Beautiful Kefalonia 2021

Kefalonia is one of those destinations that I have been wanting to visit for many, many years. The sister island to both Zakynthos and Corfu, she is located in the Greek Ionian Sea. She is famous for her beautiful beaches & coves, plus her interesting mountainous landscape makes her a little bit different to the other Greek islands that I have visited. She is also less busy with tourists, because she has a smaller airport & is much more rural than the other islands too.

Finally the time had arrived for me to travel to Kefalonia - September 2021 - (this was even more “long-waited” since my booking had been moved 3 times due to the global pandemic.)

The flights aren’t as frequent as many of the other Greek islands too. The airport is also quieter ( only room for 3 aircraft standing on the tarmac) & once we had landed, we queued in the sunshine to have our passports checked.

In my opinion wherever you stay on the island you would much benefit from hiring a small car. Much of this surprisingly large island is extremely rural with narrow roads to get from A to B.

My last trip to Greece was back in 1998 to Skiathos, and so my relationship with Greece had been on hold for a long, long time ! What I had forgotten about was the beautiful beaches with clear turquoise waters - most of the beaches in Kefalonia have been awarded with Blue Flag status - particularly for their cleanliness. Having the flexibility of hiring a car means exploring the island is a really fun activity; discovering the island’s amazing coastline & beaches. Many of these are organised with a taverna & sunbeds… but some of which are isolated and secluded.

We also used our hire-car to take us north to the famous Melissani Lake. This lake was originally hidden, inside a cave… but back in the 1950s when an earthquake struck the island, the roof of the cave fell in, revealing the hidden lake below. Between 12pm and 2pm on a sunny day, the rays of the sun produce a spectacular show of turquoise colours in the water, in the lake below. Visitors enter the cave through an underground pathway, and then can actually step into a boat to tour the cave. I would highly recommend that you visit this lake. Your trip will be short and sweet, with boat trips around the cave lasting only about 15 minutes. This is a unforgettable & magical place, the colours of the water are just breathtaking beautiful.

Another destination not to be missed is the famous beach where Captain Corellis Mandolin was filmed. The beach called Antisamos is reached on a steep windy road, and is surrounded by green hills and lush vegetation. Here you will find a couple of tavernas and plenty of organised sunbeds … again the water is an unbelievably beautiful colour.

The capital of the island Argostoli has plenty of shops to keep you entertained. The main shopping area is pedestrianised, & here you will find clothes boutiques, souvenir shops and jewellery shops. There is also a pretty harbour-front which you can walk along, where you find a variety of boats offering to take you out for the day. Lots of the shops are selling local produce, such as Olive Oil and honey. There are plenty of nice places to eat out here too. Eating out is extremely reasonably priced.

The two main tourist resorts are Lassi and Skala. Skala was originally a fishing village, & is now famous for its long sandy beach. Here you will find plenty of bars, restaurants, cafes and mini-markets.

Lassi is closer to the airport, and feels busier. It is home to 2 of the most famous beaches on the island; Platis Gialos & Makris Gialos. Both of these are surrounded by lush green hills, and like many of the other beaches on the island are quite steep to reach (take good shoes with you!)

In conclusion I would say the perfect day spent on Kefalonia would be exploring & finding the perfect beach, swimming in the clear waters, then perhaps catching-up with your favourite book… Then into a taverna to enjoy some shade over a nice long lunch, perhaps you will choose the souvlaki chicken, accompanied with olives and bread…. Or will it be the home-made moussaka with Greek lemon potatoes..?

If this sounds like your perfect sort of holiday, do get in touch with me, as I have plenty more secrets that I can tell you about this magical island.

For me, it did not disappoint, and it was definitely love at first sight! My only complaint was that I couldn’t stay longer !