Elpida Hotel

Hi Linda,

Hi

Hi,

our friends who have travelled to alykanas a number of times came for a nose in our room and were very impressed.  i'd consider staying again with no hesitation.

Hi

Well we are back from our hols . Did not want to leave. Back to rainy ol blighty. Spiros Mum Dad and Mimi are such lovely people who cannot do enough for us. We had a wonderful time again. If you are not sure where to go book here. Nothing is too much trouble and the cocktails are hick hick! lovely. If you cant book through Manos then try contacting the Elpida and booking direct. Flights are available and you are sure to get a great welcome. 

i went to the elpida apartments in june 2004 it was great the pool was lovely the typsy toad was brill me and my family had a great time and had a laugh with terry and jill but it felt like a trek walking home at night from the typsy toad

Hi Faither and all the Elpida regulars,

Keep in touch, until August, woooooo hooooo.

hi gena & walt

love ken faither  x

Hi everyone, we had such a wonderful time last year 2006 that we've booked again for two weeks this summer from July 19th 2007 look forward to seeing you all  love Leila, Raven and Myah x x x  ps I lost Spiros email does anyone have it please, I wanted to ask him if we could have the same room we had last year. We recommend Elpida to everyone  definately a 10 out of 10 holiday accomodation.

HI everyone we are going back to the elpida again this year for two weeks

happy new year to you all.

I have just returned from two weeks at the Elpida... it was fantastic !!! The family are lovely, the rooms are clean.. and as for comments about Cockerals !!!! whats that all about !! I have also travelled an awful lot and have been to many places, however, i love Greece and the Greek people, they are so laid back and friendly, its a shame that some British appear to complain, over little things like shower curtain, or toasters in the room !! As for bugs, they are every where, even in England !! we also have dogs that bark during the night and keep us awake.. etc etc

I would not hesitate to go back again, given half the chance !! Would recommend it to anyone, it is not far out from the centre, just enough so that its not noisy. But beware.. if you try one of Spiros cocktails... they are lethal !!!!!

JUST RETURNED FRON ZANTE-HAD A REALLY GOOD TIME-ELPIDA WAS CLEAN,COMFORTABLE & THE BEST PLACE WE HAVE STAYED IN ON VISITS TO MANY GREEK ISLANDS. WOULD DEFINATELY RETURN TO THE ELPIDA JUST TO WIND UP SPIROS ABOUT GREEK FOOTBALL. EXCELLENT VALUE FOR MONEY-EVEN ENJOYED THE COCKREL(CANT PLEASE EVERYONE).ON THE WHOLE A FANTASTIC HOLIDAY.

Dear Jon,

A few more things I have thought of, insects are a big problem, here, all three of us got badly bitten, the bed linen continues to be holed and of poor quality, to qualify my comments, we have visited 55 countries and have much to compare it too, very poor, please do not spent your money on this place

I have recently retuned from an excellent two weeks at the elpida ( no thanks to kosmar) and there

  ken (faither)  xxx  .

I have recently retuned from an excellent two weeks at the elpida ( no thanks to kosmar) and there

  ken (faither)  xxx  .

Just returned from a stay of two weeks at the Elpida Apartments. We had a fantastic time and would go back again although maybe not in August as it was extremly hot.

Not long back from Elpida after spending another brilliant two weeks there. (No thanks to Kosmar)

For those of you who know us, we'll be at the Elpida from Aug 5 2007 for two weeks - might bump into some of you again. Yamas!

We are going back to Elpda next year and have booked. So if you have trouble try booking direct and get flights from the net. It works out about the same as Kosmar who seem to have let a lot of people down. We were booked this year in Elpida as we had a great time last year. Our holiday was in May this year and we were told that the Elpida had been withdraw from Kosmar. The family are lovely people they and cannot do enough for you so stick out if you have booked and to all you who want to book. Speak to Spiro direct if you cant sort things out.  Good luck to you all and if I can help please leave a message   

more pics  - Spiros making just one more TVR for Russ and just one more Greek Kiss for me - gurt lush my lover!

