| Holiday-Truth Readers Reports |
parker from yorkshire travelled to Alykanas Village Hotel and Apartments with
portland
on a friends holiday.
There were more than 6 adults and more than 6 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 08 2008 |
rated the Alykanas Village Hotel and Apartments as follows:| Cleanliness |  | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food |  | |
| Entertainment |  |
| said: Just returned from a wonderful holiday in Alykanas Village. Hotel right beside the beach with wonderful views out towards Kefalonia, the beach being perfect for young children as it shelves gradually and is like stepping into a bath it's so warm. The hotel itself was perfectly adequate for our requirements, the rooms being fairly spacious with a small kitchen area with everything that you might need. Hotel staff are friendly and accommodating and the maid service very good. Lots going on around the pool if you want to get involved, but no pressure if you don't. The usual problems with sunbeds, but to be honest we were a big party of 19 and we never neared the pool area much before 11 and we managed to get sunbeds everyday by beg steal or borrow!! We ventured out mosts nights, so can't comment on what the evening entertainment was like. The little supermarket on site had everything you might need but was quite expensive for the basics. I would definately take the basics with me next time, ie tea bags, coffee, sugar, cereals. One word of warning, 5 of our children got ear infections whilst there, so take the necessary precautions with you. If you call the doctor out for this it is quite expensive upfront, but you can alternatively go to a local pharmacy (half hour walk up into the hills) sorry forgotten the name, and you can buy prescription ear drops. We had a wonderful holiday here and would highly recommend it for families with young children up to teenagers.
Click here for more information on this hotel, resort and region
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Baines Family from Northumberland travelled to Alykanas Village Hotel and Apartments with
Thomson
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 2 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 06 2008 |
rated the Alykanas Village Hotel and Apartments as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Absolutely fabulous time at the Alykanas Village! Loction of the hotel is fabulous - right on the beach. We stayed in a two bedroomed apartment - which was rather basic but very clean and for the time we spent in there, was suitable - lots of wardrobe space!
our two children really enjoyed the kids clubs - the kids reps were fabulous. We did have to queue up at 5pm each day to sign up for the kids clubs the following day, which felt like a bit of a bind at the begining of the holiday, but once you're into the routine, it wasn't too bad sitting in the sun with a cold beer and chatting to the other mums (and dads!).
We only ate once at the hotel snack bar - nothing wrong with the food, but we preferred to go to the Ammos beach front bar just along the beach - good food and really friendly service.
The only criticism with the hotel was to do with the crazy guests getting up at the crack of dawn to reserve sunbeds (aaaaggghhh!) - some people didnt appear by the pool until well after lunch time, sat for about an hour then disappeared again, yet took up four sunbeds all day. Very frustrating!
The sunbeds on the beach cost 7 euros for two beds and a parasol, and we did visit the beach a lot. Beach is excellent and really shallow water, which in the heat felt like a warm bath - lovely!
We'd definately visit this hotel again - everyone from the owner, to the receptionist, to the family who run the on-site mini market were so friendly. The thomson reps were great too - plenty going on all day, but no hassle if you didnt want to join in (and really, who wants to play football in raging 40 degree heat???!)
We all had an absolutely fabulous time - couldn't really fault anything.
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Dinglebert from Peebles travelled to Alykanas Village Hotel and Apartments with
Thomoson
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 3 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 10 2007 |
rated the Alykanas Village Hotel and Apartments as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Stayed in hotel first week of October. 2 adults, 3 young children 9,7,3.
Kids Club - Excellent, no problem at that time of year getting kids into the club. Was told by staff that during the Summer peak times there were well over 200 children on site and so big queues the day before to book next day. When we were there only around 20-30 kids so no problems.
Entertainment Reps - worked very hard without being in your face. Good standard of shows, we even joined in some of the poolside games which went on from around 11-4 (which is not luck us!).
General Reps - to be honest seemed to be only interested in you if you wanted to buy a trip. We didn't so did not have much to do with them.
First time we had been self catering for a number of years instead of AI. However early October in the resort all the restaruants were doing 5 euro meals. Cheaper to stay for the week than I was expecting.
Poor snack bar was a bit more expensive than other areas but the food was OK. Closed at 4pm which was a pain when the kids had an even kids club as you had to get changed, go into town for a snack.
The onsite shop was adequate, but there are others very nearby.
