Sandy Maria Hotel

This palce was Very Good!!!

Linda Cameron and Family  (sad to be home)

Not long back after 2 lovely weeks at the Santy Maria. The picture in the brochure does not do it justice. The setting is a little out of town - 2 ways into town via the back road which takes you to Sandra's bar or the main road which takes you to Rector's bar where they seem to play Peter Kay shows every night!! Both on the flat, no hills but a fair walk. There are no kettles in the rooms but then you will find this in most of greek self catering accommodation so be prepared and take a travel kettle. Dont be put off by some of the comments on this site. The trips to Kefalonia and Athens were brill. Beware of the mozzies - buy a plug-in repellant <6 euros>.

CAN ANYONE GIVE ME ROUGH DIRECTIONS OF WHERE THE SANTY MARIA IS LOCATED,IS IT UP HILL AND FAR OUT OF MAIN RESORT.IF YOU COULD GIVE ME NEAREST PUB OR EATERIE I WILL HAVE IDEAS OF WHERE IT IS.WE ARE ABOUT TO BOOK FOR THESE APTS AND WOULD LIKE INFO REGARDS TO THEM.

 JUST GOT BACK FROM WEEK IN SANDY MARIA APARTMENTS, JUST A FEW THINGS TO COMMENT ON  WE HAD TO PAY A EXTRA FOR A TRAVEL COT FOR OUR DAUGHTER. NO HIGH CHAIRS. AND NOT KETTLES AT ALL FOR WARMING BOTTLES APART FROM THAT BRILL WEEK WOULD GO BACK WHEN DAUGHTERS OLDER.

    Hi Spiros & Teena,

My Mother and I are staying at the Santy Maria apts 3rd July for 2 weeks, can anyone tell me if air conditioning is available.

Me & my Family are staying at the Sandy maria apts in June. Can anyone please tell me do they have a kettle in the apts? Want to know for warming babys bottles as cant be doing with waiting for pans to boil!!! Also do the showers have shower curtains as we have been warned that most places dont? Thanks

With regards to Mark Noble question about Travellers Cheques we had Euro travellers cheques and Spiros the owner of Santy Maria cashed all ours for us but at a charge of 4 Euro's at a time. As we have not had to use Euro travellers cheques before we are not sure the charge of 4 euros is good or bad. Hope this helps

The accomodation was very good. We were very pleased with it as the rooms were very clean and tidy. The location was spot on too. The beach was about 10 minutes walk away and a little longer to the main street. For all you fellow ladies who's feet hurt after a night on the tiles like me!! a taxi costs 5 euro's and only takes a couple of minutes. For through the day you have all the privacy you need as there is only one other apartment block nearby.

Hi Julie,

Besides the negative comments, i hope you enjoy your stay on the whole. We did.

Just have to tell everyone that the Sandy (Santy) Maria apts are excellent! Minimum cooking facilities, but who needs to cook with superb restaurants within easy walking distance! Try "THAT BAR" in Tsilivi town for good old English(ish) fun, and "PARADISE" for good old Greek(ish) fun!

my family and i is staying in the sandy maria apts in june o5 and have heard that travellers cheques are not widely accepted, is this true?

I am staying the the sandy maria apartments with hubby and two kids, are these apartments ideal for kids? most of the comments come from couples, im worried that there will be no other kids around. Also can any recommend a decent family restaurant good food and service (not fast food or burgers)?

hello would someone kindly tell me whether the studio appartments at the santy maria have any cooking facilities . thank you in anticipation of your response xxxx

we are going to santy maria appts in zante in july 05, read a lot of good comments about the place, but also read some bad ones on other sites! Does anybody know more about theft, and a long uphill walk to shops and bars etc. we are just a couple going with no kids just wanna relax and chill out, not looking for clubs and lagerlouts!. also does the appts have a website of its own? any info would be great.

Got back 2 weeks ago just found this website. Tina, Spiros & Liza all endevoured to make our holiday as good as they could. Good pool, short walk to Taverna's & Bars. But you Don't have to move from the place if you don't want. Efharisto Tina & Spiros.

We have just returned from staying at the sandy maria apartments on the island of zante. We would recommend these apartments to anyone and everyone. Spiros and Tina (not forgeting Lisa) were so friendly and helped make us feel welcome from day one. we would just like to say thank you for making our holiday a very sepecial one.
Adam & Jenner x x

Just like to say we had a lovely time at santy maria apartments, tina and spiros very friendly and helpful throughout our stay.will return ag
aHad a really great holiday this year, meet some really nice people, Tina and spiros very helpful abd friendly throughout our stay,will go back again in near future. Hope you read this tina best wishes
Joanne Willie Kerry.

After just returning from Zante, staying tat the Sandy Maria studios, i am full of praise for the lovely couple who run the bar,Tina and Spiros they are so friendly and have lots of time for you. The appartments themselves are lovely and clean, and the bins are emptied everyday without fail. We were situated just far out enough for it to be quiet and relaxing but closer enought to enjoy a 10 min walk to either the beach of town. Tina is supposed to suck lemons apparently (reading other comments on this site), all i can say is she was GREAT, would do anything for you, she even showed us shortcuts to get to the beach and town quicker, lovely woman and her partner Spiros, although he loves his sports channel, is a really charming character. Me and my partner will definatley be returning again to SandyMaria. EXCELLENT PLACE, EXCELLENT PEOPLE. hiya tina,spiros and little liza, see ya soon.