The hotel is a 15 minute leisurely walk from the beach.  Just wanted to say that it was great going back up to the Elpida to see everyone again - the added bonus was seeing friends we met last year. Many great evenings with the master of heap strong cocktails Spiros. We were so disappointed at not being able to stay at the Elpida having been relocated by Kosmar to the Alikanas Beach Hotel - see my comments re that hotel. Returning to the Elpida was like coming home such is the ethos of this hotel and generous family. Am currently organising our return visit for next year. Gina & Walt, hope you still have my email address as am having problems sending the photos as promised to everyone we exchanged emails with on your last night - could have had something to do with having a few drinkies! 

How far are the apartments from the beach ? There is not much information as to the location in the brochure.

Hi, came to Zakynthos last year, stayed in Argassi and absolutely LOVED it!! I'm looking to book a hol for two of my older friends, single ladies in their fifties looking for a beautiful place with (just a little bit of!) peace and quiet coupled with lovely restuarants and tavernas/bars for them to have lovely fun evenings. Does anyone who's been here think this resort and apartments would be a good choice for them??

2 adults 2 teens 15 & 18 returned from Elpida 13/07/06 having had a great week . Elpida was everything we wanted to 'chill out' and we spend the week rotating from sun-bed (of which there were plenty) to pool (kept spotless) and bar (where we drank too much) Spiros and his family could not have been more welcoming, nothing was too much trouble (even when the kids locked their key in the room for the 3rd time). Our rooms (clean and tidy) were in the new building at the back so there was no problem with noise. There were some great restaurants with traditional Greek menu's and plenty of bars close by.  Greatful thanks to Spiros who took my son to the night clubs in the south of the Island.....and brought him back again.... would reccommend these apartments to all

JUST COME BACK AFTER 2 WEEKS,HAD A GREAT TIME AT THE ELPIDA IT WAS CLEAN TIDY AND THE OWNERS WERE VERY HELPFUL AND FRIENDLY  FOR TWO STAR PLUS IT HAD AIR CON GOOD POOL AND GOOD FOOD WHAT ELSE CAN YOU ASK FOR!IT WAS OUR FIRST TIME IN GREECE WOULD DEFINETLY GO BACK!!!THANKS...

We've just got back from 3 weeks at the Elpida where we had a wonderful time.  The complex has everything you'll need during your stay and Spiros and family will look after you as if you are one of the family.  The apartments are kept clean and tidy, the grounds are immaculate, the snack bar has a good range of meals and the supermarket is well stocked and reasonably priced.  It was our first visit to Zante but it will not be our last - and the only place we'll look for accommodation will be the Elpida.  Thanks to all for making our holiday extra special.

was going to elpida 20 08 06 was informed on saturday by post that kosmar are no longer dealing with elpida so be warned

Hi John,

Just a Little info for Kosmar Customers, I contacted my Travel Agent today and they have confirmed that they have cancelled their existing contract with Elpida, i would advise anyone who has booked here to contact their travel agent ASAP to try and arrange an alternative place to stay.

We just got back from 2 weeks at the Elpida and it was great. Spiros and his family made us very welcome, the apartment was clean and comfortable the pool was lovely and the grounds are kept really nicely by his dad. He's had some problems with Kosmar (local politics) but we went with MyTravel and we had no problems at all. Anything we needed, like I wanted some extra plates & towels , just arrived with a smile. I'd recommend these apartments to anyone.

Hey all, just been reading about the disgraceful way in which Kosmar have been behaving...it really doesn't surprise me!!

Hi Phil

Hi Spiros,

Hi Kat,

Gina    

Hello everyone!

We recently found out that a lot of people who had booked and paid for the Elpida got sent letters that said that they were canceled and moved to the Letsos Hotel for various reasons, like us being overbooked or that we don’t do business with Kosmar anymore.

I just want you to know that none of that is true!!  We have had plenty of available rooms in the complex so far and we do have a contract with Kosmar so there is no real reason for Kosmar to be altering your bookings.