We would go again and priced it up for this year 2008 but the increase from 2007 was far too much.
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scott and amanda from west midlands travelled to Alykanas Village Hotel and Apartments with
thomson
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 09 2007 |
rated the Alykanas Village Hotel and Apartments as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment |  |
| said: my husband and i have just returned from 2 weeks at this hotel. we stayed there 7th to 21st sept 07.The hotel is fantastic, we were self catering and found the snack bar and the on site mini market to be quite good both both not over priced.The hotel was very clean and we found the standard of our room very good.The location of this hotel is one of the best we have stayed in and we have travelled around abit.Right on the beach, and only 10 minute stroll into the town of alikanas, were there are plenty of bars and resturants.The hotel staff we found to be very friendly and always had a smile for you. Although we have'nt give entertainment a score there was always something going on for the kids during the day mainly around the two pools inclosed within the complex.the pool nearest to the beach was great you could just relax reading a book with no loud music playing.Or if you wanted go onto the beach which we found great there's a nice breeze you get off the sea which is nice. you have to pay for using the the sunbeds on the beach, for 2 beds for a day it's 7 euros.The ones around the pools are free but sometimes it could be abit too hot around there for my hubby?All rooms have either a view of the 2 pools that are together or if you are lucky has we were you get a room over looking the 3rd pool and the wonderful beach.This hotel is truly wonderful i was very sad to come home as we had such a wonderful holiday.this hotel is one you should go to with out doubt.we will be back??
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Donna Christy from Northampton travelled to Alykanas Village Hotel and Apartments with
Portland
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 1 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 08 2007 |
rated the Alykanas Village Hotel and Apartments as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment |  |
| said: We've just got back from 2 weeks at this hotel.
We had an apartment for 3 and there was ample space for my partner, our 8 year old daughter and I.
The maids came 6 says a week and always did a fantasic job.
All the hotel staff were very friendly and helpful and Nick the barman is a legend !!
The location was perfect - you simply cannot get a better setting for a hotel.
3 pools with 1 right on the beach !
A few things we weren't happy with -
Sunbeds - you have to make sure that you are downstairs by 9am otherwise you will not get a sunbed even though there are 3 gorgeous pools. And you have to stay with your towels or they will be removed.
The snackbar is slightly overpriced (compared to the local town) as is the on site shop..
The snack bar closes at 6pm, it would be better if it stayed open a bit later
Kids club - to get your child in for the following day you have to queue the previous day at 1.30 in the snack bar - although all the crazy Mum's start queing at 12.45..! As there are only a limited number of places you have to join the queue !!
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Mandy from Norwich travelled to Alykanas Village Hotel and Apartments with
Portland/Thomson
on a family holiday.
There were 3 adults and 1 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 05 2007 |
rated the Alykanas Village Hotel and Apartments as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: This is a lovely, family friendly hotel. Recently taken over as a super family, there are some things that need improving. Firstly, the snack bar was only open until 6 pm. This meant having to take small children out to eat as there is no on-site restaurant. There is also not much choice in resort...we travelled much of the island and Alykanas is small in comparison to other resorts. It is friendly, though and nearby Alikes just about has enough to keep you going!
The rooms are clean, well appointed and have good views. They are small though, with no living room - not even a sofa bed to use in the daytime. You do get used to this, but the first day it feels really cramped. We had a two bed apartment (the largest they have).
All in all, Zakynthos is a lovely island and I recommend car hire as we would have been bored by day three otherwise...the Thomson team are great though, and try to keep little ones amused all day. We probably would recommend this to families, but we would have liked more to do in resort, and this is why we wouldnt return.
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Lauren from Durrington travelled to Alykanas Village Hotel and Apartments with
Thomson
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 09 2006 |
rated the Alykanas Village Hotel and Apartments as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: This hotel could not be in a better location, right on the beach which was clean and the water warm and clear. We spent a lot of time in the sea and favoured the pool right next to it so we could go between the two. It was also only a short walk to the resort centre so no need for taxis.
You can get horse and cart rides, a lot wait at the end of the road and some offer free transport to certain restaurants.
Hotel staff were accomodating, giving us the option to change rooms after they only had ground floor available at first and we had requested a high level. Luckily we got a sea view room which was gorgeous, looking out over to Kefalonia. It couldn't have been better.
