Marinos Apartment Reviews

The Marinos studio in Old Alikanas is your usual basic Greek fayre, but what the accommodation lacks in comfort is definitely made up for by the location. Not for the faint hearted, Old Alikanas is situated a 10/15 minute stroll uphill from the centre of New Alikanas. It is a fairly self-contained resort with a shop, post box, a couple of nice bars/restaurants and practically your own private crystal blue watered beach. In the morning, you can roll out of bed and onto the beach in about 30 seconds. It's much quieter than the main beach in Alikanas, and the locals use it which is always a good sign.

The studio itself was basic but comfortable, with two twin beds, 2 cooking rings, a fridge, plenty of kitchen utensils, and a lovely shaded veranda with a sea view. The studio also comes equipped with a fan.

There are 2 fantastic restaurants in Old Alikanas - the Shoestring which over looks the beach and the Lemon Tree Garden on the road down to the new town. Don't be put off by reports of the Shoestring being expensive - it really does depend on what you order and the food and setting is fantastic. The Lemon Tree Garden is more typically Greek - the food is plentiful and inexpensive. There are lots of Restaurants in the new town and we tried Mantina's and the Mantelana - both were good.

We hired a car from Peppas for 34 Euros a day which included 100kms mileage. We drove around the North of the island to see the Shipwreck (don't walk down the cliff road like we did - it's a bit dangerous!) and we tried to take a boat trip to the Blue Caves but the boats weren't leaving St Nicholas because the sea was too choppy.

We then drove down to Laganas because we'd been told you can hire a peddalo and take it out to see the Turtles. Unfortunately, as soon as we'd left the shore the sea became very choppy and not only was steering the peddalo a nightmare, our legs were aching, and we didn't see a single turtle! Looking back though, it was a giggle. We ended the day with a drive into Zakynthos town. It's a nice place but not as big as other similar places we've visited. There is only one main street and a nice square next to the harbour. It's worth a stop but you'll only amuse yourselves for a couple of hours.

All in all, we had a brilliant holiday and I'd definitely go back and stay in Old Alikanas. Be warned, everything you read about Zakynthos airport is true - it's a nightmare, but don't let it put you off the island!