Just returned from 2 weeks at the Marelen. The hotel and Kalamaki is perfect for families. We felt very safe during our entire holiday. The locals are incredibly friendly and welcoming.
Our room was very clean but basic, however, we had hoped we would have air-conditioning (requested when booked) and were told there were no other rooms available. We did manage with a fan (cost 30EUR for 2 weeks), although it is very hot at night.
The pool area is spacious and there are always spare sunbeds available. Beware with small children though the shallow end is at least 4ft deep.
Breakfast leaves a lot to be desired. We preferred to wait until after 10.30am and buy a meal from the pool snack bar.
The hotel is very close to the beach and only a short walk from the main town. Many excellent restaurants to choose from including Paolo's, Artemis and the new Chinese/Indian Jamuna.
Overall our holiday has been excellent and we would return but definitely would make sure we had air con!!

Further to previous comments: don't be put off by the aircraft and the close proximity of the airport. Yes the planes are close, yes they are noisy but it is an added attraction to your holiday. The children loved seeing the planes and looked out for them for the entire duration of our holiday. After the first morning we tended to not notice them as much.

Artemis is an incredibly good restaurant. The waiters are very friendly and funny with children. The food is some of the best we had on our holiday and although you might feel hassled to go in for a meal, this is just the way all restaurants on Zante tout for business. We found that after we had dined in Artemis, each evening they were incredibly helpful with finding other places to eat! We did return to eat there because we enjoyed it so much. Prices were a little higher than other restaurants we tried but nowhere near the highest.

After reading this website we headed to Buon Amici on our second night in Kalamaki. The restaurant is very good, perhaps not the best place for children, but we had an excellent meal. The meeter/greeter lady was very friendly. Clinically very good food, but not the best evening we had in Kalamaki, but this was probably because we had children with us and it better suited for couples/adults.

We were recommended to visit this restaurant by one of the meeter/greeter waiters in one of the other restaurants!! We had no intention of having a chinese/indian meal while on holiday, but found ourselves craving something other than local/italian food!
This restaurant is superb. Simply the best chinese food we have ever eaten because of the fusion of flavours and crossover of tastes. The food is beautifully presented, served piping hot, full of flavour and tastes fantastic. Simply the best chinese we have ever had and we've eaten a lot of chinese food! Would highly recommend this restaurant although the final bill was a little higher than we were used to in Kalamaki, but worth every euro.

Believe all the hype - Paolo's is the most fun restaurant we visited on our holiday (4 times in fact). You will find better food in Kalamaki but not a better evening. The waiters are 10/10. Excellent place to visit with a family as there is a children's play area to one side of the restaurant.

Thanks to everyone there. We will return!

This restaurant caught our eye every evening we walked along the strip in Kalamaki. On the evening we ate there we had a good meal, however, the atmosphere at this restaurant was very formal and not particularly child friendly. There were a lot of greeks eating while we were there and for this reason we thought it must be a good restaurant, but we were wrong. Very average overall. Would not go back - try Paolo's or Artemis instead.

Visit after 2.30pm and then a family of 4 pay only 32EUR. In fact 3 hours is all you need here to do everything. Our children loved the park, especially when we realised the "rules" were actually only suggestions and our 10-year old son could use most of the slides. Plenty of sunbeds in both shade and sun and good clean toilets. Lifeguards very attentive and observant. Yes, the park is small but so is Zante!! Go with an open mind and you will have a great time.