Alykanas Beach Village

HI ELAINE

THE WEATHER AT THE M0MENT IS OK ITS QUITE WARM AND ITS STILL FINE AROUND THE POOLS THE OUTLOOK FOR THE WEATHER IS AS FOLLOWS.

SAT ....CHANCE OF RAIN BUT WARM
SUN ....RAIN AND SUN
MON.....SUNNY
TUES....SUNNY
WEDS....SUNNY
THURS.... CLOUD BUT SOME SUN
FRI.....WARM
SAT.....SUNNY
SUN.....A LITTLE RAIN

HOPE THIS WILL HELP

SEE YOU SUNDAY AND AT MY WELCOME MEETING ON MONDAY AT 11:30 IN RECEPTION

LINDON

I had my first encounter abroad at Alykanas Beach Village,With just one word i can some it up....."Amazing".We arrived in late september 2003 and it was just perfect... Three pools, a beach a few meters away, Friendly people and wonderfull food.. A little expensive to what i had been told or expected but all the same worth it... I have two Kids and a wonderfull fiance and it was perfect for all of us! Accomadation :A1 ....Prices : more expensive than the uk (some bargains)... Beach : 1 minute away and wonderfull.. I won't go on but.......... GO THERE!

We will be going to ABV next July and would gratful if someone could suggest good eating places, especially as my children are fussy eaters.
Thanks
Simon

Hi Lindon, we are coming to stay at the beach village on Sunday for a week. Hows the weather doing at the moment. Is it still warm enought to be lying by the pool etc. I have the temps etc on this website but I think your comments would be more reliable. Thanks

hiya dint stay at the hotel but we was in the one next to it Alykanas beach hotel. the hotels are both really nice. we made loasa mates from that holiday both from my hotel and that one. just want to say hi to cris and charlotte alex and emma the many other peeps i meetjust cnt remember all of the names too many peeps to cope with when ya drunk. definatly go to the flame bar if ya going out there its top. oh and dance on the bar if u can and send a massage from all the zante crew 2003(august) to the bar men we sed hi they will no who we are, just say the girls that danced on the bar. so dont worrie about making friends there are loads.
thanks for a wickid holiday ZANTE
luv hannah, suzanne, sophie .x.x.x.

HI PEARL

THE WEBSITE IS WWW.ALYKANASVILLAGE.GR ON THE WEBSITE YOU CAN HAVE A 3D TOUR OF THE HOTEL, I HOPE THIS HELPS

LOOK FOWARD TO MEETING YOU ALL ON WEDNESDAY

LINDON

Dear Lindon

My husband and I will be staying at the Alykanas Beach Village from 15-29 October 2003 and look forward to meeting you.

Can you please tell us whether there is an actual website for the village which we can visit prior to our holiday?

Many thanks.

The Alykanas Beach Village has very good quality accommodation, and great facilities, especially if you have children. HOWEVER it can be very noisy. We went last week in Sept/first week Oct 2003 and were surprised at how many school aged children there were!!. We originally had a room at the back and complained about the noise so were given a sea-view room overlooking the beach 2 days after arriving which really made the holiday.
I have to say that I fear that this development and the one next door (Alykanas Beach Apartments) spell the beginning of the the end for Alykanas in its current idyllic form. The complex is massive by Zante standards and is totally out of keeping visually and architecturally with the rest of the surrounding countryside. In fact you can see the apartment blocks from many miles away along the coast. I cannot imagine how permission was ever granted to build this size of complex in its location. Externally it is a complete eyesore on the landscape.
The beach now has barely a metre of sand not occupied by sunbeds and umbrellas and in the busier periods would be very crowded especially if any further similar developments are constructed
The older part of Alykanas is much more peaceful and pretty.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE INFO SHARON AND IM HAPPY TO HEAR YOU ENJOYED YOUR STAYED.

TAKE CARE

LINDON

MY WIFE ANDI WILL BE GOIMG TO ALYKANAS BEACH VILLAGE FOR THE HALF TERM ( OCTOBER 15-29 )AND WILL BE TAKING OUR CHILDREN.
OUR SON(16) WILL HAVE HIS FRIEND WITH HIM BUT OUR DAUGHTER (8) WILL BE ON HER OWN. SHE'LL BE GLAD TO MEET ANYONE AROUND HER AGE TO PLAY WITH.

Hi Linedon,Do you remember i asked you about driving to athens? Just to let u know i did drive to athens it took a hour by ferry and 4 hours by car and i loved every min of it not to mention getting pulled over for speeding too got off with it!!
As we expected the second time round village hotel was excellent and a big thankyou to gloria the managress for the seaview apartment she gave us on our second day there. Anyone who hasn't been before your gonna love it. Hire a car and take in the sites,hubby and me drove all over the island every nook and cranny wasn't left unturned even though we were here in may 2003 for two weeks we still found new places to visit.Cant wait to come back next year.

Hello lindon

i have been the alykanas village this summer had a great time wish you was the rep when we were there. the staff are very friendly especially Yanni, Nicko and Alex iwant to be back there

HELLO EVERYBODY, I HOPE THAT YOU ARE ALL GOOD,
AGAIN IM LINDON AND IM THE AIRTOURS AND DIRECT HOLIDAYS REPRESENTATIVE AT THE ALYKANAS VILLGE.
OVER THE LAST MONTH I HAD BEEN STUDYING YOUR COMMENTS AND REVIEWS OF THE ALKANAS VILLAGE.
THERE SEEMS TO BE ALOT OF CONFUSSION AND MIXED RESULTS ON THE, ALYKANAS VILLAGE AND THE ALYKANAS BEACH.
I HAVE CONTACTED THIS WEBSITE TO SEE IF THEY WILL DO 2 DIFFERENT REVIEWS AS THEY ARE 2 COMPLETELY DIFFERENT COMPLEXES.
IM THE REP AT THE ALYKANAS VILLAGE AND NOT THE ALYKANAS BEACH.THE HOTELS ARE NEXT TO EACH OTHER BUT ARE NOT THE SAME.
LOOKING AT ALL OF YOUR COMMENTS I BELIEVE THAT IT CAN BE CONFUSING ABOUT WHICH HOTEL IS WHICH.
IF YOURSELF AND YOUR PARTY ARE ON HOLIDAY WITH AIRTOURS,DIRECT HOLIDAYS OR PANORAMA, THEN YOU WILL BE STAYING AT THE ALYKANAS VILLAGE.THE HOTEL IS FANTASTIC WITH GREAT FACILITIES FOR ALL HOLIDAY MAKERS.
THE STAFF HERE ARE EXCELLENT AND IM SURE THAT WHEN YOU ARRIVE YOU WILL SAY THE SAME. GLORIA THE HOTEL MANAGER IS FANTASTIC AND WILL GO OUT HER WAY LIKE MYSELF TO ENSURE YOU HAVE A HOLIDAY TO REMEMBER.
THE STUDIOS AND APARTMENTS HAVE GREAT FACILITIES WITH WHICH CAN ONLY BE DESCRIBED AS EXCEPTIONAL CLEANERS THAT DO A FABULOUS JOB AS THE COMPLEX IS SPOTLESS.
THE COMPLEX HAS THREE POOLS WHICH AGAIN ARE EXCELLENT, IM SURE FROM THE COMMENTS THAT YOU WILL HAVE READ ALREADY THAT I DO TAKE TOWELS OFF SUNBEDS THE REASON BEING IS THERE IS KNOW NEED TO RESERVE THEM AS THERE IS PLENTY BUT I DO NOT THINK THAT IT IS FAIR FOR HOLIDAY MAKERS TO DO SO AND I HAVE GREAT PRIDE IN TAKING THEM OFF WITH ALOT OF RESPECT FROM OTHER HOLIDAY MAKERS THAT I DO SO.
IM VERY SURE THAT WHEN YOU CHOOSE THE ALYKANAS VILLAGE THAT YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED THE COMPLEX IS SECOND TO NONE,

HAVE A FANTASTIC HOLIDAY AND I LOOK FOWARD TO MEETING YOU. LINDON

I havn't been yet but me nd my frend (both female will b 15) r goin in l8 july, erly august 2004 and I wnt 2 know from a person my age if its gud, will we make frends nd is their places we can go b4 1 thats got gud music, cheap drinks nd ppl our age. If u r a similar age 2 me nd hav been or r goin plz email me at dont_have_a_cow_now@hotmail.com

Our first time to greece, and my girlfriends first time abroad, and all we want to to is go back tommorrow. It was superb, friendly staff, very clean hotel, lowenbrau on special offer!!!!!!

We had 3 "kids" with us two 14 and one 17, and they lived in the pools, we lived on the sun loungers. The week we had was quiet, not many kids and no real troubles with getting a sunbed, the reps WILL remove towels in the morning, which is a good thing as we noticed some people reserving the beds then going out for the morning.

The maids did an excelent job on the rooms and the recepeption staff were english speaking to a high level.

The only down side for us was that the studio for 5 was in fact a studio for 4 with an extra bed, sorry Lindon didn't fool me, the 5 was written over the 4, there were only 4 cups plates and cutlery for 4, although it wasn't to cramped, and the caberet night was local beer and wines inclusive only, the local brew is awful and the wine is netto's finest, nice with lemonade though. lol.

We are looking at going back next year, and WILL book when the prices drop a bit.

PS.....The airport is terrible, expensive, hot and small. Heed the warnings take supplies it was €4 a sandwich, €4 a coffee, in fact €4 was all the cafe girl could say.

If you are thinking of going, GO GO GO GO,

Great 2 weeks. 3 pools for those too lazy to walk the 20 yards to the sandy beach.
The rep Lindon was fine for us.

Hello All,
We have just got back from 2 fantastic weeks at the village and can't really complain about anything other than the rep, glad to see that Lindon has taken over from Jenny as we found her to be pretty useless (she failed to tell us that the underground lake and the cave, the 2 places to visit on the Kefalonia trip were an extra cost once on the trip, a bit of an unpleasant surprise) and then she seemed to do a disappearing act and didn't seem to be around at the advertised times in the hotel. We also went on the Dusk Delights trip to Zakynthos town, Jenny was on this trip as a guest, guess who was the last person on the bus at the end of the night keeping everyone waiting?????? I also feel that I have to back up Chris Chedgzoy. I saw your photo of the rubbish Chris and just to let you know, you can still see where it was but it has now mainly been cleared, now all in black bags down by the beach, and yes we saw a huge beast of a rat (just the one and only on one occasion) near where the horse and carts wait of an evening.

As most other people have said, there are lots of great places to eat, we mainly went to Dionisos and the Greedy Greek, both lovely food but the Greedy Greek was better value for money. Also the Lemon Tree was lovely. The horse and carts were good fun if you didn't fancy the short walk into the main town and they weren't pushy, they took no for answer if you wanted the exercise.

The Flame bar was good for the odd cocktail or 2, although didn't help with the race for the sunbeds the next morning. As far as the sunbeds were concerned you just had to play the game otherwise find one of the nearby bars or pay for a bed on the beach.

The apartments were a good size, especially with just 2 of us in one, the views over the beach and over to Kefalonia were lovely.
All in all the weather was great, the apartments were great, the people were great....would go back tomorrow....

All you lucky people still waiting to go....have a brilliant time.

HI, IM LINDON AND I AM THE AIRTOURS AND DIRECT HOLIDAYS REP REPLACING JENNY AT THE BEACH VILLAGE. I HAVE NOTICED THAT MANY PEOPLE WHO WILL BE STAYIMG HERE THIS SUMMER HAVE QUESTIONS THEY WOULD LIKE TO ASK.I CAN HELP YOU BEFORE YOU ARRIVE AND ALSO ONCE YOU ARRIVE IN RESORT. THE HOTEL IS ECELLENT WITH GREAT FACILITIES.THE KIDS CLUB IS PROVIDED FOR ALL AIRTOURS AND DIRECT HOLIDAYS CUSTOMERS.FOR FAMILIES WITH SMALLER CHILDREN, I RECOMMEND A BUGGY AND THEY CAN BE HIRED FROM MYSELF.I WOULD ALSO ADVISE CUSTOMERS TO BRING A DRIVING LISENCE AS THE ISLAND IS STUNNING, WITH THE BEST BEACHES IN THE SOUTH AND THE MOST BEAUTIFUL VILLAGES WHICH LIE IN THE MOUNTAINS IT IS WELL WORTH HIRING A CAR. I AM HERE TO HELP YOU WHATEVER YOUR MATTER MAY BE, I LOOK FOWARD TO MEETING YOU ALL IN PERSON

HERE'S TO A FANTASTIC HOLIDAY!

LINDON

Soz bout all the mistake in my last posting!!!

I jst want to say that i neva made any friends while i was there!!! I realy enjoyes the holiday though! Iam 16 and there was a lot of Teenagers there! I was there from the 14th August to the 28th of Agust 2003

hey,
i've already written in here, just before i went on holiday. Just wanted to say that that was the BEST holiday i have ever been on. I wish i could have stayed there for 2 weeks though! If anyone is worried bout meeting people, dont be! There are teenagers EVERYWHERE! In my 6 days there i met 25 people. They were all gorgeous, and so friendly. Honestly, there are some very FINE people there aswell (coughchriscough). The Greeks are sooo friendly and you can always have a good chat with the horse and chat drivers aswell. The Flame bars the best bar to go to, it has a dance floor and gr8 waiters! No ones usually on the dance floor, but after a few, it seems like a good idea! Well, just thought i'd let you know it was FANTASTIC. The bet holiday in my life. And the wierd thing was, i met someone who has written on this message board and we became really good friends!! C ya Love char -xx-

We have just returned from Alykanas Beach Village (hubby, son 15, son 9 and me). We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Zante. Apartments are ideally situated right on the beach and close enough to the town to be able to walk for evening meals and entertainment. Just a couple of things we feel could have improved our enjoyment. The enterainment within the village was poor (especially Mr No Personality who did the disco and Quiz/Bingo Night). There are very little activites for the younger children no playground/area just two pool tables (2 euros per game via tokens from reception) Kids club is for Panorama children only. We also were unfortunate to experience two complete power failures, one of which also took out the water supply. One day without the main pool (due to health risks, as it was not cleaned at all during our stay and the pool man had a habit of turning off the filters and dumping large quantities of chlorine into the pool at one end). AirTours rep was very good and ensured that the pool was properly cleaned before we were allowed to use it again. We also had the joy of experiencing an earthquake on our first morning (but my husband found this very exciting and thought the pool had a wave machine at first).

Eating out was really easy and we found numeruous restaurants which deserve a mention:
The Greedy Greek - horse and cart from outside appartments - Kleftico comes to table on fire and is delivered by a waiter who bears an uncanny resemblance to David Blaine - Children receive a free icecream - You must try the Baileys icecream (Yum Yum)
Mantalena - No cart but worth the walk - Free ouzo on arrival - friendly service if a little slow when busy - Also do take away
La Caretta - Lovely meal - but avoid if you don't like cats
OUR FAVOURITE : Paradosiako Taverna (on the road towards Alykes)- Excellent service and food, really friendly people nice location overlooking the river - did not feel so hemmed in or rushed here.

