Zakynthos

[Milhouse]

On 4/23/2023 at 5:41 AM, Piper77 said:

Any suggestions on which streets / area to head to or where are some good restaurants?

 

We found the stretch of Al. Roma street (aka Alexander Roma) between the Metropolitan Church of Agios Nikolaos on Kapodistriou street and Tzoulatou street a nice walking district with shops and eateries, though we didn't stop to eat nor buy anything.  It's nicely paved/tiled though a few cars and motorbikes do traverse it.  (We ended up grabbing a gyro pita at a place on the waterfront road with good reviews... it was meh.)  Shopping was reasonably priced though. We were looking at various hats that were around 10e.  

[Milhouse]

I didn't think Zakythos was that bad of a port of call.  However, I don't think we made the most of our day.  

Our ship (X Connie) arrived to Zakynthos at 9am and we were on land by 10am.  We did not hustle to get our tender tix and ended up with tender tix 13.  No problem getting on the initial tender waiting to get back to the ship around 4pm (last tender at 5pm).  

 

Our independent tour fell through before we got to Zakynthos because it didn't have enough people (min of 10).  Originally, we weren't sure what to do in Zakynthos but we eventually settled on trying to at minimum see Shipwreck beach (yes, I knew it was closed and boats could only get so close) and the Blue Caves.  We reached out to a tour company on the island after doing some research/google searches.  A few others on the ship had also apparently reached out to them to do a tour.  I don't think any were from my rollcall.  For 75e pp, here's what they offered:

- Transfer from the port to Agios Nikolaos
- Speedboat tour to Shipwreck bay for pictures
- Swim stop in a beautiful Blue Lagoon Agios Andreas
- Swim stop in the Blue caves
- Quick snack in the harbor of Agios Nikolaos
- Local road side market
- Bochali the village above Zante Town for a panoramic view over Zante Town

 

Itinerary would be dependent on how fast everyone got off the ship.  Minimum 10 guests (which we obviously did not meet) and maximum 19 guests.  

Lessons learned:  I should have gotten a quote sooner and posted it on the roll call to see if anyone else was interested.  

If back in Zakynthos, I'd likely try this tour company again as their responses to me were timely and detailed.  PM me if you want the name of the company.  I just don't want to post it, in order to be mindful of the CC rule of not recommending a tour if you haven't been on it.  Alternatively, I'm sure you can reach out to one of many tour companies on Zakynthos to provide a similar itinerary. 

We were also thinking about renting a car or trying to take a bus up to Agios Nikolaos to find a tour on the spot since most of the tours visiting Shipwreck Beach and the Blue Caves leave from there.  There was one guy offering a tour a the marina but we didn't investigate it in more detail.  

 

Before arriving in Zakynthos, a couple dining beside us in the MDR said they were doing a tour around the entire island.  I didn't clarify but I don't think it was around the whole island but likely similar to the tour listed above due to time limitations.  Post Zakynthos, they said they loved their tour.  They enjoyed Shipwreck Beach even from afar.  It helped that since the beach was closed, there were far fewer boats along the exclusion line.  Went to the Blue Caves.  Got to swim and see fish and turtles.  

(Person at another table beside us just did a simple day and rode the tourist fun train around town.)

 

We on the other hand, ended up first walking along Al. Roma street which was a nice street.

We then went to the bus station and caught a bus to Laganas Beach.  The beach was long and beautiful but the town itself is a tourist beach town that is seemingly overrun by 20somethings.  😆😆  In addition to a good number of eateries and some touristy shopping, a lot of businesses catering to the party scene.   We did eat a small lunch/snack at one place and it adequate.

For us, we likely would not go to Laganas Beach again.  Glad we went but we're not huge beach people.  But if you are looking for a nice beach day, I think it could be a good option.  Lots of restaurants renting chairs and umbrellas for between 7-15e IIRC.  It's very touristy though and everything that comes along with that.  

Lesson learned:  We caught the bus at the bus station but it also picks up passengers by the Church of Agios Dionysios along the waterfront road and is easily identified by the bell tower beside it.

Lesson learned:  The bus back to Zantetown may arrive and leave sooner than scheduled so get to the bus stop early!  

[PearlWings]

Hi! @Milhouse Been researching for Zankythos and do you have the company that had good response or any suggestions to accommodate our limited time there?  Tried reaching out to some but haven't heard back. Does any one have any suggestions or feedback or tours they can recommend? Thank you!

[Milhouse]

3 hours ago, PearlWings said:

Hi! @Milhouse Been researching for Zankythos and do you have the company that had good response or any suggestions to accommodate our limited time there?  Tried reaching out to some but haven't heard back. Does any one have any suggestions or feedback or tours they can recommend? Thank you!

 

The Zakynthos tour company we communicated with was Nefis Travel.  Again, I can only partially recommend them as their pre-tour communication with us was very good.  But as mentioned above, the tour did not occur because we didn't get enough people so I can't speak to the actual tour experience. 

I do kind of regret not doing a water tour one way or another.  YMMV.  Good luck on your research!