Kalamaki was not the cleanest resort i've ever been too. Having said that the refuse collectors were on strike & there were black bags with stinking food in them, just left on the streets. The "main strip" was virtually non - existant! There are a few shops that you can use & a few good restaurants - but if you don't want to share your dinner with flies, eat after dark!!
The "entertainment" on the strip consisted of bars with big tv's with football on & thats it - not very good for my 10 year old!
You can travel to other resorts & we went to Zante town, which was more "upmarket" & more lively but I wouldn't call that a holiday resort.

The cleanliness of the Maralen hotel was 100%. The staff were also very friendly. Resort entertainment is good; particularly in the main months. The standard of the beach is wonderful and we would definitely visit this hotel again!

Kalamaki is a great place and quite compact. Everything happens on th main strip but there are some gems of restaurents to be found off the beaten track.

the resort was quiet while we were ther but it was coming up to the end of the season but there was still plenty to do.
Resturants were nice and most served a selection of foods for all taste.
The beach was clean and tidy bit expensive for the beds but we only used them a couple of times.
you have to be careful where you walk as the turtles net on this part of the beach.

The resort of Kalamaki is absolutly fantastic, we loved it. there are plenty of places to eat and drink on an evening and plenty to do during the day. We went with a few restaurant names to try like the olive tree and the mermaid, (these kept coming up on this site and others) but when we got there we tried as many as we could and found that by far the best for us was a place called the 'Artemis', extreamly friendly service and the food was fantastic too we ended up going back to their a few times and on our last night he gave us a bottle of wine to take home, but dont take my word for it try it! the other nice place to eat is ' michelos' which is at the far end of Kalamaki and then up towards Zakynthos (can walk it if your fit and able otherwise get a taxi) this is always busy but agian friendly service and good food. the others were ok but the service was a little less friendly and very slow even though they had more waiters and waitresses. hiring a car on this island is a MUST, its just criminal to stay in the Kalamaki end as nice as it is. We hired a jeep soft top for 205 euros from auto traffic and then paid a one off payment of 10 euros for excess waiver, compared to a lot of other car hire companys (and there is a lot) this was brilliant. we took off for hours at time and explored every where, we stopped in forgotten villages, went to see the ship wreck and then went up to the blue caves where for 5 euros each you get taken out by a local in a small power boat and see the caves close up (you even go inside them) then you get some swim time in the sea - to do all this through your rep your lookin at 250 euros for a day out and about 10 minutes at each location. the beaches are fantastic, if your into water sports you need st nikolas beach (theres a courtesy bus picks you up a 10.15 from euro hire on the Kalamki strip near the Louros, other wise there banned from the other beaches due to the very cute loggerhead turtles which nest on the beaches. the beaches are now protected but if you stick the the rules your ok to stay on them. whilst your on you may be lucky enough to see a nest excavation done which is worth watching as there's a good chance you'll see a baby turtle. For the party goers Laganas is your best town to be in and the all time best club there has got to be Rescue bar, lively and packed what ever day you go down. cocktail and dreams is another club worth trying but it dosent open till about 12.00am
in all we had a fantastic holiday and would certainly recommend this holiday to anyone both young and old. we've only been back a day and already missing it all.

Fantastic selection of restaurants with very good food at very reasonable prices. Lots of facilities, like car hire, supermarkets, bars, all within a few mins walk of the hotel.
Not really picturesque but it wasn't sold as a traditional Greek village.
Beach was fine if a bit small and narrow.

Kalamaki is a quiet resort with a lovely beach.You can walk out in the sea for yards and the water will still only be waist deep and it is crystal clear and warm. There are a few tavernas at the beach where you can get a snack or a meal or just a drink. our favourite was Stannis taverna looking out over the sea and was no dearer than eating at any other reastaurant. At night you can take your pick where to eat, have a drink and either watch the sport on tv or listen to the live entertainment in the bars. If you prefer a livlier night out then had for Laganas only 7 euros in a taxi(the hotel will call you one), where there are bars and clubs galore. We hired a scooter with some friends who stayed in Laganas and explored the island, not bad price for a full day out, 12.5 euros for the scooter plus the petrol, should have been 25 euros for the day but we haggled it down. I would definitely go back to Kalamaki we really enjoyed this holiday.

The only disappointment is the lack of entertainment around the resort. Would definitely return for a relaxing break but not for a main holiday.

Very quiet compared to laganas and everyhing is well within walking distance!! Some superb restraunts as well!!

This resort is family orientated, but we prefer to visit when the school holidays are not on. There is plenty of choice in eating out from Italian, Indian, Chinese or Traditional Greek, but you can still get burgers and pizzas. There is plenty of entertainment in the resort to keep everyone happy. You do not have to keep to your own hotel and they encourage non residents to use their facilities. Which is a good way of looking round for your next holiday