Villa Andreas Reviews

Just booked Villa Andreas for the fourth time in a row, we love it. The accomodation is the best we have ever stayed in,in Greece or Greek islands. The studios are modern well equipped and absolutely spotless. The windows and doors are all double glazed and there is air con and safety deposite boxes in all rooms. The kitchen is very well equipped with everything you could possibly need for a self catering holiday.

The rooms are cleaned everday except Sundays and the linen changed regularly.Bettina who owns the apartments cannot do enough to make your stay a happy one. Mike who runs the small pool bar has a great way with people and again will do anything to make your stay fun. He even let our daughter email a greetings card from England for her father and printed it off for him (over and above the call of duty Mike, she owes you one).
The apartments are situated in a great position with olive groves to the left and a short walk into town to the right where there are lots of restaurants and bars. Its wonderful to relax around the harbour in an evening just drinking in the view and anything else you may care to drink.

I fell in love with Parga years ago on a day trip from Corfu, four years ago we had our first holiday here and I cannot contemplate holidaying anywhere else.
It is quite hilly but there are ways of getting around,taxis, water taxis and a road train up to Ali Pasher's castle. The walk from the apartments into town though is very flat.
Libra are not the tour operator anymore but you can book on line at hotels4u, they will book your apartments and transfers.

The weather in June is usually hot but not uncomfortably so, we never needed the aircon.The pool is kept scrupulously clean and closes at 7pm every evening. There is much more I could say and all positive. Can't wait for June 2008.

The Villa Andreas came highly recommended and for the first week we were not disappointed. The family run appartments are advertised as child friendly, but due to the attitude of some older guests, notably one particularly nasty woman aged 75 called Margaret, who was with her miserable daughter,about 50, threatened to drown a 9 year old girl if she splashed her again, it proved to be less friendly. It turned particularly nasty on the last full day with complaints being made about noise in and around the pool (laughter)late in the afternnon, when the excellent bar Manager, a Lancashire lad called Mike, joined those of us who knew how to enjoy ourselves, in the pool. One guest took photo's and complained to the owner. Some guests whose children were also on the photo's were enraged at the actions. He was spoken to quite strongly and advised to delete them! At this moment in time, we don't know if Mike got sacked, but we did speak to Kim, a director of Libra who was present during the afternoon and saw most of the fun, to try to ensure he wasn't made a scapegoat. She rightly said Libra didn't employ him, but would try and ensure fair play.

The moral is if you want a quiet holiday, look elsewhere as it is a family place very well run by Bettina and her staff, not a poolside library like some thought. The rooms are cleaned six times a week by Zana, and are spotless. Mike does the biggest club sandwich for lunch at a reasonable rate of 5 euro, and has a good banter with the guests, though this may alter now, which would be a shame. It was noticeable that the biggest bar takings were when he was on duty.

The local restaurants are all good, particularly Yiannis just down the road on the right, where four of us ate for eleven of the nights, usual cost around 40 euros for starter, meal and drinks, two other nights we ate at the Shanghai Chinese at the end of the harbour, around 80 euros for us all including drinks, also excellent.

Prices for drinks vary widely, so shop around for your tipple, I found as much as 3 euros per bottle difference on Metaxa brandy, cheapest being the little bakery on the road down to the sea, on the left just after the Birds of Paradise resteraunt.

The area itself is very hilly to get out of if you walk, up through the olive groves to Lichnos Beach or over the Castle Walk to Voltas Beach, but well worth the effort, or you can get water taxis. The trips are expensive because of the distance travelled to get to them, but are worthwhile if you like history, if you get a guide called Christina, she's an absolute wealth of information, and speaks excellent English.

We loved every second of our stay in Parga - very beautiful,very relaxed, Greek with an Italian kind of twist, resort, nice mix of tourist and real life

COACH XFER - approx 50 mins. We were the first drop off. Have to walk approx 5 mins from caoch to apartments - but nice easy walking. Bags are taken in a van.

APARTMENTS - 2 x 3 story blocks with small garden area, decent sized pool and sunbathing area with sunbeds and parasols plus raised sun terrace with tables and chairs, small pool bar that also serves snacks open until approx 8pm. Complex spotlessly clean and all staff very warm and friendly.
Our studio on ground floor in 1st block - very good size, plenty of room for 3, well furnished - 3 single beds, wardrobe containing LOADS of hangers, chest of drawers, bedside cabinets. Small, but well equipped kitchen area - enough pots and pans including sharp knives that would actually cut Greek bread! scissors, corkscrew, electric kettle (all a first on our Greek holidays!). Shower room - compact but spotlessly clean and functional - loads of very hot water all the time (another Greek first for us!)

Location - built onto a hillside so one apartment block is built higher and are quite a lot of stairs to get up to the top floor - but you do get much better views from up there than we had down by the lane. Located on quiet lane of other holiday blocks, real peoples houses, small bakery, small supermarket and lots of olive groves.

