Kicking our heels in Kefalonia

Liz Penn on 30 August 2019
I absolutely love Greece and Kefalonia is somewhere that has certainly featured in my wish-list for some time, so when I was fortunate enough to receive a travel agent offer from Sunvil I seized the opportunity! We chose the Kaminakia apartments, within walking distance of Fiskardo, as we wanted to be close to town but also wanted a pool to enjoy. The apartments are basic but comfortable and were perfectly suited for our needs – after all, we were there to explore Fiskardo, Kefalonia and the neighbouring Ionian island of Ithaca, so who needs the Ritz?

I was curious to know more about Sunvil as a tour operator, after all, they are experts in Greece, with 50 years’ experience in the country. With this is mind, we went along to the orientation meeting, something I actively avoid a lot of the time! It soon became clear that many of our fellow travellers were loyal Sunvil fans, so the hints and tips went beyond the level of first-timer orientation as Anna and Maria provided personal and invaluable information about the island. After the meeting we decided to sign up for their one and only tour offer, more of which later.

We spent the rest of our first full day exploring Fiskardo, which attracts a disproportionate amount of attention for its small size, largely as it was untouched by the most recent earthquake and much of the original Venetian architecture remains. I have to admit, day time in the high season would undoubtedly be relatively hellish, however, come down in the evenings and it’s a wonderful blend of boutique-browsing, cocktail-sipping, waterfront-dining, whilst first thing in the morning you can watch the harbour wake up, with locals hailing each other as they brush down their doorsteps.

The following day was my birthday and we hired a small motor boat to pootle around the coast, checking out local coves. This is absolutely one of my favourite ways to spend a day on an island, as you can so often find a deserted little beach that can’t be reached by road or even on foot and we found several to enjoy. The company we hired from provided a cool box and refreshments and we picked up a picnic from one of the two mini-markets plus some goodies from a lovely deli, so we had a marvellous time.

After a day recuperating around the pool and more pottering around Fiskardo we decided we really should see more of the island and Anna pointed us in the direction of the local car hire agency. The next morning we picked the car up and headed down to Skala, right on the south-eastern tip of the island, known for its incredibly long, sandy beach, something of a rarity in the north. En route, we stopped off at a viewpoint overlooking photogenic Assos and then took the winding road down to have breakfast at the equally photogenic harbour. We then passed one of the most photographed beaches in all of Greece, Myrtos. It looks stunning but you’ll need to get there early to bag one of the parasols! We wound our way through the mountainous countryside via Agia Effimia, a lovely, sleepy harbour town and an accidental drive the wrong way down a one-way street, but we were following a lorry, so no one could argue with us…eventually winding up at Sami, a working harbour with a huge number of water-side restaurants and a ferry over to Ithaca. The afternoon was spent lounging around in Skala and enjoying the novelty of sand between toes, before the drive back to Fiskardo. I would certainly recommend getting out and about and I think Skala would be an ideal base for families.

Before leaving the beauty of Kefalonia behind we had one last treat in store. Sunvil charter a boat and take a small group over for an evening in Ithaca. For those looking for authentic Greece this is hard to beat. On arrival into Polis Bay you feel like you’ve stepped back in time as you wind your way up from the harbour full of colourful fishing boats to the top of the island. Here we visited the Monastery of Katharon, learning about the monks who used to live here and why it is still a place of pilgrimage. It’s super-windy up there but the views over to Ithaca’s capital, Vathy, are truly panoramic. From here we were taken to tiny Anogi, a village with a shop that reminded me of Granville’s from the original ‘Open All Hours’, with boxes of Tide and bags of sugar. In these unlikely surroundings we were treated to a Grecian feast – too many appetizers to mention followed by communal servings of a local chicken dish or vegetable moussaka – delicious! If this wasn’t special enough, we were then shown the remarkable church next door, dating back to the 12th Century and covered in extraordinary murals. The church was originally built without windows, to avoid attracting the attention of pirates who would regularly raid churches for their valuable religious artefacts, so once the threat of pirates had vanished and they decided to add windows they bored holes right through some paintings!

Our time on Kefalonia was up and it was one of those trips where a week felt both incredibly long, as we had seen so much and yet all too short. It is without doubt somewhere I would return and recommend and I can certainly advise where and when you should think about going yourself, so you know where I am when you want to find out more.