The island of Zakynthos, or Zante, is the third largest of the Ionian Islands and is a popular destination with budget holiday-makers. Renowned for its beauty and tourist-friendly locals, Zakynthos is blessed with a sunny climate for most of the year, with temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celsius in the summer months.
The months of May, June and September are probably the most comfortable months to go, as the temperature is hot but not extreme, and flight operators are recognising this by offering a host of cheap holidays.
This beautiful island has a host of beaches for holiday-makers who just want to soak up the sun and laze in the calm, crystal-clear waters. Resorts such as Kalamaki, Argassi and Keri are popular with tourists while the bay of Laganas provides a range of facilities during the summer months.
Zakynthos is also a good holiday location in terms of both service and accommodation and offers higher standards of food than the majority of budget destinations. The local cheeses and cold meats in the mountain villages are not to be missed and visitors routinely take home as many bottles of the region's medium dry wines as they can.
Zante town, the capital, is home to the vast majority of the island's 35,000 inhabitants and is in fact the only place on the island where there are more locals than tourists! The town offers a variety of shops, tavernas and bars as well as a good selection of hotels close to the harbour.
The majority of the island was devastated in 1953 by an earthquake and much of the capital was destroyed. Since then, buildings have largely been built in traditional Venetian style, a reminder that the island was ruled by Venice for 400 years. It was also the Venetians that introduced olive trees to the Ionian Islands.
The Greek Islands are renowned for their much-celebrated festivals, and the main one on Zakynthos is St Dionysios' Day, when the patron saint of the island is commemorated by parading his body around the streets in a glass coffin.
Religion is never far away on Zakynthos and the island's monasteries should definitely be on your list of places to visit during your stay. Getting around the island is easy as taxis are easy to find and cheaper than here in the UK. However, as with all foreign destinations, it is advisable to ask how much the journey will cost before setting out.
For those holiday-makers who prefer to come out to play at night, Laganas provides a range of entertainment that continues well into the following day, although it's a good idea to catch happy hour before 11:00pm as the drinks can sometimes be quite pricy. The clubs do not charge for entry however, so nights out will still be well within your budget.
Zakynthos is an ideal destination for some pre-summer sun and, with several cheap flights, hotel deals and package holidays to be snapped up, there's no excuse for not checking your diary and booking yourself a get-away break on this Greek holiday island.
For those holiday-makers who prefer to come out to play at night, Laganas provides a range of entertainment that continues well into the following day, although it's a good idea to catch happy hour before 11:00pm as the drinks can sometimes be quite pricy. The clubs do not charge for entry however, so nights out will still be well within your budget.
Author Resource:-
David Brice was writing on behalf of Greek islands holidays specialist Discover the Greek islands
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