Aresti Villas

This was a good holiday, BUT, we had a rental-car as part of the TUI package. We weren't planning on driving much, wanting to relax with taxis or buses, so we didn't take the 'up-sell' of extra insurance. So at Enterprise pick-up desk we signed to say we'd lose our €295 deposit (paid on arrival unexpectedly)! AND we'd owe €1,400 if any damage "bigger than a two-pound coin" happened to the car! Aresti villas is nice, but one overworked lady does everything and we couldn't ever eat there as we got turned away each time we tried. Buses & taxis weren't available, so I wish we'd taken the extra insurance of €143 because not doing so ruined the holiday - we were so scared the car would get harmed; the roads fall away sharply each side into large ditches and there was lots of swerving traffic, and overtaking. We had to drive a few times each day to eat and shop for basics (there is no shop at all on site). I was literally terrified all week about the car and just wanted the week to be over so we could hand it back. We were disappointed that we couldn't eat at Aresti Villas and sadly we weren't allowed to book the Greek Night - we'd been looking forward to our 9 year-old experiencing that. The same reason was given, e.g too overworked to fit us in, even though we tried to book on arrival. On the positive side, the Greeks are lovely, warm people, the Villas are charming with great pools. The food when eating out is very good and much cheaper than the UK; we particularly liked Jesters on the Alykanas strip as the chef is great and they were so welcoming. The Greeks are wonderful with children and chilled-out in general, you never feel hassled by them. I wish I'd known about having to drive so much before arrival as it would have been a different holiday without the threat of an extra €1,700 cost looming over us.

We stayed in Villa Carolina for the weeks 7 to 21 June. The villa is massive and only being two of us there was loads of room. We liked the rustic style of decor and the seating in the living room was excellent and would easily accommodate four adults. The kitchen was well equipped with the best fridge/freezer we have had in any self catering accommodation both in Greece and Spain. Bedrooms have the air conditioning which worked well. We used the double bedroom and the bed was very large and comfortable. Pool area was great, but the sun lounges need some attention, tho we managed fine. The pool was serviced twice a day and was kept really clean. Bins were emptied daily, linen and towels every three days We used the onsite restaurant on the first night. Whilst it was pleasant it was nothing special, but we prefer to cook in or eat out during the day anyway. Shame there’s no seating on the balcony. All in all a great place to tour the island.

We had a marvellous holiday in Aresti Villas. A great house with our own big swimming pool and a more than great hostess Ghiotta who was doing her utter best to make us comfortable. She was helpful, cheerful and gave us lots of very good tips for daytrips. When there was a problem with the house she took care of it right away. The only tip would be an upgrade of the breakfast. Zakynthos is a beautiful island and we surely will return to Aresti villas and hope to meet Ghiotta there as our hostess again!