Maria Apartments

I have just returned from a one week stay with my partner at the Maria Apartments, Alykes.
We found the apartments to be very clean, (cleaned every day), serving good, basic cheap food. Anybody who has been to Greece knows that the accommodation is always basic and who wants to spend the whole holiday cooking? Theo and Alex in particular do constantly have your best interests at heart and make the effort to talk to you and make you feel comfortable. There were a good crowd of people there, of all ages.
I would recommend that anybody going to Zante and in particular Alykes, hires a car. Many of the best sites on the island are only seen this way. The people of Zante care very much about the endangered 'Caretta Caretta', (loggerhead turtle) and on many of the beaches you will find conservation and tourism working together to protect the turtles. The nesting sites are protected by wooden cages and are constantly checked, which is a nice touch. One of the best conservation beaches is 'Daphni Beach', we only found this on the last day, which was a shame as it was beautiful. This is not for the faint hearted, some of the 'roads' can leave a lot to be desired! The 'lighthouse' is worth a visit too as it is home to stunning views and the largest flag in the world.
We enjoyed our time on Zante and would recommend the Maria Studios for the staff, cleanliness and location.

We have just returned from our second visit to Maria Apts and it was as good as the first. The holiday was made for us for the hospitality we received from Theo, Alex and Billy. The apartments are basic "come on this is Greece it is what you should expect". The Greek folks are great and make you feel welcome and love children. Mustn't forget our Rep James who was always there to help and advise. If there is a downfall it is carrying bottles of water from the nearest supermarket. It is about 10-15 minute walk to the nearest tavernas but you have built up an appetite when you get there and when you return Theo, Alex and Billy are waiting to entertain you "Yammas" keep up the good work and we will be back.

Just returned from a great holiday in Alykes. We normally go to Tsilivi (you do not pronounce the T for crying out loud) and found it much smaller and quieter. But still very much enjoyed our fortnight. Weather was beyond belief.
The apartments however were a bit disappointing. The Mario is very nice but if you are unfortunate enough to get rooms 13-17 then you will be in very small rooms, with virtually no balcony. That been said the three lads are great; Theo, Billy and Alex really do make your stay at the Maria a pleasant one.
I recommend the Koala Pool bar for during the day it is right on the beach so you have a pool or beach to choose from and the breeze is much needed. If you go straight from the Maria down the road next to the salt flats (which are not that bad by the way), you will find the Koala Pool and snack bar. The best restaurant by a mile is the Olympic Kitchen, followed by the Paradise which do the best pizzas.
Overall we had a very nice relaxing holiday. The airport however is a complete joke. It's like they are saying we have got all your money, now sod off home!

Resort good and beach is brilliant when you get there (15 min stroll at least). Fantastic restaurants all good value and really good quality.
Walking down to the beach and town the salt lakes are like a rubbish tip with mozzies.
Hotel looked fine but no linen or towel change in a week and the mop not invented for the shower room / toilet, so not very clean. Also only a hand towel provided.
And its true karaoke till 3am does happen. Good time had just used it as a base.
Also the return flight home is a nightmare as the departure lounge is so small about 50 seats not bad with 600 plus waiting, and paying 5 Euros for a doughnut and a bottle of water.

Having just got back from Alykes, my fiancé (who proposed while we were there!) and I are already looking to go back next year. We had such a fantastic time while we were there.
The apartment was very simple but perfect for what we needed it for. The bathroom was only small with a hand held shower, but we as we were only there for a week, we managed fine. There's a very small kitchen area with a sink and hob plus plates, cups, pans and cutlery. Unfortunately we did struggle with the hob, as you could not tell if it was on or off!! Apart from that though the apartment was lovely, with lovely comfortable beds. The cleaning staff were lovely and our apartment was cleaned every day.
We had a fantastic view from our balcony of the pool, and from our front door we were treated to the views of hills and gorgeous buildings.
The snack bar served cheap but really nice throughout the day and night.
The best thing about the holiday though was the staff. Theo, Alex, Antonio and Billy, you made our holiday so much fun. We looked forward to going into the bar each night. Everyone was just so friendly, and the atmosphere was lovely and relaxed.
If you are looking for a nice relaxing holiday I would definitely recommend the Maria Apartments. All in all a truly fantastic holiday!!

