Villas in Kalamaki

Table of Contents

• At a glance: What should you know about renting a villa in Kalamaki?
• Villas in Kalamaki: find your perfect retreat
• Exploring Kalamaki: our top recommendations
• Activities: What are the top things to do and see in Kalamaki?

• Spacious villas with pools: Most villas here sleep between four and eleven guests and come with a private pool, air conditioning, Wi-Fi and a walled garden, ideal for families and couples wanting privacy.
• Where to base yourself: Kalamaki sits on the south-east coast of Zakynthos, with Laganas, Argassi, Alykes and Planos all within an easy drive for a change of scene.
• Highly rated by guests: Our top villas nearby hold ratings of 10.0+, with visitors praising the pools, the quiet lanes and the short walk to the sand.
• Eating out: Kalamaki Main Road is lined with tavernas and grills, several of which rate above 4.8 on Google Maps for long, unhurried dinners.
• Turtles and beaches: Kalamaki Beach lies within the National Marine Park of Zakynthos, a protected nesting site for loggerhead turtles, so the water stays calm and unhurried.

Villas in Kalamaki range from compact four-person houses with a plunge pool to eight- and eleven-bedroom properties built for two families travelling together. Many sit in quiet lanes behind the beach, and if you would rather compare smaller self-catering options or browse the wider destination, our apartments in Kalamaki and holiday lettings in Kalamaki pages help, as do our villas across Zakynthos. Most owners rent by the week in high summer.

Whatever size you choose, a handful of features come up again and again:

• Private pools, often fenced or with a separate children's section
• Air conditioning in every bedroom
• Walled gardens and shaded terraces for evening meals
• Well-equipped kitchens and a washing machine for longer stays
• Off-road parking for a hire car

Book early for July and August, when the best villas go months ahead.

What are the best areas to stay in Kalamaki?

Kalamaki itself is small, so most guests choose between the quiet lanes near the beach and the livelier Main Road, then use the rest of Zakynthos for days out. The table below details regions for specific interests:

What do our guests say?

Guests booking villas around Kalamaki and neighbouring Laganas consistently score them at the very top of our scale. The comments follow a pattern: pools that are genuinely private, air conditioning that copes with an August afternoon, and hosts who meet you at the door with local advice. Several properties hold a perfect 10.0+ rating, and the reviews mention space for two families as often as they mention the beach.

Here are our top-rated villas from the past year:

1. Villa Infinity Ena - 10.0+: Sleeps eight in Laganas, minutes from Kalamaki, with a private pool and air conditioning throughout that guests single out in warm weather.
2. Villa Infinity Theo - 10.0+: Its sister villa in Laganas, also for eight, with a walled garden and terrace that reviewers describe as ideal for long family dinners.
3. Romanza Luxury Villa - 10.0+: A six-person villa near Laganas with a pool and quiet garden, praised by couples travelling together for its privacy.

Kalamaki is a small seaside resort on the south-east coast of Zakynthos, spread between Laganas Bay and the slopes of Mount Skopos.

🥗Where to eat in Kalamaki?

According to Google Maps data and reviews, Bullhorn Steak House is the best rated restaurant in Kalamaki. Below is a table showing the top 5 highly-rated restaurants hand-picked by our travel experts.

⭐Our guests' recommendation: Our guest traveller Charlotte recommends the Ambrosia in Kalamaki: after a lazy day by the villa pool, it is an easy stroll from the Main Road and calm enough for a proper, unhurried dinner with the children.

1. Walk Kalamaki Beach at dawn
2. Climb Mount Skopos
3. Take a boat trip to the turtle bays
4. Play a round of crazy golf
5. Eat your way along the Main Road
6. Drive to Alykes and the north coast
7. Dive the Ionian reefs

1. Walk Kalamaki Beach at dawn

   Kalamaki Beach runs for well over a kilometre, and the early hours are the best of it. Because the sand lies inside the National Marine Park of Zakynthos, motorised watersports are banned, so the bay stays glassy and quiet. Look for the roped-off squares marking loggerhead turtle nests above the tideline and keep well clear of them. At the eastern end the sand narrows towards Vrodonero, a small cove that stays empty even in August.

2. Climb Mount Skopos

   The mountain rising behind the resort is Kalamaki's natural viewpoint. A marked path leads up through wild sage and thyme to the little chapel of Panagia Skopiotissa, built on the site of an older temple. Set off early, take plenty of water and you will have the whole of Laganas Bay laid out below you, with the mainland mountains beyond. It takes a couple of hours up and back at a steady pace.

3. Take a boat trip to the turtle bays

   Boats leave daily from nearby Laganas and Keri for the sheltered coves where sea turtles feed. Most trips include a stop at the Keri Caves and a swim in water so clear you can see the seabed from the deck. Longer excursions carry on around the coast towards the famous shipwreck cove at Navagio. Choose an operator that keeps its distance from the animals rather than chasing them.

4. Play a round of crazy golf

   Kalamaki Crazy Golf is a fixture of a family holiday here: two eighteen-hole courses landscaped with waterfalls, ponds and enough obstacles to make it genuinely competitive. It sits within walking distance of most villas, opens into the evening when the heat drops, and works well as a first-night activity while everyone is still finding their feet. The views towards Mount Skopos are a bonus.

5. Eat your way along the Main Road

   Kalamaki's Main Road is where the resort gathers after sunset. Grills, tavernas and family-run kitchens sit shoulder to shoulder, serving tzatziki, grilled octopus, slow-cooked lamb and generous Greek salads dressed with local olive oil. Several places lay on live music and traditional dancing. Order a few dishes for the table, order a carafe of the house white, and let dinner take as long as it takes.

6. Drive to Alykes and the north coast

   Hire a car for a day and follow the coast north. Alykes has calm, shallow bays and a string of beach tavernas, while inland villages such as Katastari give you a sense of everyday island life. Carry on and you reach the Blue Caves near Skinari, where small boats slip through arches of impossibly blue water. It is about an hour each way from Kalamaki, so start early.

7. Dive the Ionian reefs

   The water off Zakynthos is warm, clear and full of life, and Kalamaki is a comfortable base for it. Local dive centres run half-day trips to reefs, walls and small caves nearby, and most take complete beginners on a supervised first dive. Expect sea bream, octopus and the occasional moray among the rocks. If you would rather stay on the surface, the same centres usually rent out snorkelling gear by the day.