A Visit to Captain Correlli country
The 4-hour flight from Gatwick landed us at the small, but expanding, airport at Argostoli, and arrivals, luggage collection and car hire pick up was quick and painless, though getting used to driving on the 'wrong' side of the road through tiny Greek villages took a little longer.
The island has not yet succumbed to mass tourism and overdevelopment, and is a wonderful mix of wild landscapes, pine forests and lovely beaches. Usually, at that time of year the Greek island holiday season is just starting, so the weather can be a little unpredictable. Luckily not for us! Every one of our nine days was a blissful hot day, with blue skies and warm sunshine. For some of the locals it was apparently too warm - and they are used to it!
We split our stay between two parts of the island. The first 6 nights in the south of the island, at Skala, and then a few nights at the end near the main city of the island, Argostoli, staying in Lassi. We chose well for both our accommodations. At Skala, we booked a split-level apartment at Natalie's Apartment Hotel, towards the top of the town, but great for an easy walk to the main street, with its multitude of restaurants, shops and bars. Very modern, with attentive staff, Natalie's gave us a spacious room, looking towards the sea, with a great balcony for thirst-quenching sundowners. As we were leaving, we sadly missed being able to use their newly opening swimming pool, with pool-side bar, which is a fantastic addition to this property.
Our stay in Lassi, was at the bigger and more spread-out Silo Apartments, with a large, inviting swimming pool, with plenty of loungers and much-needed umbrellas to allow occasional shelter from the scorching rays. With an on-site restaurant, and easy access to the popular Makris Gialos beach, this was a great spot. Just a 10-minute walk took you to the main street with a fantastic choice of restaurants, serving everything from traditional Greek food- you must try the Kefalonia pies – to burgers and chips. And I can never get enough calamari.
The beaches of Kefalonia are stunning; clearly no cinematography tricks were needed in the film. Crystal clear sea and golden sand all around the island, with the highlight for me being the beach at Antisamos. This was used as the setting for the Italian army camp in the film and is close to the re-built town of Sami, which became the location for most of film shots, with quite a bit of set designing to recreate 1940's Kefalonia.
This does bring me to the only downside of a visit to Kefalonia. The devastating earthquake of 1953 destroyed nearly every building on the island, so most of the architecture of Kefalonia is 1950’s onwards. So, if it’s classic Greek buildings and historic temples you are looking for, this would not be the place to come. However, the warmth of the people, the amazing beaches and delicious food more than makes up for the missing monuments.
There is one town that did survive the earthquake largely intact. A lovely boat cruise up from Skala took us to the far northern tip of the island, and the pretty fishing village of Fiskado. Here you can still feel the authentic atmosphere of an island that made it’s living from fishing. The village is still predominately made up of Venetian style houses, quirky narrow streets, and of course, some delightful restaurants lining the harbour. Well worth the diversion.
To sum up, without the large resorts and big hotel developments and their necessary accompaniments, Kefalonia would probably not suit the holidaymaker looking for hedonism and parties, but with its stunning beaches, breath-taking mountains and valleys, great restaurants and friendly warm locals, it offers a variety of activities and holiday options for everyone; from couple looking for romance and serenity, to families who want to just laze by the pool or on the beach, or enjoy all the usual water sports.
If you are looking for that special Greek experience, get yourself to Kefalonia before everyone else discovers it.