Zakynthos Navagio View - Boatrip, Caves & Xigia Beach exploration

Great Experience

Great tour experience! We were picked up from our hotel and the driver was excellent. Sabina was our tour guide and she was excellent also. Awesome locations for swimming and the landscape was breathtaking.

via Tripadvisor

Unhelpful tour operator

We were booked onto this trip this morning (which helpfully includes hotel pick up). Unfortunately, during the journey from the hotel to boat my partner became very unwell and we asked the driver to pull over. We got out and he was sick on the side of the road. We completely understand that this meant he was unable to continue with the excursion. Getting sick isn't anybody's fault, and we don't feel it would be fair to review the boat trip itself as we never actually got to experience it. What we are disappointed about, however, was how the situation was handled. The driver told us he had other travellers to collect and would return shortly, so he left us on the side of the road while my boyfriend was being sick. When the driver returned, he told us we should get our belongings from the bus and call a taxi to take us back to the hotel. I explained that I didn't know where we were, don’t speak Greek and didn't have any contact details for a taxi service, and asked him to arrange one for us. He was reluctant but after I insisted he eventually made the call. We were told the taxi would arrive in around 15 minutes and the driver passed along the taxi firm’s contact details.The driver then left us waiting by the roadside. After 15 minutes, the taxi still hadn't arrived, and when I phoned the taxi company they said that the driver was struggling to find us. I had to give them an additional description of our surroundings before the taxi eventually located us and we were able to get safely back to our hotel. We appreciate that the driver had other passengers to collect and that he couldn't necessarily stay with us indefinitely. However, there could have been more assistance in making sure that we had a safe and reliable way back to the hotel before leaving us, particularly as we were in an unfamiliar area and my boyfriend was still unwell. The overall communication about what to do from the driver was really poor and I suspect he hadn’t been prepared for a situation like this. It made what was already a difficult experience even more stressful. We’re also concerned about what would happen if a solo traveller was in my boyfriend’s position - the only reason the driver called the taxi service was my insisting, so would someone more vulnerable have been left by the roadside to sort themselves out? We also happened to be the first pickup of the morning and the minibus was late arriving to collect us, which wasn't ideal, although this was a relatively minor issue compared with what happened afterwards. So we didn’t have the full experience, but we really aren’t impressed by what we’ve seen.

Response from the operator: Θα απαντούσα ψύχραιμα αλλά σταθερά. Δεν θα έγραφα ότι «στη Ζάκυνθο δεν υπάρχουν ταξί», γιατί ουσιαστικά ενισχύει το επιχείρημά τους ότι έπρεπε να βοηθηθούν. Το δυνατό σημείο σας είναι άλλο: η αδιαθεσία προέκυψε ξαφνικά και δεν οφειλόταν στην υπηρεσία, ο οδηγός είχε και άλλους πελάτες που έπρεπε να παραλάβει, παρ’ όλα αυτά επικοινώνησε με ταξί και τους έδωσε τα στοιχεία επικοινωνίας, και τελικά επέστρεψαν με ασφάλεια στο ξενοδοχείο. Μπορείς παράλληλα να αναγνωρίσεις ότι θα μπορούσε να υπάρξει καλύτερη επικοινωνία. Θα έστελνα αυτό: Dear Guest, Thank you for taking the time to explain what happened. We are sorry that your partner became unwell that morning, and we hope he recovered quickly. We would, however, like to provide some context regarding the way the situation was handled. Your partner unfortunately became unwell during the transfer and before the excursion had even begun, for reasons completely unrelated to the excursion or the transportation service provided by us. Once it became clear that he could not continue, our driver was also responsible for collecting the remaining guests from their scheduled pick-up points and could not leave the entire morning’s operation and other passengers waiting indefinitely. Nevertheless, you were not simply left without assistance. The driver returned, contacted a local taxi service on your behalf and provided you with their contact details so that you could communicate directly with them until the vehicle arrived. We understand that the taxi subsequently experienced some difficulty identifying your exact roadside location, but unfortunately this was outside our driver’s control. We completely understand that being in an unfamiliar location while your partner was unwell was stressful, and we accept that the communication from our driver could have been clearer and more reassuring. We will certainly discuss this internally so that our drivers are better prepared to communicate in similar unexpected situations in the future. At the same time, we feel it is important to distinguish between poor communication and a failure to provide assistance. The driver stopped when requested, returned after completing the immediate pick-up obligation, arranged a taxi when asked, provided the taxi company’s contact information and ensured that a solution had been arranged before continuing with the other passengers he was responsible for collecting. Regarding your concern about what would happen to a solo traveller, each situation is assessed individually. A passenger who was alone, seriously unwell or unable to safely look after themselves would obviously require a different level of assistance. Thankfully, in this instance your partner was accompanied by you, was able to communicate, and transportation back to your hotel was successfully arranged. We are genuinely sorry that illness prevented you from experiencing the excursion you had booked. We also appreciate your feedback regarding the communication, which we will use constructively. However, we hope you can also appreciate that this was an unexpected medical situation outside the control of our company, and that our driver had responsibilities towards all of the other guests travelling that morning as well. We wish your partner good health and hope the remainder of your stay in Zakynthos was much more enjoyable. Kind regards, Smart Holidays

