Kalamaki, Zakynthos !

So, as a family we have been travelling to the beautiful island of Zakynthos (Zante) since around 2004.  Georgia was just 3 years old when we first arrived on the island, staying at the Amarylis Hotel in Kalamaki on a Thomas Cook holiday which in those days offered free child places for kids under 11.  Staying on a self-catering basis we had a basic room with 3 single beds, basic kitchen, shower room and TV with a balcony.  As is usual on the islands, air conditioning and the safety deposit box are all add ons which you pay for on arrival and are fairly essential during the peak summer months.  Nowadays with the insurgence of the likes of booking.com and Airbnb properties, these ‘extras’ are often included especially if you travel outside of the main summer months.

 

The hotel boasted a small ‘supermarket’ style shop and a restaurant serving food until around 6pm.  There was also a bar area which opened each evening once the pool was closed at around 7pm.  The hotel had some nice grassed areas with plentiful sun beds and an array of kids play equipment.  If you left the hotel via the back gates you could cut through to the beach road and walk down to Kalamaki beach (around 10 minutes’ walk). 

 

In 2012 we went back to Zante after a break of a few years, this time staying at the Louros Beach Hotel located on the beach road in Kalamaki.  This hotel is a step up from what the Amarylis used to offer, with a nice beach bar serving food and drinks, a large seating area, nice pool with free sun beds, jacuzzi, spa with a whole host of treatments on offer, clean spacious rooms, lovely gardens etc.  You do still have to pay the extras for the air conditioning and safe, although these days there is also the dreaded city tax which is payable on arrival.  We are heading back here in 2025 and to give you an idea of price, have paid £950 per person for a 9 night stay in early July on a bed and breakfast basis, travelling with Easyjet Holidays and taking their transfer from the airport.  With a travel time of around 3 hrs 15 minutes from London Gatwick, if you pick the earliest flight (we are on the 5.50am which arrives into Dionysios Solomos airport at around 11.20am). you still have a full afternoon and evening on arrival. 

 

Breakfast is included here, being served until 9.30am each morning.  There are plenty of yoghurts, nuts, honey, fruits, breads, cereal, pastries and cold meat items to choose from together with the addition of some hot food like eggs, sausages and beans. 

 

 We have also stayed at the Macedonia Hotel in Kalamaki, which is quite literally next door to the Louros Beach Hotel, however these basic rooms are offered on a self-catering basis only.  They offer clean but basic accommodation and are more budget friendly but still located within a hotel complex.  The Macedonia also has a pool bar and pool area, safes in the room, fridge, kettle, toaster and a two ring hob.

 

For us, staying in Kalamaki is now almost an annual pilgrimage.  We have returned again and again, sometimes staying in an apartment in Laganas in October, and travelling into Kalamaki by car.  September and October are great times to visit, the cost of your hotel / apartment will obviously be less than it would be in the peak summer months, and there is a more relaxed feel to the resorts.  The temperatures hold up pretty well, right into mid October hovering around 27 degrees during the day although you may need a light jacket or cardigan in the evening. 

 

Kalamaki itself is really family friendly.  It boasts dozens and dozens of authentic Greek restaurants, a nice upstairs Italian overlooking the strip and a joint Chinese/Indian restaurant that I think has been there forever!  There are of course the usual karaoke bars, sports bars and cocktails bars but they are interspersed with gift shops, pharmacies, bakeries etc making it a lovely mix of amenities. 

 

Over the years I think we have probably visited most of the restaurants on the main strip with our favorite of all time, still to this day, being Pandesia.  Run by the lovely Lawrence it is always a magnet for holiday makers.  Their Greek nights with plate smashing and fire dancing are unforgettable and all the kids get involved.  It is a lovely friendly, family focused evening of entertainment which remains even today, although the restaurant is now run by Aris (who was a mere boy when we first started coming to Zante) but with Lawrence being more front of house (which he does so well).  He is the white haired man smartly dressed usually with braces!  The meals here are reasonably priced but to be honest you come for the ambience, the welcome, the entertainment etc, the food does play second fiddle to all of that but is still lovely.  My favorite food here?  Kleftiko of course – served in foil and on fire by Niko who has sadly now left (I never knew his name until recently and always just called him the Kleftico Mai!).

 

Our second favorite is definitely Paolo’s.  It is the first restaurant you come to on the strip when driving into Kalamaki from Laganas.  As this restaurant is literally at the bottom of the beach road this is normally where we head on our first night – their moussaka is unmatched!  In recent years they have opened a small cocktail bar next to the restaurant but it remains a great place to eat – check out the turtles while you eat!

