When you're working non-stop, it's nice just to get away for a little while to relax, and get back in touch with yourself. With an incredibly busy spring and summer, I was desperate to just get out of the country and unwind. So Chris and I decided to venture out to the beautiful island of Zante...
Now, before you raise your eyebrows, let me explain myself. We really wanted to go to one of the Greek Islands, and with it being a last minute booking, we were quite easygoing with where we went. When Zante was suggested to us, we were a little cautious as everyone knows Zante for Laganas, the party destination. We do like to party, but we also like a good quiet evening in. But there is so much more to Zante than meets the eye. We stayed in the resort of Tsilivi, which is on the north east coast of the island. And even though Tsilivi is busy, it also has the most amazing chilled vibe that instantly made us feel at home.
To reach Tsilivi, you pass miles of vineyards and olive groves, and are not disappointed when you arrive! The streets are lined with family run tavernas, restaurants and bars, yet during the day it is beautifully quiet. There are so many little quirks that you spot on a stroll through the streets, with a great mix of traditional Greek and modern life.
On our first day, we went out straight away to explore. From where we were staying, it was about a 5 minute walk from the beach (not bad eh) and when you arrived you were greeted with that gorgeous clear blue water. You can actually see Kefalonia from Tsilivi beach, even on a hot hazy day!
The best bits about Tsilivi (and Greece in general) is the food. I cannot even begin to explain how amazing the food was! From moussaka to beef stifado, meze's to halloumi, soutzoukakia to feta, each night we were never disappointed by the flavours! Everything is so cheap out there too, so for two people to eat a three course meal with drinks for just over £20 is pretty darn good!
The tavernas were so diverse too, and to eat Greek cuisine each night was pretty special. From The Olive Tree, a stunning green lit taverna, to Family who had the friendliest waiters there was always somewhere new to eat.
We stayed at the smartline Princess Hotel on the main road of Tsilivi. Now, it was a lovely place, with modern decor (they'd obviously done a huge shop in Ikea) and lovely rooms, but there were some drawbacks. We were probably the youngest couple in the hotel and you could tell by the way we were treated that there was a slight ageism towards us. Let's just say we weren't given the warmest of welcomes compared to the more mature guest- we were literally led to our room without a word when we arrived. Also, no one spoke to us at all during our stay apart from when we spoke to them, compared to the lengthy conversations and jokes they would crack while passing other guests.
The pool was open from 9-6pm and was quite shallow, but we loved the bean bags that were placed around the pool; so relaxing! Also, the entertainment consisted of quiz and bingo night, and a noisy greek night that went on till the early hours of the morning, and being on the ground floor, kept us awake. Definitely not appreciated on our first night when we were dead tired!
There were also a couple of extras that we weren't expecting, like paying for air conditioning and our safe box. But the WIFI was free even if it didn't work!
These were just our impressions, but it's definitely a place you have to try to see whether it's for you or not! In future we would probably stay at the other apartments just next door or further down the road, that seemed to have huge pools and beautiful views.
A little gem that we discovered during our stay was the Traffic Bar. Let's just say, if I could bring it back with us to the UK, I so would! It was one of the funnest bars I've ever been in- it was family run, with lights with bells on that they would swing every so often to a chorus of 'YAMAS' (cheers) every few minutes. The cocktails came with sparklers every time without fail, and for £3 a pop, you definitely got your money's worth with the amount of alcohol you got in them! It was a regular haunt of ours every night after dinner, so we became quite the regulars ;)
Even though the holiday was quite a relaxing one, we also managed to fit in a little sightseeing. We decided to go on a boat trip on a glass bottom boat to do some turtle spotting as it was turtle season, and discover the coastline and surrounding islands.
The glass bottom to the boast didn't really live up to expectations as you couldn't see the turtles very clearly, but we were able to snap photos of the turtles when they came up for air near our boat.
We also stopped at the Keri caves, located on the south western part of the coast. With its dramatic white cliffs and stunning arches it was really a beautiful sight. The water was crystal clear, but inside the caves the water is about 50 foot deep! We didn't stop to swim but they are apparently amazing to dive in.
We also stopped on Marathonissi, translated to Turtle Island as it looks like a turtle! There is a small stretch of beach where the sand is almost white, but you can only go into the island slightly as it is fenced off to protect the turtle eggs laid there. But the view from the beach was just stunning...
So if you're looking for a new place to explore, why not give Zante a go? It will really surprise you, and we seriously didn't want to leave! But we'll be back there soon...
Gx
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Social Icons