Exotica Hotel - (Accommodation in Kalamaki)

Barry H

Im staying at the Hotel Exotica (Kalamaki)in a few weeks time for two weeks and i was wondering if anybody could tell me if you need to pre-book a fridge and how much they cost

Euro Divers (Laganas) - (Diving in Zante)

Barry H           

Im addicted !!! I went on the try dive just to see if i would like diving and ended up paying for and doing a follow up dive on the same day it was that good. On the first dive my instructor was Ian who i must say was explained everything clearly and the experience itself was incredible. On my follow up dive again i was to be accompanied by Ian however the other try diver (first dive not a follow up) was very nervous and had to be gently coaxed into it, so Jeff who i must add is a very funny man kindly took me on the dive so Ian could consentrate on helping the other diver overcome his nerves (which he succeeded in doing). Jeff even took me down to see part of the advanced diving course taking place quite deep down and i must say i felt perfectly safe at all times and will recommend to any one to try dive with these lads as they very good and professional in every thing they do. I wanted to do my PADI open water course but never had the time, thinking of going back there later in the year and will definatley do it then. Thanks to all the staff at euro divers it was the highlight of my holiday and ive got all the pictures on cd to remember it and for 12euros its well worth it.

Kalamaki Beach - (Beaches in Zante)

Barry H           

The beach itself was a bit of a let down in appearance,however it is safe to swim if you have kids as it is a very gentle slope and you can actually wade out quite far and its still very shallow.The ionian sea is probably one of the more salty that ive swam in.
Between 3.30pm and 5pm is apparantly the best time to see the turtles and most people saw 2 or 3 by hiring a pedelo for 10 euros for an hour although i only saw one and i was snorkling off the pedelo at the time and i was surprised by the size of it they are huge !!! There was no foot showers on hand anywhere which was also a bit annoying as i had to wait until i got back to my hotel to rinse the sand off.

Doctors Surgery - (Doctors/Chemists in Zante)

Barry H           

Young girl behind the counter spoke very good english and was polite and was a great help in solving an eye complaint out.

Buon Amici - (Restaurants in Kalamaki)

Barry H           

Just returned from a 2 week break in kalamaki, went here on the first night mainly due to viewing these pages and the way the place presents itself from the street and inside. The food was quite tasty the service was good and at the time i thought the price was reasonable, however it was almost double what we payed in every other restaurant we visited in the resort and we also ordered more drinks and starters in the other places !
What was a let down however was the choice on the menu which was very limited.

Guru - (Restaurants in Kalamaki)

Barry H  (09 July 2003)         

I ordered a chicken rogan josh but think it was the chicken dupiaza i was given ,i was promised by the waiter they would do a veg nan bread for me although it wasnt on the menu and then for him to come back and ask if id like a different one instead !!!
The food although not rogan josh was tasty enough however i think i dropped 3 tons of napalm down the toilet the next day!!!

Parthenon Restaurant - (Restaurants in Kalamaki)

Barry H           

The food was quite tasty and amazingly (or quite scary) our meals were on our table 5 mins after we ordered. . . . make your own conclusions on that, however my bill came to 21 euros and i handed a fifty euro note over, now i was intending on tipping, but for the cheek or the blatant theft of it i was given change of 25 euros, either they made a geniune mistake or they just decided to take 4 euros tip for themselves so i complained and left immediatly after being refunded my 4 euros back.Felt a little unwell the next day but not necessarly down to the food !

Dias - (Restaurants in Kalamaki)

Barry H           

This restaurant is hidden off the main laganas road behind the drunken corner,we found the food there fantastic,my mexican steak was one of the tastiest steaks ive ever had.The service was also fantastic and the waiters could not do enough for you they went out of there way to make sure everything was fine from comfort to your meal and they were also great with the children. This restuarant was recommended to me on numerous occasions from people in my hotel who had dined there and all of them had the same to say ....FANTASTIC!
The interior was very well presented and with your meal came there very own service pack all printed with the restaurant name. The house white and rose were beautiful and also came with Dias pronted on the wine glasses.

Merlis Taverna - (Restaurants in Kalamaki)

Barry H           

This was the best restuarant we visited in kalamaki just shading out dias.The service was fast and friendly and the food was beautiful.We found the starters just amazing , i had the tomato stuffed with prawns and my partner the stuffed pepper. My steak was cooked to perfection and all our meals well presented and my only regret was we didnt go back there as we wanted to try other places out also (some we wished we never had), the childrens menu was ideal and amazingly they managed to clear there plates which is quite rare !
Would highly recommend this place and also the house white and rose.

