Evan's Studios — Hotel in Zakynthos Municipality

I stayed at Evans Studios with my boyfriend for a week at the end of September 2011 and was not in the least bit disappointed. What others have written about the studios being a little tired is perhaps true - you'll find chintzy curtains and lino floors here rather than funky modern interior design, however you do get what you pay for and for the absolute bargain price that we paid for our package holiday, we just couldn't complain! ||||We stayed in Studio No. 7, on the top floor, which has a balcony with a nice enough view out to the sea and overlooking the well-kept gardens. The room is quite basic, with comfy twin beds that we pushed together (we've noticed that double beds are rare in Greece!), a wardrobe, dresser and small kitchenette area. Air conditioning was there if we wanted it but the evenings in late September were cool so we didn't use. The bathroom was plain and of the typical Greek 'wet room' style (i.e. no shower curtain, so cover the loo roll and hang your towel away from the shower!) but the whole place was spotlessly clean and tidy. Our room was cleaned on Tuesday and Thursday by the friendly caretaker, Dennis, which was perfectly adequate. ||||For a self-catering holiday, it would be a bit difficult to cook proper meals in the studio, as the kitchenette only has two electric hob rings, a fridge, a kettle and not much else. We bought ourselves some coffee and bread and enjoyed a continental breakfast on the balcony each morning, which was perfect for us. There are so many nice restaurants on the main Lassi strip just a few minutes walk away though, we ate out every night and didn't see the basic kitchen as a disadvantage. We recommend the Retsino restaurant (think that's what it was called) which is just at the top of the road on the left hand corner. VERY tasty food and the best kleftiko and Kefalonia meat pie we found! If you visited Greece back when they had the drachma, you'll be disappointed to note that prices are now very similar to what you would expect to pay back home, but it's certainly not more expensive than the UK. You'll pay 2.50-4 euros for a large Mythos beer and about 8-15 euros for a main course. Alternatively, it's a 20 minute stroll into Argostoli where there are just as many restaurants - perhaps a little bit pricier but the restaurants on the main square and along the harbour are in a lovely setting. A taxi back to Lassi cost 6 euros. ||||While you're in Kefalonia I would definitely recommend hiring a car and exploring the island, especially the beautiful beaches. Myrtos beach and Antisamos beach are famous for featuring in Captain Corelli's Mandolin and are both stunning. The main beach at Lassi is one of the best and has the advantage of being sandy whereas a lot of the others are pebbly. Avithos beach at Svoronata is a lovely sandy strip, and we also liked Agios Kyriakis beach, which we thought had a kind of desert-island-castaway feel to it. Don't forget your snorkel as the water is unbelievably clear! ||||Apart from beaches, definitely visit Fiskardo, which is the only place on the island that wasn't destroyed in the 1953 earthquake. Don't miss a drive up to the highest point on the island either - the views are amazing! We were a bit disappointed by our visit to Melisani underground lake - there is no doubt that at first glance it is very beautiful, but the entry fee was 7 euros each for a boat trip that lasted approximately 7 minutes - not great value for money, and then we were hassled for a tip which we thought was a bit cheeky! Still, if you're going to visit tourist attractions like this, it's definitely worth hiring your own car and making your own way rather than paying the extortionate prices that the tour...

We had the unfortunate experience of having to endure a one night stay here after the host Evans said our pre booked stay at his other more expensive apartments a few kilometres away had been double booked. ||We arrived at our original destination a few kilometres away by our pre booked mini bus. We were met there by Evans the host. Evans told us that the original sister apartments (Laura Beach House) had been double booked for our first night and we would have to stay at Evans Studios instead. He said the holiday company contacted him about this. This was not true as I called the holiday company and they did not contact him and were unaware of any double booking. Evens then got into an argument with our minibus driver right in front of us. By this time we were very stressed and upset, but we remained quiet at all times. |The minibus driver took us to Evans Studios where we were once again met by Evans. Evans then took us round to the swimming pool and wanted us to have a drink straight away and introduce us to other guest. He had no comprehension the we had a long journey from London or that we were by this time very stressed and upset. He was reluctant to just let us go to our room.He said as compensation he would waive the taxes, pay for air-conditioning (according to him 70 Euros for our weekly stay) and psy us 60 Euros cash. This did not happen, we never got any compensation from him.|As still late afternoon, we went for a swim in the pool, this was abruptly interrupted by Evans having a domestic family argument with lots of shouting and banging which could be heard by all his guests. |We were further disturbed by Evans around midnight with very loud talking right outside our apartment until around 2am.|We eventually got taken to Evans sister apartment Laura Beach House the next day in the afternoon (one day late). Evens father turned up on the third day to demand we pay the taxes and asked for payment for the air-conditioning. When I queried this (as Evans promised all taxes would be waived and air-conditioning paid for), Evans father got very angry, started shouting and even spat at me. I called Evans and also asked when he would pay the 60 Euros, he said he would bring it over that same day. This did not happen and he never gave us any compensation. |The rooms st Evans Studios are very run down and in desperate need of repairing, updating and decorating. The shower in very corroded, fridge didn't work, paperwork and paint very shabby. Terrace looks out to car park, with very scruffy garden and dirty sun shades. Apartment surrounded by stray dogs that constantly bark directly outside all night.|We ard in our 60s, remained cool and polite throughout and have never been treated so badly in our lives by hosts and subject to anger and...

The building has 10 apartments, we stayed in number 2 on the ground floor. The rooms have separate beds (foam pillows), a kitchenette and a bathroom. I was satisfied with the cleanliness; after 3 days the linen and the towels were changed and the room was cleaned, after another 2 days we received cleaning again (no linens changed then).||A/C is available for a surcharge of €35 per week - it was worth it. The shades are also great, pitch dark even during the day - for those who prefer that.||The shower however is really small, the curtain sticks on you easily as you move around.||Evans is in a good location, 2 minutes walking from the main road but still close to everything (except for the bugs outside it's quiet). The small beach in the end of the street (Paliostafida) is great!||WiFi is available but there is no signal in the room, only outside the door - that would need improvement. The electrical outlets are in random places - there was only one at the beds where more would be needed but that is just the design. My friend got a smaller electricution because the outlets are old. We went to the hospital, she will be fine. The owner was great, took us to the hospital, translated, helped whenever he could. As we heard they are changing all the sockets in the upcoming weeks - hopefully it will happen. Until then just use a dry linen cloth to be on the safe side.||The owner also keeps the garden well maintained! It is exactly as neat as shown on the picture.||I would recommend these apartments, reasonably priced and in a great location in Kefalonia - we toured the island in 3 days from here with a reantal car (go for it, it's worth it - we used Pefanis;...