Zakantha Hotel

We just got back from a week at the Zakantha Beach hotel and it was EXCELLENT.

We've been to Zante before (last year) and stayed in a b&b rather than hotel. The Zakantha Beach hotel was much more than we expected.

The room we had 125 (said as 'eno-theo-pende' taught to us by the very-funny Aussie-Greek evening receptionist Danny). It was very spacious and kept very well by the cleaning staff. We had a TV (all stations in Greek - obviously) and a radio thingy built into the bedside cabinet. We had a fridge that was locked and could pay €18 to use it for the week - although being tight we didn't!

The bathroom was very clean, although some people (usually those who have never been to Greece) will be disappointed as it's quite basic. Compared to most Greek Hotel bathrooms however made it look exceptional!

The lights in the room were at waist level so children and wheelchair users will have no problems. The room we had was on the first floor and we used the stairs although there is 2 lifts which will take you to any floor.

The cleaners would usually appear between 11am and 1pm to change the bed linen and towels. They always knocked first and were pleasant enough to return later when we were not in, or clean around us as we sat out on the balcony and read a book.

The first thing that struck me when walking into the Hotel was how grand it looked. The receptionists are extremely pleasant and reception is manned 24hrs a day 7days a week. ALL hotel staff we encountered (receptionists, waiting staff, cleaners, bar staff) ALL understand and speak perfect English, although learning a few Greek words such as 'thank you', 'good morning', 'hello' etc go a very long way and will be more than appreciated!

From reception, there is easy access to the lifts, to the toilets, to the breakfast area, bar area, beach front, safety deposit boxes (€21 per week), telephones, post-box, and a designated area that the holiday companies post their info. We went with Thomas Cook and were able to look up emergency numbers, flight info, guided tour info etc in the designated tour operator area mentioned.

You can walk through reception out into an outside area where you can rest by the pool, on the grass by the palm trees, on the beach, or in the shade. The only real disappointment was that the sun loungers on the PRIVATE beach are chargeable at €3 per day. This wasn't mentioned anywhere, we were just apporached and asked to pay. However, the sun loungers by the pool and by the beach but not on it are free.

The beach is a private one and it has a bar/snack-food area right next to it. There is a bar inside which opens around 6pm and is staffed by a young lady called Monica who is really lovely. Be warned though - Glenfidich is about €7 a glass - although as a measurement it mut be at least 8 shots - I kid you not. Any shot you ask for will be filled up in a glass nearly to the brim. Most shots are around €3. Soft drinks are around €2 which is quite pricey for a small coke. Bottled water is around €1 and 500ml bottles of Mythos is crazily cheap at around €2 a bottle which means for around £3gbp you get a litre of beer! The only annoyance with the bar is that the pool table is €2 a game which can add up a bit.

The bar outside and the breakfasts in the morning are run a by a guy (can't remember his name) who is very friendly too.

During the daytime reception is looked after by a pleasant lady (her name escapes me) and in the afternoon by a lovely lady called Spirodula. She has lots of friends and familyt that run tavernas so speak to her and she'll send you to her friends for free drinks! In the evening there's a great guy called Danny who looks after reception. He gets the unenviable job of humouring the drunkards that are knocking around at 5am etc!

The Tavernas around are excellent. Anyone who goes to an 'English-Food' taverna is missing out. For the best Tavernas, speak to the staff. We mentioed to a fwe who recomended us from the hotel and were often treated to free drinks. One one occasion we were given free deserts, and free wine all evening. We ended up drinking 4 jugs of red and not paying a penny (well a cent) for it. Mind you we gave a good tip which will keep you in favour for the next visit!

Zante airport was a bit of a nightmare in and out, but bear in mind the amount of people coming in and out and the small size of the airport and you have to forgive them for being a little slow. Mind you the prices are a RIP OFF at the airport €4 for a bag of crisps and about the same for a small bottle of water. My advice is make use of the all-you-can eat self-serve breakfast feasts that are layed on each morning and take some water with you.

I think i've pretty much covered everything regards the Zakantha Beach hotel, but i'll update my comments if anything else comes to mind.

Have Fun!

We have just returned from 2 weeks at the hotel. Everything was perfect, we had a side sea view room overlooking Zante town. The staff were excellent too. The cleaners worked very hard and did a good job keeping the rooms, hotel and grounds spotless.

Wee found the pool bar to be very good for a quick snack (Soft drinks are a fortune though!)