The hotel itself was clean, the maids came every day and always had a smile for you.
The drinks in the pool bar were a bit more pricey than elsewhere but not too bad if you're just having a couple there. The food was okay too.
The hotel offers a Greek Night for 15 euros but we chose not to considering the price of drinks for the whole evening. There are plenty of nights like this in the resort that you can go to.
Overall we thought this was the best hotel in the resort combining cleanliness and location.
We would definitely go again.
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Chris from Oldham travelled to Alykanas Village Hotel and Apartments with
Airtours
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 3 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 08 2006 |
rated the Alykanas Village Hotel and Apartments as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment |  |
| said: Travelled at the end of August 2006 with Airtours to the Alykanas Village Apartments.
We are a family of 5, including a baby and a toddler.
The hotel was extremely clean and well maintained. The views from the bottom pool nearest to the sea are fantastic and the location of the hotel is just right... no passing traffic, but a short stroll to the bars and restaurants.
A couple of things we were disappointed with were;
1. There was no cot provided. The hotel had them but we had to pay for it (think it worked out to be about £30 for the fortnight).
2. Same rules apply for a high chair (another £25)
3. Safe deposit box worked out to about £50 for 2 weeks.. no refundable deposit.
4. Air Con is extra and quite expensive, although to be fair, we knew this before we booked.
5. We booked a 2 bedroom apartment. I have stayed in larger studios before. It was literaly 2 bedrooms, a small bathroom and a tiny kitchenette with a tiny table ... enough for two people to sit at. With a family of 5, this was a right pain. No living area at all other than the balcony.
Because of the above things, particularly no.5, I would not return to these apartments, however if you are booking a studio, they looked pretty much the same as studios in other apartments. The accomodation itself I would rate as 3 stars, but in excellent condition.
The cleaners came pretty much every day and were excellent.
We ate at a different restaurant every night. None of them were bad, most were very good.
The best by far however is called Parodosiako and is situated on the road from Alykanas to Alykes. It was pretty obvious that this place was used by locals and tourists alike and it was nice to see the staff making such a fuss of people who had returned to the restaurant and been recognised from years gone by. The food is fantastic. The price no more than most other places.
We booked onto the blue caves and shipwreck boat trip with Tony from Dionysos tours, about 50 yards from the entrance to the apartments. A good trip and good value. Make sure you take your mask and snorkel and a camera.
If you have young children, Zeus bar is a nice little bar on the main road to call at for a cocktail, with small grassed childrens play area at the rear and friendly service.
The typical 'Greek Night' is advertised at loads of different places, with the same greek dancers appearing at different venues on different nights of the week. Prices vary, most are about €15 euros. I think the hotel was neary €20 euros. We were pointed in the direction of Dannys Bar where they have a greek night on a Monday night. The price was an unbelievably cheap €6 fir adults and €3 for children and included a fantastic barbecue with kebabs, steak, chicken, feta cheese, bread and salad.
Well worth trying. Tickets can be bought from the shop at Dannys bar.
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the coopers from darwen, Lancs travelled to Alykanas Village Hotel and Apartments with
airtours
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 2 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 06 2006 |
rated the Alykanas Village Hotel and Apartments as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: The apartments where well equipped with all basic utensils for a self catering holiday. The rooms where cleaned daily and the pool area was spotless.
The hotel could not be in a better position right on the beach and a 5 minute walk into the main street.
All staff where friendly and pleasant, my children were entertained with the kids club and both myself and hubby got a much needed break.
The only negative comment is the cost of the air conditioning which was 50 euro's each week and the safety deposit box at 50 euros for 2 weeks.
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alison from merseyside travelled to Alykanas Village Hotel and Apartments with
airtours
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 2 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 05 2006 |
rated the Alykanas Village Hotel and Apartments as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment |  |
| said: This was the most enjoyable family holiday we have had, we were self catering and found our appartment to be very well equipped. It was very much made to feel homely, with electrical equiptment such as kettle, toaster and microwave, and electric hob, so pretty much everything you need for a self catering holiday.
The room's were cleaned 6 days out of 7, by the most friendly cleaners, which made things a little easier, if you were in the room at that time!!! sunday was there day off. everything thing about this hotel/apartment was great.
