We are back from our week at the Louis Zante beach at lagana. Booked and flew with first choice, only took 3 hours and no delays, all in all a comfy uneventful flight.
Got through the airport quickly and the transfer only took 10mins. Check in was quick and first impressions of the hotel were Ok, a bit old fashioned looking but clean and tidy.
Got to our room which was plenty big enough for me and hubby with bunk beds for the girls. Bathroom was clean but a bit on the small side, plent of fluffly clean towels. There is a fridge in the room which is great as we thought we may need to hire one. Decor in the rooms was pleasant enough, again clean and comfy, the beds were also very comfy with plenty of pillows and extra blankets in the wardrobe.
My 7 year old daughter had a bad accident just after check in, she walked straight through the glass patio doors which shattered and she ended up in hospital needing stitches. However the hotel staff were magnificent and made sure we were all taken care of, it was a terrifying experience, luckily she escaped without a mark on her face and all the cuts were on her arms and legs. The staff at the hospital were brilliant. She had a real fuss made of her the rest of the week which she loved, it was just a shame that she wasnt allowed on the beach or in the water so she spent most of her time at the kids club.
The kids club is fantastic, the animation team do a wonderful job keeping the little ones entertained, it runs from 10am until 12pm then again from 3pm to 5pm with a mini disco at 9pm.
The animation team in general were great and worked hard and making sure everyone was having fun and they put on some great shows, even though hotel entertainment isnt really my thing.
The hotel grounds were very pretty with plants and flowers and a wonderful view of the ocean, the hotel is very well laid out in my opinion. There is a main building with reception, a bar and the main buffet restraunt, then a short stroll through the gardens takes you down to the pool on the left hand side where there is a bar, stage, and pool table/table tennis. If you go to the right it takes you down to the beach bar where they also serve snacks such as chips, pasta, meatball, salad and ice cream.
The beach was nice although we didnt use it because of katies stitches, but the view of the bay and mountains can be seen from pretty much all over the hotel and its beautiful.
The food was ok, the usual AI buffet type affair, soups and salads, pork/beef/chicken in various forms, chips, potatoes and veg. There is also a roast meat carvary and occasionally a pasta cooking station. There is a dessert buffet and they also have a hot dessert cooking station where the chef makes caribbean bananas/hot cinnamon pears etc and they are lovely.
There is no fine didning or alacarte restraunt which is a shame, in most other AI we have been to they have a waiter service restraunt that you can book at least once during your stay. The food was perfectly fine though even if it wasnt gourmet. Breakfast was my hubbys favourite meal of the day, the usual english offerings, I stuck to fruit and croissant, the kids mainly ate cereal and bread. Again, I was a bit dissapointed not to see an omellette station and a fresh pancake station at breakfast time. We didnt bother with lunch as we were all usually full from brekkie! (try the ice cream though its delicious!)
The drinks are better than I have had at other european AI, you get a full pint of beer for a start at the main bar in the evenings instead of a half pint glass which we have had in other places, and the cocktails even though made with own brand liquor were very nice. They are not the sort you get in the caribbean, where banana daquiris are made in a blender with crushed ice rum and whole fresh bananas so they come out like a slush puppy/smoothie type thind servred an a pinapple or a coconut shell, but just made with fruit juices and syrup, but still they were nice and they cocktail menu was extensive. The draught beer was Louenbrough (sp?) a german beer and it was lovely. All drinks served by the pool and beach were in plastic cups. They had help your self wine and beer at Lunch/dinner and a soda machine with coke/fanta/sprite.
On the whole we enjoyed our week considering what had happened with Katie, it was difficult to get a sunlounger after 9am but there are plenty of chairs by the bar area. If I was being picky then I would describe the place as being a little bit holiday camp, but we still relaxed and enjoyed our stay. Lagana itself is just a road with souvenier shops and bars/reastarunts, we strolled up there a few times and stopped for a beer (2.50 euro for a litre bottle of Amstel) and the kids bought some nik naks, its not a place I would want to take my kids though at night in the high season, luckily we avoided the serious party crowd.
The weather was a bonus and it was pretty hot through the day, enough for me to get a touch of sunburn anyway! But the evenings were chilly and we needed a cardigan or fleece top to sit outside. I was glad that I had packed some 3/4 trousers and a few long sleeve tops for the kids as they often complained of being cold after sundown.
The people we met staff locals and holidaymakers alike were all friendly, we especially enjoyed the hospitality of the chicago rocks sports bar, the staff in there were brilliant.
So that was our week. Did we enjoy it - Yes would we return - No, but not because we didnt like the place, there is a big world out there and we want to see as much of it as we possibly can. I would try another Louis hotel though on one of the different islands, maybe Kefalonia next time as the pictures for that look stunning, now where did I put my holiday brochure???
