Garden of Eden — Hotel in Zakynthos Municipality

We have just returned from a 5 night stay at the Garden of Eden and were so sad to leave. I'm not sure how, or why, people have left negative reviews, they must have stayed elsewhere! ||From the moment you arrive you're made to feel like a part of the family, Thanos and Panos are exceptional hosts and extremely helpful. Thanos also offers boat trips, so don't book with anyone else, like we did (before we even arrived, whoops!) They also offer breakfast and dinner. We had an amazing BBQ, which they do twice a week on a Sunday and a Wednesday.||We stayed in one of the traditional lodges, I think these are the ones that most people are calling 'dated'. They are only dated by our western standards and having stayed on many Greek islands the decoration is definitely traditional. The bed was exceptionally comfortable, a little on the hard side, but we do prefer a hard mattress. The aircon is payable at the resort at 12 euros a day, you are given a remote to control for the duration of your stay. The bathroom in the traditional lodges are a wet room, there is no shower curtain so yes, water will go everywhere, but there is a drain in the centre of the room to allow the water to drain away. Just be careful as it could be deemed a slip hazard if you're not used to a wet room. ||The gardens are beautiful and house many lovely cats and their kittens, if you are a cat lover, you will love this place. Just come prepared with treats. We only had one or two instances when a cat snuck into our lodge, but that's because we had left the door open. ||Mozzies are something that is mentioned a lot in these reviews, yes there are mozzies, you're in another country, what do you expect? Just come prepared with sprays or plug ins. If you don't bring any, there is a mini market close by that sells them, or all the shops in the town sell them, which is about a 10-15 min walk. ||The pool is small, but still a perfect size as there's only 11 lodges so it will never be overcrowded. There are plenty of sunbeds and pool floaties available to use for free. ||There is mention of a dog barking and a cockerel crowing in these reviews, we barely heard the cockerel but did hear a dog one or two times. We sleep with ear plugs in anyway, so didn't hear anything once they were in. You are also close to the airport so depending on the wind direction you do hear the odd plane. But these noises are definitely nothing to ruin your holiday. ||If you're debating holidaying at the Garden of Eden, I thoroughly recommend it. It's peaceful, beautiful and absolutely perfect for a traditional...

So stayed here in August in Villa number 7 which is right next to the pool and pool bar, the accommodation in this villa was really good except for the dangerous stairs leading upstairs (they somehow have attached sloping wooden slats the the rear of the steps which do hinder you when going up and down.

If you want a purely relaxing stay then this room is not for you because if there are kids staying on site you are literally 20ft away from the pool edge and it can get a bit noisy. Also with you being right next to the bar there are people constantly chatting and they have music on till the early hours if there are people out at a late, The accommodation is situated approximately 200 metres from the main road. We arrived via Jet2 and despite the weight of our two 22kilogram suitcases and backpacks, the airline deposited us directly on the main road saying the coach was too large to get up the track to the villa, its also a substantial accent to the accommodation.

It is important to note that this place is not a three-star establishment as indicated by Jet2, but rather a Greek a four-star, so beyond the initial payment, you will be charged an extra €10 per night tax and €12 per night for air conditioning if you require it.

While the room cleaning was satisfactory, the pools were unfortunately not clean. In fact, they were among the worst I have encountered. The small jacuzzi was milky in colour and hardly suitable for bathing, never saw anyone use it.

The accommodation is approximately 10 minutes from the entertainment strip, which is relatively convenient. However, it is advisable to exercise caution and carry a torch for your evening stroll back, as the roads contain numerous hidden challenges, such as potholes.

Overall, the accommodation is satisfactory. There are a significant number of Dutch and German families who were generally respectful when using the pool area. Just as an additional note there is a BBQ on certain evenings, be aware they host it right outside No 7 as you will see in the photo I took, the smell of fuel is quite a thing in fact we opted to go out that night as we couldn’t relax with the flames and smell so close to us.

Would we stay...

Beautiful place, Lovely people, made fantastic friends.|When first booked with Jet 2 I was tbh a little worried, as how often is the photo in the brochure the actual one you get. As a family of 4 (2 boys 19and 14) we knew that there were only 2 bedrooms, but hoped there would be 2 separate beds in one of the rooms). The entrance to reception is down a tree laden path , which may not be suitable if you are wheelchair bound, as there are steps at the bottom. The apartment was exactly like the photo. beautiful. The kitchen was a little small, but that's cope able. the selection of cookware was a little limited, Huge pan, Small Pan, colander, but again can cope with that. Bedroom 1 Downstairs Double, and beside the bathroom (no problem for me in the middle of the night), Bedroom 2 had a double 4 poster bed, and space for a soft Z bed. |Z bed was a little noisy, so the 2nd night 14yo topped and tailed with his brother. no problem there. IF your kids don't mind doing that definitely book, otherwise find somewhere else.|The pool was lovely and clean, with regular cleaning over night. Our hosts were fantastic, friendly and gentlemanly. their breakfast although over 10E each fed us the whole day. There was loads to eat.|Their dog Lulu, was at first a little stand offish, maybe even a little protective, but once Thanos greeted you she was your best friend. Panos has plenty of cats and Kittens around, and they will worm their way into your heart (and kitchen if...