It is very close to everything you would require especially if travelling with children as we did, and a mini market on site is great, it sells all your daily needs. we ate in the beech bar occasionally, and found the food to be reasonably priced and we all enjoyed our food here which was served by the great staff who worked there.
The reception staff were also great, they are there 24hours a day, the only problem we had was on arrival we asked for a cot hire, they told us there was a 3euro fee per night, which we stayed for 14nights so does add up when you pay on departure, but our overall stay was fantastic.
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Gill Phil Louise from Durham travelled to Alykanas Village Hotel and Apartments with
Direct
on a family holiday.
There were 1 adults and 2 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 10 2005 |
rated the Alykanas Village Hotel and Apartments as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Massive 8 hour delay on flight out was a bad start. Airport closed when we arrived but they kept new terminal open just for our plane.20 min transfer.
The studio we had was lovely, well equipped, clean and reasonable size. Only 30 studios/apartment overlook sea and we had one of these, beautiful view. Only grumble is with solar power to heat water you couldn't get hot bath unless you boiled several kettles/pans for hot water.
Staff are all very helpful and polite.
Snack bar quite good, reasonable prices and choice. On site mini market or plenty of local supermarkets close by all about the same prices.
3 pools, 1 indoor as it was October, but you could still (just) get into outdoor pools or the sea.
Entertainment lacking, 1 quiz and 2 bingos a week and thats it!
Plenty of restaurants close, kids favourite was Greedy Greek, free horse & carriage, free wine for adults and free ice cream for kids made a cheap night.
Alikanas train ride excellent, Spiros runs this and also a museum, taverna (more free wine)and a church which he rebuilt himself after 1953 earthquake destroyed original.
Trip around island pretty good.
Pedalos, canoes, speedboats etc available to hire on the beach outside hotel.
New Airport is due to be finished in June 2006 (Greek time) will be a big improvement on current, standing outside under canopies for hours isn't fun!
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Georgina and Neil from Manchester travelled to Alykanas Village Hotel and Apartments with
lastminute.com
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 10 2005 |
rated the Alykanas Village Hotel and Apartments as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: This hotel is excellent and the nicest we have stayed in. It is clean, modern, pleasing to the eye, in a great location and has good facilities.
The room provides all the basics you need for a self-catering holiday; electric kettle, toaster, microwave and hotplates. The room is cleaned every day (apart from Sundays) which includes daily, change of bed linen, fresh towels, emptying of bin, full sweep and mop of the whole apartment and cleaning of the bathroom. The hotel itself too is tidy and cleaned to a high standard. By far the cleanest we have stayed in. The cleaning staff are very friendly and helpful too. The bathroom is clean, compact and modern, with the option of a bath or shower. There is Satellite TV in the room and plenty of plugs for all your electrical appliances. There are plenty of draws, cupboards and wardrobe space. The balcony is large enough, with table and chairs provided, excellent for eating breakfast al fresco in the morning or sipping a few drinks in the evening before heading out.
The snack bar is good value for money. We would recommend the breakfasts, toasties, hamburgers and pizzas. There is a mini market on the complex which sells all your essentials at reasonable prices. You can get all the basics you need for self-catering: bread, milk, a wide choice of cereals, jams, hams, cheeses, bacon, fruit, fruit juices, beer, wine, etc. They also sell the daily newspapers, magazines and books. If you've forgotten anything like toothpaste, shampoo, shower gel, etc, you can also pick some up from there. If you're feeling peckish there is a wide variety of crisps, chocolates, sweets and ice-creams! You can also grab some pressies to bring home with you.
There is a bar open in the evening, which extends to an open terrace. There was a large TV screen inside the lounge which showed Sky television including Sky Sports News (for sports fans!). There was entertainment provided, which included a Greek Night, quiz, and bingo. We didnt attend these as we preferred to go into the resort in the evenings, but the people we talked to who did attend, really enjoyed it. The external parts of the hotel and pool are lit up at night and provides a relaxing and refreshing atmosphere.
There are in total 4 pools on the complex, which includes an indoor heated pool which operates in the cooler months. There are plenty of sunloungers and we always found a sunlounger each. You can choose to lounge around the pool within the complex, or around the pool on the beachfront, which looks out to the Ionian see with Kefalonia in the backround. The views from the hotel are breathtaking. You step onto the beach from the hotel. The beach is lovely; narrow, but clean, sandy and crystal clear water. Sunloungers and umberellas are available all along the beach for a small price. There are watersports facilities for those that get restless. If you walk along the beach you will find several nice restaurants for the day or evening.