Yes, both names are the same apartments

are the sandy maria apartments also known as the santy maria apartments

We have just returned from Zante where we stayed at the Sandy Maria Apartments. We had a great holiday. Tina and Spiros made us welcome and we really enjoyed the barbie night. The Mozzie Squad rule O.K. Hope Spiros is still wearing the Guiness cap as "The Daddy" is still wearing the T shirt. Tina was great and put herself out to be chatty and helpful and she hasn't got a face like a she has been sucking lemons!! Hope to see you next year. Norman Sue and Jack xxx

What a wonderful break from the stress of life in the UK. Although both being quite well travelled we had never ventured to any of the Greek islands before, but i'm sure now that we have been to Tsivili this won't be the last time.We had the best of both worlds staying at Sandy Maria (with it's most welcoming pool in the hot weather)...rural surroundings whilst the town being only 10 minutes walking distance away.Teena & Spirios the bar owners worked very long hours but maintained an excellent service througout.The BBQ hosted by the duo was good fun and an excellent ice breaker for all who attended.
We had good food and service in all the restaurants we visited which included Athena, The Olive Tree, Zeus and Delight, and we found Popeye's the best for a full English breakfast.

Just returned after two weeks, we found the sandy maria to be exactly what we expected, basic but ideal for what we wanted. Tina and Spiros were fantastic always a smile for you and very helpful, I can't understand what all the complaints are about, we would definatley go back.

Just returned home from our 2nd visit to sandy maria apts and it was just as good as the first time if not better. Tina and Spiros are still very helpful especially when i left my English money at home Tina went all the way into Zante Town to collect it for us. Thanks Tina. The apartments were cleaned every day, around the pool was cleaned every day, and Tina's cooking was very nice also nothing was too much trouble. The Greek night was excellent just a shame more people didnt book to see it! Shame we missed some of the people who stayed there last year(nina,robin and fam) We will be back june 2005.

Has anyone who has been to tsilivi recently used the cash machines if so are they reliable and also can you use sterling travellers cheques????

My wife and myself have just returned from a weeks stay in the Santy (Sandy) Maria. It has very nice clean apartments, a lovely clean pool/poolside. Teena and Spiros, who run the bar are a very nice helpful couple. I can recommend the food there. Teena's pizza and the breakfasts are great. Have read a lot of bad comments on this site about Teena and Spiros, however we found them to be very friendly and helpful. We always stopped at the bar on the way back from town for a wee brandy or two. apart from one night, when we were quite late the bar was always open.
The location is excellent, far enough out to be quiet, yet close enought to walk into town. (10 mins).
Restaurants we found good were, Popeyes,Calypso,Mikalis,Romios and Benikos.
Would certainly return to the Sandy Maria. Best of luck to Teena and Spiros from Chris and Ronnie.

We have just returned from the Santy Maria (for a 2nd time) we were there last year late May/ early June, and have thoroughly enjoyed it again.

Teena and Spiros have a hell of a job trying to keep people happy, although they only run the pool bar, and serve damned good food at reasonable prices, the B.B.Q. is a good night, when they try to get the guests to mingle with each other - some do - some won't.

One of the children in our party was ill and we took him to the doctors, he was sent straight to hospital. Spiros did not hesitate, he took us to the hospital, talked to the doctors, stayed with us the whole time, and even went for the prescription.

Sandy seems to put in an appearance a couple of times a day although she is supposed to be on reception, Teena & Spiros seem to have to sort out everybody's problems.

The apartments were kept spotless by Ena, who always had a smile for you.

Power to your elbows guys, keep it up, see you again.

We stayed at Sandy Maria from May 16th 2004 for one week. The place was ideally located.. far enough out of town to be quiet, but not so far out that you feel left out. It's about a ten minute walk into the centre.

I did hear the Cockeral once or twice, but it never woke us up. The only thing that did wake us, was the earth tremor at 5.20 in the morning.

We had a car for a few days, and from what we saw, Tsilivi was one of the best resorts on the island. There's enough to see and do, but not too big. (unlike Laganas which seems overdeveloped, touristy and tacky).

I recommend getting a car to see the island. The olympia trip was worth it, but leave the guide behind and do you own thing. Just make sure you're back at the coach on time. The turtle spotting trip is apparently not worth it (well in May anyway).

In summary - we had a good time.. and you will too!

we had a fantastic holiday and enjoyed thoroughly. the snack food at sndy marria was excellent especially the beans and bacon on toast. evening entertainment was spot on and we had a great time. definetley booking for next year. spiros and teena are a great team and we had a ball with them. see you soon.

we stayed 9/5 /04 for 1 week,liked it immensely.didn't find the dog or the cockrel noisy and teena was a delightful girl who couldn't do enough for us.this was our second visit to tsilivi and wont be the last.

can any one tell me if sandy or maria are working behind the bar of is it Tina and Spiros again?

on the whole, i thought sandy (or santy) maria as it is labled on the sign at the resort was ok. the staff though were rubbish. considering the tourist season has only just started, you would have thought they have been glad to see some holiday makers there. no chance - they all had faces liked smacked a**es. just wait 'til it reaches july there!

on another note, zakynthos (sounds so much better than zante)was cool. good food, some good bars and friendly locals (except at s. maria.)

couple of points -

1. don't bother with the boat trip round the island, unless you want to be crammed on a boat with people spewing up. instead, hire a car. you get to see far more and you can stumble upon some really cool traditional villages.

