Let's try Zante again! A trip back to the Greek party island, famous for its 'sun and sex' strip, that once terrified British parents of teenagers

Surrounded by olive groves and grapevines, I'm fanning myself lazily and sipping a glass of crisp Avgoustiati white wine.

'Zante's not quite how I remembered it,' says my friend Hannah, as we nibble parcels of homemade spanakopita and our glasses are refreshed.

I'm here with five friends for a girls' holiday on the Greek island of Zakynthos, enjoying some of the 25,000 bottles of wines produced here each year at the Goumas Wine Estate, a family-run vineyard in a particularly remote corner of the island.

The last time any of us were here was ten years ago, on a post-A Levels trip largely spent drinking cheap booze on sticky dance floors, and getting burnt on overcrowded beaches while nursing sore heads.

Indeed, Zakynthos, or 'Zante', as it's usually referred to, is probably best known to most Britons for its strip, Laganas: a mile-long stretch in the island's south populated by clubs, bars and, perhaps tellingly, numerous A&E facilities.

Patrolled by partygoers in football shirts and mini skirts, it's no accident that the island featured repeatedly on Channel 4's notorious 2010s reality show: Sun, Sex and Suspicious Parents. Zante certainly serves a purpose for those after a big, boozy, blowout trip.

But now in our late 20s, my friends and I are after a holiday with a touch more sophistication – and to see what Zante has to offer in corners unspoiled by British teenagers.

The days of shared dorms and party hostels firmly behind us, we've opted for a villa on the east of the island, in the town of Tsilivi, where there are beach bars and local tavernas aplenty – yet far enough away from the excess and mayhem of Laganas. 

If Zante's south is known for partying and its north exclusive beach clubs, the Goldilocks east coast offers something happily in the middle.

With four double bedrooms and our own private pool, Villa Diamond – our home for the week – is stylish and spacious, surrounded by undulating fields where goats graze and chickens perch in olive trees.

It's the perfect location for our busy agenda: we spend our days reading and sunbathing in between games of table tennis and laps of the pool.

And rather than subsist on €1 pizza slices and kebabs, as many Brits here tend to do, we're keen to enjoy some of the island's fresh produce this time around.

With its fertile land, Zakynthos is known for its 'liquid gold' extra-virgin olive oil, ladotiri – a hard, spicy cheese made with goat's milk – and sticky slices of nougat. 

We stock up each day at the village shop for fabulous Mediterranean lunches, before heading shoreside for evening meals at family-run fish restaurant, Taverna by the Sea Paradeisos – so good we visit more than once during the week.

But with our budgets a little more forgiving this time around, we treat ourselves one evening and sample Zante's 'finer dining' offerings.

Past our usual beachside taverna spots, we wind up the hill to Prosilio, a contemporary Mediterranean restaurant surrounded by a smattering of swanky Olive Tree Houses (where guests can stay) that wouldn't look out of place at Soho Farmhouse. 

With elegant, solid oak tables set around a sleek concrete bar, lo-fi ambient music playing in the background and what feels like a dedicated server for each of us, there's a touch of Mykonos glamour, without the snootiness or the price tags.

And the food certainly lives up to the elevated tone. We feast on plates of velvety semi-cured seabass with lemony samphire, baked Grouper and delicate pieces of cuttlefish. Each plate is as beautifully presented as the last.

Yet despite the polished atmosphere and the elegantly presented food, there's a warmth to the service at Prosilio that I come to associate with Zante more broadly by the end of our trip.

Away from the harsh lights of the nightclubs, the friendliness of the island takes us somewhat by surprise.

A visit to a local spot, the Mango Beach Bar, one evening turns into an invitation to the owner's – and the bar's – birthday party. 

We spend the following night dancing to Greek 90s pop classics, alongside grandparents and grandchildren alike.

The lack of Uber (due to strict Greek regulations) also means we come to befriend several of the local drivers – and get fantastic recommendations in doing so, including our favourite beach spot, Alykes Bay – a quieter stretch of coast that feels worlds away from the shores of Laganas.

Driving home one afternoon, after a session of sunning and swimming, we ask our driver what he thinks of Zante's strip and its partygoers.

'You can go there if you want,' he says, shaking his head. 'But this is not our culture'.

Partying and overindulgence might be what the island is known for back home but after a week among beach tavernas, family-run vineyards and local celebrations, it's a reputation that feels decidedly ill-fitting.

Indeed, we might once have gone to Zante, but we leave having got to know Zakynthos.