Argassi is a good resort, we hired a jeep and saw many of the other resorts on the island. The only place to steer clear of is the Afrodite roof garden - the food and service were really bad, Zorbas over the road is worth a visit.

The music and atmosphere at the 'magic mushroom' was always a good way to end the night, or begin the morning!!

If you end up with the greek coach driver taking us from the 'shed' that is zante airport, you'll need spare underwear! - stevie wonder could have driven in straighter lines.....

All in all a great holiday in a great location in a great hotel.............. great eh!

Brian & Jane

Just got back yesterday and i just have to recommend the apollo bar next door to the red lion at the top mof the town. you could not meet a better bunch of lads. the bar staff will have you in stitches and if you're lucky a few free shots!!! hotel is nice and quiet but there just arent enough sun loungers, sorry!! Beach fab, water really warm. am def coming back later on in the year!!

We have just returned from a fantastic holiday in Argassi, and the best bit I have to say was the hotel. It is very, very clean, the location is excellent just at the quiet end of the resort and right on the beach and the rooms are of a very good standard for Greece - they are quite large with nice bathrooms which have a shower curtain and a shower on the wall - rare for Greece hotels ! The fridge is also worth the extra as we had lots of very nice drinks, lunches and breakfasts on the balcony. The hotel also has the friendliest staff that I have ever had at any hotel, they are fantastic ! The only point is that yes you do have to get up early and get your sunbeds by the pool, but at least this makes you get up for breakfast which again is very nice !

Just got back from Argasi and the Zakantha Beach. The hotel is lovely and quiet and the staff are excellent. Look out for Spiridoyla and Danny the receptionists. They are fantastic. They know everything about everything. Say hi to them from Penny (Panayiota).
The hotel itself is lovely, the location is right on the beach. The water is really shallow and excellent for kids. You have to pay 3 euros for each bed and another 3 for the umbrella. You have to be up early to get a free bed at the pool. Too many towels in place early and it aint the germans, its the english.
Dont go to Laganas unless your looking for 18-30. Dont go to Zante town unless your looking to pay 16 euros for 2 Malibu & Cokes (Nearly collapsed).
The cruise round the island is a must. The wreck is amazing. See Karen at Smile Tours, again, she is fantastic.
Eat all over the place. Papillon was the best and possibly the cheapest. Lamb in the oven is a definate. MMMMmmmmm. Licking my lips at the thought of it now.
Best part was seeing Greece win the Euro 2004. They went mad. Shotguns, fireworks, petrol lit on the road and cars and bikes beeping their horns all night. What an experience.
Definately going back next year!!!!!!

the quality of this hotel is of a really high standard for greek accomodation, however the staff at zakantha make the hotel ultra special. from housemaids to reception to a very fun monica on the bar, all do their jobs brilliantly. the daunting prosect of our first holiday with our five month old daughter went really smoothly and the hotel played a huge part in this. the hotel is in a prime location an we would definately return sometime in the future. if any staff from zakantha do read this, thankyou very much for having us - you shall be missed love tess, ste and maddy x

Spent 2 weeks early June here. Loved it. On the quiet end of Argassi. Walking distance from everything. Rooms cleaned daily. Our room had safe & fridge (cost extra €78 euro for both for 2 weeks). We had room over entrance - could see Zante town from balcony. Had great time. Spiridoula (evening receptionist) was very friendly and sent us to a good family taverna (Granada) other end of town. Will definitely go again.

just come back this morning from our holiday.. the weather was brilliant, the staff are incredible and the pool and sea are irresistable. the only really really bad thing about Zante which would stop me going again is the airport. We went thomas cook and had a 6am flight out.. the police are lazy and dont get in on time to do passport checks which makes all the flights late. as each flight is booked to leave within 5 mins of each other you spend literally 2 hours queueing outside- NOT FUN!
on a better note, monica is brilliant, luciano is lovely, danny has a great sense of humour, but my winner has to be meaghan (also known as beckham)... ladies be warned- he isnt named after goldenballs for his football abilities....

We had an excellent week in the last week of May. Sounds like our timing was perfect as any later and the island is teaming. The hotel was great, clean, helpful staff, lovely pool, good pool bar, good little beach and good hotel bar with pool table.
Argassi is like a Britain in the sun. Loads of English pubs and bars, we found some lovely restaurants (Blu Blu for the view, Venetsiana for the service, but Papillon we kept going back to - have the steak!). Supermarkets aplenty, good to stock up and pay the money for the key to the fridge in the hotel room. We had some relaxed lunches and drinks on our balcony. Breakfast was great and we made it every morning for eggs, bacon and sausages!
The hotel is one of the quieter (if you pick the right time), suited for couples rather than party animals.
We had a great holiday. Make sure you go snorkelling!

