the thick luxury kind, but not the plastic "sore bum" kind either and you can happily sunbathe all day as the sun is always on the pool area.
Food and drink was good, and the shop by the pool was well needed since the supermarket is 5 minutes (!) away. Not sure about the back massager, but having computers for internet access in the lobby was helpful. Next year free wi-fi please?
I can recommend the following excursions: Zante town for shopping on a cloudy (rare) day, the shipwreck for stunning views, turtle beach, Tsilivi beach resort for McDonalds :0), hiring a car for the more remote beaches and the water park for lots of fun!
When eating out expect standard fare in most places. We loved the Asteria because of the amazing location on the beach, the great food and the great service. In fact we ended up there pretty much every night, apart from our usual walk up to the Lemon Tree restaurant and clip clop home on the horse and cart. The horses run between Alykanas and Alykes in replacement for taxis. Makes for a nice ambience. Most places on Baco beach are nice for your evening meals because there are boardwalks on the beach and the kids can play while you eat.
The beach in Alykes is white, powdery and lovely, unlike the beach at Alykanas which is slowly depleting so it's worth the walk along the bay for. You can go on some lovely walks up to the Katastari village, through the fields and around the salt flats.
Overall a fantastic time as always thanks to the resort and to Alykanas Beach. See you next year!
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Date of review:1 Jan 2010
Excellent. Thats the only way to describe everything. The best accomodation and resort we have been to so far, in all the Greek islands we have been tried. Our room
was on the front of Alykanas Beach with a sea view, what more could we want? The staff were all very welcoming and would always do their best to help in any way, nothing was too much trouble. A lot of the guests had been lots of times before and return year after year. We went to the Greek night at the Alykanas Beach which was very good and good value (10 euro adult and 5 euro children). My children were aged 15 and 9 and both enjoyed everything. We also went on a few trips and around Zante, very good. We would certainly go back here, and I would reccomend it to anyone. I wish I was back there now. We will definately be returning.
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