"We have just returned from a wonderful two-week family holiday at Zante Calinica, and I can honestly say it is a holiday we won’t forget.
One of the main things that drew us to book the hotel was the number of reviews mentioning how welcoming and friendly the family are — and they certainly weren’t wrong! Dionisis, Daphne and the whole family made us feel so welcome from the moment we arrived and really went above and beyond to make our stay special.
We stayed in room 311, a family room with a double bedroom and a separate room with two single beds. As the hotel is situated on a hillside, our balcony had the most amazing sea view, which was just beautiful to wake up to each morning.
The breakfast was lovely, with a great choice of continental and hot buffet options, along with fresh homemade pastries and sweet treats made by the youngest brother. Everything felt fresh and lovingly prepared.
We spent many happy days around the pool, enjoying the sunshine and sampling the lunch menu. We particularly recommend the handmade pizzas and the beautiful fresh salads — both were delicious. The pool area was lovely and relaxing, and on some days we even had the pool almost entirely to ourselves while other guests were out exploring.
We also explored several of the local beaches, but our favourite was Makai Beach. The water was warm and shallow, and there were plenty of fish to see while snorkelling, making it a great spot for the whole family.
The hotel is towards the edge of Tsilivi, which suited us perfectly. The bars and restaurants start within just a few minutes' walk, and the furthest restaurant we visited was around a 25-minute walk along the main Tsilivi street. There are also numerous horse-and-carriage rides coming and going along the main street, which are reasonably priced and a fun way to get to the other end of the Tsilivi area.
The hotel itself had everything we needed for a comfortable stay. Both bedrooms had air conditioning, our bedding and towels were refreshed daily, and there were plenty of sunbeds around the pool area. The pool bar stays open until midnight, with food served until 10pm, which was perfect for those relaxed evenings when we didn’t want to venture too far.
Overall, we absolutely loved our stay at Zante Calinica. The hotel is beautiful, the views are fantastic, the food is delicious, and the location is ideal — but what really makes this place special is the family who run it. Their warmth, kindness and genuine hospitality made us feel more like guests than customers.
We would happily return and would have no hesitation recommending Zante Calinica to other families looking for a relaxing, friendly and memorable holiday in Zakynthos. Thank you to Dionisis, Daphne and the whole family for making our two weeks so special!"