The hotel is located close enough to the bars and restaurants, so that it is only a 2 minute walk to the centre, but far away enough so you are away from the hustle and bustle from the resort at night. There are horses and carriages awaiting to escort you outside the gates, but we would recommend you walk instead for your own safety and protection of the animals.
We found all the staff at the hotel friendly, including the reception staff, cleaners, bar staff and mini market staff, down to earth and helpful, which is very refreshing and again made the holiday pass all the more enjoyable.
We would defenitely go again as it was one of the many combining positive factors of our holiday. We would defenitely recommend it to family and friends. You will love it.
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Louise & Ian from Herts travelled to Alykanas Village Hotel and Apartments with
Airtours
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 10 2005 |
rated the Alykanas Village Hotel and Apartments as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: The hotel was very clean & looked new. Our rooms were cleaned 6 out of the 7 days we were there.
There were plenty of sun loungers around the pools & the beach.
The food from the snack bar was nice & plentiful. It's a shame it wasn't open in the evenings, as we think it could have done well, because when we were there, the weather was very stormy in the evenings, although it was just a short walk to the tavernas & bars, or you could take a horse & cart.
The area to the side of the hotel was just wasteland & could have been kept a lot tidier, as it was littered with discarded bottles etc. But we found this happened a lot in Alykanas, which was a shame as it could easily be improved.
We would go back to this hotel, as there were no complaints about the hotel at all, only the surrounding area.
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Andrew & Sarah from Birmingham travelled to Alykanas Village Hotel and Apartments with
Thomas Cook
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 09 2005 |
rated the Alykanas Village Hotel and Apartments as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: We stayed at the Alykanas Village Hotel for two weeks and thought it was brilliant.
It was by far the best hotel either of us had stayed in. The reception was large and welcoming and the staff were really friendly.
Our room had fantastic views of the three pools and the ocean. Although we were above the reception and bar we had no problem with noise what so ever. Our room was spacious and had a fridge/freezer, kettle, toaster, microwave and plenty of storage for our food. The bathroom was clean and tidy and came equipt with a shower curtain (which means we were privilaged) The hotel area in general was clean and tidy and the pools were well maintained.
Inflatable toys for the pool were provided by the hotel and guests are free to use them and even take them into the sea as long as you return them. The location of the hotel is perfect. Right on the beach front and a short walk to ailkes and alykanas towns. The mini-market on site is well stocked and open everyday.
The maids were friendly and made the bed/replaced the towels every other day as well as mop the floors and sweep the balcony area. The food from the snack bar was delicious and generous for the money, especially the pizza's!
For soft drinks we would recommend buying a large bottle from the mini-market as this is cheaper and you get more for your money than buying from the snack bar. We would also recommend the hotel 'greek night' which costs €15.
For this you get a large buffet of greek cuisine and entertained by greek dancers. They get everyone involved in the dancing including the men balancing water on their heads and prancing around! Good fun! If your late returning to your room we suggest taking a detour down the side of the hotel to see the 'frogs' leaping around, quite funny so take your camera. The resort is excellent. The beach is narrow but nice and the sea is perfectly clear and blue! Stand still long enough and you'll have fish of all sizes swarming around your feet so take your snorkel and googles!
Having the choice of two towns to visit of an evening really helps make a difference to your night out and offers twice as many bars and restuarants to visit. All of the restuarants offer roughly the same menus but all have their own takes various dishes. The 'Greedy Greek' seems a popular choice and you can catch a horse and carriage from right outside the hotel to the door of the restuarant free of charge.
For drinks and a good laugh to finish off your night D.N.A has to be the place. The barman Nickos makes everyone feel welcome and gives very generous measures! If you sit at the bar you receive more free shots than if you sit at a table and if your still there after 3am he might even let you go in the back and make yourself a toastie!
As for getting around the island we thought about renting a car but this was out of our budget so we decided to hire a quad bike from 'cosmos' car hire. Cosmos can be found next to D.N.A and offer the best rates. The quad for 24hrs cost €25 and only €3.61 to fill up! Its a great way to see the island as you can use it on the main roads as well as going off the beaten track. The roads on Sundays are generally quiter than any other day and if you see a coach coming move out the way as everything in Zakynthos makes way for coaches!