BEST NIGHT OUT - Mill Bar - Greek Night - Book to avoid disappointment. Mill Bar is just along the beach and up a gravel path but worth every step. Really friendly people who made the who evening excellent. BBQ, Greek Dancing, Fire Dancing, Plate Smashing and much more (ladies beware don't wear a short skirt - all will become apparant !!!!!!!)

Blue Caves trip is worth. doing we printed off a discount voucher for "Golden Dolphin" ( the only boat to go right into the caves) Booking on the beach at Alkyes really nice guy (Alan) and his son (Jordan). We were really lucky as we saw a group of dolphins playing in the sea on our way to the caves.

Para Gliding from Alkyes beach : Double 50 Euros Single 35 Euros expensive but worth every cent !!!!!!!

Only down point of whole holiday was return journey, we had been warned about the airport but warnings were not enough to prepare us for a 7 hour stay at Zante Airport. Make sure that you take water and food with you as water is 1 Euro for 500ml bottle and food is extortionate and not really that appetizing.AirTours reps at airport were less than helpful, and nearly had a riot on their hands.

Anyone who wants any further tips or guidance or would like to see photos of the village please feel free to contact me email address tutt@blueyonder.co.uk

Hiya i Jst returned from The village yesterday! I had a gd time! The Studios are really spacious! I didnt manage to make any friends though, Im 16 and noone seemed to want to make friends with me! We had noone talking to us! But apart from That i had a really good time this was my second time to Alykanas but the last time i stayed at Letsos Hotel which i think is better!
The Best Restaurant is the Poseidon!! The staff are VERY friendly and the food is great! Apollo was good 2 but i did find that some of the staff werent that friendly! but the food was good and the prices!

MY HUSBAND AND TWO DAUGHTERS AGED 18 AND 13 JUST RETURNED FROM TWO WEEK HOLIDAY IN VILLAGE ALYKANAS. WE HAD A TWO BEDROOMED APT. WHICH WAS VERY SPACIOUS WITH A SEA AND POOL VIEW. I COULD NOT FAULT THIS
HOTEL ON ANYTHING, EVERYTHING WAS PERFECT. LOVELY RESTAURANT ABOUT
.50 KLM FROM HOTEL ON ROAD TO ALIKAS GREEK TAVERNA EXCELLENT FOOD VERY
REASONABLE. IN TSIVILIE LOVELY GREEK TAVERNA OPPOSITE CITICASH MACHINE. LOVELY COCKTAIL BAR ICE CREAM PARLOUR IN ALYKANAS TOWN THE CATACOMBES. RENTED CAR FROM XENOS CAR HIRE VERY GOOD VALUE 220 EURO FOR 1 WEEK WITH AIR CONDITIONING, WENT TO KEFELONIA WITH CAR BIT DISAPOINTING. BLUE CAVES WELL WORTH A VISIT AND SMUGGLERS COVE. ALL IN ALL HAD GREAT HOLIDAY.

We have booked a studio accommodation for three persons at the Alykanas Beach Studio in September.Has anyone information on what the studios are like. Thanks.

To ALLAN DAVID BARNSLEY

Dont understand why you say I am so off the mark. Please re read what I have posted, I gave a honest review good and bad. Yes I pointed out the bad bits but I also pointed out the good bits. I also said I had a good holiday but would not go back to this hotel. Just because I did not find this the best hotel in the world you seem it fair to have a pop at me. I have also made public my email address so if you want to contact me please do so. Oh and by the way I have posted a couple of pictures of the rubbish on this site if you can be bothered to look.

Mark, the Kids Club appears to be for Panorama children only during the day. However, when they do the evening entertainment, ie Mini Disco, Clowns etc, all the children are invited to join in, regardless of which Tour Operator they are travelling with. If you want to know anything else, my e-mail is janeepope@btopenworld.com.

I have booked a holiday here for October 03 as a surprise birthday present for my wife Sheila. Her birthday is not till next month and I booked up in Feb 03. It's been such a long wait. I've been gagging to tell her about the holiday! My 9 year old son has kept it secret too! The place looks great and this web site is brilliant. Anyway just to let you know there are other reviews for the 'Village' on www.holidaysuncovered.co.uk with positive comments too. PS Is there a childrens club with Airtours that Direct Holiday Clients can use as well?

I just cant believe the so called international traveller Chris whos comments are so far off the mark it is untrue. Next year save your money and stay at home for your tv and curry. We have just returned from the most A1 holiday we have ever had. This week we are booking again and this is unusual as we do not normally go back to the same place. Yes Chris we have travelled a great deal but could not fault the accomodation, area, food or for that matter anything. The airport is something to behold but so you are on holiday and it is Greece. Thanks to Bonkers bar,Poseidon and the fabulous harbour restaurant that made our holiday perfect(didnt notice the rubbish or the colour on the tv) Roll on next year and happy hols to those that are yet to visit. You wil not regret!!!!!!!!!!!11

FROM A KIDS POINT OF VIEW (THE BEST WAY) ::
Hello!! I am becky and I am 13. All these adults keep putting these comments in so i want to give you an idea of what it's like from a kid's point of view. We had an amazing holiday here. We came back on the 13th August. It is the best holiday I have ever had. I have been to Greece 4 times (halkidiki x2, Potos & Zante). This is a very good resort.
BIG pools. Volleyball pool - you can either have 4 one on one game or one big one. However, some people decide that its just another pool that they can swim in or put their kids in. When we were playing volleyball a women came over to us and told us that we shouldn't be playing so near to kids
** It is a VOLLEYBALL pool. There IS a kids pool. If you want your kids to be somewhere safe DON'T put them in the volleybal pool then complain the balls going everywhere DUH !!**

The medium pool is 1.3m deep at the top end, and the big pool is 1.6m deep. The sea is very salty and don't go in it you've got cracked skin or you're peeling because it stings like hell !!

There is a snooker room with 2 tables, you get the tokens from reception - they cost 2 euros a game (bit of a rip off but fun when you're totally whooping someone at it!) OR you can play at the flame bar 2 euros for half an hour

Top bar is not open until about 6 but the bottom bar is open from 8am - 6pm. Bottom bar serves food, drinks and ice creams. Man at the bar is not very interactive but the waiter (Nichos) speaks very good english and is very nice and will have a conversation with you.(he's a bit of a flirt).

EATING OUT ::
**Taj Mahal Chinese - Very good food, cart service available, quite small meal so i do suggest getting chips or a side order. Costs about 50 euros for a family of four (round of drinks and 4 meals). Each meal comes with a complimentary hot flannel and fortune cookie after

**Dionosis :: Good meal. Good service. Kids play area. cart service and roof balcony

**Appollo :: Very good meal, not too expensive, free ice cream for kids. BEST PLACE IN ZANTE FOR PIZZA. DEFINITELY.

BARS ::
**Flame :: English waiter (1) Good drinks. RECCOMEND sex on the beach and chocolate orgasm (they're yum)

**Heaven bar :: DONT GO THERE ITS RUBBISH

Hope i've given u a vague idea of the place !!
mail me if u have any queries
x

hey. my names Charlotte.. i'm 14 and a bit. i'm going on holiday tomorrow! mymum told me about this so i was just looing it up, hoping to meet some ppl cos i'm only visiting with my mum. I'll be there from the 20th - 27th. Maybe i'll see some of u there (not that i'll know u!) byebye -xx-

To debbie+millie

You will struggle getting from the bar to the pool with either transport for your child. There are steps which although more than possible to get down you may prefer to go out the front door and then around the side of the hotel which is flat. There are steps up to the front enterance but there is also a slop which I guess is for people like yourself or wheelchair people. Just a shame they did not do this out the back as well.

can anybody help. we are staying at the alykanas beach village in september, taking our 3 month old daughter-millie. would a buggy or three wheeler pram be the most practical option for the area. please help us to decide.

thanks debbie+millie

Returned from holiday at alykanas village 14/08/03. Very clean hotel, excellent size apartments. 2 bedroomed plus kitchen area with small table and chairs.Good news for anyone due to go approx 25 NEW SUNBEDS arrived during our stay. This helped slightly but I think that the sunbed situation wasn't helped by people reserving sunbeds at 11.00pm each evening, reserving 4 beds when 2 were for children under the age of 5. How many children sit on a sunbed for more than a few minutes at a time!!!.We found the restaurants were all very simular menu's liked the Lemon Tree best just because it seemed more like a tradintional taverna. Went on the Jeep tour arranged by airtours , good trip but expensive. On the day we were returning home there was a earth quake measuring 6.5 on the rictar scale in the sea near Corfu. Building moved, people who were awake (8.15am)left their apartments but hotel staff just carried on working. Not sure if this is a regular event. If unable to get a bed , Hotel Valais 200 meters to the right of the hotel along the beach has free sunbeds and pool. This hotel also shows new films at 10.00pm each night. We only bought a drink at the alykanas beach village on our first night as a large draught Mythos 5 Euros each a rip off.Lowenbrau available at 3 euros but when we asked for one not available. Most bars charge between 2-3 euro for draught Mythos . Great place for a lunctime snack is the Mill bar just past the Hotel Valais on the beach , well worth the short walk up the gravel path. There are bags of rubbish over the wall to the left of the hotel and these need to be removed. Great holiday, airport bad but return airport journey managed very well by reps. Would recommed hotel and resort.

Hi, my name is Daniel, and I will be staying at the Alkyanas Beach Village Resort, from the 27th August, for two weeks, I am sixteen and wondered if anyone else my age is also going there?.

We shall be in Zante, alykanas beach village from 20th August 2003 for a fortnight and would to know the best place to get car hire for the duration of our stay.

Thanks carol

we will be leaving for zante tomorow and im really excited so if any one around the age of 12 is going tomorow please reply soon:)

Dont understand why people got a little upset with my prevous posting. I told it as we found it and I am shocked that nobody else has spotted or commented on the rubbish tip to the right of the hotel which seems to be growing, very veiwable from our room and I hold by the fact that we saw rats under 1 miles away and it can only be a matter of time before you will see them here as well. Yep I like a curry and I am not ashamed of that which is why when I saw there was curry served at the greedy Greek I just had to try it. Every other night we eat at the local taveraners so most of the time yes I eat greek food. As I said before by Greek standards this hotel is above the norm but I would also say that it is below par compared to other countries for the rating it has. By the way I am not as picky as you may think I have stopped in a lot worse hotels than this.

i am 12 years old is any one around this age staying at alykanas beach village from the 14th august-28th august
(ps. i am a girl)

The accomadation was spacious,clean and comfortable.Here's some tips to make your stay more enjoyable.During the day there are an insufficient number of sunbeds(less than 1 per room) despite ther being plenty of space for more, as these were all reserved The Hotel charges 7 Euros if you use their beach ones.However if you go to the beach and turn right there are 2 hotels with free use of pools and sunbeds open till 10pm,also the far end of the beach by the harbour (past the seaweed ) is much nicer for swimming and snorkeling.You need to be aware that the alikanas beach village shuts the pools and expensive snack bar promptly at 6pm thus ensuring a rush for the available hot bath water.This can be remedied by use of the kettle and saucepns provided. Highly recommended is the use of Bonkers pool and bar just across the road, very useful for parties with small children as the pool and paddling pool are spotless and there is plenty of shade available.

Hiya iam 16 and im going to b there on the 14th of August for two weeks! Is there anyone from scotland going to b there at the same time??

I am Ash Tutt my brother is Chris Tutt. I am 9 and going to the Beach Village on 13/8/03.I would like to know if anyone my age or there abouts is going at the same time. I am really looking forward to it.

Is anyone from Cardiff/Wales going to these apartments in August 2004 ?

Hairdryers are not available in the Beach Village.

My son is 10, and is looking for anyone about the same age to play with. Especally football. We are going away on the 18th September for two weeks. Let us know if you have children the same age.
Thanks for the reply Martin Jones.
Did I hear somewhere there is an internet cafe there.

Just arrived back from this fantastic complex,cleaners everyday,clean sheets+towels every other day,beds made every day,bins emptied every day,air is extra but well worth it,the best nights sleep we have ever had on hol!staff nice,the snack bar is nice food and good price.The only coment i can make again'st the place was the sunbeds!you had 2 b up to get 1round pool,but i was told the hotel were in the process of buying more to rectify the prob,the rep did take towels off unatended beds.other than this minor thing the place is brill!the beach on your doorstep wot can i say!!the best of 3 worlds,beach,pool,place back for a 4th year running 04 booked up already.if your thinking of going dont hesitate do it!this island is a place you just do not want to leave!if you are going or thinking of going have a good 1 im sure you will...

Hi Every1! I'm Chris (15), I'll b commin' 2 the hotel 13th August 2003. Can't wait! Just wanted 2 know how many other people my age were goin the same time! C U All Soon!

Can anyone tell me whether hair-dryers are provided at these apartments?

for C Gore.
Still can't flush paper etc down loo. Pools close at 6pm and the bloke who cleans it gets a bit stropy if you don't get out on time. But it adds to the fun when you pretend not to understand him!!!
Enjoy your holiday

its been 10 years since we went to zanti, we are goint to these apartments, could anyone tell us about the toilets, in the new hotel can you flush the paper, also is it right that the pool closes early every day. are there things to do for a 4 and a 9 year old. thanks.

Cant believe some of the negative comment here. By far the best Greek accommodation we have ever had. The rooms were cleaned properly, the hotel staff were extremely helpful and we were give excellent instuctions on how to find our room. The electric key system took about 10 seconds to bypass (remove the card from the key Homer!!) and the air con was good but, @ 90euros, very expensive. Perhaps the cost of this option could be published by tour operators.
The sunbed situation was not a problem for me cos I am an early riser but for those who like to lie in when on holiday I can understand the frustration. There were signs saying "do not reserve sunbeds" and warning of towels being removed but this only happened twice during our fortnight.
TV channels were limited in the rooms but then you don't go on holiday to watch TV do you?? The kids could watch Sky cartoons or Nickelodeon in reception and the staff would change channels for them if required. An ideal way for them to get out of the midday sun.
The pools were excellent but close very early (6pm) every evening for some obscure reason.
Tavernas in the village were, for the most part great and my teenage daughter recommends DNA bar to anyone who likes a drink in lively, friendly surroundings.
An excellent holiday overall and one which I would recommend to anyone except people who want to watch TV and eat curry! Enjoy and chill.

To Alannah Emma aged 15 and Lucie aged 13 will be staying at the village 14th - 28th August so will hopefully meet up with you.

We returned from the Village on 27th July after 2 great weeks. The best holiday we have had so far in Zante. In answer to the key system for the power. Did you not think of taking the card of the key ring and leaving it in?? We thought the accommodation was excellent, staff very helpful, very clean. The sunbed situation was bad but if you want a bed all day then I think getting up early is a sacrifice you make especially if you have kids. I was up at 6.40 most mornings but I did not leave my towels on and go back to bed, I stayed there. Would love to go back next year but the price has rocketed £2,300 for the 4 of us.
In answer to the travellers cheque question, Sterling is better because you don't get charged but with Euros you get charged approx 2%

I would recommend this resort and accommodation to anyone. Great place!!

