Saturday, 17th May
Tucked away on the tranquil coast of Tragaki, Lesante Blu isn’t just a hotel—it’s a horizon-chasing, cocktail-sipping, adults-only sanctuary on the sun-kissed island of Zante. From the moment you step into the open-air lobby, the Ionian Sea stretches out before you like a private postcard, shimmering with promises of peace, pampering, and five-star indulgence.
Visit Lesante Blu here
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Check-in
The check-in experience alone gives you an idea of what is to come. Here, you don’t stand around, hot, flustered and tired while a stressed receptionist deals with someone trying to figure out the cheapest way to get to the local town.
The concierge takes your luggage straight from you, and takes it to your suite while you check-in. To do so you are ushered to a panoramic balcony overlooking both the hotel grounds and the turquoise waters of the Ionian Sea.
While you sip champagne and nibble on a Magnum Mini (nice touch), your passports are taken and the formalities are undertaken on your behalf.
The receptionist returns to brief you on the hotel, its bar and restaurants, and leisure facilities. After settling the hotel balance, if ready you can go to your suite and if not, as we did, a couple of beers in the pool bar. Well, we are on holiday after all.
Breakfast
Breakfast at Lesante can only be described as sensational.
It takes place on a large covered terrace in what is the Gaia Restaurant in the evenings.
Having been seated at a table that invariably has spectacular views, a menu is reviewed of cooked items, ranging from Zakynthos style scrambled eggs, omelettes, smoked salmon bagels, granola and yoghurt and, of course, the obligatory fried or poached eggs. In the meantime, refreshments of choice are brought to your table.
The self service breakfast buffet has just about anything you would want to eat. Lots of cooked items to suit the British palette – though why bacon is always so different on the continent is beyond me!
There are heaps of fresh fruits; pastries; sweet treats; dietary specific and bread of every type. You can even help yourself to a glass of champage!
Our suite (they are not rooms!)
We believe all the suites at Lesante Blu have a sea view – you just have to decide if that’s all you want, or whether you woulk a private pool, a hot tub or a garden with private pool.
If we go again, we will try for the latter because they seem to be the suites with the most sun through the day – a lot of them are compromised by orientation, overhangs or both. If you try and book, speak to the hotel first if this is important for you.
The suites are everything you expect – spacious and clean, rain shower, batch, seaparate loo. Absolutely delightful.
Housekeeoping is also exemplary, and they still have that now rare ‘bed turndown’ in the evening with a chocolate on the pillow.
Facilities
Lesante Blu has everything you expect of a Five Star hotel.
In short there are 4 restaurants, each with a bar if you just want drinks – Gaia, with a daily set menu, Ostria, which is pool side, Almyra, on the beach and Melia, fine dining overlooking the Ionian Sea.
All offer great sevice but, of course, at 5 star prices.
The pool is the jewel in the crown, and takes infinity to beyond!
Melia offers a tasting menu every evening, with Tuesday and Saturday ‘Lobster Night’. We tried the regular tasting menu on our previous visit, and found it as good as anything you would find in London; it is also multi award winning and worth a try if you want to push the boat out. Some of the tables are set up on islands in the pool, overlooking the sea and are very romatic.
There is also a Wellness Spa and fully equipped Gym on site, but being lazy so and so’s our only exercise involved calling the waiter to bring us a drink.