2. avoid hiring a bike from johnny w. we got a puncture and it took three hours to walk back!

3. don't sign up to the 'traditional greek night' unless you want to go to laganas beach resort (awful place) and have chicken and chips with wine that is not too dissimilar to sarsons vinegar.

other than that - try koukos restaurant (fab food, service and free drinks and t'shirts) and visit sunset point just b4 sundown - great views of the island. also, go to dennis's bar and have a chat with his friendly parrott!

Me and my boyfriend have just returned from staying at the Sandy Maria apartments and we really liked it,i dont understand why everyone seems to be moaning.The staff were really friendly and bought us free drinks.We would certainly stay here again and are thinking about coming back in October,Lovely friendly place.linzi and david

Nat Smith. . if you think that was unhygienic then get this. . we were sunbathing around the pool one day when we witnessed moody Tina sneeze into a tea-towel and then continue to dry up the cuttlery with the offending tea-towel. This confirmed our suspicions about eating/drinking at the pool. We also didn't appreciate Tina's policing role when she challenged us over whether or not we had purchased our water from her unhygienic bar. The complex was excellent and the apartments were lovely, although the attidude of the staff was appalling and unwelcoming. Wish we'd tried Dino's!

Have never had any reason to be so negative after previous holidays to greece, we have always had a fantastic time and been made to feel more than welcome. Can only speak as we found and we found all the staff here rude and unwelcoming. The accomodation itself would be lovely with a complete staff overhaul. Tina and Spiros moaned the whole time that their profits were down as everyone was going elsewhere. Perhaps they should try asking themselves why. Go to Tsilivi but stay at Dino's instead where you will be welcomed and looked after like seems to be the norm in greece, except for at Sandy Maria it seems! Interesting to see what happens there next year.

I am so surprised that in 2 years since I went and used to use this messageboard that sandymaria has gone from 10/10 to 4/10.There never were any negative comments.What a shame it has lost its excellent reputation.I wonder if Miranda the albanian maid is still there? she was adorable she put fresh flowers in our room, and worked so hard in all that heat keeping everwhere spotless.

Having read the previous comments we were not looking forward to our first visit to Greece, especially, when we originally booked all the reports about the Sandy Maria were very favourable. We set off on our holiday full of apprehension which turned out to be fully unjustified. Our studio was very spacious and very clean as was the pool and bar area. The location was ideal, we would rather have the noise of the countryside to traffic and rowdie lager louts anyday. The leisurely stroll to the beach, bars and restaurants provided us with exercise and the opportunity to discover the area. All in all we were trilled with our first Greek holiday but will not return to Zante until the airport and its facilities have been upgraded.

just spent a fortnight at sandy,marias. met some nice people but,christ there was a helluva lot of miserable tight assed moaning faced gits laying around the pool area competing against each other to
see who could spend the least money and wasting valuable space.as for
the bar staff,if tina seems a little dour at times i fully understand
and sympathise with her and commend her for her fortitude and forbearance in tolerating such a shower of MALAKAS and SKILAS for 15
hours a day.tina has the eyes of an angel and has a smile that would
vapourise an iceberg. spyros is a decent big fella who is just trying
to recoup his monetory outlay on the franchise. they dont own the complex so give them a break and try to get to know them.
i have read a lot about the dogs and the cockerels but by christ the
inmates of the complex would give them a run for their money in the
yelping and crowing stakes.
SLAINTE MHATH to all the staff at sandy maria
NEILL & ANNE

The accomodation itself was nice, spacious, good pool, fairly close to beach and town. The staff were awful. They were unfriendly to the point of being rude. After such good welcomes in previous holidays to the greek isles, we were shocked. Sandy only spoke the day we arrived and after that spent all day every day smoking and talking on the phone and never looked up to even smile. Spiros at the bar assumed everyone wanted the football on full blast 24/7, wandered around a lot and not much else and his partner Tina was like a split personality, fine one minute but biting your head off the next. It was not a pleasant place to be and we were made to feel a nuisance at all times so we took to spending our time over the road at Dino,s where we all felt more than welcome and he provided us with a free meal on our last night. We all wished we had stayed there! We were cross examined by Spiros and Tina every time we left as to where we were going. The cleaning was sporadic but just about adequate. It would be fine another year if the staff were replaced! One last thing,the Libra rep Russell was a complete waste of space in fact the whole company proved to be useless when we needed them in a crisis. Go to Zakynthos but avoid the hospital and the Sandy Maria accomodation! We were there for the last week in August and the first in September.

this was a disgrace not only beign totally baestified with heaps flying about our studio was falling apart especially bathroom you would be better to was outside in a park you would get on a lot easier also buying toilet roll was a dose of rubbish but tip steal it from one at recption there is always 3 rolls ther and replaced each day.v sandy was really nice very helpful good job aslo spiros but tina has a face like a wet wekend always thinking that she will die if she has to move her asss from the tv to work at bbq bbb ripoff not worth a euro. dont stay there wastof space and money