PARGA TOWN - left out of front gate and the lane takes you straight down to village centre and harbour - about 7 minutes easy walking.
Harbour area is beautiful - Krioneri beach, small island with tiny white church, jetty for both pleasure boats and real fishing boats, view over several small islets and on to Paxos and Antipaxos, long promenade of harbourfront cafes, bars and restaurants, backed by winding little lanes of shops - both tourist and real- winding back up the hillside. On top of hill ruined Venetian Fortress with nice cafe and views to die for.
FOOD AND DRINK - worst meal - Zorbas
Best Meal/Night Out - Golfo Beach Restaurant - on one of their Greek nights - food ok, location great and entertainment was a scream - the staff are all nuts, the dancing was a laugh - very entertaining. (Location - on Piso Krioneri Beach - head towards harbour from apartments, then turn left down side of Co-op - small track takes you onto tiny beach with restaurant and 2 bars)We got last table - so advise you go down there and get a table reserved.

All other meals good quality and all similarly priced

BEST DRINKS - The Meeting PLace - on harbour front find lane on right sign posted for THE FACTORY nightclub. Lane comes to a dead end where you will find 3 tables with chairs - this is THE MEETING PLACE. Beers, coffees etc less than half of the price of the rest of Parga, plus complimentary plate full of Greek Meze every time you visit

TRIPS OUT - The Tour Train - nice little excursion out up to Ali Pashas Castle - well worth it for the views from the castle walls. Train leaves harbour 10.00, 12.00, 5.00 and 7pm every day - pay on train.
2. Walks - turn right out of apartments and the lane leads into miles of olive groves. Pathways are marked and you can walk to Lichnos Beach (bit too far for us - takes about 1/4 hours on foot)
ii) through town up to the fortress and then continue over the top to Valtos Beach - although not a lot of any interest in Valtos, other than the beach, as far as we could see.

3. BOATS - i)ACHERON RIVER STYX 10.00 am every day 12 euros. Samll boat (taxi) goes to Lichnos Beach and offloads there, then continues down coast to Acheron River, goes as far down river as it can, then turns back and stops for short vist to Ammoudia - enough time to wander and have a coffee - then back along coast, via Aphrodites Cave, to Lichnos, where you can disembark and spend afternoon on beach - catching a leter taxi back, or stay on boat and go back to Parga. Nice little trip - river interesting with reed beds and loads of birds - we saw storks, and loads of kingfishers - but need to wear your bug sparay fro river part of trip
ii) WATER TAXIS - all day every day to Lichnos and to Valtos beaches, plus daily to Sarakinka Beach (nude beach)
iii) PAXOS AND ANTIPAXOS - daily at 10.00 am. Cost 15 Euros each (however if you book in adavnce to go on Tues, Thurs or Sat it costs 20 euros and I dont know why!. We went twice - first on CAPTIN HOOK and then on MARCO POLO. All of the 4 tourist boats go round Antipaxos first to see caves plus swim stops, then on to larger PAXOS for 2 hour stop at Gaios - nice small village, plenty of places to eat, harbourfront cafes at far end serve better cheaper food than cafes in town square. Drinks and snax can be bought on both boats - reasonably priced, but limited choice, so we took our own snax.
CAPTAIN HOOK - larger all seating boat, pleasant crew, but little interaction with passengers. MARCO POLO - smaller boat, more geared to lying down and sunbathing. Crew joined in swim stops, and explained more about the area, the islands etc, even caught some sea creatures and brought on board to show us. We enjoyed our day lying on the Marco Polo much more. All advertise chance to see dolphins at Antipaxos - but is apparently years since dolphins were seent ther on a regular basis - so dont hold your breath!

OTHER TRIPS - we had hoped to go to Alabania - but far too long a day (about 15 hours), and other tours were also far too long for us (we are not great fans of sitting on coaches)

All in all - a lovely relaxing holiday, beautiful location, lovely people, nice mix of holiday and real life. We went mid-September, so busy but not packed, can apparently be very busy in August as a favourite with Greek and Italian holidaymakers

Villa v clean, good facilities, top floor was bit of a climb but well worth it for the view.
Bar snacks were excellent.
So many places to eat and eat WELL, especially restaurant next door, and at hotel (ALFA ??) opposite-dont be put of by the up-market decor, food and prices were excellent, also restaurant on harbour square near the ";anchor"; you go upstairs and sit around 2 sides of the building on balcony over harbour. You could eat out lunch and dinner every day for 2 weeks at diff restaurants and still more to discover. LOVED PARGA with its lively narrow streets to shop in.

Would definitely go back. It was buzzing but not too busy.
Beach a bit small but you can walk over hill to the next one, or get water buses, but we mainly relaxed by the pool or you can use other hotel pools.

It's all true excellent apartments having kettle,toaster,rings and oven. Spotlessly clean regular change of towels and sheets.

Parga is one of the nicest resorts we have stayed in,and not as expensive as some of the reports would have you believe.All restaurants we tried served good food and prompt service,can highly recomend Yianis just down the road from the Andreas also Sarakinko and the one opposite the Co Op forgot its name.
We will certainly return to Parga and the Villa Andreas.

Thanks to Bev and Pete for their company for the late evening drinks on the terrace