Just returned from another holiday in Argassi at the Zakantha Beach. Had a wicked time and the place is still on top form. We met loads of nice people this year who have been going to this hotel for years. We returned yesterday and are already planning another trip for September. Monica from the bar is by far the most friendly person I've ever met. So for anyone who we had the pleasure to meet this June please come and say hello on www.bumpkincrew.co.uk, we would love to hear from you.

I will continue to recommend this great hotel!

We were there at the start of the season in May 04, the hotel is lovely and very clean,the breakfasts are excellent compared with other places, and the staff are very friendly especially monica! Cant wait to go back.

Argassi is a very freindly town, with loads of nice restuarants, the best were Stars (Very handsome waiters), Zeus, Aphrodites, and Carrissimo. There are a few bars and clubs the best being The Factory, The Beer Academy, Kiss, and the magic Mushroom, but the shot sizes are massive!!

You must visit Zante town, Kalamaki Beach, and always use Karen at Smile Tours in Argassi to book any trips, she is brill.

Cant wait to go back!

WE STAYED MID SEPT AND THOUROUGHLY ENJOYED THE WEEK.LOCATION IS ABSOLUTELY SUPERB AND THE BEACH AT THE HOTEL WAS FINE....DONT BELIEVE WHAT U READ ! SERVICE WAS GOOD ALL ROUND BUT REMEMBER 4 STAR GREEK IS NOT AS GOOD AS SOME OTHER COUNTRIES!!A GOOD HOTEL AND WE FELT WE HAD VALUE FOR MONEY IN A SUPERB SETTING.GO 4 A SEA VIEW OR YOU MIGHT B E FACING ROAD WHICH WILL BE VERY NOISY...RECCOMENDED

Great hotel. Very clean. I think we were on the quieter side though from what other people said about the road side. We were actually on the breakfast courtyard side where there were lots of couples !!!!***!!!! Breakfast was a bit "samey" but beach bar was great. Evening receptionist was lovely and very helpfull.

We have just returned from a holiday here.This was described as a four star hotel in our Dutch brochure. Although it is a pleasant hotel with a good location and friendly staff the bedrooms are basic and the breakfast is mediocre quality. This is what let it down for us. This is probably a good value hotel, if you have kids but as ours are now grown up, we would probably not go back to the Zakantha Beach.

July 2003

Stayed here in June. Really nice hotel and excellent staff. Danny the oz man on reception was very friendly. Location was fantastic, close to everything however it was not noisy. Rooms cleaned every day and linen and towels changed every day too. The hotel is situated on the best part of Argassi beach. The snack bar was pricey for drinks though - 2 euros for one can of coke, you can get 4 cans for about the same price directly across the road. Breakfast was actually quite nice, I was not expecting it to be after reading some reviews.

This is the third year in a row we have stayed here, what a great hotel, we would recommend it to anyone. It’s clean, quiet and staffed by very friendly and helpful people. All those who remembered us from previous years were genuinely pleased to see us again. The sea view rooms are well worth the extra money as you get a superb view and only get the sun in the morning, so after a hard day on the beach the balcony is a relatively cool haven.

Only good things to say. Met loads of great people (I agree, Monica is a scream and Luciano was trawling the web for www.iwantawife.com), very clean, with good quality food from the snack bar.

Just got back from Zante, has to be one of the best hotels in Argassi, second time we have stayed there and can not fault. If you go have a drink with Monica she is a scream. The hotel is clean, and very welcoming. Also the Luciano who works the snack bar is looking for a woman someone please help him out cause he is really shy bless him.

We stayed at the Zakantha Beach Hotel in June 2002. We thought that this was an excellent hotel, very clean and everything that we asked for was brought to us straight away e.g. extra pillows. The location was good because it was at the end of the strip of bars and restaurants so noise was'nt an issue . We were disappointed at first not to have had a sea view room but much preferred our side view because we ended up with a great panaramic view. There are lots of places to eat but we found that we preferred the smaller restaurants as the bigger ones took over an hour to serve the first course! I know everything in Greece is done at a slower pace but we were all getting fed up with waiting not to mention very hungry! We all loved Zante though, especially wandering around Zante Town, it was sad to hear that a lot of it was destroyed in the 1953 earthquake. There are plenty of trips to go on. We liked the specialist turtle one. I would definately go again. I was absolutely dreading going after reading some of the comments. On the down side Zante airport is tiny and you have to queue up outside the airport to come home. We had to rely on someone shouting out from the front of another queue that we had to go through to boarding. It was quite an experience as the only place to sit when we did get through was in the loo!

