Optional extras include massage, lymph drainage and reflexology. One memorable lunch was taken at a taverna inland where owner Costas invited us after the meal into a tiny living room and sang a song of such haunting beauty that I would go back again just to hear him. Vanessa and Johnny are well known and loved around the island and their presence opens doors into worlds that most tourists never see. This was always outdoors, and could be peaceful or raucous depending on the mood of different groups and the amount of wine being drunk. I was not too sure about some of the organised relaxation activities.
Laughter is very restorative.
Homer mentions Zakynthos, calling it the 'woody island' and notes in the Iliad that its men were among the crew of Odysseus's twelve crimson-prowed ships. The tourist board claims Homer also said that all who come to the island fall under its spell. The lack of building on the shore line in the north makes it easy to indulge in Odyssey fantasies if you take a boat or kayak out into the bay. Odysseus's tomb is said to be on neighbouring Cephalonia, of which we will soon be hearing much when Captain Corelli's Mandolin is released early next month. If you want an intensive yoga holiday or to entrust your psyche to a guru, then Peligoni is probably not for you.