Last Sunday as I went to welcome some guests that had just arrived, a family of three got off the bus and asked me if I had any rooms available. I told them that I did (Kosmar has filled seven out of the thirty five rooms they have so far), and they then turned and asked the rep in front of me why had he told them that we were overbooked! I asked the same question and all we both got in return was that he didn’t know anything about that and that the guests had to go to the Letsos although he now knew we had empty rooms. The people refused to go and the rep had no choice but to let them stay and changed their booking again. These people were not notified by a letter from Kosmar they just found out that they got changed to the Letsos when they got here.

I’m still trying to find out what is happening with Kosmar and why this happened last week but all I got so far was that no one knows anything. The office in zante told me to call the office in England and the office in England told me to speak with the people in zante so I think I have little chance of finding out…

Kosmar has given me a list of bookings that are sure to come to the Elpida and so far the people have been coming as expected so if you are worried about your booking or you have been canceled please contact me at www.elpida_hotel@yahoo.gr and I will do the best I can to sort things out.

I’m very sorry all this is happening and I hope ill get answers from Kosmar soon, for the moment if you can’t get a room here try ringing Mytravel and asking there they should be able to sort something out.

Thank you for your time and your support and I hope everyone has a good holiday

See you soon

Hi Merrial,

Hi everyone i am Spiros from the Elpida apartments. I would just like to let you know that from the next summer you will be able to book a holiday to Elpida not just from kosmar but from Manos, Mytravel and directly through me as well. For this year you can book rooms with kosmar, Mytravel and through me, just send me an email at elpida_hotel@yahoo.gr and ill get back to you.... You can also visit www.gozakynthos.gr and check us out there 

due to travel to elpida on 23rd july not heard of any problems re over booking.  kosmar still has availability for elpida and are taking bookings. hovever, 2 years ago kosmar tried to change us to anouther hotel telling us they had overbooked. we insisted that we were ataying at the elpida and done so. so this isnt the first time this has happened with kosmar.  hope you make it to where and when you want.

anytime nicky pat n charley yet again another great time on hol wi thee

forgot to say a big thanks to mark and sharon our regular drinking buddies on holiday  

We had a brilliant time here. The owners Dennis and Sula are fab. We didn't get to meet their son as he was away at uni. Mimi who worked the bar and cooked was absolutely stark raving mad. The room we stayed in was great. we stayed in room 342 which had two bedrooms which meant our daughter Charley had a room of her own. The apartment was cleaned regularly and we had no complaints whatsoever. We would definately come back again.

we have just come home from zante on 25.09.05 and we stayed at the elpida what a great place clean,tidy,friendly people,brilliant pool. the owners denis and denise are lovely people we never got to meet their son as he was at university. but we did get to meet we did get to meet the lovely mimi she is off her head!!! one crazy lady but an angel and will do anything to help, if you have any queries she is the one to go to as her english is brill. the food at elpida was good sometimes the white of eggs on the breakfast a bit under cooked but hey just scrape it off!!. i recommend the club sandwich its to die for yum yum. zante was yet again lovely a few cloudy days but great. plenty of good places to eat we recommend the romanza which is on ya way down the beach and mantalena and medousa they did a beautiful fish platter. we also ate at the greedy greek and got the greek meze for two was very nice only thing was you got different meats but they all had the same sauce on them but it was nice all the same but very big. we would go back to alikanas and also elpida anytime lovely lovely place. thank you to mimi denis and denise for a lovely time xx ps if buying olive oil go to the little shop below catacomes bar,its their own olive oil that they have pressed and its beautiful the bar above is also very good plays great music and good drinks at a good price!!! great people too xxxx

A big hello to Kat, Russ (pint of tea and a TVR chacer please!!) Micheal & Lauren
Chris & Tab
Ken & family.

Myself and my partner stayed at the Elpida for 2 weeks from the 31/07/05, we found the Elpida apartments to be pretty good compared to other Greek apartments but as always basic.  Rooms were cleaned frequently with bedding and a change of towels (seems you have to buy your own bog roll!).