Location wise Sandymaria is excellent,you are very close to the town and beach.If your balcony doors are shut you don't hear the cockerels from over the road.The rooms were cleaned regulary and the pool and bar area were always spotless.To a certain extent I agree about Tina being a misery if she was behind the bar you were afraid to place a food order as she had to cook it!,but saying that she gave our 10 month old son a baby pool to play in and generally she was really nice,she even organised a night out for guests at the apartments.If you have do or dont have children this is a nice place to stay.

i have just returned from spending a week at the sandy maria and unforunately i was quite disappointed. it wasn't so much our room that wasn't up to the standard i would like, it was much more the attitude of the staff (or lack of staff) that i was unhappy with. michelle b is correct! tina behind the bar is not only a misery, she's also very rude. she struts around the bar/pool area, with a face like a slapped a**e and is very unhelpful in the way she is always too busy to help (for example, ask her "who do i need to see to hire a fan?" and she'll reply "me" and then walk away! it seems every time you ask for help, she's always too busy doing other things and she'll tell you to come back later and at the same time she'll make you feel aukward about doing so! spiros is the guy behind the pool bar and he is also an idiot. he doesn't open the bar until about 10am (when it's supposed to open at 9am) and then, when him and tina can basically be bothered they'll actually serve drinks and food. it's meant to stay open until the early hours but this was never the case whilst i was there and it was closing well before midnight. on my final day at the sandy maria i sat in the hotel lobby and watched spiros at 'work' and i witnessed him go to the fridge, take out a tub of icecream (which he serves to the guests), take it back into the bar area and eat it from the tub with a spoon and put it back into the fridge once he'd had enough. maybe it's just me being fussy, but isn't that a bit unhygienic?! our room was kept clean, with the bins being emptied every day, except for one day when i assume that it was the maids day off. from what i saw they only have one maid which is also disgusting in that so much work is put into the hands of one person and that they also don't consider cover for when the maid is off work! after paying quite a lot of money to stay at the sandy maria i was also shocked to find out that toilet rolls are not replaced. you have to buy your own once you've used the first and only one they give you!! the pool area was always kept very nice and i have no complaints other than the stupid rules like 'no food or drink around the pool unless it's purchased from the bar'! that's all very well but, to be honest, i'd rather stay thirsty than put money into the pockets of spiros and tina!

I totally agree with Tracey Russell's comments. We have just returned from having two weeks at the Sandy Maria. Sheets were only changed twice, bins left un-emptied, at least 4-5 barking dogs and a cockeral woke us each day (including the one at the Pool Bar). Teena behind the bar was just a misery and Spiros thought everyone was TV Mad!! Sky TV was blaring out most nights, so it was impossible to have a conversation with anyone at the bar. My Daughter and her friends were told to stop playing cards at the Bar area or he would turn the off the Harry Potter Movie which other people were watching!! The more people that came back for a drink the louder the TV was turned up... The bar was suppossed to open at 0930 until 0200 each day, but more often than not it opened around 1000, and would not be ready to serve food until 15 mins later, and most nights the beer fridges were locked up at 2300 ish! Pool area was clean most days, however you had to put up with the Sky TV volume whilst trying to read a book. This is certainley not a place I would ever go to again.

Just recently returned from Sandy Maria apartments and found them excellent. The pool was very clean as were the apartments. Town centre was only a few minutes walk away to excellent restaurants and bars.Safety deposit boxes and fans were available to hire. I would like to give special thanks to Tina who ran the pool bar, we found her very pleasant and helpful (especially in our hour of need when we had to return home urgently due to a bereavement). The rep Russell was a waste of space! We would definitely return for another holiday! The cockeral and barking dogs has not put us off!!!

I do not like to sound like a moaner but our week at the Santy Maria was not as good as expected. The trivial rules and regulations were quite annoying and the staff are never there! Tina behind the bar was quite nice until she showed up with a fat lip and would not talk to anybody! I asked for extra sheets after 3 days as we all had an upset tummy and the children had an accident and they never arrived so we had no sheets for the last 4 nights, they left our bin for 3 days which was appalling when you think you cannot flush paper down the loo. I tried to be patient but the standards were not a patch on all the other places I have stayed at in Greek islands. The good thing was the pool, lovely and clean and fabulous for kids and adults. The cockerel and the barking dog. did wake us up several times in the night but what can you expect on holiday! I definitely would not come back here as there are much nicer places in Tsilivi.

does anyone know how far away the cosmopolitan apts are from sandy maria.

0h I hope I havent got anybody too worried with my comments on the barking dog and cockerel, they really werent all that bad and they were over in the hills behind the apartments and we would certainly go back.If you want a little map on where the LEVEL BAR is situated visit the website www.levelbar.com, there is a link in the bar section on here.The owner , Costas is a sound bloke, we e-mailed him before we came and he got my partners fave beer in for him especially!
Again sorry if I upset anyone with my earlier comments.My e-mail is emmabrooksbank@hotmail.com if I can help anyone.

Does anybody know how to get to the Tsilivi admirals from these apartments or to Level Bar?

With reference to the 'mad barking dog' yes you can hear it sometimes in your studio along with the cockeral! But have enough to drink each night and it will not bother you at all! They can be heard a little in the morning but walk on down to the pool or beach and have another sleep! It all adds to the character of the place. Enjoy it I am sure you will. When you return let us know how the animals behaved!

