The hottest spot on the Greek island of Zante (or Zakynthos), particularly with the British 18-30 party crowd, is the resort of Laganas, situated on Zante's south west coast. The resort boasts one of the longest beaches on the Mediterranean, with five and a half miles (9km) of golden sand, washed by warm, translucent waters. The beach is a conservation area for about 1,300 loggerhead turtles that nest on it each year, and visitors are asked to take care not to disturb the nests. This is also the reason for a ban on watersports on Laganas beach. The beach is lined with hotels and apartment blocks, and the town is crammed with restaurants, bars and nightclubs. Having been turned into a holiday fun-spot, there is not much of the traditional Greek island atmosphere left in Laganas, but just a little way out of the resort one can still find authentic Greek villages and peaceful countryside.