The Best Hotels in Lefkada for Every Traveller

Just beyond the buzzy main resort of Nidri basks understated Oasis, looking towards the sparkling blue Mediterranean and Aristotle Onassis’s private island, Skorpios. Simple white rooms with pine-clad ceilings lead out onto simple balconies that are all about the idyllic view, among the selection some sleeping three or four – a great-value choice for families. A peaceful pool terrace is supplied with loungers, and bike rental is available for your adventures around the island.

Slightly up the coast from Nidri, this historic mansion sits right on the waterfront, with a sprinkling of modern studios and villas to rent beside it. Effortlessly chic patios and terraces spill out from its crisp, modern apartments, most with kitchens and dining tables for self catering, and you can jump off the rocks out front for swims in crystalline shallows. There’s no pool, but the outdoorsy owners can arrange canoeing, snorkelling, cycling or fishing trips.

Close to where the mainland bridge meets the island, in pretty, Venetian-influenced Lefkada Town, this chic boutique hotel has vintage architecture, modern rooms in stylish shades and textures of white and tan, pretty tiled bathrooms, and an Old Town location. Families should book the two-bedroom Loft rooms, with their own slanted-ceiling charm. Friendly owners add a personal touch, recommending their favourite local tavernas and boat trips.

A short drive from two of the island’s most beautiful beaches – Egremni and Porto Katsiki – these twin villas have a unique situation in a small village, slightly inland. Stylish, homey interiors have nautical-striped cushions and duck-egg-blue kitchen units, plus modern rainforest shower heads for blasting off the salt after a day in the sea, and large dining tables. The villas’ elevated location means their balconies and pools look out onto unspoiled emerald coastline and sea.

Not far from sandy, secluded Milos Beach, this trio of traditional stone villas is named after jewels: emerald, sapphire and topaz. Each has two bedrooms and a private pool, with a view of northwest Lefkada’s pristine coast and electric sunsets. Interior decor is rather simple and functional, but those pool patios, with their loungers, al fresco dining areas and sweeping coast views, feel like millionaire territory. Hire a car to seek out nearby beaches.

A picturesque fishing village, with a beach that’s heaven for windsurfers, southern Vassiliki is a jumping-off point for boat trips to Lefkada’s most beautiful coves. These modish, spacious apartments sleep between two and five guests, with colourfully tiled kitchenettes, bathrooms, dining areas and balconies. Set right among the village’s charming tavernas, shops and bakeries, it’s a 10-minute stroll to the beach, or to the petite port for boat jaunts around the island.

This affordable, homey guesthouse on the east coast is more colourful than most, thanks to bursts of bougainvillea and potted geraniums brightening up its grounds. Simple white rooms with cool tile floors cater to families with their combinations of double, twin and bunk beds, some with kitchens, all with immaculately clean and modern bathrooms. Just 60m (197ft) away is your beach, Episkopos, with white sand and shingle dramatically framed by rocks and pines.

In the southeastern nook of Mikros Gialos, Captain Nick’s three superior apartments would be lust-worthy even without the fabulous sea views that fill their windows. Everything from the mosaic kitchen tile to black-wicker balcony furniture whispers good taste and simplicity, as do generous-sized kitchens and bathrooms. The affordable studios feel slightly more basic, but all face the stunning waterfront, and a path that leads to Mikros Gialos beach, where white pebbles turn shallow waters a luminous aquamarine.