We are due to go the Sandy Marie Appartments in July and would like to know how bad this mad barking dog is? Can you here the barking in your rooms? What are the best rooms to have, so as not to here it.

Returned home from the Sandy Maria on 25.05.03 and returned 01.06.03 for another week. Lovely clean apartments and pool area safe deposit boxes in rooms for only 12 euros per week. Tina and Spiros now run the bar and are a very nice couple they even looked after some of my things the week I came home. Lovely location even with the country sounds they did not keep us awake at night.

if anyone needs any futher information, just email me

i was the rep for tsilivi in 2001 and sandy maria was one of my properties, it's a great place for couples and those with children. it is kept very clean (especially the pool). it is a 5-10 min walk in to the centre of Tsilivi where there are plenty of resuarants to choose from. the beach is a 5 minute walk, (out of dirt track turn left, go straight over t junction and you will see the beach.) there are no safety deposit boxes in the rooms, so keep money ect safe.

i need to know information about the sandy maria studios in tsivili, and where it is located,also is there any pictures available of the studios??
or a street map with the studios location, thanks matthew

to the lady who was asking where sandy maria is....it is away from the town centre, about a 20 minute(less if you take short cut through field)walk away.There are a few bars within spitting distance ans a supermarket(very small one) 5 mins away.Apart from a mad barking dog and a cockerel its in a quiet location and worth the walk.

I AM COMING TO THE SANDY MARIA APARTMENTS IN JUNE AND I WANT TO KNOW WHERE IS THE CLOSET SCUBA DIVING CENTRE/AREA. ALSO IS THE CENTRE PADI???

Can you please tell me whether these apartments have safe boxes in the rooms or at the reception.
Thanks

My family and I are staying in these apartments at the beginning of June 2003 and I was wondering whereabouts in Tsilivi they are. Last time I stayed at the Mavrikos Aparthotel which is at the opposite end of town to Popeyes. Is this place up the hill near the planet bar? or round the street towards the beach? I would appreciate any help.

JUST BACK AND STAYED HERE, IT WAS BRILLIANT - EXTREMLY FRIENDLY,CLEAN AND YOU ARE FREE TO DO AS YOU PLEASE. GOING BACK IN MAY AND STAYING THERE AGAIN. SANDY AND MARIA ARE BRILLIANT AND ARE VERY KIND (ESPECIALLY WHEN POURING THEIR DRINKS!) THOSE WHO ARE THINKING ABOUT GOING TO TSIVILI SHOULD STAY HERE AS ITS CLOSE TO EVERYTHING YET OUT OF REACH FROM NOISE! OH AND THOSE WHO ARE GOING AND STAYING PLEASE TAKE CARE OF THE GREEN WATER HOOP AT THE POOL AS MY SISTER LEFT THAT!! THANKS GIRLS!

Picked this place because of pool,bar and location. W/C 6/10/02 opening times said 9am to 9pm.(Changed from midnight closing 1/10/02). Bar opened around 10.30am just before rep arrived at 10.45. Go out for coffee and breakfast if you get up earlier! One of the many rules was, No Loud Music except from the Bar. Only problem was they did not play any music. Go to the beach if you want any atmosphere.The bar never stayed open past 7pm any night so forget drinks coming back to apts.We as a couple (in our 30's)have holidayed in Greece more than 20 times and this was our 3rd visit to Greece this year. I can honestly say I have not been to a place with more petty rules or more unwelcoming hosts than those here at SandyMaria.Maybe it was end of season fatigue but Sandy and Maria always loked like they had just got out of bed and to serve drinks was an effort. Alan, the Libra Rep, was as much use as a choclate fireguard. All he said was it was up to the owners what they did. One couple, there for 2 weeks, said to me at our pickup for home,they wished they were leaving but had to stay another week.It won't stop us returning to Tsilivi but certainly not back here.

just recently got back from sandt maria apartments, this is the 3rd time i have stayed there and it is lovely. the apartments and studios are really nice, kept really clean. sandy and maria are great girls, and they speak excellent english, they will go out of there way to help you. had 1 earthquake which was a bit worrying but it only lasted for a moment. this is one of the best places i have ever stayed, not far to the beach/town or bars, you couldn't ask for a nicer place to stay.

Our party of 32 arrived back last week, we had a fantastic time. Sandy & Maria are great girls and made us very welcome, everyone is very friendly. Hi to everyone we met out there (Chelsea says hi to Emily and Becky). You might think you are in the middle of no-where when you arrive, you really are not, its a very short walk to the centre and there are loads of really good Restaurants and Bars. Camelot and Majestic were two of our favourites as was Mambos and Dundees, Mambos Cocktails were only £2.00 each and we tried plently. Don't bother with the organised trip to see the turtles (you won't see them), get a bus of taxi to Laganas and get a trip from there, only 10 Euro's, the turtles are great. The Apartments are spotless and huge (ask for room 405 it has a double bed), you can hire fans from the little shop down the road, very cheap, he also changes money (if he's been to the bank). The pool is very clean although the tiles are very slippery and a little sharp in places. Overall no complaints, would definately go back again.

