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A 5-minute drive will take you down to the little harbour village of Agios Nikolaos, which offers most of what you will need on a day-to-day basis, including a beach, crystal clear waters, a minimarket, boat rental and a few tavernas and bars. A couple of other tavernas are within a similar distance at the northern tip of the island.

A few minutes' boat ride up the coast from Agios Nikolaos are the Blue Caves, a series of sea grottoes that are particularly well worth exploring in the morning, when the eastern sun illuminates them with the sapphire colours of the sea. It's also a great spot for scuba diving and snorkelling.

Numerous lovely sandy beaches line the east coast, including those at Makris Gialos and Xigia (15-20mins) and Alykes (30mins).

Heading west across the island, meanwhile, you will soon come to Zakynthos's most popular, most spectacular and most photographed beach: Navagio. Taking its name from the shipwreck that has lain on its sand since the early 1980s, the sandy bay is surrounded on three sides by spectacular tree-topped white cliffs and is only accessible by boat. This sublime setting and the bay's transparent, electric blue waters attract the crowds in high summer, but it's most certainly a sight to behold, both from above and below.

In terms of villages and towns in the area, the unspoilt twin villages of Volimes (upper and lower) have some interesting buildings, including traditional stone-built houses, a windmill, a couple of churches and a 400-year-old monastery. There are also a few eateries, should you get peckish while exploring.

Slightly further afield, though still just a 50-minute drive down the coast, is the capital of Zakynthos, Chora (or Zakynthos Town). A few fascinating Venetian buildings survive, and its museums and galleries, vibrant summery atmosphere, and host of bars, cafés and tavernas make it an attractive proposition for a day out.