Hi All,

My DH and I are going to Greece this summer and meeting up with some friends. We have gone to Crete, Rhodes, and a lot of the Cylades so we are heading West. I have looked at these two islands and both appear like good places to rest and relax for a couple of days after touring around. I am not interested in loud night life. Just good food and beaches. Has anyone been to either of these islands and have some pros and cons to share? If you have been there, any suggestions for a small, clean, low key, and comfortable place to stay. I am talking about Zakynthnos or Lefkada.

Thanks,
Yipper

I'd go for Lefkada rather than Zakynthos. It's a few years since we went to Zakynthos and though it has some places worth seeing, I believe it has become very commercialised now.

We loved staying in Aghios Nikitas on the west coast. We stayed above the village in the Myrtos apartments, 9 apartments sharing a pool up on the hillside. The only down side was a steep climb back up from the village in the evening but the partments themselves were clean and good. There is planty of accommodation in and around the village and other small resorts might also be worth looking at - the only resort on the island I'd avoid is Nidri.

Lefkada is also well placed for visiting the mainland, if you want to venture futher and other island trips are possible either as day trips or on the local ferries, e.g to Megainissi. I think you may have alreay seen my pictures of Lefkada.

http://www.worldisround.com/articles/348861/index.html

Hi Maria,

Thank you for the information. It was just what I was looking for. I thought Lefkada was a better choice and you comfirmed that. Also the Myrtos Apt. looks great.

Thanks,
Yipper

If you are interested in the Myrtos apartments, here is the website:

http://www.myrto-apartments.gr/

Also, there's a trip report I did for the week on Lefkada on here:

http://www.zorbas.de/scripts/phpBB3/...hp?f=25&t=5025

Just a thought, if you do decide to go to Lefkada. I would avoid staying in Nidri but the things worth visiting Nidri for, are the ferry to Meganissi and various other boat trips round the islands. We went on the "sunset and stars" evening trip which was really fantastic.

The trips are run by a guy called Steve, who is a real character and great storyteller. The boat sets off a little before sunset and heads for a beach on the mainland opposite, unreachable by road and away from light pollution. Once everyone was off the boat and had a drink from the "bar" set up on the beach, he began his tales. He started by telling us about himself. He used to work for one of the sailing holiday companies until he was promoted and ended up working from the head office in London, which he hated. He quit, got a boat and sailed for a while before eventually setting up business running boat trips from Lefkas. He then told an amusing tale about an encounter between some boat trippers and a herd of goats, that had everyone laughing. A tasty hot vegetarian buffet meal was then served on the beach.

By the time we had eaten, it had gone dark and Steve started his "road map" of the stars. He pointed out the stars and constellations with a powerful torch and told us the stories of the Greek myths associated with them. Away from most of the light pollution of Nidri, we saw the international space station go by, had a great view of the Milky Way and saw several shooting stars. He ended up by telling the tale of Perseus and Andromeda. By now it was about 10.30 and we boarded the boat and sailed back to Nidri. It had been a fascinating evening out and I'd highly recommend it to anyone staying in the area.

http://www.uniqueexcursions.com/

We actually did this trip from our stay in Meganissi (which is also worth visiting), some pictures of that trip are on here:

http://www.worldisround.com/articles...index_all.html

If you have only a couple of days I would say Lefkas (Lefkada). I had a nice peaceful week there a few years ago. If you have more time I would say Zakinthos. Lefkas is small, and unless you are utterly tired, a week felt a bit long. I stayed in a small hotel 2 kilometres outside Nidri, and walked every evening to eat in Nidri. Unfortunately I don´t remember the name of the hotel. It very traditional Greek, and situated just a couple of steps from a beach.

There are some nice walks there. One was to a waterfall where I swam in COLD water. Then there is a boat trip to Meganissi (mentioned earlier) and Scorpios, the island owned by Onassis. An old monastery. Anyway, enough to do for a few days.

I stayed on lefkas for 2 weeks last year. We rented a villa just outside Nidri and it was very peaceful. Nidri is very busy and not everyones choice. We were quite taken aback the first evening we went out for dinner but it has many restaurants on the harbour and some tucked away from the main road, which we found better. You really need a car there to make the most of the island. There are no real beaches on the east (Nidri) side of the island but the west side has stunning beaches most down very steep roads but worth the experience. The only disadvantge is the it is quite windy and the undertow of the water can be quite strong.

The ferry to meganissi is a bargin at 2 euros per person per trip. I would give the first stop (spartochori) a miss. It is a very steep climb up, very nice views but not much better than from the ferry. The second port of call is vathy, this is worth getting of, straight in front of you (about 100 metres) is a small restaurant right on the harbour side, good for a light lunch until the next ferry come in, a couple of hours later.

a trip thought the interior is an experience with quite small roads and villages also to the south of the island is syvota and vaskilliki both very nice little harbours etc. also on the road out of nidri south there is a wine press that has tours and tastings.

Thanks to all of you. I really appreciate the info.
We have plane tickets and now we are planning. I think we have some good ideas and the west coast sounds interesting. If anyone knows of some nice villages on the mainland near these islands please tell. This is going to be a fun road trip.

Yipper

Where are you flying to? On our trip last September we flew to Preveza and went to Delphi, Meteora and Zagoria on the first week with another week to relax on Lefkada. This worked out very well for us and gave us a good mixture of things to see and do. This would also have been do-able from Athens. If any of this sounds of interest, let me know, I can certainly recommend our hotels.

If you are looking at places on the coast, Parga is lovely, we stayed there for a week a few years ago. Sivota looked nice too. From there we visited the River Acheron (aka the River Styx), where you can wade into the blue-green waters between limestone cliffs. The Necromanteion (oracle of the dead) further along the river is also worth a visit, as is Ammoudia, the beach resort where the river flows out to sea. Ioaninna with it's castle and lake is intersting. You can get a boat trip to the little island associated with Ali Pasha. There are also some caves nearby (Perama) though we haven't visited these.

You'll find plenty to see and do in the area.

Thank you for the information. We will be driving, starting in the Eastern Peloponesse and onto Oympia. We decided to then head North. Your suggestions sound great. I will research them.

Thanks,
Yipper