This is a family run business which is run by Denice (mama), Denis (papa) and their young son Spiros who makes wicked cocktails (Denice makes the strongest cocktails that blow your head off!).  Nice pool and bar area which does get busy at times but you always seem to get a sunbed, if you are around the pool you can always get a toastie from the bar and other bar snacks which we did often ans was well priced.  Cocktails were 3 euro which was well worth it as they were laced heavily with booze!

There are plenty of taverna's in Alykanas, Alykonis which was run by Kevin ans Maria who are british, very nice friendly couple who would always say hello when walking past of an evening even if we didn't eat there (not pushy at all) you would also get a 1/2 caraf of red/white wine with our meal which would make you shake your head after taking a gulp...bloody strong stuff!!  We ate here 3 times in our stay.

We also ate at Dionisos, La Caretta, Posidon - (tried lamb in the oven in the poseidon Taverna which you get loads of and is just devine as the lamb is tender and just falls off the bone...a must for lamb lovers!).  We tried several other Taverna's, didn't try the Greedy Greek as there was mixed reviews and didn't try Lavante as this always looked quiet, but these were the Taverna's that we remembered most of our stay.

We did try a restaurant/bar in Alykes (the next town up) which is called the Olympic Kitchen bar/restaurant, a fully air-condidtioned restaurant.  Inside it was very contemporary looking with suede sofa's in the waiting area and excellent decor, the food was very good and well presented with friendly service, the prices were not too bad a little more expencive than some taverna's but well worth the money.  Also just to say that it might be worth your while booking a table before you go as you may have a long wait.
We went to the Olympic Kitchen 2 times in our stay and one visit was for my birthday.
Have a look at the Olympic Kitchen website for pics:- http://www.olympicbar.com/  the pics dont actually do it justice, its much better in the flesh!

Whilst over there it is most probably better to do your own thing with excursions as doing it through the rep can be a little pricey, also worth hiring a vehicle for a day or so as you get to see some excellent views of the island, some are just breath taking!
Overall a very good holiday and the Elpida was a good choice for us and well worth the money spent and would defo come back again in the future.

P.S This is for chris if you are reading, im sure you will never forget your experience of a certain greek man at the wheel of a quad bike, talk about going off road!.... lol

  Re my last comment I want to alter the thumbs up, it was all great - forgot to alter the bullet.

In answer to some of the comments earlier.  On arrival the towels provided in the rooms were small, but became bath towels as we know it on the third day.  Air con is available at 55 euros for two weeks, 35 for one.  We enjoyed Katerina's, but would recommend going further into town as the Apollo is great cooking at cheaper prices.  If you like Indian/Chinese, turn right before the Greedy Greek and 4 minutes down you'll see the restaurant where you can mix and match.  Be warned, you will run the gauntlet of people trying to entice you into their taverna's, but can pick up some discount cards on the way.  This resort was lovely, but beware, it can get a bit manic of an evening with the traffic with little pedestrian paving.  Re the hotel, it was lovely although we were in the new block Rm 326 and we did have to buy loo roll! The room was cleaned regularly with towels and sheets changed also - would recommend this hotel if you like a small family atmosphere (ramps available and lifts to upper floors).

  It was a pleasure to stay at the family run Elpida.  It was a real treat to have 4 beds and not 2 + pull out settee - definately the best greek accomodation experienced to date, but as is the norm in Greece, still basic.  The views from the back apartments were stunning.  What a relief not to have to fight for a sun bed, as management reserved the right to remove towels - not that it ever happened.  The Elpida is about 5 minutes stroll from the centre of Alikanas and 10 to the beach.  Would recommend the Apollo to eat out, great cooking at good prices.  Got ripped off at the Greedy Greek.  The Greek night, booked via the Jam Bar was great value.  Highpoint of the holiday was the Speedboat trip, booked via Levante Speedboat in Tsivili - Spiros was great and you actually got into the Blue Caves, don't go on the big boat tours.  Hubby and kids went diving at St Nicholas beach which excelled in safety - a bit pricy but worth it - got the underwater DVD to prove it! This island is beautiful - enjoyed it so much we have booked up the Elpida for 2006 - can't wait!