Hiya i was jst wondering if there was anybody aged between 15-18 going between the 14th August and 28th August? I am 16 and i always like to make friends when i go on holiday!

Can you let me know if it is best to take euros, British currency or travellers cheques ti Alykanas. Also can anyone recommend any restaurants that don't have cats in the area!

Have just got back from the Alykanas Beach Village and was completely shocked at Chris Chedgzoy's comments - we couldn't DISagree more. The hotel was always cleaned to an impecable standard throughout our stay, we found reception and the reps to be helpful and attentive and thoroughly enjoyed our fortnight there. As for you Mr Chedgzoy, do you really need the airconditioning?! We managed perfectly well without it for the duration of our stay, finding that the slight breeze off the sea was enough to ensure a pleasant temperature. Have to admit the sunbed situation was unfortunate, but what can you do? Everywhere is like that these days and there are plenty of alternatives - the Bonker's Bar at the end of the road had a pool open to the public and the beach was literally a stones throw away. Alternately, you could have got up in the morning and made the most of the morning sun as we did. I cannot understand how so many people were getting lost on the way to their rooms as we received very comprehensive directions. As for the Greedy Greek, we did not eat there, but I fail to understand how someone who went to so much trouble hiring a car to see the island could have wanted to order Indian food when there were so many tempting Greek dishes available everywhere. Remember Zakynthos is a Greek island, not an Indian one!!! As for everyone else, I would thoroughly recommend this resort to you all, and especially this hotel - don't let one nit-pick spoil it for everyone!

Returned from Alykanas Beach Village 30 July 2003 having spent 2 fantastic weeks there. Found apartments to be spotlessly clean and spacious with towels changed every 3 days. Pools lovely and clean and plenty of room around the pools to sunbathe in peace.

Eating out was a delight. Horse and carts were fun for the kids. Our favourite restaurants were Lemon Tree Garden (Psarapoula Fish Taverna) and Dionisos. The only bad restaurant was The Greedy Greek in our opinion - only bad because it was too large and busy - more like a fast food outlet than a Greek Taverna.

Overall, I would recommend this holiday to anyone.

In reference to chris chedgzoy's comments: You sound like a very picky person! Everyone else thought it was good or great!

4 / 5 star hotel ? Mmmm. Well maybe by Greece standards but no way is this a 4 star resort.
A lot of the place although tidy looks still unfinished, The area around the pool is crazy paved and very rough. Walking around in bear feet maybe a problem for some and the footpaths around the outside (entrance to bedrooms) are rough concrete. For wheel chair users there is a ramp to the entrance of the hotel but not then down to the pool area. You can gain access by going around the side of the reception though and this is the route we saw most parents with small children take.
To the right of the complex is a small wall, behind this is a rubbish tip and we noticed the cleaners putting black bin liners behind this wall on a almost daily basis, these where collected I think once a week, it can only be a matter of time before this will attract the rats that we saw elsewhere in the village.

Nicos in the cafe by the pool was a great waiter and will have you forgetting all your worries, he saw us trying to find our room with our suitcases on our first day and came out to escort us and carried the heaviest for us. Shame the hotel did not explain where our room was in the first place as over the 2 weeks we where there we saw many people wondering around trying to find their rooms also.

We went with Air Tours / My travel. We had booked a car and was told to pick it up from the airport. We spoke to Avis at the airport and was told there was no car for us and the booking had been canceled because we had picked a class F (automatic car) and they do not do a class F on the island. The travel rep left us to sort it out and indeed left us at the airport with no way of getting to the hotel. We re-booked a car locally but had to pay again but there was not a car available that day so we had to get a taxi to our hotel. Not the best of starts to a worry free holiday.

Strange key system to your room. You have to put your key into a holder which then turns on the power to the room. We paid for the very expensive aircon. 90 euros for 2 weeks. plus 35 euros for a key to use the safety deposit box in the room. Having the power go off meant if you left your room then the aircon went off which means on your return the room can be warm instead of how you set it. I am in favour of saving power but after paying for the 90 euros I expected it to work 24 / 7 and not just when we was in. The rooms where however larger than I thought they would be and a family of 4 would not have a problem like I have had at other hotels on the island. Dont exspect much more than CNN news and MTV on the TV though and the tv went into black and white most of the time.

Most Tavernier's are great places to eat but I would avoid the Greedy Greek. How come this restaurant was full most nights I can only assume its because of the free horse and cart they offer to get people there. We did fall for this one night and their menu is Greek , Chinese , Indian and Italian. Being a big curry fan I decided to try a chicken tikka massalla. I was shocked to find it severed with roast potatoes and even more shocked to find how badly the whole meal tasted. I was not impressed either later that night when I was sick and had to experience the whole meal again. Easily the worst curry I have ever had in my life and I have eaten at a lot of restaurants around the world.

The sunbed problem I read about got even worse while we where there. my wife and myself are early risers and was shocked to watch all the british come down and put towels on the sunbeds and then return to there rooms to go back to sleep. When we got there all beds where gone around 8:00am but by the second week 6:30am was the norm. Almost everyone we spoke too moaned about the sunbed situation, there are just not enough for the size of the hotel. I did not count them but I guess there was about 70 beds for a hotel with 140 room (most 4 berth) it dont take long to do the maths. This problem ruined the holiday for some people there who wanted to sit around the pool, we took a small walk down to a small cafe called costa's (walk left on the beach) and there you get 2 sun beds for 5 euros and if you want a dink the cafe is just a few feet away. its quite and the people are very friendly.

It may sound like I am picking faults with everything here but we did have a good holiday. Would I go back to this resort ? well no, there are much better places in the world to go to with out these problems.

I took pictures of the rubbish and the sunbed problems so if anyone wants to see them email me on chris@chedgzoy.com and I will forward them to you.

David.. the air conditioning at the Alykanas Village was 90 euro's for 2 weeks unlimited use. We have just got back. Had a absolutely brilliant time.. so much I booked for the same time next year last weekend. Can't wait.

for 7.5 euros you get 2 sunbeds and a parasol on the beach.

We loved our week at the Village. Accomodation was first class, the pools were fantastic,the beach within touching distance. We ate out every night. We really liked "Cosy corner" and the large taverna in Alykes right at the bottom near the salt flats. We went to Alykanas 2 years ago and we didn't think eating out had been made more expensive by the euro. On the sunbed front....you snooze and you lose! Any later than 8:30 and you miss out! The easy answer would be for the hotel to provide more sunbeds!!!! One word of warning...if you have never been to Zante, brace yourself. The airport, especially on the way home,is an easy way to have happy holiday memories sucked out of you!!! Take refreshments with you, VERY expensive at airport. If you want a relaxing holiday, good food, quality accommodation, this is the place for you.

can anyone tell me how much we should expect to pay for sunbeds on the beach???? thanks

Just got back from 2 weeks had fantastic time. Found the sunbed situation got worse over the 2 weeks though, time to bag a spot went from by 9.30am to 8am! bit too early on holiday really, loads of people put towels out early and don't turn up til late morning which is a bit off. Also had to ask for our towels to be changed after 5 days, they are supposed to be changed on Thurs & Sun/Mon apparantly. But overall a perfect holiday, nice quiet unspoilt resort. Restaurants we enjoyed were in order of preference: The lemon Tree (also known as Psaurapoula), Medousa, Mantelena, Taverna on the left on the way to Alykes, Dionosos, Apollo. Didn't bother with the Greedy Greek, Posiedon was OK. We tried lots of different dishes and specials and were never disapointed with our food. We only found wasps a problem if the kids had Fanta. Recommend you hire a car as there are lots of lovely small beaches to find, although as resorts go Alykanas is definately the best. Take loads of suncream as it is very expensive out there 12 euros the cheapest for F25plus. We really enjoyed the boat trip through Golen Dolphin to the blue caves with a swim and visit to a lovely taverna. We would defintely go back to this resort again if looking for a beach holiday.

Visiting Beach Village Alykanas July 2004. Read about price of Air Conditioning (90 Euros for 2 Weeks). Is this for unlimited use?

Ideal for families with young children as apartments are around lovely pools and lead down to the beach where the water is shallow.I thought the beach was a bit narrow and weedy - I preferred the far end of the beach near the Nerriada.Not really a place for teenagers as not a great deal of nightlife.Also if you want more than a beach and a few shops you may be bored.Lovely beach at old Alkannas by a taverna called Shoestring which is about 30 mins walk from the Alykanas Beach Village.Recommend the Lemon Tree and Shoestring to eat and Xenos Car rental opposite Lestos hotel. Jenny the airtours rep was very helpful when I had a problem about an early flight home and made everything run smoothly

Can anyone tell me whether there are high chairs available for the apartments, as we don't seem to be getting a reply from Airtours?

Hey Dafs; I will be there for your second week!!!!

booked last minute (3 weeks prior to departure ) with direct holidays. excellent choice. We have just returned and had a fantastic relaxing week at these appts. Ideal location we spent every day on the beach, narrow but lovely clear sea and always a breeze. spacious studio appt very well appointed and clean public areas. had 2 good meals at the appollo taverna 2 minutes walk, not to impressed by medusa . Irene supermarket cheaper than one on site but on site handy for some items. A lovely holiday would return again but with direct even though all part of my travel.Beware of airport.!

sorry my e-mail address is

djdafs@msn.com

i'm new to this stuff so you'll have 2 forgive me!

hey there if anyone is going 2 alykanas beach village between 31st July and 14th August (age between 15 and 17) could u let me know?

thanks a lot,

Daf

My family will be staying at the Alykanas Beach Village from July 23rd till 6th August. I am almost 15 and my sister is 9. If you are similar age please let me know so we could perhaps meet up.
Also are there any good clubs for me to try (without my sister!!!!)?
If you read this have a great holiday wherever or whenever you go.
lol Sophie

to dan, my wife and i stayed there for 2wks, we got back to gatwick on the 9th july. we found it to be very clean, towels changed every day, kitchen area everything you would need. polite management. nice pools, & very close to the beach. if u want to no more contact us on timetogo41252@ hotmail.com. karen & derrick.

Is this hotel abit more comfortable than some of the basic hotels. Also, what do they provide free in the rooms. How often is the linen and towels changed.
Thank-you very much.

GOT BACK YESTERDAY,HAD A GREAT TIME,NICE AND RELAXING AS PLANNED.FOUND THE BEACH VILLAGE PERFECT.WE HAD A APARTMENT OVERLOOKING THE POOL WHICH COULD HAVE SLEPT 4 BUT AS THERE WERE ONLY TWO OF US WE HAD PLENTY OF ROOM.WEATHER WAS GREAT,WITH THE BEACH SO CLOSE IT WAS LOVELY JUST TO WALK A FEW STEPS INTO THE SEA WHICH SOME DAYS WAS LIKE A WARM BATH,CLEAR AND SAFE.FOUND THE HORSE AND CARTS OUTSIDE IN THE EVENING A BIT OF A PAIN BUT IF YOU JUST SAID NO THANKS THEY SOON WENT TO THE NEXT PERSON.IN ALL OUR FIRST TRIP TO GREECE ...LOVED IT.

pETER, THANKS VERY MUCH FOR THE ADVICE. iT IDS MUCH APPRECIATED

you can pay for your air con. by credit card but some people had to pay cash because of problems with the telephone lines from complex. once you pay the receptionist switches it on but in order to adjust temperature you have to tell them what temp. you want. i would suggest 25c.

A couple of questions with regard to the 90 euros for Air-con. Do they take credit cards and how was it controlled?
Still looking for company for my daughters, Sophie 14 and Sara 9. Anyone going to Alykanas beach Village July 23 -August 6th with kids similar age please contact me. martin@archies48.fsnet.co.uk
cheers

had 2 good weeks there.recommend you book a studio because only studios face sea.staff fantastic.be aware air conditioning is euro90 for 2 weeks and safety deposit box euro35.

We enjoyed our stay here very much. However, we experienced disruption to our room choice through over booking by AirTours. This resulted in our party of 2 adults + 3 children allocated a room suitable for only 3 persons for the first two nights. We were then moved to two separate adjacent rooms with a very nice sea view - which partly compensated - though family was split for remainder of holiday. We understand Airtours overbook frequently at this hotel.
Found the Manager Gloria extremely helpfull and understanding.

Pool side congestion was a problem - and filled in part by customers of nearby Hotel Letsos. Overall had a fantastic holiday - but Greece no longer as cheap as it used to be.

Try the Mill Bar ( Friday & Monday) evening plus the Paradosaiko situated on road between Alykanas and Alikes.

Hi sarah. thanx for gettin in touch. i wud like to meet up but i live quite far away in royston so i'll see you on holiday. my email address is emma_0805@hotmail.com. do you know if there are any clubs we could go to near by?write back luv emma xXx

Dear Isobel,if you think you will be bringing some money home then take sterling travellers cheques as you get more of your money back when you get home and convert them.Yes you do have to pay a comission on euro travellers cheques but it is not a huge amount and places do vary slightly.Have a lovely holiday!

Does anyone know if you are better getting travellers cheques in Euros of Pounds. Do you have to pay commission on Euro cheques when you change them in Greece.

Thanks

Just got back, and the place was great, don't worry about the sun beds to much, it is not as bad as some comments would suggest, though to get one round the pool with a parasole you probaly need to get down there by 9:30 - 9:45 however on big leaving days (wed, Thurs , Saturday ) you can leave it later . There are always plenty on the beach (but you have to pay), on the food side its cheaper to walk to Alikes (about 10 mins), but don't eat at the greedy greek (Alykanas) , why people eat here I don't understand the food is easily the worst in the resort, I recommend Posiedon, Lemon tree grove (take the horse and cart), Cosy Corner (during the day) , Medoussa, and the one on the main road between Alykannas and Alikes

By the way for those of you about to go the temp were 40+ degrees in the shade!!! on a daily basis since the weekend.

To emma galley
hi its sarah roberts here its nice to hear from you . where do you live may be we could meet up sometime and get to know each other before we go it would be nice to meet your little sis as well.
We live in plymouth. my email address is sarahrob2k@talk21.com.
Hope to hear from you soon
thanks for responding to my message
from sarah

Having never stayed in a place with a pool and sunbeds I'm baffled by the earlier comment. Why just leave towels on the beach beds when it's clear no-one is there. What is wrong with simply stacking the towels tidily off the bed and using it? Is there a whole new protocol that we need to learn to stay in somewhere like this?