I stayed here last summer with 2 of my girl mates and we had a great time!
The apartment was very basic but clean and it did the job for all the time we actually spent in it.
Beds were relatively comfy. Kitchen area wasn’t up to much, as someone else said you couldn’t really tell whether the hob was on or off, we used ours one day and it wouldn't switch off so we had to unplug it at the wall!
Bathroom was very very basic, handheld shower with a drain in middle of bathroom floor which flooded once or twice while we were there due to other residents flushing toilet paper instead of putting it in the bin, resulting in other peoples drains flooding!
Nice balcony area on ground floor apartment looking out to pool.
Staff were very friendly; Phil, Theo, and Alex...look out for Phil "singing" brown eyed girl on karaoke night - doesn't get much more entertaining than that!!
Pool kept clean, pool-side snack bar provided cheap but quality snacks throughout the day, along with some friendly banter from the staff!
The apartment is kind of in the middle of nowhere, you need to walk for a good 10-15 mins to get into the town, but when you reach it, there is plenty to do: lovely beach, many bars, restaurants, and shops.
If you want a good bar, try the palm tree bar, barmaid is Scottish and very friendly - gave us free cocktails. Also try the red lemon bar, one of the the first bars you will reach when walking from the Maria - worth going in even if it’s just to check out the sexy barman Nikos!! Wow was he hot!
Overall, a great holiday, just watch out for barmen hitting on you left right and centre!
And also 12-year-old-looking-boys on mopeds 24/7!

I love the Maria apartments so much that I have been staying there for the last three years when on holiday. The accommodation is a perfect base for either a quiet or hectic holiday in Alykes - offers well presented comfortable rooms, snack bar that is open all day and you can even grab a late dinner at the bar, if you ask.
It is a very welcoming family run apartment with friendly staff (Theo, Phil, Billy, Alex) who make sure that you feel at home. Their undivided interest in every guest's welfare makes you feel safe on the island. It is in a great location, just a walk into town where you can join in the bustle of Alykes night-life (if you want to).
I would definitely recommend you visit the Maria - you will not be disappointed.

We loved the Maria apartments and had a great holiday. The room was fine, a little small but perfect for what we wanted. The bathroom was not great but we made do.
The best thing about the Maria was the pool, bar and staff. The staff were so friendly and really made you feel welcome. Phil had us in stitches every night. The hotel is in a great location, just a 10 minute walk into the town which has a great range of lovely restaurants.
I definitely recommend you visit the Maria!

Whilst Alykes was a lovely place, the same cant be said for the Maria Apartments.
The room we were first allocated was on the ground floor, with a view of a brick wall. It was right by the very very noisy bar. The music went on from morning till very late night.4am being the latest. It was horrendous! They were asked to close the doors & windows at a reasonable time, however they only did this on the night of the request. The next night would be exactly the same. At most there were only a couple of people in the bar at such times, but the lads running it seemed to be doing it for their own pleasure.
Although the cleanliness of the apartments couldn’t be faulted, the apartments certainly could. In the first apartment, we had flies by the bucket load (probably due to the close proximity of the bins!) The cooker was a danger! You couldn’t tell if it was on or not. Each time that you touched anything metal in the room, especially the bathroom you were treated to an electric shock! Outside the balcony became the recognised car park for all the hired motor scooters, quad bikes and cars. Lovely to look out on whilst having your breakfast.
The second apartment we moved to was on the second floor & had a lovely view, however, it was swarming with ants(as were all the apartments on the floor) the door wouldn’t shut, unless locked at all times(very inconvenient if you didn’t notice that it had flown open!)Cooker just didn’t work, the electric sockets were all hanging off the walls & there was no-where to put your wash bags except on the floor. The shower, well if you can call it that, was a handheld one! The bedding wasn’t changed at all for over a week and a half.
If you want a relaxing holiday, then I would not recommend these apartments, unless you want to be kept awake for half the night....nice to get home for a good nights sleep!

This is an excellent place for relaxing. The town is just a short walk, where you will find plenty of restaurants and bars.
The beach is also right by the town so you can either chill by the pool or on the beach, neither are far away.
As for the hotel it was excellent. The rooms were cleaned every day, the snack bar was lovely with a good selection of food and the staff, well they just made it. They were so friendly and always entertaining, had us in stitches most nights!!!
All in all it was a great holiday, felt very safe and looked after by a well run family business..