A package holiday for a week to Greece, to lie in the sun and have a rest. It didn’t start that way as we took of in the middle of a storm with the plane crabing from one side of the runway to the other, we made it.

After 4 hrs we touched down in Zante and made our way to the Panos Studios, we weren’t expecting much as they are only two and a half stars but what a surprise, a lovely large room recently refurnished and a stunning toilet with walk in shower, ok they were a 20 min walk away from the town but you can’t have everything.

The town itself is quite small with a couple of supermarkets a bakery and about 30 bars and restaurants catering for all tastes. One of the delights of going abroad is to sample the local food and drink and Alykes didn’t disappoint. El Greco was recommended to us by a fellow traveller on the plane and turned out to be our favourite place to eat, all home made and cooked fresh.

Alykes and Alykanas are joined together by a bridge over a canal, originally the Pentokamaro bridge was built by the English in the 15th Century who occupied the country at that time. During the Second World War when the Germans were in control they used to herd the young men onto the bridge and, well you can guess what happened.

It was a very relaxing week and we didn’t stray far as we had already visited “the shipwreck” and “blue caves” before.

It’s a lovely country with warm welcoming people but with Greece’s financial position being so bad some things are being allowed to slip. There is lots of rubbish being dumped at the side of the roads, not on the main areas but to get anywhere you do have to pass them, they are unsightly and do tend to smell.