Aristidis Garden

20 readers found this review helpful

This family run apartment complex is set in well maintained pretty gardens. The rooms are typically Greek in style, clean and functional. We stayed in room 21 which was to the rear of the property, but had fabulous views of the mountains, and local Goats!There was a really good sized balcony with table and chairs. In the room was a colour TV with English speaking channels,BBC World plus Greek channels with US TV shows (CSI, House, SVU etc) with Greek subtitles. The kitchen area is a bit cramped but fully functional, and even had a grill and little oven. Plenty of plates, glasses and cutlery. One thing that let it down for me was the state of the pillows. Mine was more a bag of lumps than a pillow! Wardrobe space left a bit to be desired. The bathroom was small but met basic requirements, however the shower is hand-held which made rinsing my hair a bit of a problem. The 'poo-bin' was emptied every day. The pool area is kept immaculate with plenty of free sun beds. The pool itself was clean, cool and quite deep with access via ladders as well as steps in the shallow end, ideal for disabled access. The main reason Astirides didn't score higher was due to the distance from the main town. However, please dont let that put you off! The walk into town was actually very pleasant, down a gently sloping hill, and only took between 13-15 minutes. However, it feels like a much further and steeper walk back after a day on the beach! There is a quicker way into town if you head toward the main road, then turn left just before you reach it. This short cut takes you behind the supermarket and BP Garage, then past the football pitch and into town. However, although its a bit quicker, its not as pretty, and there are no goats or chickens!!!The nearest taverna (perivoli)is only 6 minutes away, followed by Yannis 4 minutes further on, then after a couple of minutes you reach the edge of town. There are 3 supermarkets within 10 minutes of the apartments, two on the main road into town and a small one just past the Perivoli taverna. The 1st beach you come to, Golfo, isn't very appealing at first glance, however, give it a try! if you can get a sunbed on the far side, the stones are smaller and sandier. The main town beach looked very busy but we didn't use it. The boat taxi's go to Valtos (8euro return for two) and Lichnos (14euro return for two) and run from 10am. Last boat from Lichnos was 6pm but from valtos, they appear to run throughout the evening. Both beaches are shinlge with valtos being the more sandy of the two. The sea gets very deep very quickly so keep an eye on kiddies. A day out to Paxos is highly recommended. Two main courses with wine cost an average of 30euro. Spirits 5euro and beer 2euro. Cocktails approx 7 euro, although most bars have heppy hours with prices reduced to 5 euro. All in all, Parga is a really pretty town to visit.