We will be staying there from 23rd July for 2 weeks. Does anyone who has stayed recommend we take anything with us?
Also, our 2 daughters, aged 14 and 9 are asking if any others of a similar age will be there? If you are going then please e-mail martin@archies48.fsnet.co.uk.
Thanks and happy holidays!
Martin Jones

To Sarah Roberts
I AM STAYING AT THE BEACH VILLAGE FROM AUGUST 14TH UNTIL 28TH WITH MY TWO DAUGHTERS - EMMA IS 15 AND ALWAYS MAKES FRIENDS ON HOLIDAY AND LUCIE IS 12 AND IS ALSO KEEN TO MAKE FRIENDS. ARE ANY OTHER YOUNG PEOPLE STAYING HERE ON THESE DATES?
KATHY GALLEY

just returned from our 2nd holiday at the beach village. I have to say the apartments are still excellent and Gloria the manager goes out of her way to help you. The disappointing thing this time was that you had to be up at 7.30am or earlier to get a sunbed as everybody was reserving them with towels, which was a major problem as half of the people who had towels on the sunbeds didnt appear until lunchtime or later. Also watch out for the horse and carts which are now outside the apartment gates and plague you with leaflets asking you to eat in their restaurants, we didnt eat in any of these restaurants out of principle.
Alykanas is still a lovely place, but there has been a lot of building work since last year, it has also got a lot busier.
The weather was fantastic, too hot in fact, we arrived in the midst of a heatwave.
If you get a chance do visit Keri and hire a motorboat to visit Turtle island, we did and it was really fantastic...like paradise.
If you are renting a car or moped do go and see the man opposite Letsos Hotel, Cosmos rentals, he does a really good deal.
Hope to return later this year.......
Mandy Nigel Jack (13) Charlotte (11)

Can anyone recommend a place for cheap car hire? thx

After reading all your comments about the sun beds and parasols, I'm a little bit concerned. I have a 2 year old who obviously I will want a little bit of shade for, how early do you have to be by the pool to get one? We go in 3 weeks time.

Hi im sarah i was just waundering if any other people around the age of 14 was going to alkanas beach village between the 7th and 21st of august 2003. if you do please reply we could meet up. i also have a 17 teen year old brother how is coming . hope to hear from u soon.

We just returned home from our holiday in Alykanas Beach Village, and we have nothing bad to say about it at all!!The room great with an amazing view,the maids came in everyday and replaced our towels and changed our bedding.
We didnt get a chance to have a parasol by the pool though as people we reserving them by leaving there towels there,even though we were told not too, and the ones on the beach were 7.00euros for the day.
We hired a jeep for the week which was 200 euros, and visited other beaches, but the driving out there....well what can i say!!! there were people on mopeds..maybe three or four!! with a carpet rolled sideways and driving on whatever side of the road they felt like!!
In the evening we went by horse and cart to the next town of alykes and had something to eat and then we went shopping afterwards as the shops were still open.
A couple of nights we ate and had a drink in the room as the Amstel was only 88cents from the supermarket and is 2.50euros from the bar in the hotel!
The weather was absolutely gorgeous,the hottest day was 51oC thats 122oF!!!! REALLY HOT!!!!
The hotel catered for the whole family and our 5yr old son loved it.. infact he cried when we told him we were coming home!
The greek people were so friendly and i ts quite hard to believe how relaxed the whole island is!
One day we got a bit home sick and we found a little english cafe called the pitstop (just opposite the greedy greek) and we had a lovely english dinner cooked with english food!!!
We are definately going back and cant wait to go there again, i would reccommend this holiday to anyone!!

Hi Helen just read your comment we went with airtours our original holiday was cancelled by them about five weeks before we were due to fly out and yes that was after paying our balance in full,we managed to get a studio here although we did have to pay a bit extra,however once there we experienced no problems our rep, jenny was very good and was around on a daily basis.At our welcome meeting we were told no body no bed in relation to the sun beds and that she would go round and remove towels from any unoccupied beds however this did,nt stop most people from doing this and on the few days we stayed around the pool we needed to be down there by 9 at the latest the last day we were there was the only day we saw her removing towels and people went mad,but it is annoying, some days we were round the pool and there were sunbeds with towels on them and no one showed up till gone lunch time!!

Hi have just got back today.we stayed in a studio for 4 people 2 child size beds with a waist height dividing wall and then 2 full size single beds plenty of room for a family of 4 our balcony overlooked the pool and at night if you wanted to shut out any noise(not that there was much of that,only on greek night and karokee night)you only had to shut your patio door and you could,nt hear anything.there was daily maid service with hand and bath towels provided for all.the swimming pools were excellant although you do need to get up early to get a sun bed the last day there was the only day we actually saw our rep removing towels from beds that were unoccupied.we thoughly enjoyed our holiday and would certainly go back again.

does anyone know if there are any rooms or apts there which sleep 5 people??

well i havent been yet, but airtours horror stories put me off, However Direct are supposed to be good..and cheaper, altho, they are part of my travel too.
My stepdaughter is in laganas at the moment and rang me on Sunday to say this Hotel is GORGEOUS, the beach too, she went to check it out on a trip to Alykanas.

never been. but i have two daughters 12,13

can anyone tell us what towels are provided and how often.
thanks julie

Thanks Bernie,going in july we love this place!5 weeks and counting.............
Regards
TONY.......

Elaine

The weather can be unpredictable in October. For the last two years we have been around 20-22 October, and had glorious weather, although it is quite chilly at night.

We are going to stay here for a week beginning the 19th October. I am really worried that the weather might be awful. We have had bad luck with weather before and there ends up nothing to do.

Julia, the apartments are quite large, and certainly the 2 bed would be too big for you, the is a double bed in one room and two singles in the other, both with TVs,dressing tables and wardrobes, the studio are nice and roomly by greek standards hope this helps,

Hi Tony, the charge for air conditioning is 40 euro per week, and if you are going this week you will definately need it, the temp today is 93deg.
I brought a table fan with me last week and it worked well, we needed it as night only but it was not as hot as it is now! Also safety deposit box is 20 per week or 35 for two weeks.......enjoy you stay it a lovely place

Can anyone tell us how much they have payed for the air con for the fortnight.
Many thanks
TONY

hi julia the resort is veychild friendly an the retuarants very accmoadating i took my gradsnon and he is a picky eater but he never went hungery the places we ate at(nearly all in town) they were all very obliging the resort is fantastic and with the choice of pools we felt we had everything we needed the rooms are spacious and much improved on Greek Standards we had a two bed appt which was ideal the rooms had doors so you could have a bit of space and privscy as i took my daughter who shared with her son so i had a big double to my self we were on the ground floor with views of the pools and it was just brill the other accomadaton was split kitchen with a small wall between the kitchen andsleepind area but still good and spacious recommend it to all who want A bit of everything

Thanks Helen

We have been on to Direct Holidays to honour our booking, without success so far, but we will keep trying. On our original invoice it simply states studio as 4 bedded studios were all they were selling last September so perhaps we'll try and get them to change us once we're there. Thanks for your help though

We are planning to book a holiday to the beach village for summer 2004 just wondering how big the studios are? There will be me and my partner travelling with a 2 year old, thought that a studio for 3 might be a bit small but then the next size up is a 2 bedroomed apratment! Not much difference in the price though. Would also appreciate any information about the resort aswell, are the restaurants child friendly and is the beach nice for kids? Is there any entertainment laid on for the children in the apartments at night time?

Dear Isobel,
we have just returned from the Beach Village{our 2nd visit}We had booked a studio for 4 but when we arrived had been put in a studio for 3-they told us they thought our 2 and a half year old would be in a cot!We insisted on having a studio for 4 and they gave us one.The studio for 3 is a little bit smaller than the studio for 4.The studios for 4 have 2 single beds with a bed side table between and then there is a wall about chest height dividing them from the other 2 single beds which are pushed together.Some of the 4 bed studios are a little bigger than others depending on their position in the building.Hope this helps.

I stayed at Alkanas Beach last year and it was the best holiday i've ever been too.the rooms are excellent - really clean and tidy the maid comes in everyday.we had two rooms with two seperate balconies overlooking the sea.everyone there is really friendly especially nickos and the man behind the bar every nite.all the nearby restaurants such as dyonosis and la cretta are really nice with some of the best food i've ever had!the beach is really sandy with lovely warm blue sea and is only a stone throw away from the apartments.i'm absolutly going back again because i enjoyed myself so much.any questions you want to ask e-mail me on kelxx0122@hotmail.com.have a great holiday x x x x x

Tony,thank you for getting back to me. I have spoken to my local Going places who knew nothing of any changes or cancellations to any holidays but they did reassure me that if the situation changed I would be the first to know!!!!!! 4 weeks, 4days and counting!

Message for Amanda Sowter

Hi Amanda have read your message about Direct Holidays change in your booking, can you help as this seems to be happening to us. We booked in August last year for a Studio for 4 (at that time in the brochure you could choose between a studio for 4 or an apartment for 4, they did nothing else). We had an invoice to confirm our final payment today and it had 3 in brackets after studio. When I telephoned they said we were in a studio for 3, we are now trying to get them to change us to what we booked, but it would be helpful to know who you spoke to at direct holidays. By the way the supplements on the invoice were still for a studio for 4 they hadn't reduced them!!! Thanks

Can anybody help me as I am rather confused about what accommodation is available at the Alykanas Village. We booked a Studio for 4 as there were no 1 bedroom apartments available. Now it seems there are studios for 3 as well which I presume are smaller. Although we have paid the supplements for a 4 bedded studio the invoice I received today mentions 3 so I am a bit concerned. Has anyone seen a 4 bedroom studio is it bigger than a 3? Does anyone have any pictures of the studios at all. Thanks

We went to The Alykanas Beach Village last June (see last years comments) and loved it. Sorry to hear people are having a problem with Airtours and are thinking of booking with Direct Holidays, they are the same company! Airtours own The Beach Village! I know as I am a travel agent at Going Places who are part of MyTravel who own Airtours! (Confused!) I would not hesitate to send anyone to this accomodation and area as it was the best holiday we have ever had (and I have had a few!)The rep there last year, Elaine, was fabulous and is obviously a hard act to follow, I would recommend that anyone who was disatisfied with any aspect of their holiday should take it up with whoever booked it for them. That is the only way that things will improve. I hope this clears some things up, I hope you enjoy your holiday as much as we did.

Stuart,there is a cash machine in alykes my friend used it last year ok.We took half sterling + half euros we found that was ok for us there are plenty saftey deposit boxs available.
A word of caution to people with kids who want henna tattoos,near the flame bar in alykanas 2 albainians sit poaching hair braids + tattoos,my daughter + friend got tattoo the drawing was meant to be a dolphin but looked like a squashed frog and washed off next day I told them they could'nt draw for toffee,they offered to do a hair braid free,I THINK YOU CAN GUESS WHAT I SAID....

Hi nadine,there is no building work going on at the beach village its next door at the beach studios,its probably another floor as it only had 2.We were there last year and they were both finished + both inside +out are brill,nothing to worry about on that score. Regarding cancellations no news is good news,we travel on 24 july,i spoke to airtuors direct and they said the problems had been sorted out.Hope this helps with the nerves..Have a great hol.this is our 3rd visit + we've already booked for next year in the beach studios next door.yipeeeeeeeeeee. TONY..

I have limited access to the internet and when I can I always check this website to read the fantastic reviews the Beach Village has been getting. You can imagine my alarm when I read that people are having their holidays cancelled. In answer to the question posted by Tony Balmer my family and I are due to travel 9th July (5 weeks today)and we have heard nothing. Can I assume that this means we are O.K. and whats all the building work people are talking about. We chose to book these apts this year instead of last in hope that it would all be finished! Can anyone calm my frantic nerves!!!

we are going to the beach village on 10/07 and would like to know what to do about travellers cheques. is it better to take sterling or euros, or is there a cash machine local.

thank you amanda for your quick response to my question.

just been reading through your comments, and here I am again!
We booked 11 months in advance with direct holidays, everthing was goin smoothly until we got the tickets and itinery, it said we were booked in at the denise beach apartments in laganas!!! (first we'd heard).
NO WAY! we battled it out with them, even though it was only 2 weeks to the holiday, and got there in the end. what did it for us was the 3d images of the complex, but i can't find the link anymore, but anyway that was one reason why I won't book with direct again. no explanation as to why they had booked us out, not even an apology, just passed on to someone else blahdey blahdey blah.
The rep on the bus told us about the welcome meeting, there were 12 of us there!, never saw or heard from her again. She put up the wrong time for departure, luckily we were all there waiting in time, she never left us questionaires like she said she would. Most of the excursions were too late for us to book.
But Hey we had a great time!!

Yassou!
If you want to see my comments on the Alykanas Beach Village go to the other page with Alykanas Beach apartments/studios........... erm clicked on wrong one!!!
Too much Lupus (which is red vodka, and delicious, Yammas!)
Yassou
Amanda

Mythos prices go up or down depending on the restaurant. We have just got back (1st june) there is a supermarket just as you go into alykanas village (quite a big one) and it sells it for 86cents compared to between €1.80 - €3.00 in restaurants.

WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO HOLIDAY.THIS IS A GREAT SITE.CAN ANYONE TELL ME PRICES FOR MYTHOS IN RESORT AS WEVE HEARD ITS REALLY EXPENSIVE IN GREECE COMPARED TO LAST YEAR.

We have booked to go to Alykanas Beach Village in September with Airtours. After reading the comments posted, we are concerned about going with Airtours. Is there a problem with the service and reps? Also, is there a shortage of sunbeds round the pool and do people reserve them and the go back to bed?!

BTW......Brilliant site this, wouldn't book a holiday without it now!

Thanks everyone. We have been to laganas twice, we love the island and wanted to go back but just somewhere quieter and different for a change.
My friend has told me its in the Direct brochure for next year so i'm just waiting for the brochure to be sent out to me. Apparently its cheaper with them too and the flight times are better. So I'm really looking forward to booking.
Thanx again for the helpful comments!

Anne : The beach at Alykanas is mainly sandy, bit pebbly in places but fine for kids. Lovely place! We had booked to go away with airtours with some friends. Think they've rebooked to the same place through direct holidays.
It's a lovely villge, friendly locals, would defnitely recommend it. First time we've gone back to same place although we've been to some nice places and haven't had a bad holiday in Greece yet, but felt really at home in this place and made some lovely friends. Can't wait to go back in July, counting the days now.
p.s Don't book through Airtours

ann the beach is sandy and safe kosmar do holidays to Alykanas but i must admit there were no delays with Air Tours either way and the only failing was the rep at the appartments and on arrival at Zante i think this new complex is proving to be very popular as it is a great place to stay like Irene the rep didnt bother whatsover with us whilst we where there and we did need some medical advise and the only rep we could get to speak too was miles away in Kalamaki glad to say it was a false alarm but it did leave alot to be desired as regards to someone near the complex if you needed help, in air tours defence the rep in Kalamaki did try and help and phoned the next day to see if all was ok.hope everthing sorts out for you and have a good holiday. one last comment i think alot of people are getting confused by the two appartments as they are both new and with similar names vertually next to each other and of same design perhaps we were lucky with air tours we had no probs exept the reps!!!

Dear Ann, we have booked to go to Alykanas for the second time with Kosmar.We have been to many other islands with them and they have always provided an excellent service.Their website is worth a look, it is www.kosmar.co.uk.We have always just picked up their brochure from Thomas Cook in the past.Hope this helps!

I was full of enthusiasm for this hotel this morning when i got my airtours brochure, still was till i got past the first few messages on here, then my bottle began to go about Airtours!
Is Airtours the only company that deal with the Alykanas Beach Village, does anyone know????Really looks like the place for me, hubby, mum and two kids. Also what is the beach like is it sand or shingle.....can't be doin with shingle!! All comments greatly appreciated.

