Nefis VIP Excursions

My sister and I did 2 of Nefis VIP trips and highly recommend them. the 2 guides were so knowledgeable and entertaining. we hsd Mariska for the Blue Caves and Shipwreck Beach. we had Jackie for the Back to the Roots trip. She has a great singing voice by the way. We went this September and had wonderful weather for the trips. Well done Nefis for two very interesting tours. We didn't get bored for one moment.

My partner and I have visited Zakynthos many times. This year we did two tours with VIP Nefis the best ever tours Back to the Roots explained some the island history as all the other comments say Jackie is a brilliant guide Then we went to Kefalonia  and stopped at that magical taverna with swordfish heads in the trees. What a setting for lunch I do hope Takis has a chance to have some kefalonia meat pie, he deserves some for being such a good careful driver

Na vele jaren vakantie op Zakynthos, eindelijk DE organisatie gevonden voor unieke dagtochtjes. Nefis Travel biedt excursies die je bij de anderen niet vindt ... en voor een goede prijs (ook belangrijk) Vorig jaar 2 excursies gedaan. Gisteren de vakantie weer geboekt en nu op de website van Nefis al aan het kijken wat we dit jaar willen gaan doen. Super!

Super! Na vele jaren vakantie op Zakynthos, hebben we eindelijk DE organisatie gevonden die unieke dagtochtjes aanbiedt. ... en niet te duur (ook belangrijk). Afgelopen zomer hebben we 2 excursies gedaan. De vakantie is inmiddels weer geboekt en ik ben op de website van Nefis al aan het kijken wat we dit jaar willen gaan doen.

.  Iwent to Zante the 1st two weeks of June and went on  the Nefis Travel back to the roots tour.I thought it was a brilliant tour.I have been to Zante many times but I learnt so much more and saw so much of this beautiful island.Jackie is a great guide and the whole day was so informative and enjoyable.This tour is a must for everyone.

Zante is a beautiful island and the best way i found to explore this island was to go on NEFIS TRAVEL V.I.P.TOURS.They have trips to the shipwreck,keri turtle spotting,and bus trip Back to the roots plus many more,The thing i liked best was that the trips only have small no of people on them so its more personal.Jackie Boots is an excellant tour guide,the amount of knowledge jackie knows about the island,is just unbelievable,Iwould recommend all the tours to anybody that would  like to see the island.Certanly a holiday to remember,thanks to jackie and here team.for such wonderful tours,Iwill definetly be going back to zante,going on NEFIS TRAVEL TOURS.

 My partner and I went to Zakynthos for the first time last year. Internet research saw the name Nefis coming up a lot. We made contact with Jackie and booked our tour pre-arrival. Like the lady before we were in Kalamaki but this posed no problem for Jackie, she arranged for us to be picked up and meet the bus in Zakynthos town. We went on the back to roots tour. This is an absolute must for first timers to the Island. We learnt so much, Jackie's knowledge combined with interesting stories made it a very memorable day. The tour was superb and I would strongly recommend it to anyone. The concept of carrying the tour out on a small bus (15 people) was excellent too - much more personal

We had the great peace of mind of booking the trip before we left, the company were friendly and easy to get in contact with as well as very helpful! They picked us up from Kalamaki with no extra charge which was brilliant! They offered to come and meet us at our hotel to give us our tickets and receive payment, but as we were visiting Tsvili anyway, we went to the office during our stay. The trip itself to Shipwreck bay and the Blue Caves was brilliant, Jackie was a great tour guide, her commentary and stories about the island were really fascinating and we loved her Greek Mythology story on the coach journey home! The timing all seemed perfect, the trip ran smoothly and was a very chilled-out day, with beautiful sights and loads of great photos! We'd recommend this trip and this company without hesitation, if we're back on the island we'll definitely be back to try out the other trips! The restaurant we stopped at for lunch was wonderful, 'Nikos' great views and food :) . Also they don't forget about you after you've left, I left my camera case on the coach, and they made every effort to find it and are returning it to me in the post, so pleased with he whole service! Thanks for such a wonderful day! Lee and Alicia (18)

 We took two trips with Nefis travel while on holiday . Back to the roots was really good you get to visit all the real greek delights on the island the museum we visited was charming and the little taverna that we stopped at for lunch was lovely and so out of the way you would'nt no its there if they did'nt take you . well worth it . We also took the shipwreck tour which was also very good Jackie was so friendly and seemed tn know everything there was to know about the island .

I have to say I was definitely looking foreword to visiting the shipwreck when we went to tsilivi, Zante. We went with first choice, and on the welcome morning realised that their prices were a bit ott, and so went out looking at local touring companies. We found a few, price ranges were all about the same but most pushed for 'comfort' of the 100 plus cramped boats of luxury. When we came across Nefis travel they had a different view, small speed boat, our trip had only 14 people, it was very private and auxilerating. We were the first to the shipwreck that morning, actually got the boat into the tiny caves for some amazing pictures. The guide was very knowledgeable, being a Londoner but living in Zante for 22 years she really knew about the roots of the island. Had a beautiful time at the spa beach also and the meal we had at the end brought more beautiful views of the sea and the Greek tiramasu is definitely a must to try here! Their trip really made our holiday, thanks to all at Nefis for going out of their way to make our trip one to remember for a lifetime :) x

Jackie, thank you very much for your assistance and the tours through our wonderful Zakynthos!

Thank you from your kind help throuhg email, while I was still in Brazil, in order to arrange the flights booking with Zakyta, your suggestions for accomodation and so on.