 

The next place I would recommend is The Olive Tree – this is another restaurant that has been here forever.  Serving the best meze plate you will find in the resort, you leave here with a full belly!  They always have some sort of deal going on so you can often get a free starter or dessert simply for spending 10euros per head.  Drinks are not over-priced and the staff are extremely friendly.  They also do an early bird offer if you are coming with small children.

 

There are really too many other restaurants to name but I would say try out Family restaurant, Greek Stories (for the best grandma’s orange cake ever) and if you dare, visit Kostas for a hilarious night of Greek dancing and singing with a buffet meal.

 

For all of your souvenirs head to Levantino – there are 3 floors of goodies here – you can find Greek jewellery, magnets, tea towels, aprons, oils, seasonings, honey, Greek sweets and desserts, clothing, bags and more. I’ve lost count of the amount of Greek themed rings and bracelets G has had over the years from this store!  If you do venture into Zante Town you will find a smaller branch here too on the main high street.

 

Kalamaki also boasts a couple of well stocked pharmacies which are open into the evening.  We’ve been caught out a few times and needed supplies.  There are also numerous supermarkets selling water and fruit, bread and pastries etc – they are quite pricey but unless you have a car, the Lidl is a taxi ride away which will likely cost around 10euros each way.

 

In terms of car hire, we have used Europcar several times – Dimitris is extremely helpful.  We have used other companies in Kalamaki itself but in recent years have used Europcar for service and convenience.  They are based quite literally a 5 minute walk from the airport terminal building.  They are reasonably priced and do not take an extortionate amount from your credit card as a security deposit – I would allow around 300euros with their daily rates for a manual costing around 20euros per day (more in the height of season).  In all honesty, I do not recommend using Green Motion who are located opposite the airport as not only do they require an extortionate deposit of 990euros (!), they failed to provide a road legal spare tyre and when I had a flat tyre, I had no other choice but to bring my trip to a halt, return the car in the hope that they would change it for me, but was told that I needed to get it repaired myself with the cost borne by myself despite having insurance !  It was only when a local friend stepped in and conversed with the owner that the issue was resolved.  Had we not been visiting the island for many years and made friends over time, we would have either had to pay out for a new tyre which should legally have already been supplied, or give our car back early and having to pay a hefty charge which would be taken out of the deposit, thus not getting our full deposit back.  I was happy to pay for the damage to the tyre, however a suitable legal spare should have been provided and it should not have mattered that I was a tourist.  Had G been further along in her Greek language learning journey she would no doubt have given him a piece of her mind ! LOL!

 

Remember that Kalamaki is literally a 10 minute drive from the airport by taxi and as such there is a LOT of aircraft noise both on the strip, on the beach road and whilst sitting on the beach.  You can almost wave from your sun bed as the planes go over so low but to be honest the noise has never really bothered us and it is quite novel watching them come in to land.  At the top of the beach road there is the Airport Café which has an upstairs area for those who want to film and photograph the huge planes coming into land literally on top of their heads!  You can get a good breakfast here and nice coffee.

 

 Turning now to the beach – it is huge but remember it is a protected beach so during the turtle egg hatching season there are large swathes of it roped off – planes also do not fly over the beach at night, with the beach closing each evening at sunset, re-opening at 7am each morning giving you ample time to get your tan on, however if you do wish to sit on the beach at night and enjoy the view, you will have to move up closer to Laganas.  The turtles are a huge part of the Zakynthian charm and there are many boat trips offering the chance to glimpse these beautiful creatures in their natural habitat. 

 

The beach itself runs from the very end of Kalamaki right up to and past Laganas which is around a 30-40 minute walk.  The sand is soft and the beach is clean.  It is actually a really nice walk along the beach to Laganas – take a walk one morning after breakfast, arrive in Laganas and get a coffee, visit the shops and maybe have some lunch in Laganas – it will then cost around 10euros to get back to Kalamaki in a taxi.  You can walk, again back along the beach or if you prefer walk up the main strip and then turn right into Kalamaki main road and walk all the way along the main road back into Kalamaki.  Here you will find numerous bars and restaurants.  I have done this walk but would not recommend it at night due to the traffic and less than perfect walkways.

