Think of the Greek Islands as one big happy family — there’s the alluring jet-setter (Mykonos), the extrovert that will always get the party started (Corfu), and then, the quietly natural beauty (Kefalonia).
It’s had its share of admirers. Not least Lord Byron, who pitched up here 200 years ago and wrote: ‘If I am a poet, I owe this to the air of Greece.’
As the biggest of the seven Ionian islands west of the mainland, there are swathes that remain just as nature intended. A small herd of wild horses live on the slopes of Mount Aenos and the fishing village of Assos is charming.
The capital, Argostoli, on the island’s west coast, turned down fame when it refused permission for Captain Corelli’s Mandolin to be filmed on its streets (the city had to be recreated in Sami on the east coast instead).
Argostoli is all elegant pastel-coloured buildings, a gorgeous square, Platia Vallianou, to sit and watch the world go by, endless cafes and tavernas, enticing shops, and a boardwalk along the harbour with a Saturday market.
Kate Johnson visits Kefalonia, the biggest of the seven Ionian islands. Above is the village of Assos, which she describes as ‘charming’
The capital, Argostoli (pictured), is ‘all elegant pastel-coloured buildings and sits on the island’s west coast’, says Kate
We’re staying seven miles away at the Eliamos hotel and spa (the name translates as the scent of olives) in the sleepy village of Spartia with a winding single-track road and from where shopkeepers wave as you pass.
It opened last year and was the first luxury hotel (a member of the Relais & Chateaux group of individually owned properties) in the area, the brainchild of Kefalonian-born Spyro Korsanos and his interior-architect wife Maike.
Their dream was to create a special hotel in a spot with panoramic views — just what they’ve done.
![Eliamos Hotel and Spa was designed by Kefalonian-born Spryo Korsanos and his interior-architect wife Maike. The hotel 'has 12 magnificent, stealth-luxe suites [above]', Kate notes](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/07/31/08/87980569-13692145-Eliamos_Hotel_and_Spa_is_the_brainchild_of_Kefalonian_born_Spryo-a-18_1722411294251.jpg)
Eliamos Hotel and Spa was designed by Kefalonian-born Spryo Korsanos and his interior-architect wife Maike. The hotel ‘has 12 magnificent, stealth-luxe suites [above]’, Kate notes
‘All rooms at Eliamos Hotel and Spa open with sliding doors onto the terrace with a hot tub and saltwater infinity pool,’ says Kate
The hotel has 12 magnificent, stealth-luxe suites with private pools. Mine has two huge bedrooms, both with en suites and outdoor showers, on either side of the sunken living area with kitchen.
All rooms open with sliding doors onto the terrace with a hot tub and saltwater infinity pool. The terrace is vast.
Three suites are built on a separate patch of land nearby. The rest, a mix of one to three bedrooms, are built into the hillside, and fringe gardens packed with lemon trees, herbs, lavender, roses and gnarly, old olive trees.
We look out to the glorious Ionian Sea which changes from galazio prasino (blue-green), to ice-blue to steel-grey through the day.
It’s private but not isolated, with all the seclusion of a villa and all the services of a hotel.
The beaches close to the Eliamos Hotel and Spa, like Avithos, seen here, are ‘unspoilt’, says Kate
The restaurant’s terrific and the staff are friendly. And if you need a change of scene, they can recommend local tavernas.
My charming and jolly tour guide, Dyonisis, can take me on a strictly archaeological or historical tour, but I choose a combination of both with a personal twist.
It takes in the spectacular caves of Amandakis Beach on Cape Liakas where Dyonisis used to jump into the sea as a child. We also go to a former bar where he used to play piano in the shadow of ruined, 800-year-old St George’s Castle.
Being in nature makes everything better; a cooking class on the sunny terrace, a fantastic massage on my private one. The latter is the real deal, with a cool breeze instead of air conditioning, birdsong and the splash of water spilling over the infinity pool instead of muzak, and even my first attempt at Reformer Pilates alfresco ends too soon.
The beaches nearby are unspoilt. Thermanti is down a secret path (with no sun loungers, no litter, occasional seaweed) and Avithos is a freewheeling bike ride away (it’s an e-bike, but this place is hilly) where a couple of Greek ladies stand in the sea and put the world to rights. There can’t be many better places to do that than here.