WE CAME IN AUGUST AND CAN HONESTLY SAY IT IS ONE OF THE BEST PLACES WE HAVE STAYED. THE ACCOMODATION AND POOL ARE SPOTLESS, REALLY CLEAN. THE STAFF ARE VERY FRIENDLY AND COULD NOT DO ENOUGH FOR YOU. CAN RECOMMEND WITH CONFIDENCE. ONLY PROBLEM WAS A COCKERAL THAT HAD A HABIT OF WAKING US UP AT 4am EVERY MORNING.

does anyone know if you can book these apts direct or do you really have to go via libra- which i don't really want to do

The Sandy Maria is the same as The Santy Marie, i found out when i stayed there that the Greek sign writer wrote the wrong name on the sign. Sandy and Marie are two Sisters who own the apartments.

just got back last week. had a brill time apart from the 2 earthquakes!!!!!!!!!!!!! go on the speedboat trip spiros is a nutter but a good laugh! don't bother looking at the shipwreck unless by boat trip, the designated viewpoint holds about 2 people at a time and on our visit there were about 100 there!!!!!!!!!!! the kefalonia trip is nice but you don't get long at each stop and it's areally long day! hire a jeep to tour round the island good fun don't expect to see a lighthouse at keri cos it's not there! but there is a lovely taverna . santy maria apts are really nice and so are the staff who work really hard .

Yes you're ok this is the same place! We have stayed there twice now, each time in an apartment, which was super, but we were shown a studio which looked just as good. Clean and well kept with maid service 6 days out of 7. Close enough to all amenities but far enough away from the hustle and bustle. I'm sure you will enjoy.

I don't want to sound stupid (!) but in our brochure the apartments are called 'Santy Maria.' Is this the same place? Has anyone stayed in the studios?

this is the best holiday I have ever had, the aprtments were spotless and modern. Everything was lovely and new. The pool was clean and the pool bar served up a wide selection of foods, Id love one of those cheese burgers right now!. It was lovely and quiet, apart from the dog in the house next door, but he only started up for about 30 mins at about midnight then there was a loud yelp! and he stopped! not quite sure what happened there?! but it made us laugh waiting for it. The apartments are really close to the bars and stuff, we used the dirt track in the day (while it was light) this is behind the aprtments next door (dinos?) it takes you straight to the main bar area. But in the dark we walked back the long way as aparently has been bag snatching onthe dirt track. But we felt it was fine and open to use in the day, plenty of peopel using it. Not wise to use it at night though. Well places to it, we loved majestic, we actually ended up going there 6 nights out of 7!. Really nice atmosphere, friendly service, especially the lady who makes the pancakes! try the chocolate and hazelnut pancake with ice cream! wow! Trips, we went to the smuggerlers cove it was fab, wenton a wooden boat which was really nice as everyone had horrible white modern boats and we had a pirate ship! big kids! we bookd that with (spring tours?) this is just across the road from popeyes, really nice friendly guy who tells you everything you need to know. thats about it, apart from a place called magdelins this is where we had breakfast 5 days out of 6, really quick service and really nice food, also good for cocktails at night, this is just before you get to magestic on the same side of the road. Tried popeyes, but I wouldnt recommend it.

Could you please provide me with detailed directions from Popeye's Bar to the Sandy Maria apartments? Do you have a street map of Tsilivi that shows the location of the Sandy Maria apartments? I have tried several websites and the travel agents but no-one appears to have a map? Any offers of help gratefully received. We leave for Tsilivi on 16.6.02 Many thanks Sandra Wakefield

Me and my girlfriend have recently returned from these apartments, we had a great holiday, apart from the lack of information from the rep! We went out last year same time, and the rep Katy was excellent, we thought she would be out there again, and was dissapointed she wasn't, Katy wherever you are let us know!! Sandy & Maria are great girls, friendly, funny and georgous!! Your local to everything, town centre, restaurants, and bars! Just be warned about the Albanians there were a few incidents where they were trying to grab bags off the beach - look out! This was our best holiday ever, such a clean place, we stayed in an apartment, but all the studios are on the 2nd and 3rd floor! Libra are a good company - but they just need a good old rep like Katy back! Going back out in September hopefully as we like it so much! - have a great holiday people

We last stayed at Sandy Maria in the last two week's of may last year.We'll be back june 3rd, say no more.

Went in august last year it was brilliant,that good we are off again june 30th.Is anyone going on those dates if so look forward to meeting you.Sandy and maria are lovely and only close the bar when you are ready they also like a midnight swim in the pool. Spiros the handyman the most genuine person i have ever met,hope he is still working there so we can try and get him in the pool!!!he is so strong. BEST HOLIDAY EVER!!!!

IF THE LADY WANTING TO KNOW ABOUT SANDYMARIA WOULD LIKE TO DROP ME AN E-MAIL I WILL BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS SHE HAS, my addy is emmabrooksbank@hotmail.com Cheers!