Highlights include the Blue Caves and Shipwreck tour. If you book with Dionanas Tours (next to greedy greek) you get to swim in the blue caves which other tours dont do. Overall we had a fantastic holiday made up by good weather, great resort and excellent hotel.
We'll definitely be returning to Alykanas Village and Zakynthos. Yamas! :)
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sarah & Andrew from Birmingham travelled to Alykanas Village Hotel and Apartments with
thomson cook
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 09 2005 |
rated the Alykanas Village Hotel and Apartments as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: We stayed at the Alykanas Village Hotel for two weeks and thought it was brilliant.
It was by far the best hotel either of us had stayed in. The reception was large and welcoming and the staff were really friendly. Our room had fantastic views of the three pools and the ocean.
Although we were above the reception and bar we had no problem with noise what so ever. Our room was spacious and had a fridge/freezer, kettle, toaster, microwave and plenty of storage for our food. The bathroom was clean and tidy and came equipt with a shower curtain (which means we were privilaged) The hotel area in general was clean and tidy and the pools were well maintained. Inflatable toys for the pool were provided by the hotel and guests are free to use them and even take them into the sea as long as you return them.
The location of the hotel is perfect. Right on the beach front and a short walk to ailkes and alykanas towns. The mini-market on site is well stocked and open everyday. The maids were friendly and made the bed/replaced the towels every other day as well as mop the floors and sweep the balcony area. The food from the snack bar was delicious and generous for the money, especially the pizza's! For soft drinks we would recommend buying a large bottle from the mini-market as this is cheaper and you get more for your money than buying from the snack bar.
We would also recommend the hotel 'greek night' which costs €15. For this you get a large buffet of greek cuisine and entertained by greek dancers. They get everyone involved in the dancing including the men balancing water on their heads and prancing around! Good fun! If your late returning to your room we suggest taking a detour down the side of the hotel to see the 'frogs' leaping around, quite funny so take your camera.
The resort is excellent. The beach is narrow but nice and the sea is perfectly clear and blue! Stand still long enough and you'll have fish of all sizes swarming around your feet so take your snorkel and googles! Having the choice of two towns to visit of an evening really helps make a difference to your night out and offers twice as many bars and restuarants to visit. All of the restuarants offer roughly the same menus but all have their own takes various dishes.
The 'Greedy Greek' seems a popular choice and you can catch a horse and carriage from right outside the hotel to the door of the restuarant free of charge. For drinks and a good laugh to finish off your night D.N.A has to be the place. The barman Nickos makes everyone feel welcome and gives very generous measures! If you sit at the bar you receive more free shots than if you sit at a table and if your still there after 3am he might even let you go in the back and make yourself a toastie!
As for getting around the island we thought about renting a car but this was out of our budget so we decided to hire a quad bike from 'Cosmos' car hire. Cosmos can be found next to D.N.A and offer the best rates. The quad for 24hrs cost €25 and only €3.61 to fill up! Its a great way to see the island as you can use it on the main roads as well as going off the beaten track. The roads on Sundays are generally quiter than any other day and if you see a coach coming move out the way as everything in Zakynthos makes way for coaches!
Highlights include the Blue Caves and Shipwreck tour. If you book with Dionanas Tours (next to greedy greek) you get to swim in the blue caves which other tours dont do. Overall we had a fantastic holiday made up by good weather, great resort and excellent hotel.
We'll definitely be returning to Alykanas Village and Zakynthos. Yamas! :)
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Lisa Fisher from Barwell Leicester travelled to Alykanas Village Hotel and Apartments with
Direct Holidays
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 2 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 08 2005 |
rated the Alykanas Village Hotel and Apartments as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Alykanas Beach Village is the best self catering holiday we have had to date. Three great pools and being right on the beachfront what more could the kids ask for.The staff was all very friendly and nothing seemed to much trouble.Plenty of good restaurants about our favourites were Dionossis and The Greedy Greek. The only fault we had was there was hardly any entertainment at night so the kids got fed up. Apart from that our overall opinion was good and we will definatley go back in afew years.
