If you haven’t entered any dates, the rate shown is provided directly by the hotel and represents the cheapest double room (including tax) available in the next 60 days.
Prices have been converted from the hotel’s local currency (EUR336.73), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.
Serenity, sleep and tip-top service are on the cards at adults-only King Jason Zante, an all-suite coastal stay in sun-kissed Zakynthos. Built with the Grecian philosophy of slow living at its core, everything at this earth-toned retreat was carefully designed to encourage kick-back. And that it has, with a maze of floating suites resting above weaving infinity pools, a meditative spa, a trio of crown-worthy restaurants, and selfless staff that’ll have you feeling like this coastal kingdom’s monarch in no time.
Please note Don’t let our enticing gallery deceive you, these images for King Jason Zante are in fact computer generated. Apologies, real-life photographs will be with us soon…
Smith Extra
Get this when you book through us:
A bottle of champagne and fresh fruit on arrival, as well as early check-in and late check-out
Noon, and check-in is at 2pm. Both are flexible, on request and subject to availability.
Prices
Double rooms from £325.33 (€382), including tax at 13.5 per cent. Please note the hotel charges an additional local city tax of €10.00 per room per night on check-out.
More details
Rates include a traditional Greek buffet breakfast, served in the Watergarden Restaurant.
Also
King Jason Zante has flat walkways that are suitable for wheelchair-users and some suites can be adapted to accommodate guests with limited mobility.
Hotel closed
King Jason closes its doors annually from the end of October until early May.
At the hotel
Gardens, fitness centre and free WiFi throughout. In rooms: smart TV, Bluetooth speaker (on request), air-conditioning, tea- and coffee-making kit, minibar, free bottled water, bathrobes and slippers, hairdryer and bespoke bath products.
Our favourite rooms
All but the Pool View Suites are within wading distance from one of the hotel’s two swimming pools; the Deluxe Swim-Up Suites are set to be the stars, courtesy of their Ionion-admiring terraces. If you’re splashing out, the Island Suite is the only option with its own private pool.
Poolside
There’s a beach within easy reach at King Jason Zante, but if you prefer your soaks a little less salty, the main pool is set in the hotel’s heart, is open 24 hours and is surrounded by sunloungers and a mood-setting bar. Island and Deluxe Swim-Up Suites come with access to an infinity pool that’s carved into the cliffside and offers tough-to-beat sea views.
Spa
The Greek-wellness gurus at Idolo Group have created Purai Spa, a 320-square-metre wellness centre that’s devoted to all things slow living. Alongside the three treatment rooms, a sauna, steam room and relaxation area, there’s also set to be a team of ‘slowness coaches’, who will be hosting morning meditation classes among the olive groves, traditional tea rituals, leaf-picking sessions in reflective silence, and yoga lessons. There’ll also be a fully equipped fitness centre to cater to your cardio needs.
Packing tips
A copy of Stephen Fry’s Methos and your comfiest linens.
Also
Seek out the cellar, for wine, olive oil and charcuterie tastings throughout the day – just be sure to book first as places fill up fast.
Everything at King Jason Zante, from spa products to kitchen supplies, is locally and sustainably sourced; energy is generated by solar panels and a rigorous recycling programme is in place. On top of day-to-day practices, the hotel hires most of its staff from the island’s surrounding communities and works closely with Greek hospitality universities to support regional talent; they also help with funding for the Archelon Foundation, which is a conservation charity working to protect Cyprus and Greece’s turtles.
The Watergarden’s alfresco tables are the summer spots to secure; Haroūb has a chef’s table for private group dinners and Pisco’s seats by the sushi bar come out on top for bagging the best rolls.
Dress Code
The craftsmanship at play in King Jason Zante's trio of dining spots puts us in mind of something suitably artisan to wear to supper – say beaded dresses, broderie tops or hand-dyed pieces.