via Tripadvisor

Unhelpful tour operator

We were booked onto this trip this morning (which helpfully includes hotel pick up). Unfortunately, during the journey from the hotel to boat my partner became very unwell and we asked the driver to pull over. We got out and he was sick on the side of the road. We completely understand that this meant he was unable to continue with the excursion. Getting sick isn't anybody's fault, and we don't feel it would be fair to review the boat trip itself as we never actually got to experience it. What we are disappointed about, however, was how the situation was handled. The driver told us he had other travellers to collect and would return shortly, so he left us on the side of the road while my boyfriend was being sick. When the driver returned, he told us we should get our belongings from the bus and call a taxi to take us back to the hotel. I explained that I didn't know where we were, don’t speak Greek and didn't have any contact details for a taxi service, and asked him to arrange one for us. He was reluctant but after I insisted he eventually made the call. We were told the taxi would arrive in around 15 minutes and the driver passed along the taxi firm’s contact details.The driver then left us waiting by the roadside. After 15 minutes, the taxi still hadn't arrived, and when I phoned the taxi company they said that the driver was struggling to find us. I had to give them an additional description of our surroundings before the taxi eventually located us and we were able to get safely back to our hotel. We appreciate that the driver had other passengers to collect and that he couldn't necessarily stay with us indefinitely. However, there could have been more assistance in making sure that we had a safe and reliable way back to the hotel before leaving us, particularly as we were in an unfamiliar area and my boyfriend was still unwell. The overall communication about what to do from the driver was really poor and I suspect he hadn’t been prepared for a situation like this. It made what was already a difficult experience even more stressful. We’re also concerned about what would happen if a solo traveller was in my boyfriend’s position - the only reason the driver called the taxi service was my insisting, so would someone more vulnerable have been left by the roadside to sort themselves out? We also happened to be the first pickup of the morning and the minibus was late arriving to collect us, which wasn't ideal, although this was a relatively minor issue compared with what happened afterwards. So we didn’t have the full experience, but we really aren’t impressed by what we’ve seen.

Response from the operator: Θα απαντούσα ψύχραιμα αλλά σταθερά. Δεν θα έγραφα ότι «στη Ζάκυνθο δεν υπάρχουν ταξί», γιατί ουσιαστικά ενισχύει το επιχείρημά τους ότι έπρεπε να βοηθηθούν. Το δυνατό σημείο σας είναι άλλο: η αδιαθεσία προέκυψε ξαφνικά και δεν οφειλόταν στην υπηρεσία, ο οδηγός είχε και άλλους πελάτες που έπρεπε να παραλάβει, παρ’ όλα αυτά επικοινώνησε με ταξί και τους έδωσε τα στοιχεία επικοινωνίας, και τελικά επέστρεψαν με ασφάλεια στο ξενοδοχείο. Μπορείς παράλληλα να αναγνωρίσεις ότι θα μπορούσε να υπάρξει καλύτερη επικοινωνία. Θα έστελνα αυτό: Dear Guest, Thank you for taking the time to explain what happened. We are sorry that your partner became unwell that morning, and we hope he recovered quickly. We would, however, like to provide some context regarding the way the situation was handled. Your partner unfortunately became unwell during the transfer and before the excursion had even begun, for reasons completely unrelated to the excursion or the transportation service provided by us. Once it became clear that he could not continue, our driver was also responsible for collecting the remaining guests from their scheduled pick-up points and could not leave the entire morning’s operation and other passengers waiting indefinitely. Nevertheless, you were not simply left without assistance. The driver returned, contacted a local taxi service on your behalf and provided you with their contact details so that you could communicate directly with them until the vehicle arrived. We understand that the taxi subsequently experienced some difficulty identifying your exact roadside location, but unfortunately this was outside our driver’s control. We completely understand that being in an unfamiliar location while your partner was unwell was stressful, and we accept that the communication from our driver could have been clearer and more reassuring. We will certainly discuss this internally so that our drivers are better prepared to communicate in similar unexpected situations in the future. At the same time, we feel it is important to distinguish between poor communication and a failure to provide assistance. The driver stopped when requested, returned after completing the immediate pick-up obligation, arranged a taxi when asked, provided the taxi company’s contact information and ensured that a solution had been arranged before continuing with the other passengers he was responsible for collecting. Regarding your concern about what would happen to a solo traveller, each situation is assessed individually. A passenger who was alone, seriously unwell or unable to safely look after themselves would obviously require a different level of assistance. Thankfully, in this instance your partner was accompanied by you, was able to communicate, and transportation back to your hotel was successfully arranged. We are genuinely sorry that illness prevented you from experiencing the excursion you had booked. We also appreciate your feedback regarding the communication, which we will use constructively. However, we hope you can also appreciate that this was an unexpected medical situation outside the control of our company, and that our driver had responsibilities towards all of the other guests travelling that morning as well. We wish your partner good health and hope the remainder of your stay in Zakynthos was much more enjoyable. Kind regards, Smart Holidays

via Viator

I got an unforgettable experience

Everything went very excitingly. Organisation at the highest level)

via Tripadvisor

Captain Kostas! Amazing host, experience and value.

We read all of the reviews of the Shipwreck Cove and Blue caves and Theodosis were always one of the best if you wanted to see both. We deliberated if the travel time for us was worth it given we’re staying on mainland Greece. However we would 100% recommend Theodosis and this absolutely amazing experience which was made even better by our host Kostas, who had an incredible knowledge and passion for the area, is extremely skilled in navigating the caves and kept us amused throughout. He also has a great music selection with each song picked for the experience it seemed! We would certainly recommend Theodosis and Kostas and will definitely go back next time we‘re In Zakynthos.

via Tripadvisor