Kalamaki is Zante’s closest resort to the airport and lies five kilometres from Zante Town. It is a quiet resort with a wonderful sandy beach that attracts not only tourists, but loggerhead turtles. Kalamaki looks out onto the clear blue seas of the bay and behind it looms the magnificent Mount Skopos. The resort has no real centre but reaches out along the beach and into the surrounding farmland. A Kalamaki holiday offers a relaxing retreat in a charming traditional atmosphere where it is easy to forget the pressures of twenty-first century living.
Kalamaki offers peaceful relaxation in an attractive area with good accommodation and a variety of restaurants and tavernas. Owing to the presence of the turtles, there are no noisy water sports so even sun bathing on the beach is undisturbed. There are good bars and restaurants and mini-markets for essentials. Kalamaki is only a short distance from the livelier resorts of Laganas and Argassi as well as Zante Town.
Kalamaki is very popular with families, particularly those with young children looking for good sand castle terrain. Couples are also attracted by the quiet atmosphere of the resort and its close proximity to Zante Town.
The most popular time to visit Kalamaki is in the summer, although the season extends from Easter to the end of October. The temperature range is from 20 to 30 degrees.
Owing to its popularity, Kalamaki is an expanding resort but it has not, as yet, lost its traditional appeal. It remains a peaceful place where you can enjoy life’s simple pleasures. In the western end of the resort the aircraft noise is noticeable but it rarely seems to inconvenience people.
Kalamaki has a great beach of soft sand perfect for buckets and spades. It shelves gently into the clear blue sea, providing ideal conditions for young children and less confident swimmers. In order to protect the turtles there are no water sports apart from the occasional canoe.
Kalamaki has a range of hotels, apartments and studios accommodating most budgets and restaurants and tavernas catering for most tastes. Shopping is rather limited providing only holiday essentials and souvenirs.
It is worth taking a trip inland to the picturesque villages with their whitewashed houses and fertile vineyards where the authentic spirit of Greece is found. The tavernas here serve good wholesome food and wine.
A Kalamaki holiday would be incomplete without a trip to Smuggler’s cove. It is the most photographed cove in the whole of Greece with its tall cliffs, golden sands and wrecked ship half-buried in the sand. Although it can be viewed from above, the best place to see it is from out at sea.
Kalamaki nightlife is very low-key reflecting the family nature of the resort. There are some lively bars and one disco, but Kalamaki is not a resort that parties into the small hours of the morning. Those looking for a little more action can take a taxi to Argassi or Laganas where there is a greater choice of entertainment.
Kalamaki shopping is limited to essential provisions and the usual gift and souvenir shops. However, Zante Town is only a short distance away and its maze of streets are filled with shops of every description. Popular souvenirs include leather goods, jewellery, ceramics and embroidered linens.
Kalamaki has a fair number of restaurants and tavernas providing a range of delicious food to accommodate most tastes. As in all Greek islands, fish features prominently on menus and locally caught fish, simply cooked, is always satisfying. Moussaka is another Greek favourite made from minced lamb, aubergines and a béchamel sauce. A good way to try traditional food is to order Mezedes, the Greek equivalent of the Spanish tapas, which includes a variety of bite-sized fish, meat and vegetables.
Local wines are inexpensive and very palatable.
Children are always made very welcome in restaurants and their tastes and portion size are usually accommodated.