HIYA, IM VISITING TSILIVI IN JUNE 2002, NOT LONG TOO GO! CANT WAIT. I WAS WONDERING HOW FAR THE APARTMENTS ARE FROM THE CENTRE, BARS, TAVERNAS AND ALSO THE QUIET PART OF THE BEACH. EVERYONE SEEMS TO SAY DIFFERENT DISTANCES. ALSO ARE THERE ANY NICE SNACK BARS ON THE BEACH, FOR QUICK ACCESS TO COLD DRINKS THROUGHOUT THE DAY!. I CANT WAIT TO GO, LOOKS LIKE ME AND MY BOYFRIEND HAVE PICKED THE BEST PLACE. OH WHILE IM HERE, WE HAVE BOOKED A STUDIO APARTMENT, ARE THESE ON THE TOP FLOORS?. ID BE REALLY GRATEFUL FOR HELP.......THANKS...VICKY

Anyone who has booked Sandy Maria and would like first-hand information from June 2001 - the apartments are lovely. The standard of the accommodation is very good - but!!!! beware!!!! they have the slippiest floors we have ever encountered - beautiful tiles everywhere, but not suited to wet feet at all, particularly if you have young children. They are on the outskirts of Tsilivi which, in the centre, is now a really tourist-orientated resort. It will only take you 10 minutes along the unmade-in June-road to bring you out at the junction where you will find the biggest "supermarkt" and the road there then either takes you to the centre of the village or the busy end of the beach if that's what you need. It will take you 10 mins. in another direction to the quiet end of the beach where there is a taverna, Paradise, probably one of the only real tavernas in the village and, if you go back along to the main Zakynthos town/Tsilivi road back into the village, it wil take you approx. 15 mins to the centre. You really have the best of everyting here - peace and quiet, easy access to the main hustley-bustley bit if you want it - stay put at Sandy Maria if you don't. Incidentally, its worth a trip through the hustley-bustley, out the other side to anothe taverna - Manos - for a meal in the evening - go early or late though, otherwise you will not get in.

if anyone would like more info on sandy maria or Tsilivi in general drop me a lie at emmabrooksbank@hotmail.com.

Just got back from a lovely fortnights stay at sandy maria really lovely and clean accomodation great pool and friendly staff,miranda the maid is a star!would return for sure.liked the fact that it was a little walk from the resort centre, nice and quiet.

Lovely accommodation - Sandy Maria are in a peaceful location, about 15 minutes out of the hustley-bustley centre of Tsillivi and about 7 minutes from the quieter end of the beach. We had a ground floor apartment which was very spacious, one separate bedroom and sofa beds in the large living/dining/kitchen area. Balcony doors opened off both rooms, balcony enormous. The apartment was slightly below ground level which meant it was lovely and cool at all times - but beware - the slippiest floors ever, highly polished smooth tiles everywhere, including bathroom! The pool area has plenty of sunbeds and a small bar where snacks are available. The whole place is kept spotlessly clean with all apartments tidied and bins emptied daily. These apartments are available through Libra holidays and are very good value for money - our first holiday with them and they and Excel airline provided us with an excellent week all round - Katy the rep. was friendly, knowledgeable and professional and Sandy and Maria have excellent accommodation here - particularly good if you know Tsilivi and don't want to be in the middle of everything but within easy walking distance. +

Addition to my last comment, anybody wanting to know more about sandy maria apmts and Tsilivi can mail me at SBRADFORD25@HOTMAIL.COM and i'll be pleased to help

hi...coming for 2 weeks mid september with my boyfriend we were wondering if anyone could tell us more about the studios....are they air conditioned? thanx!

Oh dear I'm miserable. On the way to work in Manchester this morning it was raining. I want to go back! Came back on Sunday 5th Aug after 2 weeks and can only say good things. The apmts are very roomy, big balcony, nice views, clean, good pool(tends to be taken over by kids but hey) and the bar is open early till late. ALEX THE REP IS LURVELY(There I said it, send me the cheque pls) and Libra is very good too. 2 restaurants stood out, the local tav round the corner and the one on the beach at the end of the beach road(Iakinthos i think). Tsilivi centre got a bit boring after a while, would have liked a relaxed underground club but generally good. The boat trip round the island is well worth it, only 9 quid(go on the plusher boat as a/c downstairs) and also try to see Cephalonia for a day(Alex, WHO WAS BRILL AGAIN, will organise 1 nights stay and ferry) Hello to the Prison Wardens Tim and Michelle(their stories gave me nightmares) and Mark and Sam(c u soon) STUART and LORRAINE XXX

These apartemnts are beautiful, very new, lovely pool and snack bar. Everything is marble, very clean, and quiet. One of the best places we have been. It is with Libra Holidays. The rep called Katie was superb. Although very young she was cool and professional, very friendly and caring and sorted out a problem for us. The owners were also very helpful and friendly. The only thing it needed which it didn't have was a phone in reception which could be used for emergencies only if someone needed for example a doctor in the middle of the night. Otherwise it was perfect. The ground level was very close to the poolside. One of the upper levels had air conditioning. All in all it was a place where my husband and myself would certainly like to go back to.

We were on Zakynthos for the first time and would definitely return, both to the resort of Tsilivi and especially to the apartments of Sandy and Maria. Everybody was very friendly and helpful, the maids were very efficient and clean. The pool was lovely, just the right size, and was cleaned every night. If I had to make one complaint it would be the sunbeds aren't very comfortable! We would walk back to the apartments down the dirt track rather than along the 'main' road and found that wasn't as dark. One thing to mention about the trips, for some reason Libra charge DOUBLE the price as the local shops in town. From those of our fellow guests who went on the trips via the shops there was no difference in what the trip entailed. There was an English speaking guide, sometimes a local person who had a fairly good level of English, but sometimes it was even an English person who knows lives over there. The only extra for the Kefalonia trip was 2,500 each drachmas for the ferry, but you would still be saving 13,000 drachmas. Our rep Katy was lovely, the first rep we had encountered that would go to the effort of remembering your names. She even came out with us in the evening a couple of times. The Welcome Meal is a good thing to do, you get to know other guests as well as the local reps. Katy I have tried to e-mail you but it has returned to me. Could you please drop me a line at dawn.burch@uk.tesco.com and then I should be able to return. Hope you are well! Dawn and Mark xx