Ann

hi, Just got back yesterday. Sorry we never caught up Susan, had a look at your photos very good. We did enjoy our stay,but I must say the same as you, fist week if you were up before 9:30 you could get a sunbed (without a towel on it!!!!) second week if you were up before 8am no chance. What is happening!!!! I know they could do with more sunbeds a pile would be ideal left somewhere, but for people to send there children down at the crack of dawn goes beyond belief. Also Rep! well say no more. Due to a problem at one drop off point the rep on the coach had to leave us in the hands of the driver. No problem. Booked in, expecting a card inviting us to welcome meeting, no... and she never made an attempt to contact us throughout the holiday. I was not bothered about attending the meeting as been to the resort numerous times but I did want to ask a few questions about prices for air conditioning etc. But beside that (which is only a minor moan) lovely place for families to stay. All staff were friendly. Very clean, great views. As far as Airtours are concerned they should get there act together. We will not be booking with them next year!!!

hello nicola there had been some building work still in progres when we were at the village next door but for all those that stayed there they said it was minimul the appts looked good so i hope you have a good hol the weather was great in May and hope this helps soften and disapointments which i hope are all sorted by now otherwise all seemed ok have a good holiday

hello nicola there had been some building work still in progres when we were at the village next door but for all those that stayed there they said it was minimul the appts looked good so i hope you have a good hol the weather was great in May and hope this helps soften and disapointments which i hope are all sorted by now otherwise all seemed ok have a good holiday

hello kathy: there were no cats whatsoever on the complex, but there were a few about in Zante town. But every place we ate we never saw any cats pestering for scraps the only place was cosy corner down the side of Bonkers Bar two very playful kittens so if you have a cat phobia stay clear we found cats more in tsilivi 25 mins down the road so thats a much as i can add for you.Of all the Greek Islamds i have visited it was clear of cats, not to mention you may come across the odd one but we certainly did not see any in the resturants except relax in tisiliv hope you have a brill time

Thanks Katie, I have written to ABTA, but they have not replied yet. We have lost our faith in Airtours and do not trust them enough to give them any more custom - they have not refunded our money yet.

I have booked to go to the Alykanas Beach Village with Airtours and booked in August 2002 and am going in August 2003. I am very worried as we are going to pay the balance in two days and am scared about the cancelling event. I have booked 9 months ago and we are all really excited to go and we will be devistated to have the holiday we are looking forward too cancelled! When we booked they said that there was about 11 rooms available but still scared incase that big mess up. Please could someone tell me more information about this.
PS: I find it weird that you are all having your holidays cancelled when you booked so early. I am even more shocked that you all are being moved to a lower standard. The Alykanas Beach Village is 4 STARS(4 A's)and you should be moved to another 4 star place. Actually, you have booked for this place and should go there. Fingers crossed that our holiday to the Alykanas Beach Village is the same and that you all can go there (nomatter what time you booked and go) and/or get compenstation. Not just for the money that you have payed but for this confusing experience.

Susan as you have recently returned from the Beach Village can you let me know if there were any cats on the complex.

gillian, airtours should offer you something the same or better than the hotel u were supposed to stay in. i found this out earlier on this week as the same happened here and we were offered a hotel in kalamaki at the other end of the island!! we stood our ground and got transfered from a AAA c rated to a AAAA A rated hotel with £30.00 per adult refund and somehow we got £200.00 back as the AAAA was cheaper!! doesnt make sense i know but it an extra £260.00 spending money. if your still unsure go to CAB they can tell you more. Good luck

we are due to go to aliknas beach village apartments on 11th june 2003 as airtours recently cancelled there contract with the konstantine hotel were we were supposed to stay.As we have never been to alikanas we are just wondering if anyone can tell us about it and whether there are things to do for our 4yr old son. Ant thing would be greatly appreciated thankyou

to keep the record striaght we loved it at Alykanas Beach Vilage could not fault it exept the rep from Air tours was not that good but one thing i will say in her favour she did take away the towels from the sun loungers from the really early risers as there i feel were not enough beds to go round so be there nice and early to secure your lounger have a good one you lucky beggers!!!!!!

got back from alykanas beach village on Wed 21st of May the appartments were really good, spacious and very clean maids in every day no shortage of bog roll!! great places to eat Greedy Greek was our favourite and the magdelins we found epensive as the drinks were pricey the horse and carriage was free if you eat at the greedy greek but it would take you to alkes for 7 euros went to Relaz in alykes it was good and fairly cheap walked back its not that far the weather was fantastic and the hotel staff very helpful as we had no air tours rep on board when we arived at the airport so did not think much of that if you go try the trip to the blue caves and shipwreck it was agood day booked through dinnois allot cheaper they really look after you the guide from new zealand she was a barrell of laughs even though the sea was a bit rough she was equiped with pills and gum for sea sickness and very supportive went to zante bit dissapointed the shops are in the back streets spent ages trying to find them its full of jewllery shops but ok if youve money to burn found it alot dearer than previos years but thats down to the euros. go to the JAM IN its friendly and good fun dont use the on site shop it is expensive go further into town and near the greedy greek is a good supermarket alot cheaper and very friendly there is a new supermarket at the junction to town this is very expensive a bottle of coke was 1-70 euros about£1-40p. try a trip in to tsilvi its alot busier and loads of shops and tevernas the beach is much nicer than alykanas and we had at a taxi there it cost 14euros about £8-00p but was worth the trip about 20 minutes either way we used nickos's dad works in the pool bar and he came back for us after three hours and gave us a guided tour of old alykes the senic route but felt it worth the comfort the buses are not very reliable at the moment so it was nice to know youd get back to the front of the hotel safely also try bonkers bar at the bottom of the road it was a good atmosphere and down the side is cosy corner a lovley plaace to eat it is run by an english couple really nice and friendly do a good english breaki! and fairly cheap i recommend the tea and toast its like a secluded secret garden just the place to enjoy the peace and a good pot of tea!! we all had a great time the pools are clean and child friendly the top pool is alot deaper for those unlike me that can swim the sun loungers on the beach cost 3-50 euros per bed but it was loveley on the beah the sea is safe and you can go out a long way but beware of the jelly fish there were a few brought in on the tide in windy conditions otherwise safe buliding works are still in progress at the other hotel the alkanas village but it is improving p.s. fags work out to 25-00 euros about £16-50p for 200 hope all that are visiting will have a great time we certantly did and did not want to come home although all good things come to an end happy holiday's and give my regards to all at Alykanas Beach Village P.S coming home to the appartments the pools are all lite upand looks stunning sorry i didnt meet up with those tat answered my notes but hope you had a great holiday

CAN YOU LET ME KNOW IF THERE ARE ANY CATS WANDERING AROUND THE APARTMENTS - I AM DUE TO STAY AT THE BEACH VILLAGE IN MID AUGUST AND HAVE A CAT PHOBIA!

Nicola, if you have a look on alykanas beach studios,Sharon has not long been back,she was moved for the first week then moved back into studios for 2nd week,she said there was some work ongoing but nothing to worry about.I have had a look around both of these places and they are both brilliant.We are booking these next year.
Enjoy your hol............

This is turning into a nightmare. After having our holiday cancelled by airtour to alykanas beach village, we have now rebooked to go next door with Kosmar. Can anyone tell me anything about the building work that keeps getting referred to?

Sorry all Kosmar clients not Manos as mentioned below........

Looking at everyone that has had there holidays cancelled with Airtours to the Alykanas Village........How come they are able to take all Manos clients booked to stay at the Alykanas Beach Studios next door, transfered because of building work........any comments

Tony here again reading yet more bad reports from more angry let down customers.Can i just ask if there is anyone who has booked to go in july that has'nt had bad news about there hol????
Every day we look at the mail box with our fingers crossed!!

Forgot to add that we were due to travel on 4th August 2003.

We booked July 2002 and like most of you have had our holiday cancelled once we paid the balance in full. Our travel agent told Airtours to put their explanation of cancellation in writing - their excuse is a "stock loading error." We were also offered accomodation of a lower standard, but could not trust Airtours again - ever!! I feel we should all be entitled to some compensation, but do not know where to begin.

We booked through Kosmar to go to the Alykanas Beach Studios but were told on landing in Zante that there was building work still going on and were moved to Alykanas Beach Village. We were very impressed when we got there. The apartment had kettle, toaster, microwave, shower curtain AND shower hook. They also provided bath/hand towels and soap. We were told that hardly anything would be provided. The cleaners were in every day and we would say that the rooms were of very high standed (four beds when only 2 of us!). Keep a look out for Tasos behind the bar - great bloke and full of fun. Very enjoyable stay. Wish we'd booked for 2 weeks instead of 1.

Nicola
No mention was ever made to us regarding compensation and we never really had an explanation fron airtours. They did tell us 50 other couples had had the same letter as us.
If you want any further details e mail me at chuggy@clara.co.uk
paul.

Hi, its me again, should have said we were going on 16th july. Just to update you, went into going places today having sought advice from a relative in the trade. We are fortunate that we have some flexibility regarding the date we go and are now going to the alykanas beach village on 30th July. What a shame Airtours didn't offer dissapointed customers the opportunity to travel to the same location on alternative dates. We have had to pay a small additional cost as we are now going at peak time however we can go where we want to. I to made enquiries abouth the alykanas beach apartments through Kosmar,they do have vacancies and suprise suprise as they don't charge under occupancy supplements they are actually cheaper than Airtours. As i said before airtours wont be getting my money next year, KOSMAR will!!.

We arrived at Zante all set to go to Alykanas Beach Studios but were told there was building work going on and we were now at the "village". Kosmar rep. said it was an upgrade but we weren't sure if that was just some patter to keep us from moaning. But, on arrival couldn't have asked for better. Room had 4 beds (only 2 of us!), well equipped kitchen (minus kettle - but I had taken my own). Fairly spacious for two people. Lights and shower not working on arrival (late evening), told reception next morning and they were fixed immediately. Cleaners were excellent. Fairly low key hotel, but that suited us and it was start of season, may get busier later on. Beach is a stones throw away. Free sunbeds at pool and beach. All in all had a wonderful holiday and would certainly recommend this accommodation.

oops! email is gerryclewes@aol.com

We also have had our holiday cancelled by Airtours. Booked on 17th August 2002.We were travelling on 16th july 2003. How early do you have to book to ensure your holiday reservation, only notified after paying full balance. Went last year and had absolutely fantastic time so booked to go back. Feel very angry and disappointed at airtours as to book with another tour operator is now expensive, no free child places left this late in the day. Wrote a letter of complaint, we are all entitled to compensation if holiday has been paid in full ABTA code2.1&2.2. Maybe we ought to all gang together and write to watchdog.
If anyone has had any explanation or offer of compensation please email us. We are now travelling with kosmar to the apartments next door. Airtours will never get another penny out of us or good recommendation. It's diabolical!

Hi Tony here,Jp just to let you know the latest!! Called into travel agent yesterday for info they said they new of no problems,staff there had hols booked with airtours,they wer'nt worried as air ts out of financial difficulty. Then i read pauls story 2day so i called airtours direct,after listening to the top 40 twice then redirected finaly we got there!Spoke 2 program managment who told me everthing was 100%,they have had problems for early hol makers,something to do with air ts + owners of property but now everthing is sorted out between them.ps whens paul goin? ours 24july

Watch out if you've booked this accomadation through Airtours.W e booked in Aug 2002 and yet today(14/05/03)they have written to us telling us they are overbooked!!. We have been offered lesser accomadation at Kakamaki which comes as no real suprise as we've paid in full. I find this type of error difficult to understand and i hgave to ask how many other customers who have booked this excellent facility have yet to receive the letter which will tell the same story I and other clients have been fobbed off with. One thing is for certain Airtours won't be seeing our money again.

Tony
We too are going to this place in July (16th) with Airtours. Please let us all know how you get on today, before I pay my money.

Dear readers,We r due to go to alykanas beach village in july with airtours!!! this is our 3rd visit but 1st with air ts. getting quite worried after reading robs story!!! can anyone help??? going 2 hays travel 2moro 2 c wots goin on before we pay in full..any info welcome..
Thanks Tony..........

Rob.... I suppose you were staying at the alykanas beach village... Where have they moved you to??.. That is rotten.. If the acomadation that they have moved you to is lower from where you booked, are'nt they supposed to match... They are not supposed to down grade... We go to Alykanas beach Village on wednesday, and I have got my fingers crossed, as I do not trust airtours!!! But saying that we were supposed to stay at Letsos Hotel (a few years back & can't remember the tour company at the time) and that was cancelled at last minute and we had to stay at another place, but in Alykanas, so was not to bad. Hope you still enjoy your hols though wherever you stay in Zante.....

Don't book with Airtours or Thomas Cook

12 months ago - Booked for Zante -Alykanas beach village
8 Weeks ago paid in full
6 weeks ago flights cancelled and moved to Gatwick - No compensation at all
2 weeks before holiday, Airtours changed our resort and accommodation (lower standard) - not suitable - holiday cancelled 9 May 2003
Airtours don't care
Thomas Cook won't help
NEVER AGAIN

JUST ARRIVED BACK YESTERDAY FROM THE BEACH VILLAGE. HAD A VERY ENJOYABLE AND PEACEFUL WEEK ALTHOUGH IT IS GETTING BUSIER BY THE DAY. I SUGGEST EATING AT THE RELAX BAR/CAFE IN NEARBY ALYKES. LOVELY RACK OF LAMB. THE TEMPERATURES WHEN WE LEFT WERE AROUND 30-35 DEGRESS. VERY HOT. IT WOULD SEEM WHEN TALKING TO THE LOCALS THAT THIS IS THE AVERAGE JUNE TEMPERATURE WHICH THEY ARE EXPERIENCING. SO IM VERY ENVIOUS OF THOSE ABOUT TO TRAVEL. ENJOY

Neil, the Akykanas beach village is for Irish and English holiday makers only, as far a I know......no Germans were there last yearbut that,but that did not stop the British from hogging the sunbeds and umbrellas!!!

hi Irene many thanks for your message we are ther from the 7th so hope to see you in our last week i hope the apartments are as good as the info supplied and so far looks good to me could do with a rest in lovley surroundings tried the other web site www.alykanasvillage.gr great pictures hope its the same place, if so i think it will be great, just hope the weather is good normally this time it is great, as we always go to the islands and never ben let down yet. first time though to alykanas area. see you soon not long and counting the days!!!!!!

I read yesterday an article on the net stating that MyTravel Airtours were definitely being bought out by a German company. It doesn't bode well for the sunbed situation does it. Anyone got any other comments

Hi there, I'd just like to reply to Rebecca Lewis' comment about Airtours being on the verge of going under! We too have booked through Airtours to go to Alykanas Beach Village on 7th May 2003 (1 week to go yippee!)and were worried when we read the news. I spoke to a friend of mine who works in a Travel Agents and she told me that they have not been given any information at all about the situation. She was very relaxed about it and said that even if they were to go into Receivership tomorrow, one of the other large companies would buy them up immediately and our holiday would still go ahead, the only change probably being the flight times. From what I've read on the internet, it would appear that the Government are doing all they can to help them out. If worse comes to worse, at least they're fully ABTA and ATOL protected so at least we'll all get a full refund!!
Here's hoping it doesnt happen, and to a happy holiday!