We really enjoyed your VIP Back to the Roots through the Island, lots of historical information from Zakynthos, nature, fantastic food at that Taverna!!! The Beef Ragout was outstanding!!! Please thank that beloved lady once again for me! And congratulations also for being an adorable singer! We enjoyed your show!!! Let us know here in Brazil when you will record your cd!!! That first slow song you sang alone in the beggining keeps crossing my mind from time to time. Really beautiful! Can you tell me its name?

Frank and Carole 

We visited our local Nefis Travel office where we met the irrepressibly amiable Bev.  She encouraged us to sign up for two VIP tours: the Back to Roots & Uptown Downtown.  The two tours served up a healthy dollop of the real Zakynthos experience.  Our charming and entertaining guide was the highly motivated and multilingual director of the tour company, Jackie Boots-Glavas.   Jackie worked hard to keep us entertained while we travelled, communicating primarily in English and courteously in her native language to the Dutch people on tour.  The first tour took us through several the mountain villages until we reached the Vertzago Country museum which charted over a century of everyday life on the island.  Next we stopped at a traditional market shop where Tasia and her mama offered a plethora of traditional crafts and confections for sale.  This is meant to be a 'breakfast' stop, but you are advised to eat your normal breakfast before setting out.  Admittedly the samplings are fresh and delicious and will leave you desiring more.  We then proceeded to the ancient chapel within the fortified Monastery of Saint George before grabbing a panoramic view of the famous Shipwreck Bay, where the vividly azure waters really do sparkle even when the sun is obscured by cloud.  The talented Jackie is truly becoming an island celebrity.  When she wasn't singing traditional Ionian kantades alongside our host after lunch in an old hideaway taverna in Giri, she was regaling us with local botanical lore, tales from ancient Greek mythology, historical snippets from Zakynthos' Byzantine and Venetian periods, and the island's pivotal role in the struggle for Greek nationhood.  After all our adventures, it was pleasant to relax in one of several terraced cafes overlooking the picturesque port of Keri with views of Turtle Island, before returning to our resorts.  The second tour is really just a local hop to nearby Zakynthos town.  Jackie first introduced us to a local beauty spot with exhilarating views called Lofos Strani, where the poet Solomos composed the verses that were later incorporated into the Greek national anthem.  We were then transported a couple of miles to the magnificent Church of Agios Dionysios to view the impressive icons, murals, iconostasis and the solid silver casket containing the island's patron saint.  All this culture can make you ravenous and so after a short stroll around Solomos and St Mark's Squares we stopped at a quaint taverna providing live Greek bouzouki music and singing while we ate.  Fully fed, watered and entertained we returned to our resorts by coach several hours later.  So impressed were we by the friendliness and efficiency of everyone at Nefis Travel, we booked further tours to see the Turtles, Olympia and Kefelonia with the same company all of which were highly enjoyable and undoubted highlights of our two week holiday in May 2011.

We, Dutch familly, two children 11 and 13 years old, dad, mum, and grandparents went on the VIP tour with Jackie last summer, August 2010. We have been to lovely places, away from the crowd so it makes you feel special. Also Jackie knows a lot about the history of the Isle. The children also loved it, Jackie also speaks German and Dutch so they had no problem when Jackie told the old Greek sagas. They still talk about it! We have really enjoyed the trip. Jackie takes you to a hidden taverna where you can eat real traditional meals under the grapeleaves and with a cool drink in your hand and life music as Jackie knows a lot of traditional songs wich she sings together with the owner of the taverna. Our favorite by far is the song Nefeli. We did'nt stayed in Tsilivi but in Agios Sostis. No problem for Jackie! She just pickes you up wherever you stay.

myself with my two young girls and two nieces did Jackie's VIP back to the roots tour with Nefis travel oct 2010, well what can I say? It was fantastic, Jackie you were great at giving us the insight to the Greek mathology and this impressed Sherridan my youngest as she is so passionate about history and the Greek Gods so to get an 8yr old listening was brill.

We walked through small villages where Jackie was going into the history and then when we had lunch we stopped at a lovely small traverna where it was just our small group of 18, Jackie and the owner sang traditional Greek folk songs with the guitar which was so lovely and the food was great.

If anyone goes to Tsilivi next year they should go to Nefis travel around the corner from Popeyes towards Tom and Johns and book her trips as you will have the most enjoyable trips and as they are not so many people it it more personal and she has time to talk to everyone.

Jackie you were amazing with your knowledge of the Island and I really hope to see you in the next year or so to do Kefalonia. Nefis travel is simply the best!!!

We also did the Uptown down town trip where we went into Zante town for the evening, we stopped at a stunning viewpoint over looking Tsilivi and then down into town to the church of St Dionesis where he lays in a silver casket with his body naturally perserved and this is how he has become a saint. The tarverna we had food in was lovely and again Jackie sang with the other Greek singers. This was lovely and the waiters were fab with the kids. A lovely evening. Thanks for making my return to the beautiful Island of Zante.xxx

Just returned from a week in Zakynthos (July 2010) and whilst we were there took a VIP Back to Roots tour. It was a fabulous day out, which takes you to off the beaten track to places where tourists would not normally go. From mountain villages to beautiful sandy beaches to the monastery and the oldest olive tree on the island and much more - with loads of stories of Greek mythology and history thrown in). As there were only 14 of us on this trip we felt we really were getting VIP treatment. I would highly recommend this trip (we went with a 12 year old who also had a great day - he especially enojoyed the traditional Greek breakfast). Thank you Jackie, you obviously love your job. Alison, Allan and Jack. Glasgow, Scotland