Have just returned from Alikes. If you would like a change from Greek food or if you are homesick for good old English cooking, you must visit The Vine Leaf off the main street on the way past the salt flats. Phil & Debs make you very welcome and we enjoyed seeing the World Cup England matches with them all. The food is excellent and all the staff are very friendly. We especially recommend their steaks and also the lamb chops in minted gravy. Hoping to return to Alikes for another holiday so we'll see you again Debs!! Ann & Pete Musson (Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire)

We booked this trip through our Thomson rep. TIP: If you are thinking of going - take a holdall or similar (we only had our two huge suitcases but are grateful to Alan our rep for loaning us an overnight case) Be prepared for a lot of travelling and our bus was very cramped (hardly any leg room but fortunately there were a lot of spare seats so we got one each!) Take plenty of currency with you as the admission charges to Delphi and the Acropolis are not included in the excursion cost- you will need 21 euros each for these + money for evening meal and lunch. Our hotel was excellent but in a very rough area of Athens so be prepared for this! The view from the roof top restaurant/bar was fantastic. We loved the Acropolis (pity about the scaffolding though)and the views from here over the entire city were great.A special mention for our excellent guide on this trip, Joanna who was so friendly and knowledgable (hope your toothache got better Jo, and it wasn't an abscess!) A very long and tiring couple of days but very worthwhile with some wonderful memories. Highly recommended.

We visited the Blue Caves on a speedboat owned by Golden Dolphin Watersports. The captain was very experienced and took us right inside about 7 caves showing us all the different colours in the clear water. We had a 20 minutes swimming stop (but only for very confident swimmers, as the water was extremely deep)and also a stop at a taverna in a little cove. Finally we had an exhilarating trip around the Alikes/Alikanas bay at top speed! The whole trip lasted 2 hours and was well worth 15 euros (£10) Take plenty of sun cream as there is no shade!

Had many holidays using Thomsons but felt that the standards are slipping a little since being taken over by Tui. The meals on the plane were dreadful (about 4 mouthfuls of very bland food, with a very stale mini bread roll) plus a tiny sweet There is no excuse other than "cut backs" as the food used to be most acceptable. To add insult to injury - only got half a cup of tea on the return journey and when asking for a refill, was told "we only allow one cup on the RETURN journey" ...... WHY???? Apart from this one grumble we were very satisfied with Thomson, our accommodation "Zantino studios" were very comfortable in a good location. We had an excellent cleaning lady, Efi, who spoke very good English and even provided us with her home made wine! Thanks, Efi. ....Have heard unofficially that Thomson will not be featuring these apartments next year ... or any other places in Alikes. If this is correct, we think you are making a wrong decision, we met many coples who have been there year after year and we agree with them that Alikes is the best place on the island if you like a rural location and not much night life. Please think again Thomson or we will have to use a rival tour operator!!

Hi Bobby - yes we can confirm that Relax is still open! Have a good holiday, we've just got back and are planning our next visit!!

Alikanas beach very sandy - extremely hot to bare feet! We used our own umbrella and beach mats but there were plenty of sunbeds/umbrellas to hire (about 8 Euros for a couple) The sea is really warm and crystal clear ( one day we were watching the hermit crabs and trying to avoid standing on them!) The sea is very safe for non-swimmers as it is shallow and you can walk out for ages and still only waist deep.

Potamitis is featured in the Thomson Small & Friendly book - we didn't stay there but attended the welcome party there. Most people seemed very satisfied with everything.

The Soula Apartments are up the road which led to the village of Katastari. They are quite a long way from the beach so I would think a car may be necessary.

Brilliant place to eat but beware - you will really put on weight!!! The Sunday roast is great, huge portions and tastes just like at home (fantastic beefy gravy) The fish and chips have to be seen to be believed - my husband ordered the large portion and the fish was as big as the plate!! The steak pies are wonderful too, pastry that melts in your mouth and just full of chunky tender beef. The background music is great too, mostly 60's - especially Beatles. By the way Paul we haven't forgotten we promised to send you a 60's tape or CD - it will be on its way soon!! Hope to see you next year (this time we'll go on a diet first!!!) Kind regards to Paul & all - Ann & Pete

Hi Paul & family

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all from Ann & Pete - Melton Mowbray (on holiday in Alykes in June and September 2002) Hope you received the 60's CD we sent you Paul!