Hotel restaurant
There’s a trio to choose from here: the Watergarden sets you off with a laidback start, where breakfasts are made up of just-picked fruit and freshly baked pastries before alfresco, poolside tables morph into all-day dining spots that fill with Mediterranean plates and sharing charcuterie boards fresh from its in-house deli. Meze spreads and small sharing plates fill menus at Haroūb, a Levantine-inspired restaurant that serves an à la carte brunch and brings tables together come evening to encourage sociability (there’s also a chef’s table that you’re welcome to book in the walk-in kitchen, if you prefer to dine in private). Pisco’s head chef Josper-Robata blends Peruvian and Japanese cooking methods for smoky-finished fare and a help-yourself sushi bar.
Hotel bar
If you’re reluctant to leave your lounger after a day of sun basking, have your aperitifs brought poolside at the hotel’s main bar; and there’s even an in-water bar for the serious soakers. Nightcaps finish off the evening sweetly at the Patisserie and Coffee Bar, where craft cocktails replace morning caffeine fixes as the sun sets over the Ionian.
Last orders
The Watergarden is open for breakfast between 7.30am to 11.30am, lunch from 12.30pm to 2.30pm, and dinner from 7pm to 9.30pm. Haroūb and Pisco serve dinner between 7.30pm and 11pm, and Haroūb also does brunch from 11am to 5pm.
Room service
In-suite dishes are available from a separate, relaxed menu at all hours.
King Jason Zante is set along the north-east coastline of Ionian-isle Zakynthos, in the village of Planos.
Planes
Zakynthos is one of the easier-to-reach islands, with direct flights from most European hubs to its international Dionysios Solomos Airport, a 20-minute drive from the hotel. Private transfers can be arranged for an additional charge.
Automobiles
A car isn’t essential if you’re planning on flopping poolside, but one will come in handy if you’re hoping to explore the island’s towns and beaches. There are rental booths at the airport, and the hotel has free parking onsite.
Worth getting out of bed for
King Jason Zante takes things slow and steady, so why not start with a laidback cooking class, where experts will teach you how to knead and knot bread like a local. If you prefer your dishes in their final form, private picnics can be set up among the olive groves – the only decision you’ll have to make is whether your basket is filled with all-day brunch or cheese and wine. Holistic healers can take tea at one of the hosted Olive Leaf Tea Ceremonies, where experts supervise leaf-picking in the olive groves before brewing it into curative cuppas; or spend mornings meditating and saluting the sun with a yoga and pilates class. For those wanting to see more of Zakynthos, staff can arrange gastronomic, vineyard and boat tours, as well as horseback riding along the turquoise-tinted coast.
Local restaurants
The Olive Tree Taverna is one of Planos’s most loved for its traditional, family-kept recipes that have been passed down. You’ll find more flavour-filled Mediterranean fare at Avli Taverna, set just across from the beach under flora-laced pergolas. For something a little more upmarket, the Halfway House opens for the season in May, and plates up dishes that pay tasteful homage to the family’s Greek heritage and pairs them with a sommelier-selected list of wines and craft cocktails.
Every hotel featured is visited personally by members of our team, given the Smith seal of approval, and then anonymously reviewed. As soon as our reviewers have returned from this hilltop hotel in Greece and unpacked their tsipouro and mantolato, a full account of their blissful break will be with you. In the meantime, to whet your wanderlust, here's a quick peek inside King Jason Zante…
In the Greek islands, time has been an abstract construct for centuries – a legacy that fuels a widespread, unhurried approach to schedule. And adults-only King Jason Zante has come to prove descendents are still taking the Horae’s slow turn of the seasons seriously. On the north-east coast of Zakynthos, this clifftop castle is surrounded by 10,000 square metres of water that flow seamlessly into expansive views of the surrounding Ionian Sea and are bordered by contemporary, cube-like suites (some swim-up, some within sauntering distance). Things are calm on the surface, sun-dappled terraces and all, but the real placidity is found in the finer details: ‘slowness coaches’ to help you switch stress for serenity; mindful leaf-picking sessions around the olive groves; breadmaking classes expounding knead-to-know techniques; and attentive staff, ready to tailor itineraries that’ll have you snorkelling through coves, sampling vintage Verdea wines and riding horseback before you can say ‘siga, siga!’
