Tsilivi Resort - (Resorts in Zante)

Emma E           

We stayed here for a week in July and returned yesterday - it just wasn't long enough. We loved it there!

The beach is gorgeous and there is plenty to do at this resort. I would definitely go back to Roscos Bar (it is located on Carravell Road - opposite the Admirals Hotel). The bar staff are very welcoming and the lady that runs the Karaoke (Sue) is really funny and great with kids. She also does a bingo session before the karaoke which everyone always enjoys.

The Ark (which I believe is a 24hr bar) is very lively and entertaining - they set fire to the bar, make nice cocktails and beep the horn every time someone walks through the door!

For eating out, I would strongly recommend Manos' Grill - the food is spot on and the people are lovely! Manos (the chef and owner) is a really nice guy and makes you feel very welcome.

Also, Popeyes is a really good place to eat - the food is nice, the service is good and it's good value for money. You sometimes have to wait a few minutes for a table but it's worth the wait.

We spent most of our time at the Two Brothers' complex. They have apartments, a nice pool bar that serves tasty snacks and the bar staff are the happiest and friendliest people you will ever meet! We plan to go back next year and will see if we can get a room here as our apartments (Drogitis Studios) weren't great!

Two Brothers Bar - (Bars in Tsilivi)

Emma E           

I hate the fact that I have to click on 'We Liked It' and a 'thumbs up' - this doesn't do the place justice. WE LOVED IT - 10 THUMBS UP!!!

If you go to Tsilivi and don't go here then you've really missed out!

Nice pool, nice food, nice cocktails, brilliant bar staff (even if they are a bit mental!)

YAMAS!!!!!

Popeyes - (Restaurants in Tsilivi)

Emma E           

This was one of the two places that I ate at more than once.

The food, service and value for money was excellent. You may have to queue a few minutes for a free table but it's worth the wait. This place is busy for a reason!

Manos Grill - (Restaurants in Tsilivi)

Emma E  (19 July 2004)         

By far the best restaurant in Tsilivi!

Manos and Maria were lovely and the food was perfect!

Thanks for the birthday cake and champagne. We're coming back next year with the baby - we PROMISE to come and see you.

Love Emma & Stewart x

Deanos Places - (Bars in Tsilivi)

Emma E  (19 July 2004)         

This is a good, lively bar. The staff were nice and the entertainment was good.

Karaoke was on every night I think. There was an entertainer on one night who impersonated Mick Jagger - he was brilliant!

I would definitely go here again!

Freddies Beach Bar - (Bars in Tsilivi)

Emma E           

This bar is named after the owner's dog - Freddie!

The staff were very friendly and chatty and the fry ups were second to none!

Reportage - (Bars in Tsilivi)

Emma E  (19 July 2004)         

We stayed at the Drogitis studios next door so we always went in here for the first drink of the night.

The staff are friendly and they give you a free shot when you first arrive.

Roscos Cocktail Bar - (Bars in Tsilivi)

Emma E  (19 July 2004)         

WE LOVED IT!

Big hello to all the friendly bar staff.

Special hello to Sue who is the best Karaoke entertainer in Tsilivi!! Hope you get this message.

See you next year.

Stewart and Emma xx

Ark Bar - (Bars in Tsilivi)

Emma E           

Great place for entertainment!

The bar staff are nutters and they set fire to the bar!

Tsilivi Beach - (Beaches in Zante)

Emma E           

Lovely sandy beach. Great for kids as you can go quite far out into the sea before it gets deep.
Plenty to do too - pedalos, banana boats, ringos, parasailing and lots of nearby beach bars if you're hungry or thirsty.

July - (Best Time to Visit)

Emma E           

Very hot - between 90 and 100 every day that we were there. Go at the beginning of the month though - before all those pesky kids arrive! Ha ha, just joking x

Tsilivi - (Exchange Rates in Zante)

Emma E           

There a lot of souvenir shops along the main road that exchange money with no commission so it's very easy to get hold of euros there.