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bex from taunton travelled to Alykanas Village Hotel and Apartments with
airtours
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 2 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 08 2005 |
rated the Alykanas Village Hotel and Apartments as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: We found this hotel very good as it was just for us to sleep in as we were around by the pool most of the day or out shopping.
the beds were hard but then you just got to think that your on holiday and your having fun so it doesn't really matter.
The night life was very good and everyone was very friendly and was happy that you were there.The one thing we all loved was the horse and cart that would take you anywhere you wanted and the would pick u up right outside the hotel which was good.
there is alot for you to do and there are alot of shops and supermarkets so you dont have to go very far to get anything.
we made friends with people who worked in a bar not very far away from the hotel so we would go there after we had a mealand spend some time with them.
we are planning to go back next july as we loved it so much.
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Debbie Wojtulewicz from Nottingham travelled to Alykanas Village Hotel and Apartments with
Airtours
on a singles holiday.
There were 2 adults and 1 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 08 2005 |
rated the Alykanas Village Hotel and Apartments as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: We were very disappointed with our holiday at the Alykanas Village. We booked our holiday 13 months before our departure date with Airtours through our local travel agent.
I will start with the positive aspects of our holiday. The location of the hotel is fantastic and we were fortunate to have an apartment on the first floor in one of the two blocks facing the sea. The view was stunning - a huge expanse of Ionian sea with Kefalonia in the distance. After eating out we would have a drink on our balcony. It was blissful listening to the sound of the sea and looking at the star filled sky.
There are two outdoor pools in the courtyard of the main blocks - one volley ball pool and an extremely large children's pool. There is also a beach side pool, which was the pool we preferred to lounge by. The snack bar separates these two areas. The beach is accessed by a few steps down from the beach pool area and is very safe for children.
Now the negative aspects. Each apartment block has 15 apartments. We had a so-called two bedroom apartment. It had one bedroom with a double bed, wardrobe, dressing table and TV and, two single beds in what in other aparthotels is the living area. We had two patio doors so had a larger balcony, with four chairs and a very small table. A low wall separated the twin room area from the kitchen, which was very small and ill-equipped, with a very small table. There was only one pan and one frying pan, two hotplates and a microwave, which makes it very difficult to make a meal, other than breakfast and a light lunch should you wish to self-cater. Because of this we ate out every night, which over two weeks became very expensive. The apartments are very basic and the beds are the hardest I have ever slept in.
We were so pleased not to be located in one of the apartments overlooking the volley ball pool and large pool because in the evening children played football in this area, kicking the balls at the walls of the apartment blocks. It was not very private as you could see into the facing apartments and the ground floor apartments appeared to have no privacy at all.
The entertainment at the hotel was the worst we have ever experienced. Monday was Greek night, which included food so you had to pay. It was OK, but apart from that the entertainment was truly appalling - bingo, quiz night and the most dreadful mini disco I have ever witnessed. The kids club was also appalling. There were two sessions on 3-4 days per week. Only one session actually turned out to be what it was advertised to be - a treasure hunt. During two sessions the same film was shown - 'Pirates of the Carribbean' (12)- which is totally inappropriate given that the children attending the club were aged between 3-10. Our daughter found the film scary and did not want to go to the club anymore.
The hotel seems to attract large parties of people. We found it got very roudy at times and experienced anti-social behaviour by some of these people. There is no lifeguard so people can do pretty much what they want. We observed people from other hotels (all-inclusive wristbands are a dead give-away) using the pool and sunloungers, also at around 5pm Greek people from the beach would come and use the pool and sunloungers. We found this annoying since there were not enough sunloungers and parasols for the paying guests. We found that we had to set our alarm for 7am in order to get sunloungers. We had to take it in turns to sit by the pool from 7am in order to keep the sunloungers due to the signs all around that hotel staff and reps will remove any towels reserving unoccupied beds. Only one of us could attend the welcome meeting to be sure our towels were not removed. However, we only observed hotel staff removing towels on unoccupied loungers on day 13 of our holiday. Some people even put their towels out at night-time but nothing was done about this.
We reported one fault during our stay and it was not resolved to our satisfaction. After taking a bath and pulling out the plug, the whole bathfull of water came up through the drain in the bathroom floor, flooding the bathroom and kitchen. A maintenace guy came 24 hours later, but it meant that we had to clean up the water ourselves with bathtowels which were not replaced the next day with clean ones.