 

On the beach itself there is literally one taverna in Kalamaki – recently refurbished Belesis Beach Taverna (formerly Kalamaki Beach Taverna) is run by Takis who again, is almost an institution in Kalamaki.  He and his family have run the taverna for as long as I can remember.  They serve breakfast, morning drinks and snacks, lunch and early dinner, closing at around 6pm.  The food is of a good quality and always reasonably priced. 

 

The Taverna was refurbished in 2024 and now boasts a lovely cocktail bar area and upgraded seating.  There is something just so relaxing about having a mid morning coffee and looking out over the sparkling Ionian sea !  Bliss.

 

The sunbeds on the beach are plentiful but due to restrictions there are now fewer than previously.  I would suggest heading down before midday to secure your beds for the day, earlier if visiting in peak season  Beds on the beach were around 20euros for two beds and an umbrella, although you can opt to sit on the elevated grassed area to both the left and right of the Taverna for slightly less.  I actually prefer it up there as it is shady and cooler.  There is also the bonus of having table service should you want a drink and cannot be bothered to get up!  The sunbed guy will also take your drink and food orders!

 

For those that want to see the rest of the island I would recommend using Viator to see what tours are available.  We have probably done the Tui island tour with the lovely Kay about 6 times but it is always worth doing and gives you an insight into what else this lovely island has to offer.

 

 On the man strip there are several travel agents selling excursions – in addition to the Tui tour which takes you to Maries, Exo Chora (to see the oldest olive tree), St Nicholas Port (with a boat trip to the Blue Caves) and to the olive oil factory at Aristeon.  We have also been on the glass bottomed boat that sails over to Marathonisi (Turtle Island – yes it does look like a huge turtle sitting in the sea), the jeep safari which was also huge fun and takes you all over the island and off the beaten track, attended a pottery class in the absolute middle of nowhere (Adameion Ceramic Studio – book via Viator) and made a very suspect looking turtle and a bowl. Years ago we were also privileged to have visited Shipwreck by boat (Navagio Beach) which is now closed due to the risk of land slide so only now accessible via the water (no boats are able dock) or via the viewpoint but it does gets really busy especially during the summer months as it is included on some of the tours.

 

I’d recommend you visit George who is based on the main strip on the other side of the road to Pandesia – he will definitely be able to recommend something fun to do and the prices are always reasonable.

 

Driving around the island you can visit the other main resorts like Argassi and Alykes and also see the harbour and main church (St Dionysis) in Zante Town.  Zante Town is accessible by taxi from Kalamaki and will take 15 minutes by car and costs around 15euros.   It is well worth a visit as it boasts a long high street full of shops, coffee shops and restaurants.  Zante Town also boasts an amazing pottery shop that we have been visiting for years and never leave empty handed !  Check out our Zante Town vlogs on You Tube.

 

From here you can take the ferry across to either the mainland or across to Kefalonia if you were perhaps thinking about taking a day trip or island hopping.  Kefalonia is around an hour away by boat. 

 

If you head over to the mainland, you will find the Greek ruins of Olympia around an hour by coach from Kilini Port, with Athens being around 200 miles from the ferry port.  There is a car ferry that leaves Zante Town each day and travels to the mainland and there are also tours available which will take you from the island to Athens with an overnight stay.  We did this years ago and visited the Corinth Canal, saw the changing of the guard in Syntagma and visited the Acropolis and Plaka.  It is a lot of travelling but well worth it.

 

If you want to twin your beach holiday with a say a few days in Athens, then you can fly.  Agean Air or Olympic / Sky Express do fly from the island to Athens even out of season; flights are relatively cheap and take around 50 minutes.  Athens airport is ideally located as there is a metro stop at the airport and a journey time of around 50 minutes will get you to Syntagma Square.  (read our other blog posts about visiting Athens or visit georgialouisetravels on You Tube to watch our Athens vlogs).

 

If you are travelling to Zakynthos out of the main peak season I would definitely recommend taking a couple of days in Athens as well and combining the two.

 

So, if you are thinking about visiting Zante I would definitely recommend staying in Kalamaki – if you want to party then do head for Laganas which is only around a mile away or head over to Argassi by taxi (10euros) where you will find more authentic Greek clubs.  However, if you are a family with children or perhaps a more mature couple then I would definitely recommend staying in Kalamaki and enjoying the wonderful Greek hospitality.

 

Alternatively, you can read our other blog or watch the You Tube video of our resort guide to staying in Zante.

 

See you soon

 

Tracey x

 

** see more of our travel adventures at georgialouisetravels