GETTING THERE
Angela Epstein leaves the kids at home to find a more sophisticated side to Zante
ROOMS at Lesante Blu cost from around £125. lesanteblu.gr Rooms at Petani Bay Hotel cost from around £140. petanibayhotel.gr
Junior Suites at Olea All Suite Hotel cost from £120. oleaallsuitehotel.com
for other reasons, not least thanks to an extraordinary wartime story. For the island’s 275 strong Jewish community was spared deportation to the Nazi death camps after its Metropolitan Bishop, Chrysostomos Savvatos, and Mayor, Lucas Carrer, refused to submit a list of names of all the Jews that lived on the island to the occupiers.
Meanwhile, the bishop and the mayor informed the Jewish community ‘s leader of the German plans, prompting a massive operation to hide them EDITED BY CATHY WINSTON cwinston@thejc.com
Return flights cost from around £100 from Gatwick and £135 from Liverpool with EasyJet. easyjet.com
in villages, farms and homes of Christians. All the island’s Jews were saved.
Visiting the small memorial statue outside Zakynthos town which commemorates the bravery of these two men was utterly moving.
Halfway through our ten-day trip, we tore ourselves away to catch the ferry and spend three days on neighbouring Kefalonia, indulging in more adultonly accommodation, this time at the Petani Bay Hotel. Small but exquisite, it’s located high above Petani Beach,
voted one of the top 10 beaches in Greece and famed for its sunset
The hotel itself was a taste of paradise; another dazzling infinity pool, gardens crammed with fragrant herbs and olive trees and more marvellous service. It was an effort to pull ourselves away and visit some of Kefalonia’s sites, not least Melissani Lake, a glorious natural wonder located deep within a cave. When sunlight spills down onto the shimmering water, the spectrum of azure blues is dazzling.
Or to dawdle around the horseshoe shaped bay of Assos, a picture postcard village which easily gives the Amalfi Coast a run for its money.
Flying home from Zakynthos, we managed to cram in a little more sightseeing when we returned to our second base at the brand new Olea All Suite Hotel. Its mix of modern décor and traditional Hellenic touches also came with a tropical island feel, especially the swim-up suites, where you step from your balcony directly into the pool.
After spotting jaw-dropping selfie opportunities along the hilly coastal roads, we took to the water again. From the exposed cove of Shipwreck Beach, reached only by sea and enclosed within large steep white cliffs, our boat took us to the nearby Blue Water caves, wonderful geological formations which take their names from the distinctive turquoise of the sea.
Plunging into the waters for a quick dip as our driver looked on benignly was about as close to Love Island’s party feel as we needed.