Last Summer myself and 3 of my fabulous Queens went on our first girls holiday and after months of gruelling exams we were beyond ready for some sun and cocktails. Of course, Zante (Zakinthos) is known for its wild nightlife but beyond the cheap booze and glow in the dark crop tops the island itself is pretty amazing. So if you find yourself there on your next break, then here is my guide to making the bits you're sober enough to remember, memorable!
Must See Spots:
Cameo Island:
This spot is the perfect mixture of amazing atmosphere and gorgeous surroundings. The island itself is only accessible via a rickety old bridge. Once you cross, the island literally looks like some old rocks and nothing special really, however if you climb up the engraved stairs of the cliff (Indiana Jones style) you'll find the most amazing secret location at the top! You're welcomed by music, cocktails and straw umbrellas everywhere! Feel free to sunbathe, sip some Pina Coladas or go for a dip in the sea. We were so pleased we found this spot and it was definitely one of the highlights of our trip so for sure worth a visit!
(Notice the secret stairway?)
Shipwreck Cove:
If you ever see a banging Insta of Zante, wracking up thousands of likes then it's most likely to have been taken within the Shipwreck cove and it's not surprising! After taking a boat to get to the hidden beach me and the Queens were literally floored. I've been lucky enough to go to some pretty spectacular places, but NOTHING compared to the waters in this corner of Greece. The beach itself gets its name from the giant old boat washed up on shore making you feel like a sassy little pirate in a lace bikini. Since the cove is surrounded by cliffs it makes swimming in the sea feel like your own private paradise and was a moment I'll never forget.
Bucket List Moments:
As I've said before, bucket list moments are the things I feel you should do in certain destinations which stay in your memory forever and make you feel as though you've lived in your trip to the fullest, beyond the obvious Trip Advisor suggestions.
Go rock jumping:
When it comes to the beach I, personally, like to say I'm 'fearless', but others just call it reckless and probably somewhat stupid! However every time there was a lagoon or cliff side I'd immediately climb up and jump into the water, coz like why not?! Granted you should probably be a little more cautious than me of rocks under the place you intend to land but it's the most freedom you will ever feel, so if you get a chance just do it!
Go to a paint party:
Even if you're not huge on clubbing you should make sure you hit a strip of Laganas at least once while here just for the story. Granted most nights me and the girls spent our nights giggling on our balcony with several bottles of vodka in our pyjamas, even we couldn't pass up a chance to get pissed and covered with paint! It was such a laugh to go out out with no makeup and flip-flops to then have bucket loads of glow in the dark paint just thrown at you! I mean when could you ever get away with that at home?
Alex, Lucy, Me, Evita
Get a braid on the beach:
The popular beaches in Zante are filled with locals selling goods, some of these people offer braiding services (wrapping small sections of your hair in multi-coloured threads) of course I jumped at the opportunity as soon as I thought it would make me look like a mermaid. After I reminded the guy that the hair he was tugging was in fact attached to my head and he cooled off and it was the perfect opportunity to chat with a local, something you should always try and do. Plus as I suspected I did feel like a mermaid and subsequently whipped my locks about for the whole holiday.
Funny Stories From My Trip:
We spent our entire week in Zante laughing, there are so, so many funny stories I could share but here are a tiny handful of some of the giggles we had, (SORRY IN ADVANCE LUCE!)
Bitch down: Lucy Lu is one of my best friends, she's the most caring person you'll ever meet but this bitch is honestly the clumsiest human, probably ever. There was one day where she tripped on every ledge or step or stone we walked past, EVERY ONE. So by the time we got back to our hotel her toes had taken a beating. Our rooms were next to each other and due to the thin, cheap walls we could hear everything the other would say. Including Alex snap impatiently 'No Luce you CANNOT bring UNO to the club tonight!" So as I'm lying on my bed soaking up the Wifi after a long day, I hear Lucy bash her wounded solider of a little toe on the edge of the bed, a gruelling punishment at the best of times. I literally cried with laughter after hearing "AHHHH SWEEEETTT JESUS WHYYYYY!! WHYYYY??" No sympathy from us clearly!
Cracking time: As I said before most nights me and the girls would go out for dinner then end up chilling on our balconies having a giggle and getting a little giddy! This particular 2am we were watching Evita prove she could be one of the sexy girls who dance at the clubs to bring in customers when the hotel security came along with this crazy dog, shining a torch in on us and shouting for us to be quiet! Rude. Since the rooms were separate myself and Evita would have to walk back to our room at the end of the balcony turners. One night as we were bringing in the glasses and such and I had accidentally carried Lucy's beloved fresh pack of Tuc crackers back to our room. Which, probably due to our state, we found hilarious. We snuck back James Bond style giggling away. Evita flung herself onto her bed to FaceTime her boyfriend, convinced he'd find the whole cracker debacle as hilarious as we did.. However she over flung and back rolled off this bed getting stuck between the walls. All the while we're trying to get her out we can hear Lucy Lu through the walls asking "has anyone seen my crackers?!"
Arse first: One slightly hungover morning me and the girls got onto a sweaty coach full of teenagers to a waterpark. Once we got there I immediately insisted, like the competitive psycho I am that we race down all the slides, to which after I lost, insisted we were NOT racing. Anyway there was one slide which you'd go down individually on a giant rubber ring. Alex, Evita and myself made it down no problems. But then... it was Lucy's turn. As I said before, this bitch just attracts accidents. We're all floating in the pool at the bottom of the slide waiting for her arrival when suddenly she flies round the corner BACKWARDS only to flip herself upside down once she lands in the water. All we could see was this arse stuck in the air floating along in this rubber ring, trying desperately to escape. We all died, only to be made worse when her head finally emerged and she claimed, quite seriously, "Guys I know that didn't go perfectly but I think I handled it gracefully". DEAD!
Castaways: Most days me and the Queen's spent our days at the beach. They had these cool giant floats with seats for two people. So naturally me and Evita spent an hour soaking up the sun and floating in the sea, having a goss in this float. However when we decided to head back we realised we'd floated miles away and the current was getting strong! Now Evita can't swim and is known for being dramatic, she's panicking and shouting while I'm telling her to help me kick back to shore. After a solid 15 minutes of kicking and getting no where we suddenly remembered "I CAN SWIM!" So we're giggling at how stupid we were as I'm swimming back, holding this massive float with one arm while the Queen sits on her throne and decides, "I'm tired of kicking now, you look like you've got this under control!" Eventually we get back to the beach and practically crawl back to the girls. Alex and Lucy were in the middle of a pretty serious UNO game (clearly not concerned at all that we like almost died). They're sharing one sun lounger, facing each other to play. When Alex saw we were back she quickly stood up, which shouldn't have been a problem. If only Lucy hadn't been sitting on the head end of the lounger and was using Alex to keep the bed balanced. Obviously the lounger immediately tipped, causing Lucy to fly off backwards, with UNO cards falling everywhere. We're just a bunch of messes!
