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My husband, 18 month old daughter and I have just reurned from a week in mid Oct 2007 at Periyali Villas. We booked this holiday as we saw it advertised on this website and it most certainly lived upto our expectations. Simpson Travel were a wonderful company who genuinely seemed to care about our welfare. I contacted 2 other travel companies recommended through babygoes2 and although they were OK, as soon as they knew we needed to fly from a regional airport, their attitude changed. However, Simpson Travel were so helpful they couldn't do enough to make things as easy for us as possible. All travel must be booked over the phone (no online booking available) and there was no automated service - when the phone rang a person picked up which is rather rare these days!! I agree with all that Lisa says in her review, and the childcare was absolutely excellent. I couldn't fault either Hannah or Jess and our daughter usually cried on leaving the creche as she wanted to stay. Where Simpson Travel excelled was their ability to think about the detail of travelling with a baby/child which meant so much of the hassle was taken away. They provided so much equipment and service which meant that you didn't need to pack everything but the kitchen sink! However, there were a few drawbacks as the mattresses were not particularly comfortable and the pillows were very hard. Having spoken with Simpson Travel on our return I understand that they are looking into this and are likley to provide mattress covers and new pilows for 2008. On booking I would also ask a few questions about the villas as they are all slightly different. Our first villa (Nefelli) was all on one level which would be good for a young baby but once outside the door there was no fenced off area which meant we had to be outside with our daughter or keep her inside with us. It was also slightly darker than the other villas which is great for the height of summer but a bit too cool for October. The second Villa we stayed at (Penelope) did have a fenced off area outside the door and allowed our daughter to wander in and out at will. It also got the sun at sunset rather than sunrise which we prefer. Other villas had the sun at other times of the day. So if this information is important to you then make sure you ask these type of questions when booking. Overall we had a fanatastic holiday which our daughter thoroughly enjoyed. I would most definately recommend this venue and certainly Simpson Travel to other people.
Kate Mackay
24/10/2007 |
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Periyali villas,
Zakynthos with childcare
We travelled
with Simply Travel to Periyali in May 2002 - and from the minute
we saw our home for the next two weeks we knew we had struck gold.
Idyllic is the best word to describe it. A pretty, brightly coloured
cottage, our villa was well equipped with pretty much everything
you would need for a family holiday - including full cooker, toaster,
towels, high chair and mossie killers - and the regular maid service
and on site laundry service (payable locally) meant that we didn't
have to do much more than wash up after ourselves. There is a
good swimming pool with sea views (the villas are situated right
on the tip of the peninsula) and pool bar run by the excellent
Sandre; who kept our son in ice cream and also allowed him to
get the hose out and water the plants whenever the urge took him
(...our son being just two this was pretty much all the time!)
To be honest, all the staff at Simply Travel couldn't be faulted
- the rep' Nikki was fantastic and really went out of her way
to make sure that we had a brilliant holiday. We made full use
of the on site creche - which again was brilliantly equipped -and
the nannies there were divine (just a shame we couldn't take them
home with us). The sympathetic layout of the complex meant that
at night we could sit out on our terrace and feel as though we
were the only people for miles around. Beautifully situated on
the Vassilikos peninsula, Periyali villas feel wonderfully isolated
yet are just five minutes walk or so from the best beach on the
island - Gerekas. This is where the turtles come to lay their
eggs so the beach itself is protected ie: no bars pumping out
house music but several tavernas at the top of the hill that serve
good Greek food! It's a great beach for young kids as it shelves
out very gently, so they can play happily in the shallows. In
addition there is also a little pebble cove that you can access
from Periyali Villas themselves - good for a quick dip or a stone
skimming competition. Eating out is cheap and easy - there are
plenty of good tavernas within easy driving distance and some
more up market restaurants in Zakynthos town itself. And everywhere
our son was welcomed with open arms. Would we go there again?
Yes - and we are. We booked for Summer 2003 the day we got home
and we are counting the days!
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We travelled to Periyali Villas in August 2007 with our sons aged 5 and 2 and loved it!!. Simpson travel were excellent to travel with, and gave a very attentive personalised service. Marcia the Simpson rep in the resort was particularly helpful and went out of her way to suggest ideas to make the holiday extra special. The villas were well equipped with everything that you would need for a family holiday eg stair gates , plastic cups for the kids , cool boxes and most importantly for the boys their own small swimming pool. The villas are very private, but are within walking distance of gorgeous beaches, tavernas and a small local shop. The tavernas will deliver food to your villa if you wish and the local store will provide all you need for a family BBQ in your garden (including fresh fish - if you give a days notice). The kids club had excellent UK nannies. While sunbathing we could hear howls of laughter coming from our boys as they had fun (usually involving water fights) with the nannies. In addition Sandre, who looks after the main pool made the boys feel very welcome with numerous free ice creams. Eating out was cheap and easy. Many of the local tavernas have kids playgrounds or trampolines to keep them entertained while you devour some of the delicious local greek salads and rabbit stews. We would definitely return and would recommend to others.
Lisa Nelson Sept 07 |
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