"Packed It, Booked It, Flew Off" Top 5 Page for this destination Cefalonia Island by zizkov

Cefalonia Island Travel Guide: 149 reviews and 291 photos

Summer Dream

Well, the above quote will be (almost) familiar to any fans of comedian Peter Kay, and it is almost the quickest I have ever gone on a holiday - booked on a Friday evening and around 36 hours later I am sitting in a plane at Manchester. Unlike Peter Kay, I wasn't sitting glued to Teletext, but booked online direct with Kosmar. (£179 for a week in July- I'd call that a bargain).

Not sure entirely what I would be ending up with, beyond a basic apartment up a hill, but when I got there - well, decide for yourself if you might like that view ;-)

Summer Dream apartment in the village of Vlachata, resort of Lourdas. View out over the olive groves, over the village to the blue, blue sea, to Zakynthos. The Greek village sounds all around - tinkling of sheep and goat bells, the cicadas in the olives, the crowing of the roosters, the donkey eeyoring.

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Argostoli from San Giorgio

Tranquil villages, houses handed down through generations, the unchanging rural landscape - not exactly. Apart from the impact of tourism, which whilst major, does not dominate the island, what shaped the island was a cataclysmic earthquake in 1953. This left the human landscape of the island devastated. As far as I have gleaned, Fiskardo, at the northern tip, was the only place unaffected: in Argostoli, the capital, only the bridge and about 4 or 5 buildings were left standing.

As it took several years to repair the damage, a lot of islanders left. And when the damage was repaired, a lot of non-islanders moved in.

In my current homepage pic, I am in fact lounging at the harbour of Poros, Kefalonia.

Breakfast

Now, almost every morning I would breakfast on the balcony (whilst my mate went for the 'English breakfast' at the next door apartments).

It was nice and warm (of course) but the sun didn't wheel round to the balcony until about 10:30. So not yet scorching, and it did shine onto the village below, and Zakynthos opposite.

So here we have: orange juice from Cyprus (I couldn'y find any from Greece); sheeps milk Greek yoghurt (mmm, interesting); coffee (though I never quite got the hang of making it Greek style); a peach from the fruit market in Argostli (probably island grown, I certainly saw peach trees); and half a baklava (they are very rich), from the bakery in Argostili (see shopping tip).

PS - the 'English Breakfast' - good, but Cyprus was better, and cheaper: Greek baked beans don't cut the mustard, apparently.

Pros and Cons

Pros:Just about everything
Cons:Need own transport to get about; too quiet for party animals (hey, that's probably a pro)
In a nutshell:Quintessential Greek Island

Last visit to Cefalonia Island: Jul 2005
Intro Updated Aug 18, 2005
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Reviews (14)

Karavados Graveyard Things to Do (6)

I'm not one to gothically haunt graveyards, but I will tend to pop in if I see an interesting one. And I don't know if I... more travel advice

Kanali Beach Off The Beaten Path (3)

The beach at Lourdas stretches about 4km, from Lourdas Beach to Trapezaki Beach. These parts have the tavernas,... more travel advice

About five minutes from here! - Cefalonia Island

Greek Barbeque Restaurants (1)

More a grill than a bbq, nothing fancy, but cheap and tasty. Situated by the giant plane tree in the centre of Lourdata,... more travel advice

Myrtos - caution on the roads - Cefalonia Island

Mountain Roads Warnings Or Dangers (2)

Now, Kefalonia has big mountains down the middle, mainly steeply sloping down to the coast. But people still have to get... more travel advice

Transportation (1)
Ferries to Mainland

Shopping (1)
Greek Bakery

Travelogues (1)

Written Aug 3, 2005

8 photos

Beaches of Kefalonia

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Comments (12)

whitecliff62 Sep 20, 2006 at 9:40 AM Report Abuse

Boy could i do with some of that Greek sun and sand right now lol, great stuff.
magor65 Jun 29, 2006 at 8:14 AM Report Abuse

Great page - so full of information but with personal touch. Yes, Greek coffee is something I didn't like, either but there are so many other delicious things to enjoy!
ettenaj Jun 6, 2006 at 11:36 AM Report Abuse

I adore Cefalonia but hate the roads!!!!
ChristinaNest May 27, 2006 at 1:42 AM Report Abuse

Nice page and great photos! I still have to visit our southern neighbour... Greetings from Sofia
Purpleshade May 10, 2006 at 1:22 AM Report Abuse

Good warnings. Lesley
TheWanderingCamel Apr 30, 2006 at 8:20 AM Report Abuse

It all looks gorgeous - as for the Captain and his mandolin - don't bother with the film , it's a travesty - rtead the book! leyle
nickandchris Apr 18, 2006 at 4:00 AM Report Abuse

Excellent info and pics. I didn't think Myrtos was worth the drive...... we ended up with a puncture on the beach!!! Oh, those souvlaki and gyros in pitta. My mouth is watering.........!!!!
ludogatto Dec 22, 2005 at 5:24 AM Report Abuse

Great pages...I hope I can scanner my Grece slides - 200 - and put some more Baja California...stay tuned...I see u have cats...my trolley is the bad of my Puzzi!
SWFC_Fan Nov 15, 2005 at 1:30 PM Report Abuse

Excellent page! You've convinced me that I should see more of Kefalonia in future - especially the stunning beaches in your travelogue! I only spent a day here (on a trip from Zante) - not enough time to do the island justice!
sprdak11 Sep 6, 2005 at 7:14 AM Report Abuse

Great travel page! Greetings!