Relax Restaurant - (Restaurants in Alykes)

Joanne G           

We have just returned from our holiday, staying in Alykanas. We had breakfast in the Relax restaurant in Alykes. The portions were large and came with "real" milk and "real" orange juice (as opposed to what tastes like very strong cordial). You also get a mug of coffee instead of a cup and saucer. It only costs 4 euros and 50 cents. The English waitress was friendly. It's a pity that we were unable to go there every morning for our breakfast.

Alykanas Resort - (Resorts in Zante)

Joanne G           

We have just returned from Alykanas. We only stayed for a week which was not long enough. We stayed at Alykanas Beach studios and apartments which we would recommend. There are plenty of places you can eat at, and even a fish and chip shop. The locals are really friendly and helpful. Beach is lovely, but very narrow. Only a few jewellers. Rest of shops are supermarkets and souvenir shops. We will definitely be returning there. We would recommend it if you are not looking for somewhere that is too rowdy. Plenty of excursions can be booked from Alykanas.

Alykanas Beach Hotel - (Accommodation in Alykanas)

Joanne G           

We have just returned from a week in Alykanas, staying at Alykanas Beach Studios and Apartments. The apartments are ideally located right on the beach (as its name suggests). There is a short, slightly uphill walk to the tavernas and shops. However, Cosy Corner is just round the corner. Also there is an abundance of horse drawn carriages waiting to take you to most of the tavernas for free. However, I would say that if you can walk please do, as we found out that one of the horses is 20 years old (and I'm sure it was not the only one this age). So please spare a thought for these horses who work from about 6pm to goodness knows when. The studios are very, very clean. Toilet roll, shower curtains,soap and both hand and bath towels are provided. They even provide a scouring sponge for your dishes. Towels are changed every other day, but rooms are cleaned daily. There is also an abundance of hot water any time of the day or night, even if you are up very early for excursions. The ladies on reception are very friendly and helpful and speak perfect English. The pool is lovely and clean, though a bit on the cold side at this time of year. There are also toilets near the pool so you don't have to keep returning to your room. The snack bar serves food between 8am and 5pm at reasonable prices. We had read that you often cannot get a sunbed, but didn't find this a problem (maybe because it is near the end of the season). The Kosmar rep, Ger, is very helpful and friendly (unlike some reps I have had dealings with in the past). We would love to return there again and would highly recommend it.

Cosy Corner - (Restaurants in Alykanas)

Joanne G           

Unfortunately we didn't get chance to visit Cosy Corner. However, we did look at the menu. They do lots of English meals as well as Greek ones. They also do a Sunday roast. We liked to have tried it if we had stayed longer

Dionisos - (Restaurants in Alykanas)

Joanne G           

We visited the much praised Dionysos restaurant and found it to be just average. Yes the staff are friendly,and it was the only place where we got an option of smoking or non-smoking (very rare in Greece it seems). The portions are big which is a bonus. My husband had a salmon steak which virtually filled the plate on its own. I had lamb chops which very very tough and chewy and therefore I couldn't eat them. We did not go back a second time. We also had to ask for the bill a few times before we received it

La Caretta - (Restaurants in Alykanas)

Joanne G           

We visited this restaurant 3 nights out of 7 and rate this as the best restaurant in Alykanas. The staff are really friendly and rememeber you every time you go in. One of the waiters, John (really Yannis, but he tells you it is John) is extremely friendly. If you appear to have any problems with your meals (which is doubtful) they give you nescafe on the house. I can recommend the roast lamb, which I had twice and also the spagetti bolognese. The garlic mushrooms are also lovely. My husband had Garlic mussels, sea bass, schnitzel and swordfish and said they were all delicious. We cannot praise this restaurant enough. Just a pity we didn't go there sooner.

Poseidon - (Restaurants in Alykanas)

Joanne G  (15 October 2003)         

I have to agree with Claire. THIS IS THE WORST RESTAURANT IN ALYKANAS. I had spagetti bolognese which had the most strange taste. We spoke to a couple who also said they wouldn't go there again. There are never many people eating there and they were actually closed one night. AVOID THIS PLACE LIKE THE PLAGUE.

