The Peligoni Club, Zakynthos

When the sunshine lands at Agios Nikolaos Harbour, it’s a pale bronze hearth igniting a crucible of plastic chairs. Populating this diminutive cove are old couples with no schedule for their afternoon. The sort of couples living a reward for a long life of friendship and loyalty. Lovebirds dot the entirety of Zakynthos, in counterpoint to the famous shipwreck on a nearby beach. 

Just up the road from the harbor is The Peligoni Club, originally a sailing and water sports club that has evolved into a very pretty and very capably run resort with a specialty in not only sailing but also childcare. In fact, Peligoni is quite well known for the quality of their crèche system as well as their young adult programming. 

It definitely takes a day on site to wrap one’s head around whether one is standing at an elegant European beach club by a salty green sea, or amidst a lively summer camp. When becoming a parent, it is sometimes nice to admit you’d like both. To add to this youthful fervor, The Peligoni staff is composed primarily of university-age students spending their summers abroad to gain hospitality experience. The payment system on property is handled with wristbands linked to one’s account, which can feel strange. But the restaurants and bars are wonderful. 

If eating off-site becomes appealing, a wonderful place to do so is a Greek taverna run by Peligoni called Mikro Nisi. It’s situated within a few staircases of the sea, cocooned by a little cove with small boats. Everyone can swim. And then eat. And swim again. And practice sleeping by the sea in red folding chairs like the old couples in the harbor.

There is one blurry photo of our family from our last night at Peligoni. It is the three of us: me, my wife, and my son. We are dancing on a table, celebrating with the other guests at the end of a communal barbecue. We are not normally the dancing-on-tables types. One of the founders of Peligoni, Anouska Shearer, even mentioned it to me the next morning as if to imply that we had been completely won over by the place. For a night we were the free versions of ourselves, perhaps buoyed by the spirit of the people who have built and staffed Peligoni. There is generosity in all directions.

The photograph is hopefully a foreshadowing of what will be a happy old age as a family. When we can’t dance on tables and instead sit contentedly in plastic chairs near the sea, remembering our youth. It is a happy old age I wish for everyone on the trip with us: my father-in-law, my sister-in-law and her boyfriend, as well as our friend from New York. We all shared a beautiful villa in Greece and came to Peligoni each day, walking under its charming sign, to accept that it is okay to have youthful fun and dive into the sea, leaving one’s cares behind. And, if one is lucky, to do a little sailing while we’re young.

Where We Stayed

Staying in Villa Nora, owned by a family who’s been coming to the Peligoni Club for years, helps instill the rhythms of a local and had my father-in-law dreaming of investing in the island. Built from local stone with transfixing views straight out to the Ionian Sea and Kefalonia in the distance, inside-outside living is the whole point—there’s an infinity pool and a kids’ pool, an outdoor kitchen, a lovely outdoor table with the same view as the pool, and enough lounging spots that everyone can (and did) spread out. My son learned to walk here, with lots of space to roam from room to room. Five en-suite bedrooms mean no one is fighting over bathrooms when you’re with a group. The design leans modern but not cold—the stone and natural materials keep it feeling like it belongs on the island. Seen from the sea, the house appears to be part of the hillscape.

Driving from Peligoni, passing through the harbour is a daily joy with markets offering opportunities for fresh produce. It’s difficult to know whether to swim at Peligoni or come back to the villa. In fact, from the perfectly heated pool, the goats roaming the mountainside nearby lend a feeling of being alone on a massive island with no one in sight. One of the best (and most peaceful) swimming experiences our family has ever had. I still dream of an hour I spent there with my wife on our last day, our family still at Peligoni, alone, with the pool to ourselves, staring out at the sea. Surrounded by quiet.