Travel guide to Zante island, GREECE

Sunshine and a friendly welcome are a hallmark of this island. Called the "Flower of the East" centuries ago, Zante offers an island of contrasts; stunning scenery, white cliffs, sleepy olive groves and dusky mountains. Tsilivi is situated just up the coast from Zante Town and has a mile-long crescent of golden sand. This picturesque, charming island has a distinctly village atmosphere with friendly tavernas, shops and bars. Laganas has possibly the best beach on the island, where the endangered loggerhead turtles nest, and you've the chance to venture to famous Smugler's Cove.

Off the coast of the Peloponnese, where the Ionian Sea meets the Med, lies Zante, yet another Greek island paradise. Holidays to Zante (or Zakinthos) are perfect for those looking for great beaches framed by an even more stunning coastline. Clubbers and night owls are well catered for on a holiday to Zante with Laganas being the focus of all the fun. A Holiday to Zante can also encompass those looking for peace and quiet and families too - Argassi and Tsilivi are the contenders here.
Zante is famous for its Caretta-Caretta, otherwise known as rare loggerhead sea turtles, which come here between June and August every year. These beautiful, graceful creatures arrive in Laganas bay during the summer to nest and lay their eggs in the soft sands. Classed as an endangered species, they're rightly protected and monitored by the National Marine Park of Zakynthos, which restricts watersports from the beaches along the bay and closes the sands to visitors at night. However, you can take turtle-spotting glass-bottomed boat trips from Laganas and may even get a glimpse of these rare creatures from a pedalo. If you do, treat them with the utmost respect - they've been around for 90 million years and sadly, their numbers are dwindling.