Hello.... Susan.. We will be at the Alykanas Beach Village on 14th May. Me and hubby are staying for the fortnight, my brother is also coming, just for the week though as he should of been going to China for the fortnight, but we think it will be cancelled, so a last minute booking today got him only a week with us. We have been to Zante for the past 7/8 years (lost count). Stayed at the Alykanas Beach Studios /Appts last year, next door to where we will be this year.
Would like to have a drink and say hello. Irene

Dear Rebecca,
this complex was brand new May 2002 when we stayed there-so it should have matured since then-I hope the grass will have grown as we are returning this May!! We had a great time-for more detail have a look at previous comments I made after we came back last year,enjoy.

Any one going to the Alykanas Beach Village should check out their new website, its brilliant and has a virtual tour......www.alykanasvillage.gr
Hope this helps

Alykanas beach village is it a good place to stay?

Just booked to stay at the Alykanas Beach Village 15 Oct 2003 - 29 Oct 2003. Anyone else going then?

Hi, My boyfriend and I are booked to stay at Alykanas Beach Village at the end of June 2003. I have been told that this complex is new and just wondered if someone could put my mind at rest and let me know if it is nice and completely finished? I'm having nightmares about a pool with no water and concrete mixers staring up at 5am! (I've had a bad experience like this in the past and have no desire to re-live it!) Also, I've booked through Airtours MyTravel and read in the papers today that they might be going under! Does anyone else know anything about this and if it's true?! I'm really worried that my holiday will be cancelled!

sorry!! efgaresco is (thank you)not hello but heh its all greek to me

hi to neil and iris thanks for reply its my 5oth on the 9th my daughter on the 8th and it would be nice to meet you sometime after the 14th we are there for 2 weeks so hope our paths will meet if we are still sober hic hic!!! cant wait to say hello and im sure my grandson chris will help entertain your son happy birthday for the 7th thats the day we fly also hope the weather is fantastic its usually great as its my fourth trip to the Greek isles first tme to zakynthos though but the reports are great see you and efgaresco (hello) and yamas(cheers) be seeing you!!!!

F.A.O. Susan Smith
we are going to the beach village in may 2003(arriving 14th pm)our son has his birthday the week before on the 7th We will be happy to help you celebrate and so will Jack as it is not everyday that you are 9 is it. Just joking, hope to see you, perhaps for a drink. It is our first time to Zakynthos so we hope it will be enjoyable
regards
Neil & Iris

Hi, I am going to the Alykanas Beach Village in August 03(this year) and we are in a studio. Do all studios have a sea view and a bath in the shower room. Are the bedrooms basic or have abit more comfort? I can't wait now! Also, I am going with Airtours, are they good?
Thanks

For all you Alikanas first timers, another good website for info on the area is Alykes.com. I'm sure you will all enjoy your holidays. If you need any more specific info, please feel free to e-mail me, my address is: soniachambers@aol.com

hi andrew harris and partner we are going to alykanas on the 7th may i to have reservations but if like me you have read the apprasials hope you all have agreat time perhaps we all can make contact just to say hello heres hoping that we all have a great time i am sure your son will be fine and happy and i hope the accomadation is all is is craked up to be i am inpressed so far so heres to the sunshine and a drop of ouzzo!!!! or two

i am here again noticed the studios are verlooking the sea we have booked a 2 bed apartment are ther any facing the sea my grandson would love to see it every morning not sure of the set up there we have asked for a high floor what are our chances of a sea view and if possible what do you reccomendwe do if the position is not what we would like how good are the reps for airtours

is anyone going in may 2003 perhaps we could meet for a birthday drink all the info i have been reading sounds very positive and i hope this birthday will be one to remember for me and my daughter my grandson is 12 and i hope he will not be to dissapointed if the pace is to slow for him how much are the horse and carriage and is it near to zante where we want to shop, is there much difference in the prices now we have gone to uros, do you think it is fairly cheap and value for money.as i have blown the bank still who cares we are on holiday but it would be nice to know the average price on meals out and value of money still counts are cah points avaliable, and not forgeting the weather has anyone been this year?

going to alykanas beach village for my 50th birthday with my daughter who also has a birthday the day before me and my grandson is ther plenty to do to keep him occupied and what are the 2 beD apartments like we ARE GOING IN MAY 2003

We have booked to go to the Village in September and we are very pleased to see all the positive comments regarding the accommodation etc.
Can anyone let me know whether bed linen is provided for the cots?

Dear Andrew,
happy St.Patricks Day-we stayed in a 2 bed apt.here last year and are going back this year-our 6 year old son was able to go to the kids club as we had travelled with panorama-but would have had a good time anyway with the pools and being right on the beach.I have described the apts.in a previous comment if you want to read it.have a great time.

booked to go to these appartments in the first week of may with my girlfriend and 8 year old son...looking forward but are there plenty of things to keep my son occupied? and what are the two bedroom apts like?

Have the apts got any sun loungers on the beach in front of hotel
I read in another resort that they have green and blue lounders.....green are free and you pay for the blue.......Hope the Village Apt have free ones.......Hiring each day amounts to quite a bit when you have a few in you party..........Thanks!

We visited this resort 7 or 8 years ago and it was really nice and I would think quite good for teenagers to explore in a group as it was not too big and would be easy to walk to all the places. Don't know if there is anything on the site for teenagers i.e. pool tables etc. If anyone knows can they let us know. Pleased to hear from you Karen that there will be at least one more 16 year old there, I'm sure if there were a few of them they would have a brilliant time.

Thanks Helen,for info on the bed situation.sounds like you enjoy alikanas 2?

I have just booked a suprise holiday for my mum's 50th and I just wanted to know what people thought of the resort and apartments.

Thank you

We Have Just booked Alykanas Beach Village for the end of July, we are taking a 16yr old and a 12yr old so we are hoping that there will be others of the same age. Does anyone know what activities there are for teenagers?

We have booked to go to these apartments at the end of July 2003 is anyone going at the same time with 16 year olds

dear Tony,
we stayed in a 1 bed apt here last year-there is a double bed in one room-which is where the tv is -and then in the other room there are 2 single beds-proper beds not couches-and there are sliding doors from this room to the balcony-hope this helps.In answer to Nadines question about the balcony-last year we were on the ground floor and the balcony was walled in.We tended to climb over the wall to get to the pool and so our 18mth old climbed on a chair to copy us! hence I think if you are on the first floor or higher you won't be tempted to hop over giving bad example!!!!as far as I recall the balconys had railings about my chest height(5'4").Gary I saw into a studio apt and it is all one big room with a seperate bathroom with a bath and shower over the bath.We are going back this year and have booked a studio as they looked really nice and only studios are in the front block which directly overlook the sea.

WE ARE TRAVELLING TO ALYKYNAS FOR THE SECOND TIME AND ARE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THESE NEW APTS. HOWEVER I AM A LITTLE CONCERNED THAT I HAVEN'T CHOSEN A GROUND FLOOR ROOM AND MY YOUNGEST WILL BE TWO WHEN WE GO IN JULY. CAN ANYONE TELL ME HOW SAFE THE BALCONIES ARE? THANX

Do all the studios have baths
Are the beds in a seperate rooms ( to the Kitchen & Living area?)

I would like to know about the bed set up in the 1 bed appts in alykanas beach village,there are 3 of us going + i have a back problem + do not need a camp or sofa bed!can anyone give us good news? This will be our 3rd vist to alykanas/alykes and it won't be our last,roll on a lottery win or retirment.This place is fantastic and the people.If you are thinking of going dont hesitate once you've been you will go back!The 2nd visit we took friends and guess what!they fell in love too.Its the only place they have never been ready to come home from,they to want to live there..roll on july 03

none of the one bed appartments overlook the sea-as most of the complex is made up of studios-it is a block of studios that overlooks the sea.

Going to Alykanas Beach Village in 2003, are any of the l bed apartments facing the sea? Also is there any evening entertainment in the complex. Is the air conditioning any good? Go raibh maith agut.

we arrived back on 28th october, had a week staying at alykanas beach village. Everything is now open, supermarket on site for essentials, nice lady in there, snack bar open 8am to 6pm with a good range of hot and cold food, reasonably priced, and againn a lovely lady working in there. The apartments were fabulous, and in our opinion well deserving of the 4 star status. Everything new and clean, maids came in every day, loo roll supplied too! electric kettle and toaster as well as combi microwave. fabulous hard new beds, which i needed with a dodgy back! we were on the top floor in the middle, looking from the balcony at the beautiful mountains, and to the right at the sea. Although it was the last week of the season there was still activites/entertainment on 4 nights we were there. The pools are lovely, and huge. Reception service was good too, although they still charged 50 euros to keep the room on until our middle of the night departure, even though no-one else was coming into it! but it didn't spoil the week, which we just loved. The beach is awesome, the water beautiful and shallow for miles it seems. favourite eating place was the Posiedon, lovely food, plenty of it too, fab waiters and service really friendly place. second fave was La Caretta followed by Mantelana. Ate once at Neraida restaurant, food was nice, but spolt a bit by the very mangey cat that was practically attacked us for food, it looked like it was full of disease!. I would recommend these apartments to anyone, no complaint at all, in a fantastic location. Car hired for 3 days from Peppas, who were excellent and very reasonably priced, would also recommend Mr. Peppas. any question about this resort or apartments you can email me on usedtobedo15@aol.com i've been back 24 hours and have already booked for another week at the beginning of july 2003!

JP-there are actually only 12 one bed apartments in the whole complex-4 are ground floor and the others 1st and 2nd floor.

JUST GOT BACK 17th OCTOBER,WEATHER MIXED, BUT STILL MANAGED A GOOD TAN, TRY THE MILL BAR FOR GOOD GREEK NIGHTS ON FRIDAYS, THE COMPLEX IS BRILLIANT, WE WERE TOLD PLANS FOR NEXT YEAR ARE INDOOR HEATED POOL AND WATER FEATURE INBETWEEN TOP POOL AND RECEPTION AREA, PLENTY OF GOOD PLACES TO EAT AND NOT BAD PRICES, WE WOULD RECOMEND THIS COMPLEX TO COUPLES OR FAMILIES

Just got back from here....right on the beach, very sandy and safe. It was varied weatherwise, but if it looks stormy......head for the mountains, moody and breathtaking scenery. Good horse carriage rides to Alykes...about 10 euros, but worth it to hear the drivers whistling. Maids in every day, very friendly. Shop on site for essentials. Kettle handle gets VERY hot.

We have some friends who has just returned from this resort. They said it was "fantastic". The weather should be warm,(although all over Europe has experienced some changes this summer) but it will get dark early on in the evening around 5.30 -6pm. We are going to this resort on 23rd October and really looking forward to it. This will be a second time we've visited Zante

does anyone know if anywhere does a greek nite? you know plate smashing etc anywhere near Alykanas? thanks (am soooo excited now!)

Helen Rafferty mentioned that she stayed in a ground floor apartment. Does anyone know if all the one-bedroom apartments are situated on the ground floor or are there any at higher levels? Many thanks.

Hi, we've never been to greece before, and are going to alykanas beach village on 20th october for a week. can anyone tell me what the temperature is likely to be then, and if we will still need the air con? we are booked into a studio and have 2 teenage daughters, any info gratefully received thanks sheila

TO KATHY, GOOD CATLESS RESTAURANTS TRY MANTELENA, MEDUSSA, POESIDON, GREEDY GREEK, ALKYONIS AND MANTELENA. AVOID DIONYSOS (LOADS IN HERE) AND NARAIDA. IN ALYKES TRY RELAX AND OLYMPIC THESE WERE CATLESS. HOPE THIS HELPS AND PUTS YOUR MIND AT REST!!!!

Thanks for your reply, Julie - can you recommend any good catless restaurants? In Crete this year my husband and children were also on cat duty. Was there any evening entertainment at the Beach Village?

Zoe, a taxi will cost between 17 & 20 euros and will take approx 20 - 25 minutes! I'd definitely take a taxi as sometimes the coaches drop off at other resorts which could take an hour!!

Kathy the sea is VERY safe. There are no currents and it is shallow for quite some distance. Alikanas beach is ideal for young children and non-swimmers!! Have a good time...I'm sure you will!

can anyone tell me how much a taxi is from the airport to the beachside appts? and how long it takes as opposed to the coach?thanks

TO KATHY GALLEY I TOO HAVE A CAT PHOBIA AND CAN TELL YOU THAT AT THE BEACH VILLAGE I SAW ONLY ONE KITTEN WHICH WAS MOSTLY IN THE RECEPTION AREA. I SAW QUITE A FEW IN THE RESTERANTS IN ALYKANAS AND CHOSE WHERE WE ATE CAREFULLY. I ONLY SCREAMED ONCE AND NEVER ATE THERE AGAIN!!! MY CHILDREN AND HUBBY WERE ON GUARD WHERE EVER WE ATE!!! HOPE THIS HELPS.

Can you tell me if it is safe to swim in the sea by the Beach Apartments in Alykanas - are there any strong currents?

I noticed Julie Holden asked about cats around the complex - I have a cat phobia and have booked a holiday here so am hoping Julie did not see many cats around the studios - please let me know!

By far the best apartments we saw during our stay. The rooms were big and had fantastic views from the balcony. If you want a relaxing holiday definatley go to Alykanas. The pools (yes all 3 of them!) -were clean and always a sun lounger free. Absolutley no complaints about the stay... only if you are an animal lover don't look at the horse and carts as they are to say the least worst for ware.

WERE GOING TO ALYKANAS BEECH VILLAGE SHORTLY ANYTHING WE NEED TO KNOW E.G ANY BUILDING WORK WITH IT BEING SO NEW ,WHERES BEST TO EAT LOCAL WHAT TOURS ARE GOOD AND WORTH STAYING CLEAR OF

We have just returned from the beach village and all the facilities were excellent.

in answer to the last 2 questions.we stayed in a ground floor apt. in may and it is private enough as there is a wall around it which is about chest high-so when you are sitting down you are quite private.There is a kids club but it is for panorama clients only.

WE HAVE JUST GOT BACK HOME AND BOOKED AGAIN, BEST HOLIDAY IN 15 YEARS OF GOING ABROAD. SUPER POSITION,SUPER PEOPLE, AND GREAT FOOD AND DRINK. WHAT MORE COULD ANYONE ASK FOR

WE STAYED AT THE BEACH VIILAGE IN AUGUST. WE FOUND IT A VERY GOOD ACCOMADATION FOR SELF CATERING. THE SNACK BAR WAS A GOOD PLACE TO EAT AT DINNER TIME. WE ATE MOSTLY IN ALYKANAS IN THE EVENING AND WE NEVER HAD A BAD MEAL. WE DIDN'T TAKE THE HORSE TAXI'S AS WE NOTICED A FEW HORSES HAD SORES ON THEM AND IT WAS ONLY A SHORT WALK TO THE NEAREST BARS AND RESTERAUNTS. IT WAS VERY GOOD TO SEE THE REP (ELAINE) REMOVING TOWELS OFF UNOCCUPIED SUNBEDS, WE SAW HER REMOVE 60 AT 10,OCLOCK ONE MORNING!!! EVERY APART/HOTEL SHOULD DO THIS. ALL IN ALL WE HAD A GREAT HOLIDAY, HOPE YOU DO TOO.