Stayed at Alikanas Apartments last year.. Elpida on par..this year.. Good morning stroll to the beach never did anybody any harm? 10 - 15 minutes at lightinfantry pace or 15 - 20 minutes wifey pace. Elpida pool ok make sure your kids don't do back summersaults (Richard) likewise Dad duck when youre on the balcony. Enjoyed our stay would go back tomorrow if I had the dosh.. Spiros cocktails ok I like orange with vodka or lack of it as the night goes on. On a whole very nice place clean and tidy in the new block never got invited to the old block but, just as good as long as the birds don't wake you up. Would like to shoot the boy racer on the motorbike but, hey after 10 pints I always sleep well... Spiros I hope I've converted you to watching cricket NOT.. Have posted pictures

What can i say... We (my partner and myself) had a wonderful holiday at Elpida, the owners Denis, Denise and their son Spiros made us feel more than welcome.  Our apartment was in the new block at the very back of the complex on the top floor accessed by either stairs or a lift (when you've had too many of Spiros's cocktails!!)  As with all Greek accommodation its was basic but very clean and tidy, the linen was changed every 2/3 days with fresh towels and the bins were emptied every other day and the apartment was cleaned frequently the only down side to this is they do wake you early in the morning about 9am which when you've been sat in the bar til 2am is a little early for some.  We had no problems in getting sun beds around the pool area, although i do feel theat some of the guests took advantage of the hopitality of the owners and did leave it in a bit of a mess for them to clean up, which i think is a little rude!  I would highly reccomend taking in a few of Spiros's delightful cocktails after you've had your evening meal, not for the faint hearted!!  While we were on holiday it was my partners birthday and Denis organised a cake for me which was more than yummy.  All in all we totally enjoyed our stay, food good, drinks better, hospitality great..I couldn't fault it, and to all the others who have need to lower their expectations of greek accommodation, it wasn't the best on the island but it was far from the worst and at the end of the day you get what you pay for!!

We are due to go Elpida apartments this weekend and have just found this site, Do I really need to take my own bath towels? and can you give me advice on where to eat in the area that is good and clean food and preferably not to expensive, Any info would be helpful as we have a disabled person in our party thanks.

Well i loved it here and i can honestly say that it was one of the best holidays i have ever had, our room was huge and very clean we had pleanty of towels and the beds were changed twice in our 1 week stay. The staff were fab and always happy to help, the pool was empty all day and there were pleanty of sun beds to go round. After reading some of the reports on this site i was worried but after seeing it for myself all i can say is SNOBS you get what you pay for at the end of the day and i considered this holiday a bargain for the money. I hope you all enjoy it as much as me and my family did (I've booked up for next year already)

elpida apartments are exellent just got back would go back tomorrow, every1 helpfull and very friendly, yes the apartments are a little basic for some but its only whats to be expected, cleaners are round every other day and all of the apertments i saw where kept clean and tidy, the elpida its self is also clean and tidy, yes the pool does get busy but only as expected with the amount of people there, but saying that niether my family or i had any problems getting in to the pool or getting a sun loungers.

having read certain reports on this accommadation we were a little bit worried as we we have children aged 11, 8 and 18months. we soon found out that all the are concerns we short lived. our apartment(studio for 4) was on two levels(room313) and was basic which is what we expect but very large and are overall opinion of the room was v. good.the maid service was also good, cant remember exactly how many times towels and sheets were changed but it seemed often. the pool was spot on and clean, kids loved it, the owners were freindly and dennis the boss always gave the kids free pool tokens everytime they went up for them. supermarket on site was good and not expensive so we got most of our stuff from their. pool bar prices were also good, 2 1/2 euros for a bottle of mythos and the food was reasonable aswell. we thoroughly enjoyed our holiday and were very pleased with the elpida.

We stayed at the Elpida appartments w/c 5 June 2005 and stayed in the old block, room 301. Although basic,our room was clean and spacious, had a lovely terrace with a view over the pool. The room is right by the main road in Alykanas, I found it a bit noisy at night from the mopeds going past but my fiance did not hear a thing!