It cost £142 to get 100 euros which I think is the conversion rate anyway, therefore no commission.

Levante Speedboat Trip - (Zante Excursions)

Emma E           

This trip is a MUST! You will have people approaching you all day in the street to try and get you on the larger boat trips but I wouldn't bother with those ones - they can't get right into the caves and they're always packed with about 200 people.

Spiros' boat fits 24 people so the trip is a lot more personal and Spiros is the nicest man you'll ever meet. I'm pregnant and promised him that if I had a boy I would name him Captain Spiros - a verbal agreement is apparently binding in Zante, Oops!

This trip is excellent value for money. He takes you right into the caves and tells you about all the local history. He's brilliant with kids and lets them ride his boat - he also lets the women ride the boat. We also stopped at a nice little cafe on a cliff overlooking the sea. Then we went onto a private beach which was really nice and peaceful. It's really pebbly though so make sure you take your flip flops or you'll be in agony.

Spiros is a very honest man - if the trip will be affected by the weather (i.e. the water on the northern side of the island may be very choppy and stop you from going to the Shipwreck) he will tell you in advance and offer you your money back.

The trip cost 35 euros which was well worth it. If you want to go on a trip make sure it's this one. You'll find Ian or Spiros walking up and down the beach wearing bright blue shorts and cream coloured t-shirts.

Zakynthos Airport - (Places to Visit in Zante)

Emma E           

The airport seemed like a nightmare when we arrived but we were really lucky! Our luggage was more or less the first to appear on the conveyor belt so we were straight out. However, there is only ONE conveyor belt in the whole airport so if you're not as lucky as us, I think you could be there a while!

Most areas are air conditioned apart from the smoking area (this was a bit strange!).

You have to wait outside under canopies before they call you inside the airport to the check in desk on your way home. Thank god they put canopies up - otherwise, I think you would be cooked alive as you do have to wait a while. Once inside the departure area it's like sardines in a tin!

Also, beware of the staff on passport control. I think they have been told that they will die if they smile. I've never seen such miserable people in my whole life. And hope to god that the beeper doesn't go off when you go through the metal detector as the rough handed guards will come down on you like a ton of bricks. This happened to my little brother - I thought he was going to cry!

Some building works appeared to be underway - I think it's a new terminal. I hope it's there when we go back next year. I doubt it though as the greek builders are very slow. Every in Zante seems to be under construction (don't worry, I'm not talking about the resort itself!)

Gyroland Menu - (Restaurants in Tsilivi)

Emma E           

The guy on the door was rather pushy but we went in anyway and he was very chatty and friendly once inside. He didn't just ignore us once he had got us through the door and came over to talk to us a few times while we there.

I had chicken pita and chips which was average. It was edible but nothing to get excited about. However, the chocolate and banana pancake was out of this world although a bit sickly. I can't remember if it was expensive or not. Probably not, i'm sure I would have remembered if I had been ripped off.

I had a stomach bug the next day. Not sure if it was from this place or somewhere else.

Koukos - (Restaurants in Tsilivi)

Emma E           

I wish our experience of this place was as pleasant as everyone elses! We waited almost an hour for the food as there was a large party there. There were four of us at the table - my boyfriend ordered garlic prawns which he enjoyed and I can't remember what my brother ordered but he said it was okay. My mum ordered lamb on the spit and asked if it was lean. The waiter replied 'yes, very nice, best on the island'. It turned out to be one big lump of COLD fat and gristle. I ordered a jacket potato with cheese and beans - the potato was the size of my head with only a spoonful of beans and a sprinkle of cheese. I complained about the food served to me and my mum to the waiter and he didn't even apologise. He just stomped off with the food and we had to wait a further 20 minutes for the replacement meals. My mum's came back with chips instead of the roast potatoes that it was supposed to be served with and my potato came back exactly the same as the first one. I also heard the lady on the next table complain that her food was also cold. There were no apologies and as the waiter didn't give a s**t we didn't bother to tip him! I'm assuming we were just unlucky seeing as though all the other reviews are very complimentary. Personally, I wouldn't go back there if I had a gun to my head!

