Zante, a place you would love to get shipwrecked..
This trip was my first to the Ionian Islands and the first thing I thought as soon as I saw Zakynthos and its clear blue waters, was how superficial we humans are, who always consider more beautiful what we see elsewhere and forget how many beauties hides our homeland.
On this trip I was with my boyfriend and a friendly couple, so unfortunately you will not hear the awesome ideas of my beloved Dina.
Our trip lasted 4 days and the truth is that I did not have time to shoot it all, however I made the most of my time there since my boy is from Zakynthos, so it was one of the few times I did not have to look for anything. I had a tour guide, so I just enjoyed it.
We chose to drive from Athens to the port of Kyllini around 3.5 hours and to pass across with the boat around 7 in the morning so as not to miss a single minute of our vacation. We had already booked a small villa in the Pantokrator area with a private pool, which due to so many excursions we used very little. It had 3 bedrooms, living room, kitchen, bathroom and garden equipped for BBQ, which of course we used. It cost us a total of 700€ for 4 of us for 4 days from 18-21 August.
Our days passed fast as we wanted to catch up, to do as much as possible.
The best experience I have to suggest you is renting a boat, either with a captain or without if you know how to drive it. In our case we did not need a captain, since my boyfriend knew, so it came out cheaper and we were more relaxed as we could stop everywhere we wanted for a swim and then start again. The rental of our boat cost 140 € for 6 hours, which was more than enough.
Marathonisi and the Blue Caves are something you should not miss.
It is a must to visit the Shipwreck, since it is the most famous beach of Zakynthos, although you should know that you will enjoy your swim in the clear waters on your boat ride more than there, since boats come and go and there is a large crowd waiting for a photo.
From beaches do not forget to visit:
Vasiliko and its very nice Beach Bar.
Xygia beach, whose waters are thermal, since the caves next to it secrete sulfur.
The Makry Gyalo, which consists of sand and pebbles and its waters are crystalline, turquoise and relatively deep.
And the beach of Daphne which is a heavenly, long sandy beach with a wonderful view of the bay of Laganas. On the opposite side you will find the small uninhabited island, Pelouzo. It is also one of the beaches where Caretta-Caretta turtles lay their eggs.
And we went on water slides, as eternal children we are, and we suggest you the "Zante Water Village".
As for the Water Sports we did, we recommend Banana Beach, in the area of Vasilikos.
INFO: For organized excursions, buggie safaris, scooter and hog rentals and to book your Water Sports, I would suggest you go to "Stamatis Rentals Laganas Zakynthos" and especially to Giannis and Gina, as you can find whatever you need on better prices.
https://www.stamatisrentals.com/el/
As for your walks in the city, you should definitely walk to:
Dionysios Solomos square, which is the central square of the city and there dominates the statue of our national poet. In its place is used to be sea, but during the expansion of the city it was excavated. Around the statue you will also find the statues of Hugo Foscolo, Paul Carrer and the Statue of Liberty. Also central are the City Hall and the Church of Agios Nikolaos of Molos.
So it is worth to be in the square for your coffee, to eat but also to shop in the shops of the locals many souvenirs and their traditional products such as ladotyri, nougat and phytoura.
In the evening the square is also recommended for your cocktail.
I would also suggest you make a stop at the Church of Agios Dionysios, which is the patron saint of the island and in its name becomes one of the biggest celebrations on August 24,
as well as in St. Mark's Square, which is the center of the city and from there begins the main shopping street of Alexandros Roma.
As an afternoon / evening excursion I would suggest the Panoramic View of Bohali, in which there are restaurants and bars and from there you can enjoy one of the most beautiful sunsets.
There are two options for nightlife:
We chose Argassi which is generally preferred by locals and Greek tourists, but there is also
Laganas which is a large bay, with 7 km of beach and is the most famous area of Zakynthos for tourists and non-tourists. It brings something from Las Vegas, since its lights and the movement it has, reminds something of there. So in case you want to have fun frantically I would suggest you take a walk, but of course make sure you return to your room safely by calling a taxi.
When it comes to food I do not know where to start.
So unreservedly for seafood lovers, like us, it is recommended:
Porto Limnionas. Fantastic food, fantastic views, fantastic beach and a great choice for diving enthusiasts,
as well as Thymalos.
Also a very good tavern in which we ate and were impressed is Malanos.
As for the lovers of Gourmet food, I would unreservedly recommend Prosilio, which provides a wide variety of wines and beautiful cocktails.
So, in addition to the above, we chose to eat in a tavern that we heard from the locals, which was made in the garden of a house and of course there was no menu. We paid just € 10 per person and ate the richest fresh and delicious food. There are many such taverns in Zakynthos, but the problem is that one can not find them on the Internet. So we would suggest as soon as you get to ask the locals, they always know better!
Something we did not manage to do but I highly recommend, is horse riding on the beach at sunset.
This is how our holidays in Zakynthos went, with a lot of food, swimming and activities. If you have visited this beautiful island and you want, you can share your impressions with us, or tell us something we missed. Those on the other hand who have not visited it yet, we highly recommend it because Zakynthos is unique. «A place you’d love to get shipwrecked !!»
Eleni Alejsia Katseli