Laganas Bay, Zante > Reviews > Laganas resort, Zante

Author's product rating:   

Advantages:	Buzzing nightlife, decent beach, very little chance of boredom or isolation
Disadvantages:	Commercial, soulless atmosphere where everything is aimed at English tourists

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I arrived back from Laganas, Zante a couple of days ago after spending a week there, and was left feeling unimpressed. Very close to the Airport, there is no problem travelling into and around Laganas, and the abundance of cheap taxis makes moving around the resort very easy. The area itself consists mainly of the Kalamaki Road, the main Laganas strip, and the beach. The Kalamaki Road is where you will find most of the restaurants and a few bars, and overall the amenities on offer there are variable in quality. Everything in the resort is orientated almost solely towards English tourists, and the Restaurants all offer the same 'authentic' English breakfasts, which are quite often fairly disappointing, if cheap. There is little to be found in the way of greek cuisine, with most places offering Italian, English or Mexican dishes. Mostly though there is a good variety of food on offer and prices are quite attractive, with the road containing a very good Indian restaurant as well.

The main strip is where you will find the majority of clubs and bars in the resort, and if you are young, hedonistic, and have gone on holiday to party, it does not disappoint. A combination of cheap or even free drink, a huge variety of establishments, and streets packed with fellow English party seekers, make this an area perfect for bar crawls and binge-drinking. Of course, such a description will horrify some people, and it is true that the resort is by and large targeted at the 18-30 market. If you are in this market though, I struggle to think of anyway in which you would feel let down by this resort, except for maybe having to run the gauntlet of sales people on the door trying to pull you in, and in one place there was a guy that did actually physically try to pull us in. The strip also has a wide array of tourist shops and fast food outlets, as well as a go-karts and mini-golf centre.

Laganas' beach is a mixed bag. Somewhat overcrowded, very little space to sit if you do not wish to pay for a sun lounger, and more sales people constantly hassling you, it will not appeal to many beach goers. The sand itself is also nothing special. However, the water is clear, warm, quite shallow and clean, and there are numerous places to eat and drink on the beach. Luckily, if this does not sound good to you, there are many other great beaches on the island that can be reached from Laganas via bus and taxi, such as the ones on the Vasilikos peninsula.

Laganas is fine if you want to take excursions such as boat tours and turtle spotting, with 4 or 5 different operators clearly visible on the main road.

Overall, Laganas is almost completely English, fairly soulless, and aimed squarely at the young British lads and ladettes. At the same time, it does offer alot to do, has a decent enough beach and is relatively safe and friendly. I myself am 18 and went towards the end of the season, and can say that I enjoyed the nightlife while still feeling let down by the cynical, commercial nature of the place. Ultimately, good for getting drunk alot.