Psarapoula Lemon Tree - (Restaurants in Alykanas)

Joanne G           

We were not that impressed with the Psarapoula. Yes the surroundings are lovely, with the lemon tree garden. I can't remember what my husband had, but I had the moussaka. Now I know that it is traditionally made with aubergines, and that some use potato. They use all aubergines, which was a bit too much. Maybe I just don't appreciate good food. I have had better moussaka before. The transport up is a good idea. However, the horse that took us was 20 years old and actually fell on the way back and the cart hit one of its back legs, and its straps broke. We never saw that horse for the rest of our stay . If anyone knows how it is, or has seen it, I would love to know. It is a white horse called Spiro. Think twice before using this transport please, as one horse pulls 8-10 people up a hill for about 2-3 mile. Plus the same horse is used all night. I'm sure this wouldn't be allowed in England.

Day trip to Kefalonia - (Zante Excursions)

Joanne G           

We have just returned from our holiday on Zakynthos. We went on the trip to Kefalonia, from Alykanas. It's a long day with pick up at 7.35am and drop off around 8.00pm. The ferry crossing was OK, the weather excellent. The island is absolutely beautiful with breaktaking views The Drogarati Caves are well worth the trek down 172 steps and the Mellisani underwater lake is just stunning. We stopped for lunch in Aghia Efimia which is a lovely place and really peaceful. As stated by other people the tour is a whistle-stop one, but well worth the money. It certainly gives you a taste of what Kefalonia is like - absolutely gorgeous! We booked through our rep, the tour was with Eurozante. The guide Steve (from the blue half of Manchester) was great. Although we paid 36 Euros to the rep, you can get it cheaper through Dionisos at 26 Euros, but I don't know what route they take. Definitely well worth a visit.

Day trip to Olympia - (Zante Excursions)

Joanne G           

We have just returned from Zakynthos and during our stay we went on the day trip to Olympia. It's a very long day with pick up from Alykanas at 6.20am and drop off around 8.30pm, but it is well worth the loss of sleep. The ferry crossing is OK and the coach is comfortable. The archaelogical site (what most people know as Olympia) is really lovely. The weather was really hot and you are out in the open all the time, so take water with you. People also recommend a hat and lots of suncream, but it wasn't that bad. The guide we had was excellent. She was really interesting and is obviously passionate about the site. Her English was excellent and she even knew slang phrases. My only complaint is that if you want to go to the shops as well and have the guided tour, you have very little time to wander around the site on your own. We were then taken to the shops,which are mainly jewellers and leather shops. We also stopped in an attempt to go to a castle, but unfortunately they had shut early as it was the end of the season. However, Olympia is well worth a visit. We booked through our Kosmar rep (using Eurozante) cost 40 Euros

Island Tour by Coach - (Zante Excursions)

Joanne G           

We have just returned from Zakynthos. We did the island tour by coach. We booked through our Kosmar rep who use Eurozane. The guide Steve (from the blue half of Manchester) was really interesting. The stops are very interesting and the weather was quite good on the day we went. We went to the blue caves which are beautiful. However, we went in quite a large boat. It seemed much beter for those people on the small boat as they can go right into the caves . We also were taken to the shipwreck viewing platform. The views are just breathtaking up there and you get great shots of the shipwreck. The platform is also very sturdy, though they only allow 7 people on at a time. I'm not that keen on heights if the ground underneath me is not solid, but I didn't have a problem here and could have stayed on there all day. Some people were foolishly trying to get photos from on the nearby cliff, but we were told that people had been blown off there. As it's an awefully long way down I wouldn't recommend you try to get the shots form there. It was also good as we were unable to see the shipwreck up close as our trip was cancelled due to high winds. The trip cost 20 euros.

Zante Town Shoppers Special - (Zante Excursions)

Joanne G           

We went on the Zakynthos Town trip with the Kosmar rep. The town itself is OK, but the shops are not up to much really. However, you MUST go to St Dennis' (Aghios Dionisos) church - it is SPECTACULAR!! The interior is all gold and silver. Apparently they bring St Dennis out so that you can kiss his feet. However, he was still in his casket when we got there, though some others on the coach saw him. The exterior has some great paintings at the entrance. The church is so unlike anything you will see in England. I do think the trip would be better if they took you to the castle as well. We didn't go to the wine tasting.

Shipwreck Viewing Platform - (Places to Visit in Zante)

Joanne G           

We went to Zante in October and visited the platform as part of the Island Coach Tour. The views are fantastic from there. I'm not that keen on heights if they are not steady, but I had no problems here. You cannot visit Zante without going on the platform.