We stayed here from 15/08 to 29/08 and it was brilliant. The studios are fairly sizeable. Plenty of sunbeds and the Airtours rep grabbed them if left on the sunbeds 1st thing if you were'nt there which is fair enough. The beach is lovely and the views are great. The ground floor appts are fairly private, people can look in but there are only 140 appts anyway. As far as kids clubs go I think I saw some people running around in yellow t shirts looking like kids clubs people.We like the place so much we have already booked the same place for next year.

can anyone tell me if the ground floor appartments/studios balcony is still private? thanks.

I have just booked a holiday to Alykanas Beach Village, travelling in October with my Hubby & 2 children. Do they have a Kids Club there? What will the weather be like in October? Has all the construction work finished now? The resort sounds lovely, we can't wait to go!

We arrived back on 14 August and we had a great time. We have already looked into booking next year. If anybody does have any details for booking direct I would be grateful to know about it. We took two children and were at the top of the complex, first block next to reception, top floor overlooking pool and we could see the sea. Even with the children we found it very safe. Food was great, we ordered fish twice from the pool bar and it was caught that day and served with fresh bread and salads - well recommended.

Can anyone tell me if the Alikanas Beach Studios and Apartments are one and the same as the Alykanas Beach Village? Also what the weather is likey to be in October. Cheers JerryP jerry@jjjj62.fsnet.co.uk

There were a few apartments facing the sea, but all the rest were facing the pool.

We had a 18 month old toddler, everything was at his height, microwave, utensil draw. We were on the lower floor ideal he couldn't get out, but you have to lock the door when you get in. Don't get put in the block by the side of the bar you have a lorry parking and wakes you up every morning, a few noisy nights by the bar but you here nothing when the patio doors are shut, AIR CONDITIONING A MUST. Also the coaches returning from day trips and the airport pull in the drive the side of the block, night time too!!! If you are put in this block complain straight away as some problems don't arise for a couple of days and you will be settled!!! If you have little ones going i'm able to answer your questions. The shop only opened in august but the restaurant is no where near ready. The shop by lesbos hotel offers no commision. Good restaurants are mantelenas,la caretta,dionysis and neraida. We were disappointed with the greedy greek and so was a few more customers!! Two weeks safe and air conditioning were 125 euros. Buy sun tan lotion and after sun before you go it's expensive, cheap was the mosqito plug in and refills. Many people were walking in the hotel and asking for rooms, we went in the main two weeks 24 july--7 august, so even with children i will be tempted next year to book direct with the hotel, by the way they are supposed to be on the internet next month. Perfect relaxing holiday, beach safe for the children.

We have just returned from a 2 week stay 25th July to the 8th August. We had a fantastic holiday and have booked to go next year.The first week we had some fun with storms and Earthquakes but this didn't spoil it as the weather was very hot anyway.location is excellent you can walk along the beach to the next resort Alykes 10 min walk.From your apartment you have all the different horse and carriages which take you to different restaurants free.Alykanas town is quiet small but you can walk to Alykes which is bigger and it also has an internet cafe there which the kids loved and there was a friendly English girl working there.All restaurants have the same food which was of a good standard.Hope the SNORKLERS r ok hope to here of your score on the restaurants we r adding ours.THE FARRS

Could anyone please tell me if all the apartments/studios have either a pool or full sea view or are there any facing the rear or the complex.

Yes .. the kitchen is well equipped with a 2 ring hob, combi microwave, toaster, ketttle, and of course the fridge...Also all the utensils that you need are provided...We took a couple of sharp knives just in case, but found everything needed was already there.....

Could anyone tell me if there are fridges in the apartments? Silly question I know, but the Direct Holidays brochure makes no reference to one and you would expect to have one in a self catering apartment. Thanks

To J.Holden We have just spent 2 weeks at the complex - arriving back 2/08 , and it was excellent.... We took Euro cheques and the reception charged 1 Euro per 50 Euro cheque, though a few times they didn't have any cash during the day until the snack bar shut....though this problem seemed to have been ironed out by the time we left.....

CAN ANYONE TELL ME IF IT IS BETTER TO TAKE EURO OR STERLING TRAVELLERS CHEQUES ?? THANKS.

Ground floor apartments have a wall all around the terrace, dont worry no chance of escape for toddlers !! About chest high on an adult so not able to climb easily either..

hello me again. can anyone tell me if vegetarians were catered for in Alykanas? was there a good selection? Also I have changed to a ground floor studio (thanks Heather) but do these still have a balcony to stop him running off? thanks.

Nichola There are now two cash points in the village of Alykes (about 10-15 min walk from where you will be staying) One is outside the supermarket. We are going aging on the 21st July. If you go into Alykes try to call at the Ponderosa resturant they do great food and you don't feel like you are on a converyor belt being rushed to eat. Have a great time Susan

Can you please tell me whether there are any cash points in the area and if so how far away? Am I right in assuming that we can get Euros from the cashpoint - if so is it worthwhile just taking a small amount of cash and taking what money we need as and when.

did anyone have any particular problems with ants or anything on the ground floor? and are mosquitos a problem in Greece Autumn time (October?) thanks,

when the patio door and shutters are closed it is very quiet. however it will be absolutely unbearable to do this unless you have the air conditioning on as it is very hot in the apartments. the complex is not particularly noisy anyway, we did have a couple of noisy nights mainly because of unsup**vised children running around late at night. with regard to sleeping arrangements for 2 adults and 2 children, there is a dividing wall to around chest height which allows some separation in the studios without the extra bedroom. the studios are very spacious so i wouldn't worry. we always prefer not to be on the ground floor - only reason really is that in the past we have had ants/mosquitos/cats coming through the open patio door so it is usually a bit better to be a little bit off the ground !! actually we hardly had any bites, partly because of the jungle formula lotion that i have always used on myself and the children, and also because it was so hot in the last two weeks that i think that tends to keep the insects at bay a little..

We are due to fly on 1 August and we are staying in a Studio. There are four of us 2A and 2C and I was wondering what the sleeping arrangements are like?

Hi Heather thansk for that, if I do request a ground floor appartment am I not faced with lots of noise then? Are the balconys very easy to climb up then? thanks.

Yes all the studios have a bath as well as a mixer tap and shower, shower curtain and towel rails above the shower. No hairdryer but your hair will dry in about 5 mins as it is so hot anyway. Towels and sheets are changed twice a week.. dont know why someone had it only once. Travellers cheques can be changed at reception.. we always did it there, same rates as elsewhere in Alykanas. The balcony rails were up to my chest (5' 4") but if you have a toddler I would definately request a ground floor apartment. Keep sandals on kids' feet.. poolside looks lovely but is a bit rough and also slippery. There were no clothes airers so take a piece of thick twine or travel line and pegs to string across your balcony. TV in apartments is free... handy for watching Sky News to see the weather back in Britain..ha ha !

hi, did anyone else only have clean sheets and towels once? and do the studios have a double bed and a bath? or do I need to request this? thanks

Hi all can anyone help me? we are going to the beachside resort in October but we have a very lively toddler! is the place nice and safe? also he climbs very well and I wondered how high the balcony walls are? are all the restaurants ok for children? and do they cater for Vegetarians? thanks all - hope you all had good holidays! Also does anyone know what the weathers like come October?

Sunbeds on beach cost 3.50 Euro each for the whole day. Air conditioning cost 45 Euro for the week. Safety deposit boxes cost 35 Euro. If you need to keep your room on due to flight times etc (check-out time is 11am) this will cost you 50 Euro. Just a little word of warning......take some HIGH factor sun tan lotion with you ...it reached 51 degress last week and there was no breeze...so don't say I didn't warn you all !! You really will need the air conditioning so take that little extra cash with you, it's worth it!!

Arrived home yesterday...Beach Village was excellent. In reply to your question June Bird ....I couldn't get travellers cheques cashed at the reception but the supermarket beside the Letsos Hotel cashed them day or night. Also the hotel has no credit card facilities available at present but they said they are waiting for the machine to arrive. As for the supermarket on site....the shelves were going in on Sat and the cleaners were also in so I would say it will be up and running in week or so. The supermarket beside the Letsos Hotel is only about 5 mins walk away anyway.

Can you tell me if the Beach Village Appartments will cash travellers' cheques? Does anyone know if the supermarket is finished? june bird

Hi all, got back yesterday morning. We had a fantastic two weeks at the Alykanas Beach Village. It was pristine, maid came in every day, towels and sheets changed Monday and Friday which I suppose you just have to put up with.. try not to let the kids put sand on the beds!! Everything was brand new.. new kettle but it didn't work so we used the microwave to boil water for coffee. Air conditioning units are fantastic.. 45 Euros for a week. We paid but we know of a few people who didn't because it kept coming on without control. The temperature on our balcony at 10am in full sun was 51oC which was 124oF so be careful!! In the shade it was around 38 - 45C This was our fourth visit to Zante so we were comparing these apartments with others and they were definately better than any we have stayed in. Went along to the Beach Apartments (Kosmar), just next door. Again these were spotless but the bar was a real rip off...Coke cost 180 cents (about £1.20) which would be okay if it was a can or bottle, but they were pouring it out of a litre plastic bottle which costs around 80pence to buy in the supermarket. The Beach Village bar was also more expensive than local tavernas but at least the soft drinks were in bottles or cans. The bar was also very popular, as was the snack bar by the pool. Snacks were reasonable I suppose but took the sullen waiter ages to get around to serving you and when he did he spent most of his time complaining about being on his own and being so busy! Elaine, the Airtours Rep was fantastic. Had a bit of trouble with noisy neighbours... kids running around the landings at 2am etc. but Elaine and the manager sorted out some house rules which have now been given to everyone on arrival. All in, it is a brilliantly situated apartment and convenient for the beach and town alike. You will love it..

Hi everyone, We came back last week and the apartments are very good, clean etc. The air conditioning is 45 euro's a week - £30ish - but worth every penny, it was very HOT! sorry I can't remember how much the safety deposit boxes are but they are resonable. I think the only thing we had to grumble about was the bar, it was expensive compared to the prices in the local shops and the barman - tall thin sullen bloke was a total misery! Greek Basil Faulty! - barking at the kids all the time, while we were there he man-handled a 10 year old! because she was running around - cheeky girl, fancy running around on her holidays! Othere points, I personally thought the greedy greek was just that- Greedy, you get small portions and I got a rabbit kebab instead of a chicken one. I thought it was the worst place to eat. I know someone said the horse and carriages were a rip off - double a taxi, but try them once, they are nice. Sun beds on the beach cost between 5 and 7 euro's for two beds and a parasol, but worth it as it is cooler on the beach, the pool is a total sun trap. take plenty of very high factor sun cream if you have kids, mine where on factor 30 with t-shirt the whole two weeks and they managed to stay blister free and get a tan - unlike many of the children we saw who had major burns and blisters. The only othere thing to take would be a spare matress! only joking, the beds are obviously new and VERY HARD it was like sleeping on breeze blocks! The rooms are pretty spacious, we had a bath and shower in our room, microwave, kettle, fridge, two ring hob, toaster and a t.v which is fee of charge - star channel has english films on late at night. Well I hope I've covered most things. Enjoy your holidays!!

HI EVERYONE READING THIS VERY INFORMATIVE WEBSIT.CAN ANYONE SHED ANY LIGHT ON HOW MUCH WE WE SHOULD EXPECT TO PAY FOR 1.AIR CONDITIONING,2. A SAFE DEPOSITE BOX AND 3. SUNBEDS ON THE BEACH , IN AUGUST .ANY INFO REGARDING THESE NEW APARTMENTS OR THING WE SHOULD TAKE WITH US WOULD BE GREATFULLY RECIEVED. THANKYOU. ALSO THANKYOU JUSTIN DREWIETT FOR YOUR E-MAIL AND YOUR ADVICE ON MOSSIE SPRAY, IF YOU THINK OF ANYTHING ELSE PLEASE E-MAIL ME, THANKS AGAIN.

weve just got back from the beach village we all loved it its better than the picture in brochure. the beach is fantastic, water really warm + shallow ideal for kids. pools are great but tended to have a bit too much chlorine in . dont get ripped off with horse + carraige taxis . instead take the free horse + carraige transport to various tavernas. we found greedy greeks about the best. only supermarket to be completed [cosmetic]should be open in 1 week . we didnt hear any noise whatsoever so dont worry. kareoke is a good night. hope you enjoy your holiday as much as we did. justine + alan

We just got bak 2day!It was great!!The town itself is very quiet but the Poseidon and the Greedy Greek r good restraunts.The hotel was very good..there is still building work going on but that didn't affect us at all!!The Greeks are really friendly!They put chlorine in the pool every night so be careful of that!The greek nuight is very good and everyone enjoyed themselves.Its extremely hot until about 7ish but even then its about 37degrees!!Hope u have a good holiday

hi,we got back thursday 20th,a day late com plements of air traffick control! there is no laundry on site the nearest one is opposite the letsos hotel. the dividing wall in the studio apartments is about 4 foot high,but there is no dividing wall in the ground floor studios.likewise there is no bath only a shower.the first week we stayed in a second floor studio which had the bath/shower and the dividing wall but asked to move on the second week as my daughters 2 year old kept trying to climb over the balcony. the staff was very helpful and the maid came daily to empty bins and sweep/mop the floor. the only other tip that i can pass on is if your children get badly burned(ad to be honest it happens to all of us no matter how careful we are) keep them out of the pool for a couple of days,as my grandaughter got quite badly burnt on her arms and a rep told us that the chlorine in the pool will aggrevate it.

Thanks to all who have given us info on these studio's/apartments. They sound lovely and we now can't wait to get there (we arrive on 4th August). Could anyone please tell me if there are any laundry facilities on site?? and in the studio's is there a divider between the single and double bed's?? Thanks for your help

hi,we've just got back from 2 weeks at the beach village and would like to share with everyone how lovely it was!there was eight of us in two studio apartments and we found that there was plenty of room. we had a bath with overhead shower and a shower curtain,for those of you that have been to greece before you will understand how amazed we were at that! cooking facilities were a bit limited but you're on holiday so who really wants to cook! the supermarket is not finished yet nor is the restaurant and apparently they are starting work on an indoor gym/fitness suite underneath the main bar. bar prices are a bit dear,the first night we were there we paid 20 euros for 8 cokes thats about 13 quid so we didnt drink in the complex very often but went into town every night(theres a very good chinese/indian restaurant) watch your childrens feet in and around the pool area,mine cut their feet and many of the others did too. i would advise to take plastic shoes for them to wear. the air conditioning is working now its about 45 euros for a fortnight but check to see if it works without paying first, as we never paid and had it on most of the time(there may be some problems with their system) a couple of times we were without water but reception sorted the problems out quickly. thats about it for now,if i think of anything else i will post it later. hope you all have lovely holidays. oh and watch out for air traffick control disputes as we were all packed and ready to fly home on the 19th but got told in the morning that the airport were on strike. so we got an extra day free! our rep was brill she arranged for us all to have free meals at the snack bar and we also got soft drinks.anyway have a good one and ryan and megan say hi to any children who remember them(megan was the redhead who burnt her arms)

Dear Vincent and Julie To answer your question Vincent, the Elpida is probs about 10 minuites walk away from the Beach Village no where is very far at all in Alykanas. Julie, we saw 1 cat the whole time we were in Zante and that was in the Posidon taverna in the resort there were a couple of dogs wandering about the complex tho, but they didn't bother anyone as long as you don't encourage them.