Air conditioning is very expensive - 50 euros per week. However, because of the heat it was very necessary. It costs 20 euros per week for the safety deposit box. The snack bar is expensive and, in our opinion, of poor quality. The drinks in the bar (we only went once, for the mini disco) were also expensive.
In essence, the location is superb but for us it was not enough to make a good holiday. The hotel completely lacks atmosphere and spirit. In our opinion it does not deserve a 4* rating.
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SARA HOOPER from COVENTRY travelled to Alykanas Village Hotel and Apartments with
AIRTOURS
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 2 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 06 2005 |
rated the Alykanas Village Hotel and Apartments as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: The hotel was very clean. The maid service was excellent. Reception staff always happy to help with any porblems.
Being right on the beach was great - not too far to walk with all the gear.
Entertainment was very poor in the hotel kids disco did not start till after 11 some nights! Kids club was good but did not seem to be on very much and some days days the childrens reps did not even bother to turn up and we were left waiting with upset children.
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Tony Perry from Bexhill travelled to Alykanas Village Hotel and Apartments with
Kosmar
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 2 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 07 2004 |
rated the Alykanas Village Hotel and Apartments as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Visited last year with my wife, daughter and her best friend (both aged 15) and stayed in two one bedroom apartments side by side.
When we arrived and got off the coach our first impression of the hotel was that it was beautifully clean and right on the beach.
Our apartments, which were on the first floor and overlooked the large swimming pool and the crystal clear sea (with wonderful views of Kefalonia) were superb. Spacious, plenty of cupboard space, A/C, nice balcony and adequate kitchen area plus nice loo and shower.
The food by the pool bar was nice but we tended to visit bars and restaurants every evening for something to eat, all of which did not disappoint. The fresh fish is fantastic.
My daughter and her friend hardly brought a drink while we were there (I think she quite fancied Peter the hotel barman who was very generous). If you have young children the place is ideal. Safe, clean and with plenty to entertain. The hotel has a small play area next to the pool and along the beach you can hire canoes, pedaloes (sp), banana boats and (my favourite) Jet Ski’s.
We had a wonderful time there and would not hesitate to go back in the future. Try it (get the Kosmar brochure) you will not be disappointed.
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dave sumpton from basildon essex travelled to Alykanas Village Hotel and Apartments with
kosmar
on a family holiday.
There were 3 adults and 2 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 07 2004 |
rated the Alykanas Village Hotel and Apartments as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: very clean. the hotel has very good food the best breakfast in zante is right on the beach,the staff are great and make you very welcome. angalos and peter run the bar and what a great bar. it is well stocked with good brands. the entertainment could be better but nicos and every one are entertainers in there own amazing way.
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Laurence Broady from Gloucester travelled to Alykanas Village Hotel and Apartments with
Airtours
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 1 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 06 2004 |
rated the Alykanas Village Hotel and Apartments as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: The Alykanas Village Hotel is situated in a quiet location right on the beach front. The hotel is a mixture of studios and two bed appartments. We had a small studio, but infact it was quite large. It consisted of a fully equiped galley kitchen, complete with microwave toaster and kettle and fridge. Beds were clean and comfortable. Maid service was 4 times a week and very good.
The hotel has 4 pools one indoor and one volley ball pool. Plenty of sunbeds available all day, but beware the hotel operates a no reserve policy: the Airtours rep will remove all towells from pre-reserved sun beds and you have to collect your towell from her in reception! There were two kids clubs, one for Panorama customers and one for Airtours custoners which were excellent.
Alykanas beach is very clean but a bit on the narrow side and consists of sand and shingle. Sun beds are available at 5 euros per day. The sea was crystal blue clean and gently shelving which was safe for our 4 year old.
The hotel has a very reasonable snack bar on site, but drinks were a bit on the expensive side.
Alykanas village is ideal for couples and families, there are plenty of bars and restaurants nearby. Our favourites were Medusa, Mantalena and Dyonisos. Catacombs, DNA and Jammin were good inexpensive bars.
Alykes is the nearest village to Alykanas and is a 10 minute walk away either via the beach or through the olive groves over a little footbridge. Alykes also has a very good selection of bars and restaurants.
Overall we had a fantastic holiday and I would strongly recomend this accomodation and resort to anyone who has kids. It's clean, safe, free from yobs
and has excellent amenities. We will be certainly be returning!
Laurence Broady
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