We arrived home yesterday.These appartments are wonderful!The maid is brill!so quick and so immaculate,always appologetic too ('Ooohh!...soorwi!')for being in your way etc. She's funny!Sandy and Maria are nice.Area is quiet although if you're after entire peace, don't expect a lie in!Within beautiful surrounding mountains and neighbouring homes(there are'nt many)owners of Goats,Hens (including a Cockrel!!)sheep and the odd friendly dog.Tsilivi(as other parts of Greece),has many cats. Very friendly(though looking very undernourished)A small shop nearby where there's a lovely man and his family who run it.He does exchange of T.Cheques,despite not speaking much English-he gets by!Very friendly. Sandy Maria's appartments are brilliantly positioned, being a short walk from the beach, and of an equal walk to Tsilivi town. If you want to travel to Zakynthos town or further,its best to hire a car or take a taxi(ask him/her for the charge b4 you take a cab ride!) I was glad someone suggested taking a torch,it is very dark at night.Owners of neighbouring restaurants etc v.friendly. WE WOULD CERTAINLY GO AGAIN. Louisa and Peter.x

Its safe to walk back to the apartments but a torch is still good to have as you have a 20 minute walk into the main resort along a staight road which cars do go along fairly quickly and its not well lit. Use the torch to show them your there.

MY SELF AND MY BOYFRIEND ARE TRAVELING TO THE SANDY MARIA IN JULY THIS YEAR, WE WERE A BIT WORRIED BECAUSE THE BROCHURE STATED THAT THE POOL WASN'T COMPLETE BUT PLANNED 4 THIS YEAR. I AM PLEASED HAVING LEANT FROM A COMMENT POSTED ON THIS THIS SITE,THAT IT NOW IS. THANKYOU! WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO IT AS IT HAS OBVIOULSLY HAD GREAT REVIEWS. THE ONLY THING THAT WORRIES ME IS WHETHER IT IS SAFE ENOUGH TO WALK BACK TO THE APPARTMENT LATE AT NIGHT? I DID READ IT WOULD BE USEFUL TO TAKE A TORCH! IF ANYONE COULD HELP THAT WOULD BE GREAT.

i visited zante last year and stayed at the tsilivi beach hotel, can anybody tell me where the sandy maria apartments are in relation to the tsilivi beach hotel.

As a family with 2 small children these apartments were ideal,Jessica thoroughly enjoyed the pool etc and Natasha enjoyed all the attention received from Sandy and Maria!!!! we enjoyed this holiday so much we have already booked to go again next year a good time can be had by all at the Sandy Maria.

returned home on june 3rd,this was my best holiday ever.I learned to swim in the deep end of the pool and my 8 month old sister Natasha kept every-one amused especialy Sandy&Maria who would have kept her if they could.The kitten is still missing, we asked Katy about it on the way home but she had no news on it.I think it's mummy must have found it. Ask your mum for a Disney cocktail from the bar, it's lovely.

We are a party of 32 going to Sandy Maria Apts in August 2002. We would appreciate information on the bars/tavernas and Restaurants. And most important to my mother in law, does the pool bar sell alcohol. cheers

We have just returned as the others have said it is very clean and new, the pool is lovely although the sunbeds are not all that comfortable. This is a quiet rural location the beach is only a short walk away as are the shops and many tavernas. All the places we ate at were first class. We would have no hesitation in returning to the resort or accomodation. As for the ginger kitten well its disappeared! Only hope its ok!

The apartments are set in a quiet location ten minutes walk from the resort centre. The walk is on flat ground but I would advise taking a torch with you as the roads are poorly lit, though safe. The pool,kids pool and snack-bar are now fully operational, with the pool being cleaned daily.The staff are the friendliest I have ever met, from the rep Katy(loves crisps, please bring her some)to the maid Miranda, and last but not least the manageress Sandy(she loves chocolate with a vengance, please supply her with some). The rooms are cleaned daily and are of a high standard. We stayed in an apartment, but would have also been happy in a studio. I would definately return to the Sandy-Maria apartments, and intend to do so next year. PS I would also very much apreciate any info on how Pugi the ginger kitten is doing! Jim Walker 21/05/01

Having just returned today, I am pleased to give a report on these apartments. The apartments are new and very clean. The owner has returned to Athens due to illness and is now being run by his daughters "Sandy & Maria". They are brilliant. They have just opened the bar and are doing various snacks during the day. The swimming pool is also finished and is lovely and clean.The only tour operator using the apartments is Libra-the rep Katy, was fantastic,very helpful,friendly and made the holiday...have a brilliant time. P.S my daughter fell in love with a ginger kitten there any updates would be lovely......

I am going in july sheila or james can u let me know what it is like. Joe matthews

Gooing to Sandy Maria in June - would like to hear from anyone who has been - is the pool finished?

I am travelling to this location in May,2001. Has anyone any information on this complex? I would be grateful for any help. Jim Walker