Manos Grill - (Restaurants in Tsilivi)

Emma E  (19 July 2004)         

Forget to click on excellent for food, service and price! Ignore that part on the previous review as it was far better than average!

Tsilivi - (Exchange Rates in Zante)

Emma E           

The last review was the wrong way around - £100 for 142 euros! Oops!

Zante Town - (Places to Visit in Zante)

Emma E           

It cost 8 euros in a taxi from Tsilivi to Zante Town and I think we went to the boring part!

The sea is really nice in this area but there isn't a beach, just rocks! We went over to the marina but there were no yachts etc. there, just ferries. We didn't go to the shopping area of the town which is supposed to be quite good. There were lots of cafes and souvenir shops where we went but we have these on the resort anyway. All in all, it was pretty boring!

McDonalds - (Restaurants in Tsilivi)

Emma E  (19 July 2004)         

Maccy D's was shut when we were there due to not having a licence. I wish it had been open coz 'there's nothing quite like a McDonalds'!

Olive Tree - (Restaurants in Tsilivi)

Emma E           

We didn't go hear whilst in Tsilivi and I regret not going as lots of people said it was a nice restaurant.

The Troc - (Restaurants in Tsilivi)

Emma E  (19 July 2004)         

10 out of 10! This restaurant is run by English people so they know exactly how you like your food. I'm a rather fussy eater so it was nice for someone to make my full english breakfasts exactly how I like them! The service was brilliant and reasonable prices too. The best steak pie EVER and also make sure you have syrup sponge with custard if you've got a sweet tooth!

Golden Sun - (Tour Operators in Zante)

Emma E  (19 July 2004)         

we had great flights (with excelair) leaving manchester at 4am sunday 11th july and arriving at zante at 9.30am. the return flight was on sunday 18th july leaving at 5.30pm so we more or less had 8 days there which was a bonus. i requested extra leg room on the plane as i'm pregnant which they kindly honoured - i didn't expect any of these seats to be left so it was a shot in the dark! the cabin crew were pleasant even though the food was s**te - isn't it crap with all flights though?

we didn't bother with the transfer on arrival and got a taxi to tsilivi which cost 14 euros which is pretty reasonable. we didn't want to bother with the coach as we thought they'd be making loads of stops on the way. we later found out that our apartment was the second stop and that the coach was air conditioned so i wish we had saved the taxi money now.

the rep at the airport was a bit of a gobs**te - we told her we wanted to get a taxi and she sent us off in the completely wrong direction for our welcome pack before walking off without so much as a 'goodbye' or 'enjoy your holiday'.

the accommodation was pretty basic. it was clean, we had a bed, a fan, a shower and a balcony although there was no view. however, they didn't change our sheets or towels once whilst we were there. the woman who said this is normal for greece is talking out of her a**e! we got clean towels and sheets when we stayed in corfu and also the girls who were in the next room got clean towels and sheets. we didn't bother to complain as we were there to enjoy our holiday, not to kick up a fuss over the small things! we did mention to our rep, lyndsey, that we weren't happy about it so that she could maybe raise the issue with the owner so it doesn't happen again. instead of apologising, she said that you are supposed to take your own towels and bed sheets. erm.....okay, if you say so lyndsey!!! apart from that, she was a bubbly girl and really nice to talk to. i wouldn't have liked to have gone to her with a serious problem though as she seems the type to fob you off. the reps get crap money and i think they're there for the lifestyle in a warm climate.

we didn't bother with the meetings. this is just the reps opportunity to flog you stuff and besides, my partners mum lived out there so she showed us round and told us about the good places to go.

the great resort of tsilivi made up for any shortfalls in the service.