We spent two weeks at the Athina Studios last August and we had a lovely time. As it was our first time in Zante we had no idea what to expect, and when we got there we were pleasantly surprised. We had a great time at the studios. Yes they were basic but what do you expect for £450!! They were comfortable and clean and set in a great location... what more could we ask for! I still miss the peaceful morning swims I took in the pool with Mount Skopos as the backdrop... Just breathtaking!

The family who run The Athina really made our stay. They were all so welcoming and full of helpful advice about places to visit during our short time there. One morning we were also given fresh dates to eat collected from the trees just outside our balcony! I wish we were back there now!!

All in all we had a fantastic stay, and would definitely recommend the apartments for anybody wanting to visit the beautiful island of Zakynthos on a shoestring.

we have just had a two week stay at the athina studios and it was good the rooms were clean,the bins were emptied every day and the beds were changed twice a week i would add they could have been done more often because the weather was very hot, yannis and his family made us welcome and were quite friendly,the bar was open every night and the pool was kept very clean,the garden and lawns were kept tidy by the grumpy old man,bit late cutting the grass [11;30pm]one night but didn't bother us at all we had a smashing time and would go back to the athina been to argassi 4 times now and we love it

Just arrived back from a week at the Athina Studios and i must say it was one of the worst holidays i have had the displeasure to have. We had been there four days before the rooms were cleaned and the towels and sheets were changed. We had to purchase our own toilet paper as i think they thought that one roll would last a week. The staff were grumpy and to cap it all we used the sunbeds in our own apartments and were actually charged 3 euros each for the cushions and umbrellas.

On a positive note there are a couple of things that we recommend, Castaways restaurant to eat in , the staff are friendly and the choice is very good and varied. And finally i would recommend Flocas travel agency and bar  a family run business, Andreas the son and his parents were all excellent and looked after us with both drinks and car hire good luck with your wedding to hayley  and don't worry Yorkshire lasses are not that bad.

We were not happy with the Athina Studios. Cosmos grade them as 3 diamonds but we don't think they warrant this grade. Maintainence is poor. The garden is messy with beer crates, tools and toys left lying around. The rooms are poor. Furniture is very home made, the kitchen area is old with no workspace, only one cupboard under the sink and two hotplates only, the bathroom was poor. The shower flooded the floor and the drain was above the surrounding tiles. The shower screen had a hole in it. The rooms are only cleaned once every few days (including emptying the used toilet roll bin!) and then not very well. The staff are generally miserable and unhelpful, unless you're a heavy drinker and spend lots at their bar. Even then the owner, who is long overdue for retiring, never breaks into a smile. To cap it all, they switched off the air conditioning (35 Euro a week extra) 2 hours before we were due to vacate the room, saying it did it automatically - which was not true.

 Arrived home last night from a week staying at the athina studios, reading the reviews before we went we were slightly concerned but have to admit we totally disagree, the island is a lovely place, argassi particulaly nice, the people are lovely, food was great, the studio was basic but all you needed when your off exploring every day. The pool was lovely and clean, but perhaps too busy during the day..recommend going in the evening when everyone else is having dinner! st. nicholas beach is great for all those keen to do any water sports, would suggest making your own way there its only 10minutes from argassi so going with rep was quite expensive and a long day! Water park was good but you really dont need to spend all day there..got very burnt and bored once you've done everything. We definitly recommend going there for a bargain holiday and suits most ages, generally seems a safe place we had no trouble what so ever and genuinely enjoyed ourselves. If you do anything u must rent out a quad bike...an absolute blast!!! oh yerrr!!!!!!

The Athina Apartments have now been taken over by Cosmos Holidays.

Please note the TIMOTHEOS STUDIOS are different from the ATHENA STUDIOS. I worked in the bar last year at the Timotheos and had a fantastic time. The owners were brilliant, as were the majority of tourists - thanks for the nice comments :-) Rooms are basic, as with most in Zante, but very clean, and the Stars Restaurant is definitely one of the best on the Island. Won't be able to work this year until August, but looking to go back for Summer 2007! Kris

hi all,

We booked the Timotheos Studios through Manos in March, and they were unable to give us any details about the place. It subsequently transpired that they were the Athina apartments under new name, they are now taking the name of one of the brothers who own Stars Restaurant.