We arived in Alpida on the 29 May  at about 14.00 and got off the bus and 3 of us were ushered with the holiday rep up to a room 316 on the old part of the building to say the least it was Dissssscusting.   had not been cleaned wet towells inthe shower tray rubbish every where ,dusty splinters on the staircase "not very practical for a 6 year old" The Settee bownstairs which doubles up as the third bed  was minging and i would never ever let my dog sleep on it never mind my daughter. Took plenty of photos of our findings but the rep by this time making a hasty retreat to the bus so we explained we were not prepared to stay in the hoval, he left us and promised to sort it out. 

We have just returned from the elpida apartments and can say that although they are basic (we stayed in the old rooms 303) they were clean.  The swimming pool is a great hit with adults and kids alike.  All the restaurants including the greedy greek are only a few minutes walk away.  Although on the roadside it was still quiet at night, we also found that we didn't need the aircon with the room being shaded.  Very good value for money. 

just returned from 2 weeks at the elpida and for all of you who have read the negative reviews lets put this right.our apartment was 326 in the new block lovely and spacious,very clean and the location was fine about 5 mins walk from the center of town. the elpida shop is well stocked and must be the cheapest in the area. we ate at katerinas kitchen the first night which was nice but very pricey then for the next 13 nights we ate at the apollo which was fantastic excellant value for money and the service was fab so we decided to stick with what you know. also in town a launderette which was only 10 euro for a wash and dry and the clothes were lovely and clean and folded so they didnt even need ironing.the cuba bar was a great night out and i would recommend to anyone

Coming to Zante in August 2005 and staying at Elpida Studios. I am a little concerned at the comments about these apartments. Are they really that bad?

Hi

"HELP"....please could anyone tell me if there are safety deposit boxes in the apartments at the Elpida Studios and how much did they cost..going in Aug 2005 so will need the air-con, again how much did this cost..if there's anywhere anyone can recommend places to eat/visit...and information/recommendations of where to hire a car...many thanks cazza

We're staying at the Elpida in Aug 2005 and I'm a little concerned about some of the comments about the accomodation. We have two kids, 15 and 12 - what are the sleeping facilities like and is air con available?

With reference to Can u Help? We stayed last July, there was not a kettle in apartment, only 2 ring cooker and there is a cash point at the main supermarket on the way to the beach. Hope this helps. See my comments July 2004.( Best holiday we`ve had)

stayed at elpida in 2004 june it was very friendly sakis was mad a real scream apartments very clean a bit to quiet for me but found some nice restaurants posiden and magdelana and had a laugh in typsy toad with terry and jill worth a stay if you like peace .

Coming to Elpida Apartments Alykanas May 2005, a little worried about some of the comments on apartments. Also, is there a cash point here or at Alykes, or do I need to bring travellers cheques.

Could anybody tell me if they have kettles in the apartments as i'm trying to cut down on the amount of stuff i take.

Me and my boyfriend stayed at the elpida in July 2004 and thought it was excellent. The staff were always friendly and happy, we met loads of lovely people and both got gorgeous suntans. It was exactly what we had hoped for. Being a young couple, we wanted nightlife (bars and restaurants) without being in the thick of it in Laganas. Alykanas was the perfect resort for us!!!Would recommend for couples familys and those wanting a fun but also relaxing holiday. We would definately go back.

Just back from Elpida Apartments. Can't understand how people put in comments saying that the apartments at the back were much cleaner. I'd hate to have seen the ones at the front. The first day we got there we had to go out and buy cleaning gear.. bleach etc. The apartment was filthy, not to mention the smell coming from the bathroom for the entire two weeks or the disgustingly dirty blankets on the bed. We received 2 small hand towels and they were only changed twice in our two week stay. Owners were so unfriendly, they have a supermarket on site but you are not allowed to sit by the pool and eat/drink anything you buy in the shop. Must be bought from the bar instead. Definitely wouldn't go back to the Elpida.