We just got back from two weeks spent at Noula Studios. I cannot praise the studios enough. Noula and Spiros really are very welcoming and go out of their way to be friendly and helpful. Spiros is a bit of a strong silent type, but Noula is very chatty. The studios were clean and perfectly adequate. Problems we had with the bathroom (loo didn't flush(!) and door wouldn't close!!) were recitified within a day or so. The pool, Spiros' pride and joy, was very clean and pleasant, although short of space around it and a bit crowded with the sunbeds. I wish I could be as effusive about Argassi. I'm sorry that I can't agree with those people who think Argassi is wonderful. We have two children, and Argassi is set around a very busy main road with no pavement to speak of. Thus, the family has to walk in single file along the edge of the road, cowering from the crazy Greek drivers and huge trundling lorries passing by. I can see that Argassi would appeal more to singles and young couples, as it is very loud and touristy with not much authentic "Greekness". If you're looking for fish & chips/Sunday Roast and a pub that shows British football matches, Argassi is for you. As this was not for us, we hired a car and found our own Greek adventures elsewhere on the island. Noula Studios is between 5 and 10 mins walk from the centre of Argassi, and yes, you do need to take your own bath towels (I forgot!) although they do provide one hand towel each. Hope this is information is useful! Please feel free to email me if you'd like more info.

Gerakas beach was the most beautiful beach I have ever seen. The sea shelves very gently, so that you have to wade out 20-30 metres to be up to your knees (!) and it is a beautiful sandy beach - unusual on Zante. The views are magnificent too. Because of the nesting turtles, no development is allowed there, but they have all you need - sunbeds and parasols to rent, a taverna or two to adjourn to for lunch and a mini market set back off the road behind the car park at the top. As mentioned before, you do need to arrive around 10 am to get both a parking spot and sunbed, but this is no problem because it means you can spend the WHOLE DAY there!! :-) Absolute bliss .........

This was our favourite restaurant in Argassi. We ate there about 5 times in two weeks, including the Greek Night on the Wednesday which was lots of fun. It has more authentic "Greekness" than any other restaurant in Argassi; Argassi being very loud and touristy.

We went to Kostas Brothers twice during our stay and found it the most enjoyable restaurant of all. The clientele was mostly Greek, with one or two Italian groups, and it's set in a garden at the back of a villa, away from the road and all things touristy. The food was very good (try Grandmother's Plate (beef and pasta) and extremely reasonably priced. The best thing was the live music each night, featuring two violins, a guitar, mandolin and accordion, with two singers. They would sit at a convenient empty table and just play, moving from table to table as the reservations came in. This will be my abiding memory of Zakynthos, together with Gerakas Beach.

We had two experiences of the Symposium. The first time we went, we sat by the sea and really emjoyed the food. On going back, however, it was a comedy of errors. The bread we were brought was stale and when we asked for a replacement, the surly Australian hostess insisted it was fresh and that we didn't know what real homemade bread was like!! Then we waited over half an hour for our starters (only tzatziki), and were told after we had paid the bill the we had not been charged for the bottled water, so could we pay some more .......!! Sadly, it was our last night on Zakynthos, so rather coloured our experience.

The view from this bar/restaurant really is amazing - it's up on the top of the hill behind Zante town. The service was also friendly and good. However, it was mid morning and we just ordered 4 cokes, and paid the equivalent of £10 for them!!!!!! So do go, but be prepared to pay for the view.