Glamorous Zakynthos [Greece]
Zakynthos is iconic for its Shipwreck Beach. I'd seen pictures from friends and knew I had to go. Then in 2020, I fell down the K-drama rabbithole for the first time and discovered this same beach was featured in an infamous show called Descendants of the Sun. I have yet to watch it, but it was a blockbuster hit. All this to say: Zakynthos was worth a stop, even though it wasn't the most convenient destination based on the rest of our itinerary.
Santorini, Naxos, and Mykonos are all part of a set of Greek islands called the Cyclades. Meanwhile, Zakynthos is part of the Ionian islands alongside Corfu, Ithaca, and a bunch of others. To get there, we actually had to fly back to Athens and take a connecting flight to Zakynthos (which was a blessing in disguise, considering my penchance for seasickness). I would definitely recommend venturing to different regions among the Greek Islands — Zakynthos had a distinctly different vibe from islands in the Cyclades. The cliffs here were all sharp, imposing, and almost blindingly white.
Supposedly, the water also looked so impossibly blue because of these limestone cliffsides. Huh, funny. Kingston was also known for its limestone, yet Lake Ontario only ever looked murky grey.
Please excuse any blurriness — I had to sneakily take these photos because it felt improper to openly gawk in such a classy place.
I would be remiss not to mention that Zakynthos was so enjoyable because of the absolutely gorgeous accommodations we had here. We stayed at a place called LeSante Blu upon its opening, so everything was shiny and glamorous. The staff tripped all over themselves to demonstrate superior service quality. And since tourist season was just picking up, we didn't have to fight anyone over access to the amenities. Although most of the other guests did seem to be.............. sugar daddies and their companions.
To be honest, when you stay at a resort as nice as this, you HAVE to spend time enjoying the facilities. They gave us wine upon arrival! And we had a nice balcony overlooking a private infinity pool and what practically looked like man-made grass terraces(?!). There were breezy cabanas and infinity pools that made the sea look like it stretched on forever.
There were a couple downsides of this place though. The location was super secluded in a rather undeveloped part of Zakynthos. We had to take a taxi to more "happening" parts like the Old Town. This also meant that there were very few places for good food nearby, and the hotel food was nothing to write home about. Luckily, we still managed to find a place with fresh seafood that was in walking distance from the hotel, and I can only imagine that the surrounding area has gotten more built up in the past few years.
The beachfront also paled in comparison to the beaches in Naxos and Mykonos. There was definitely at least one other renowned beach in Zakynthos that we weren't able to visit because sea turtles were nesting at the time. Honestly, I respect a tourist destination that seeks to protect its wildlife from rough and careless tourists. At least the beach by our hotel wasn't cluttered with rows of beach chairs.
What WAS that sketchy waterfront path to nowhere though? It seemed highly unstable, as though you might fall overboard from a particularly large wave.
Luckily, we made a friend named Stephanie on our excursion to Shipwreck Beach. She was around my age, studying in Hong Kong. She seemed to have some interesting connections to the police force there? Hope she ended up okay after all the protests in 2019-2020. Anyway, since she stayed at the same hotel as us, we were able to split the cab fare with her when shuttling to and from the city.
But let's not get ahead of ourselves here — SHIPWRECK BEACH!! The star of the show! The reason for this whole pit stop! Unfortunately, since we went to visit the ship itself, we did not get the iconic overhead view of the beach. I'd probably recommend renting a car if you want a photo op with the overhead view. Or bring a drone or something.
Consider this my poor man's attempt at the iconic shot, taken near the boarding zone for the boat that took us to Shipwreck Beach.
After the seasickness in Mykonos, I was quite nervous for the boat ride to Shipwreck Beach. We shared our concerns with the crew, and they were super-accommodating to make sure I was given the most steady seat on the boat. Plus the boat was open air, and perhaps Ionian waters are calmer. Regardless, I was nausea-free!
The shipwreck itself was cool, although definitely quite rusty and hazardous. I made my way up on the ship for a hot minute, but that was probably ill-advised. There were also a TON of tourists, as you might be able to see from the picture below. There are apparently direct flights from London to Zakynthos, leading to ~300k+ British tourists on this small island every year. I mean, can you blame them?
After Shipwreck Beach, my mom, Stephanie, and I hiked to a castle to take in views of the town. The view was nice, but the castle itself was still closed until later in the summer (although I don't know when they planned to open, since it was already May 9th at this point...).
We then made our way to Zakynthos town, which felt very reminiscent of other parts of Europe. The buildings actually had a Venetian influence, which set them apart from other white-on-white-on-blue buildings found on the other islands.
And we were back to seeing churches and touristy knick-knack shops. If nothing else, knick-knack shops will signal when you are in a touristy town in Europe (or America for that matter).
The last notable place in Zakynthos was the most adorable restaurant we found for dinner. It was a place called Avli, otherwise known as "Yard of Taste." I mean, just LOOK AT IT. THE AESTHETICS?! It felt like a place where the three of us women could enjoy a frou-frou afternoon tea, except it actually had good savoury food to fill us up.
We also went early enough in the afternoon/evening that no one else was around. This could be a bad sign for such a pretty place, but they do seem to still be kicking as I type this in 2021... so I hope they're doing okay. I would definitely recommend making a stop here — not just for the vibe, but also for the delicious and quirky dishes. You need to try the Zakynthian "Frygania" dessert (pictured on the right).
In conclusion: is Zakynthos worth an extra stop, even if it's a bit out of the way? YES. The most cost-efficient way may even be to go from London to Zakynthos, spend some time here, then head to Athens and other islands (like Santorini) afterwards. In just a couple days, it felt like we only scratched the surface.
If you plan well enough, you might even be able to swim with loggerhead turtles in the Ionian sea (so long as you're not visiting during the perilous nesting period)! Apparently, Turtle Island in Zakynthos is known among scientists as the "most important area for endangered turle species in the world."
And you must stay at LeSante Blu if you can swing it — a beautiful accommodation like this one can truly elevate any travel experience.