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We took a family trip to Kefalonia in the summer, a family of four with two teenagers with all arrangements made by Nikki from NC Travel.
We flew from Gatwick on an early flight. For us it’s always been a tradition – whilst annoying to the kids – that we like to take the early flights. Getting up in the dark to go on holiday is so much easier!
We arrived at the airport in Kefalonia in time to collect our hire car from the agency directly opposite the airport. It took us approximately 30 minutes to drive along the coastal road down to the small town of Katelios on the southern tip of the island.
Having been to several Greek islands, we were amazed to find how green the island is, particularly in mid-August. We had a villa on the edge of the town. A 15 minute walk or a very short drive would take you to the small beach which had five or six bars and restaurants along the front and several more just away from the front.
Katelios is a quiet village and the restaurants were perfect for us. They sold all the Greek meaty favourites, chicken souvlaki and lamb kleftiko, and obviously some very tasty fish too. And the local beers of Alfa and Mythos were superb, really fresh!
We spent a lot of time at our villa. It was stunning. We had a pool and plenty of loungers, an outdoor covered seating area and large barbecue. Most days we would drive out early in the morning to the local bakery to buy bread, tomatoes and simple foods for our poolside lunches. We fell in love with the local feta cheese pie called Tiropita – a flaky pastry pie which we enjoyed warm for breakfast.
We made a few trips:
Snake Festival
We visited the old town of Markopoulo up in the hills behind the newer coastal town of Katelios. They were celebrating the Festival of the Snakes, and this tiny village was alive with locals and tourists. The festival has holy significance and is centred around the ancient church on the hillside. We didn’t see any snakes, but we did eat the most fabulous grilled corn on the cob, cooked at the roadside by one of the local stalls.
Skala
Just ten minutes drive from Katelios is the large resort town of Skala. It has good nightlife and a long beach of the typical sand/ shingle type. We ate in Skala for one evening and they had some sort of carnival parade happening too.
Captain Vangeli’s Cruise to Ithaca
We took a full day cruise to the island of Ithaca. What a great day. Swimming off the boat in crystal waters, and lunching in one of the many restaurants on the quayside. The island is possibly the most beautiful location we have ever visited.
On our final morning we packed up early and went for breakfast at the beach bar in Katelios. They served a fantastically tasty Greek omelette with tomato and feta.
The villa and the setting were perfect and thanks to Nikki we as a family had so many memories to bring home.
Helen, Darren, Abbigail & Harry Smart