Been back a week now, we really enjoyed it. yes, there is some teething problems but nothing major, there was 8 of us and we had 2 ajoining 1 bedroom appartments which actually had 2 bedrooms. One with a double bed and the other with 2 singles.Our kettle didn't work but it was soon replaced and we realised on the last day the grill was part of the microwave! The maid empties the bins and mops the floors everyday, however we only had clean towels and bedding once the whole week. The snack bar on the complex was handy but a bit expensive as were the bar prices. The grounds aren't quite finished, grass is still growing etc. but it will be lovely when it's all matured. the hotel run a bus to Zakynthos town 6 days a week for 4 euros ( 2 for kids)it leaves at 9.30 and comes back at 2. Well worth a visit. We went on a couple of the Airtours trips, the 1 to Laganas to see England play Argentina was great ( obviously that was one off) and the Caretta cruise was good ( take a sweater for the boat we were freezing)but don't go to the reps night out, what a rip off! 30 euros! We were promised an all inclusive bar, cheapest wine and beer we've ever tastied and the entertainment well, words fail me! On the whole we loved the island and the complex and the people and we recomend this to everyone.

We are going to the Alykanas Beach Village in August with other members of our family who will be staying at the Elpida Studios. Can anyone tell me how close, or far, away from each other they are and where I can find a detailed map of the area? Thanks.

We have booked to go to the beach village in august. Can anyone who has been here tell me if there are any cats around the complex??? thanks.

Dear Heather Grigg,in answer to your questions-there is not a hair dryer supplied-I forgot to mention the cleaning which was excellant-they seemed to clean every day ie mopping the floors-the towels were changed every 2nd day-nice fluffy white bath and hand towels and the bed linen was changed 3 times per week.There are air conditioning panels in the ceiling but it was not functioning when we were there-it wasn't necessary.The fridge has a small freezer part at the top-you know the kind that are not seperate to the fridge.As for kitchen utensils-they are a bit thin on the ground-as I said before there are no sharp knives-we did have a can opener,a bottle opener,and a cork screw and some salad servers.The onsite snack bar stays open until 6pm and you can take food from there back to your room if you like.Have a great time-bring us back some sunshine-there is no sign of a summer here in Ireland this year!!!

some info on thease apartment there is a photo on www.alikes.com not an artists impresion they look brill im staying inthe new kosmar alikanas beach apartments no photo on them tough

Thank you to Helen Rafferty for the very comprehensive report on the Alykanas Beach Village. We are so looking forward to it now (2 weeks today!) Just a couple of things Helen, was there a hairdryer in the studio, and how ofter do they change towels etc. Does the air conditioning mean hiring a fan? Does the fridge have a freezer and are there plenty of kitchen utensils such as cutlery, tin opener etc. It is always handy to take these sort of things unless you know they are already there. Glad you enjoyed your holiday.. and thanks again !!

Dear All. We got back from 2 weeks at the Beach Village on Sunday. The truth . . . it is not completely finished yet, and there are a couple of teething problems (eg kettles not working properly in some rooms, no shower curtains in some rooms, no plug in the kitchen in some rooms, no can openers or toasters). There are a few probs with the pool in that lots of kids grazed their feet both in the pool and around the outside - I am not sure on the details of this, although my hubbie did suffer too!! Some kids bought jelly shoes out there to stop this happening. It seems that it is getting better daily, but we experienced a couple of bonfires and the noise of power tools and building on a daily basis (not continuous though). There are also some men wondering around the pool area carrying stuff, so sit nearer the beach end to minimise disruption. It is good because there are so many sunbeds that there isn't a problem with people reserving them. Our advise would be to go to your rep with any mishaps because we found that reception weren't as effective as they could be!!! As far as reps go, we didn't go with Airtours but wish we had because their Rep was apparently brilliant!! All in all, don't worry because it is getting better daily, and as we understand, it is only some of the rooms that have probs. The rooms are actually quite big but don't expect to be able to cook much with the two rings and microwave. The views from most rooms appear to be nice and Zante is a lovely place. Food is cheap out, and I can recommend the Relax Bar in Alikes (yummy steaks), and Mantelena in Alikanas!!! Good luck and have fun.

To all who are looking for info about the Alykanas Beach Village-we just returned last night having spent 2 weeks there-so I can give you all a full report!!We arrived on Sat 25th so the place was open less than a week at that point-therefore we were the first people to stay in our appartment.Everything was brand spanking new-but naturally there was a touch of the Fawlty Towers about it as well-as they were just getting things off the ground.We had asked for a cot for our 20 month old-and were told they had none until tuesday-but with a bit of persistance a travel cot was produced that night(obviously borrowed from someone) and the next day a brand new cot was delivered.The highchair however never appeared-it was on a boat somewhere coming from Athens!but it didn't really matter anyway.I remembered that the brochure said there would be an electric kettle-and when we asked-a brand new one in it's box was produced.So you can see there are some initial start up glitches but nothing major. The appartments themselves are very nice-we stayed in a 1 bed of which there are only 12.It had a small kitchen- a good size bathroom with bath and shower-a bedroom with a double bed and then another room with 2 single beds which had a sliding door to the balcony-this was also to double as the living room.I had a look into a studio which was a large room-with doors at the end opening onto the balcony.The kitchen was on the left-the bathroom to the right.There were then 2 single beds with a locker between-and further down near the patio doors was the double bed.The decor in all the rooms is the same and is very tasteful.There is a microwave which has a built in grill and there is also supposed to be a toaster-but we had asked for enough things so we didn't push our luck! There is no sharp knife at all in the cutlery-so if you think you'll be needing one bring your own-but pack it in your siutcase-I forgot on the way back-it was in my hand luggage and was confiscated-I was lucky I didn't end up in the slammer!! There are 3 swimming pools-a kidney shaped pool which is right down by the beach end of the complex-and has no real shallow end.The large pool which stretches up the middle of the comlex has a very shallow end adult knee deep-however there is no dividing point and it gets gradually deeper until it is chest deep.The third pool is waist deep and has a volley ball net across it -there was great fun to be had here-so get yourselves a ball!you can also play with bats and ball over it. Because it is right on the beach it is great for kids.We went to the appartments next door to use their playgroud once or twice.In answer to Heather it is only a short walk up the beach to the right to the hotel Valais in fact we spent our last night there at their greek night which was great value and excellant food.It is a short walk the other way to Alykes. The bar in the complex is very nice but was very quiet when we were there no doubt it will liven up as the season progresses-it is indoors and then has a large terrace overlooking the pools.On the last Sat we were there they had a Karaoke night which drew a crowd. There was no major building work going on but there was minor drilling and hammering now and again-but it really didn't bother us. I can't think of any thing else to say-I hope this has not come across as negative because we had a brillant time-the view across to cephalonia is beautiful-and if you are lucky enough to have one of the 30 studios which directly over look the sea you will be in heaven.If anyone has any more questions I will try to answer them.

We've just come back from the beach studios which is a 2 minute walk down the beach. However my parents stayed in these and said they were great. There is some building work around the complex but the apartments are finished and a good quality. Have a great time....we did!!! P.S. The beer's cheaper in the Bonkers Bar!!!

I am going to Alykanas Beach Village Apts on 1 July 2002 with family - children aged 13 and 9 - does anyone know if the apartments are complete and what size the studios are. I have never been to Zante before so any info greatly appreciated!

Hi!Familys just booked a holiday2 this apartment4 the 20th of this month!has the construction work been completed and can anyone thats been plese tell me what you can do there!!? Thanx

hi, we are due arrive at the beach village on 13th june, and im glad to hear that it has now opened, but has anyone been inside it at all? how does it look? we are a bit worried so if anyone can help i would be grateful. thanks lynne

Arrived back Thursday. told us 12 hours before we flew out that complex was not ready, but that we could stay at a Hotel till Sunday and then move in. Stayed at the Letsos Hotel which was very good and decided not to move in to the Beach Village as there is still building work going on. Airtours rep Elaine was fantastic and went out of her way to help ---- probably the most helpful rep we have ever had. If you read this Elaine--- thank a lot, and have a wonderful season.

Just opened the site and am delighted to hear that everthing seems to be up and running at the Beach Village. Thank you so much for the info Irene, you've just made my day! Thanks a million !!

Thank you so very, very much Irene. You have put many worried minds at rest. Glad you had a great time. Cheers.

Just arrived back on Sunday (yesterday). We stayed at the Alykanas studios and appts. aka: (alykanas beach aparthotel). Our appts were at the side of the Alykanas beach village separated by a beach taverna. They were opened last Sunday 19th May. There still looked like there was some work to be finished off, but this did not look like major building work just cosmetic. We had a brief walk around the complex and it did look very nice. It is just like the artist impression. It is not miles from anywhere if you have stayed in Alykanas before it is quiter than the bigger resorts but the tarmac road from the reception leads up to the Letsos then onto main road. We just walked up the beach when we wanted to go to alykes.We did not take torch and we managed fine. The pool at the front looked deaper more adult (but I could be wrong)the pool that goes up the centre looked fantastic for children as was very shallow, then they had a volley ball part at the top. Anyway I hope this helps and do send a message after you have stayed (as i am thinking of booking for next year)

Can anybody help! We are due to go out on 1 August and I have checked with our tour operator and they say that building work has been completed but since checking this site I see that this is not the case.

hi,can anyone help? there are eight of us going to Alykanas Beach Village on june 5. we have got two studio apartments,can anyone tell me how big they are? also is the site child friendly as ive got four children ages 9,7,4 and 2.

Hello 2 you all, I can now tell you that the Alykanas Beach Village opened last Sunday Me and my husband had a walk round it and looks great. But still work being carried on Prob cosmetic. We are here till Sunday just across from the Alykanas Village. Excuse as I have just had a litre of wine But Iam sure you will enjoy.

To try and put any minds at rest, we spoke to our tour op today who said that the complex is now complete and there should be no probs - just have to wait and see now!!?? (We fly out on Sun 26th from Gatwick and were thinking we may need to pack a tent!)

If anyone has just come back from Alykanas Beach Village. What was it like and is the complex COMPLETED yet? Your comments would be most gratefully appreciated

Can anyone tell me if the Alykanas Beach Village has been completed as yet? I was told when booking that there is no building work taking place at the moment as there was no alert flashing on screen at the time of booking. Has anybody stayed there yet, if so what was it like?

Booked today to go to ALYKANAS BEACH VILLAGE as pictured in the Airtours Summer brochure. The picture is an artist's impression as there is no photograph yet. We assume it is a brand new complex. We fly out on 27th June from Birmingham with 2 children aged 10 and 7. Has anyone been yet. We have been to Alykanas and Alykes twice before so know the area really well. Is it situated between the Hotel Valais and the little river at the Anatolikas Restaurant or is it somewhere else? Is it completed? I really hope so. If we get there and it is not finished what do we do??

Hi everyone, We have booked to go the Alykanas beach village at the end of June 2002, has anyone been there yet? Is it finished and if so what are pool, bar, rooms, etc like? I,ve been reading this page and it seems everyone wants to know the same thing, like a lot of the othere's the travel agent assured us it was finished, I now have doubts because thinking about it, we stayed in Alykes last July and went to Alykanas and saw no sign of any building work, it seems to be quite a large complex, so either we've been sold a dummy or the builders out there can work fast. any comments would be much appreciated.

booked with direct holiday to travel in july 2002. was informed by a sup**visor (in person) that no building work was taking place and that the complex was finished. she stated that an alert appears on their screen if building work is taking place. there was no alert on her screen so i went ahead and booked the holiday, then i read these comments. any suggestions?

were due to stop there 8 may booked with direct holidays they never told us complex was not built till we arrived ended up staying in laganas rep said they probalbly wouldnt be finished this year

We were due to go on may 8th but airtours cancelled and we went to Hotel Maralen in kalamki,with them instead. This turned out to be a blessing for us.We took a jeep ride to see if we had missed out but found that the location was not very good,it seemed to be miles from anywhere. The hotel seems to be nearly finished and people were staying there.The roof does not seem to be complete but the quality of the complex looks good. We had 2 kids of 14 and 7 with us and kalamaki was a good base. Alykanas was too quiet.

any more news on whether or not complex is completed------or exactly where itis

Any more news. We are flying out on 16th May ---hopefully to stay at this complex.Our Travel Agent says that it will definately be ready---but are waiting for our tickets etc to come through. Anyone else hoping to be there at this time.

*sorry comment 14th April* not 17th April

worried hol maker ( read my comment on the 17th of April). The travel agent said they should be completed for 15th May!. So I should think they will be ready for your mum and dad.Don't worry as they probably would of let them know by now if they wasn't. P.S. We are staying at the Alykanas Beach Apts and Studios from the 12th May for a fortnight.

My girlfriend and I are going to the beach studios and my mum and dad are going to the beach village.We're due to go 19th May and their going 22nd May. They've been trying to find out if the Beach Village is finished and so far Airtours are saying it will definitely be ready.

no they are different places and not far apart are you going to one of them

Does anyone know if Alykanas Beach Village (Airtours)and Alykanas Beach Studios (Kosmar) are the same place. If not do you know how far apart they are?Thanks

Jacjy ---- when are you due to go ------ have you heard anything

friends of ours were due to stay 9th may but has been cancelled we are to arrive 16th may hoping that there will be accomodation for us----- any more news

Jacky, hope you are staying there late May as my brothers hol was cancelled, he was going May 8th. The travel agent said they should be completed by 15th May. So if you are one of the lucky one's to still be going, it would be good if you could give some feedback on this new complex. Thanks.

I have booked this complex in May for 2 weeks and would appreciate any comments on it.

sORRY, it is situated down the road from the Letsos Hotel, which is the little road off from the main rd to alykes??? did you get that?? Good luck

I was a rep in alikanas in 2001 and have to say that this place looks superb. It was obviously still in the erecting (ooh pardon) process as i left in november, but overlooks kefalonia and is situated in a very peaceful bayside location. it is just a short walk into town by what was a small dusty track, and passes just a handful of bars along the way. The beach is immaculate and sandy, and the sea is crystal clear. HAVE A GOOD HOLIDAY!!

Any news on this complex, where it is situated etc. booked for May 2002 and can find no information on it.

Can anyone give us any information on this complex as we can find no details and we have booked for May 2001

Just booked today for 2 weeks in August 2002. Brill write up in the brochure. I would appreciate further comments.

BOOKED THIS FOR NEXT YEAR. DOES ANYBODY KNOW WHERE IT IS SITUATED AS BEING BUILT AT THE MOMENT.