Friendly people! nice accamodation! So we defenetly go back this year!

Well what can I say, this 'Jonesie' bloke needs to get his eyes tested! I stayed at the Zakantha Beach Hotel, Argassi and it was wonderful. I checked it out first on their website (http://www.hotelzakanthabeach.gr/) to see if it looked decent, and it was exactly the same as it looked. It is situated right on its own private beach, which I think was the nicest bit of Argassi because as you go further up the beach to the right it gets narrower and the sand goes more darker! The sea is also clear and fairly shallow. The hotel has a large swimming pool, which was clean, and gardens. Inside the hotel it was also very nice with a large clean breakfast room. The rooms were cleaned daily and the cleaners done a wonderful job. The staffs at the hotel are extremely friendly and make you feel welcome. The hotel is situated on the quieter end of the main road through Argassi, next to a Shell garage. We didn't have a problem with noise, although we were awoken with banging some mornings, but I wouldn't call it a problem. I'd recommend this hotel to anyone! This hotel deserves 10/10 not 4/10!!!

Before i left for my holiday, i read the comments of Angry Chris jones. and i was filled with a sense of dread about the impending disaster i was about to endure. Thankfully Jonesy was a mile wide of the mark. The Hotel was great, all the staff were extremely helpful and if you showed any aptitude to try and speak greek, you were allways greeted with a smile. The neat rooms were cleaned daily, with frsh towels provided. A free bus outside the hotel takes you to vassilikos, wiyth its lovely beach and wtersports facuilities. Breakfast, is Greek, meat and chesse, with bread cake, yogurt and honey. They also provide fruit and bacon sausage and egg, for those who feel the need to be connected to england in some way... Although the hoitle is on a busy road, all the rooms are air conditioned , so you can shut the double glazed patio doors... Nice people Nice hotel fantastic scenery...

Nice Hotel, Great location.

We found this hotel to be very good. It was always very clean and the maids done a fantastic job each day. The hotel did get quite a lot of noise from the traffic outside but wasn't too bad. The beach is small but pleasant and the sea is fairly safe for children. (go snorkeling by the rocks, fantastic.) bad points. Breakfast wasn't great. lifts have no internal door beach bar is quite expensive. but other than that no problems. Remember it is Greece so it is basic but at least you get a bath!!

We went to Zante in July for two weeks and had a fantastic holiday. The Zakantha Beach Hotel was brilliant as well. The hotel is situated right on the beach, and although the beach is narrow, the sea is lovely and clear and I spent all my time swimming in it. The hotel is at the end of the strip of bars and restaurants, therefore there is no noise to keep you awake. Our room was nearer the front of the hotel (by the beach) so we didn't get any noise from the road either. If possible, I suggest you ask for a room with a sea view because the view is lovely, you can see Zante Town and Mainland Greece. The hotel was very clean, the only bad part was the breakfast, but it was just typically Greek! The same breakfast was served each day and their wasn't that much choice. But you can walk down the road to the Green Frog for lots of breakfast choices and this is fairly cheap. Overall we had a brilliant holiday and I fell in love with Zante and can't wait to return! If anyone wants to know any more then you can e-mail me at nhu1@cant.ac.uk.

on a main road, very busy, very noisy,wouldn't send my worst enemy there, no beach,beers over priced,breakfast rubbish so ate at the green frog, no childrens pool,get up at least 8.00am to get a sun bed,free at pool 2000 dracs on the dirty bit of sand they call the beach,if you go in to the main bit of town remember your green cross code because you'll need it.keep tight hold of any kids hands over three,because the traffic does not slow down ,they just beep their horn and hope you move,the doctor is very good and you'll probablly need it .at 3.00am most mornings the binmen arrive and make you know they are there,mostly germans and greeks stay here,but they are very friendly,more can be said of the local greeks who seem over keen to part you from your holiday spends.next door to a petrol station and when they get a delivery you wont need ouzo the fumes will get you going,went for early morning stroll with baby cars were doing at least 60mph and there is not much pavement.going to corfu next time ZANTE nice name shame about the island. DISAPOINTED FAMILY OF FOUR

Been 2 years running 2000 & 1999 + mother & 2 girls of 14 great time lovely beach although tiny, beach bar excellent for snacks. Breakfast good spoilt for choice.