Mermaids - (Restaurants in Kalamaki)

Barry H  (14 July 2003)         

We kept the "famous mermaids" for our last night in a two week break,and possibly caught the place on a bad night.One of the waiters who came to take our order looked a mess, he then went on to say he hadnt slept for 48 hrs because he had been partying.
He took an order for 2 starters and 2 kids meals to be served together and then for mine and my partners main course for after so the kids were not waiting.He also took a drinks order as we were not offered drinks by him as we were viewing the menu.The starters and the kids meals came but no drinks which we had to remind him of.
Then unbelievably we waited an hour from our starters and still there was no main course by which time the kids were obviously becoming restless, i had asked "manuel" the waiter another twice for drinks which never came at all and i had to ask another waiter which resulted in us finally getting our drinks.My patience had gone by the time the hour was up and i asked for my bill and to cancel my main course order. All of a sudden we were then fussed over, the head waiter came over and i said i understanded they were busy but that it was not on and to his credit he was very apologetic and explained some of the grills had broken down and they were behind, he offered me if i stayed all my drinks for free and a bottle of the finest white on the menu which i accepted and within 5 mins our food was there.I found my steak to be very tasty and the sauce was superb, however my partner thought her chicken was only average but in the circumstances i think most people would have been a bit disappointed. If the head waiter didnt do what he did i think the whole of my mermaids experience would of been a disaster.

Paris - (Restaurants in Kalamaki)

Barry H  (15 July 2003)         

Spent most of my time dining in Paris wishing i was across the road in Merlis.We went in as 2 families and were seated outside where we were constantly showered with bugs , they were crawling all over the table flying on to you and hitting the overhead fans and landing stunned all around you and these were big multi coloured bugs.
Had to ask for drinks to be refreshed twice and on one occasion we were given drinks we did not order.I had the tomato salad as a starter( the only starter on the table), and it was exactly that, it was a tomato on a saucer sliced into about 6 slices......nothing else ! I think it was around 2.50 /3 euros for that tomato!!! The beef strogonof had no onions, mushrooms etc, just chunks of alledged beef in gravy with a bit white rice. I had the mousaka which i admit was quite tasty, as well as a pasta dish that was commented on by one member of our party as being quite pleasant,the other plates were thought to be quite bland and we had to wait an eternity for the bill which we wanted rather quickly before we were eaten alive by bugs. For some reason this was the only place that we were troubled by bugs and we ate outside on quite a few occasions.

Tazies Menu - (Restaurants in Kalamaki)

Barry H           

Go to Tazs....pay almost double for your pizzas than you would at Time out takeaway.......be told 15 mins and wait nearly an hour, be talked about behind your back by the staff and get caught redhanded by another customer doing it and shot down when confronted over it as a liar.......do you really want me to go on.....Oh the pizzas were ok but not as tasty as Time outs.

Cave Bar - (Bars in Kalamaki)

Barry H           

Even if you visit this place just for one drink to what the sunset its worth it, well kept and well laid out, drinks were resonably priced but the views were fantastic even if the cave was a bit grotty. Take advantage of the free buggy (tip bucket on board)if you have kids although its still not that bad a climb.

Down Under - (Bars in Kalamaki)

Barry H  (15 July 2003)         

By far the most lively bar in Kalamaki, i paid 4.50 euros for a pint of what looked like John Smiths , pulled like John Smiths but tasted nothing like it.Good selection of new release movies at 3 pm and 5 pm every day and good fast efficient waitress service to you table for your drinks order if you dare not to go to the bar for fear of getting your eye put out when showered with huge chunks of ice chucked by the barmen, one of them very nearly got a clip.
Overall id recommend it music was good and other drinks were cheaper than the "John Smiths" and the place was always full which cant be a bad sign can it.

Drunk Corner - (Bars in Kalamaki)

Barry H           

Tamas your a star, very friendly bar and drinks fairly priced always has a good custom and made the kids feel special and always had time for them even when he was busy. Good sports coverage during the day ideal place to unwind and chill out aswell as listing to good music.Air conditioned inside which at times was a god send. I recommened this place to anyone young or old and with families.
Cheers

Mustang Saloon - (Bars in Kalamaki)

Barry H  (15 July 2003)         

This place sells mainly shorts which are not the cheapest however if you have kids its ideal theres a playstation 2 with a large selection of games and an x box (not working) at quite cheap rates that can keep the kids occupied for a half hour/hour while to take a break and relax with a drink. The internet service is cheap and i had no trouble on a night getting connected however during the day was a waste of time.There is also a little playground out the back for the kids.

Fantasy Apartments - (Accommodation in Laganas)

Barry H  (29 July 2003)         

5 mad c**ts from county durham there on the 7 th sept, watch out brummie lasses that get there on the 4th we gonna do ya !!!