Ionian Islands - Greece - page 1332

( 6974875171, 26950 27524; www.revera-zante.com ; studio €70; ) Stone villas that
have seen better days sit 500m southwest of Keri, just off the road to the lighthouse.
Pristine location makes up for tatty textiles and spotty plumbing.
Eating
Restaurants around Zakynthos are pretty bland. Keri, Limnionas and Kambi have good
basic tavernas in high season only.
Alitzerinoi TAVERNA $
( 26950 48552; www.alitzerinoi.gr ; Kiliomeno; mains €7-12; 9am-late, only dinner Fri-Sun
winter) Locals make the trek to the tiny hamlet of Kiliomeno for great island cooking, us-
ing local produce and cheeses, in a quaint terraced courtyard spilling down the hillside.
Louha's Coffee Shop CAFE $
( 26950 48426; Louha; mains €4-7; May-Oct) Eat or drink under a vine-shaded terrace
opposite the Church of St John the Theologian. Good local wine accompanies one daily
special, salads and soothing views of cypress-dotted hills.
KYTHIRA ΚΥΘΗΡΑ
POP 4030
The island of Kythira ( kee -thih-rah) dangles 12km off the tip of the Peloponnese's Lako-
nian peninsula between the Aegean and Ionian Seas. It is, despite its proximity to the
Peloponnese, considered a part of the Ionian Island group, and the stands of cypress trees
help remind you. Genuinely unspoilt, the rolling, central plateau that covers most of the
island is farmed in places, and raw in others (with wild fennel and garlic). Towards the
coast the land drops, forming cliffs to the sea and hidden beaches. The island's popula-
tion is spread among more than 40 relatively rural villages, and benefits from potable
water and lush valleys. The villages have a white-cube Cycladic feel, punctuated by neo-
classical manors and old-style kafeneia, and are linked by narrow, winding lanes.
Tourism remains very low-key except in July and August, when the island goes mad.
Descending visitors include the Kythiran diaspora returning from abroad (especially
Australia). For the rest of the year, Kythira and its fine beaches are wonderfully peaceful.