You will be greeted with Azure seas, white sands and lush countryside when on a luxury villa holiday in Zakynthos. Also known as ‘Zante’, this island offers the stuff holiday brochures are made of. The third biggest of the Ionian islands, it’s a Mecca for beach lovers but with plenty to occupy everyone.

Walk down the quiet, pretty track to the abandoned 17th-century Ypergathou monastery just outside the village of Killomenos and enjoy the view out over the island’s rolling hills. Head to the beaches of the south of the island from your luxury villa to try to catch a rare glimpse of the endangered loggerhead turtles, or take a boat trip, either out to the nearby island of Kefalonia or around Zakynthos itself, visiting the Blue Caves and Shipwreck Cove, a stunning beach dominated by the wreck of a cigar smuggling ship that beached there in the 1980s.

The south of the island is where the nightlife is, but if bars are not your thing, further north, there are lots of luxury villas in beautiful, peaceful locations along the coast, many of which come with their own stretch of private beach.

When to Visit Zakynthos

The best time to spend a luxury holiday in Zakynthos is May to September, but April and October, when the island is less busy, are a good bet too.

What We Love About Zakynthos

We love heading to the village of Kampi to wander past the pretty, traditional stone houses, overflowing with bougainvillea, and watch some of the best sunsets you’ll ever see over a long, cool sundowner.

Getting to Zakynthos

Zakynthos has an international airport to fly into directly. Alternatively, if you are coming from the mainland there is a ferry from Kyllini in the Peloponnese which takes 1 hour.

The Best Places To Eat and Drink in Zakynthos

Delicious Greek mezze plates abound and lunches picking at plate after plate of scrumptious little nibbles can stretch on for hours. Fish obviously features high on the menu, especially mackerel – kolios – which the islanders dry with herbs before cooking. Also not to be missed are the local honey, olive oil and white wine, Retsina, when on a luxury villa holiday here.

The majority of the island’s restaurants are clustered around the main towns, particularly Zakynthos Town, but there are little gems scattered all over. To enjoy the best of the island’s seafood in a fabulous location perched on the edge of the sea, try Mikro Nisi in Agios Nikolaos. Or for another waterfront hotspot popular with locals and visitors alike, Ladofanaro offers sublime seafood with views over the waters of Amboula beach.