Where to Stay in Kefalonia for a Local Experience

Just 10 minutes’ drive from Kefalonia airport, you can be reclining in one of these 161 uncluttered rooms, which range from doubles to bungalows to suites with infinity pools. Floor-to-ceiling windows reveal landscaped gardens and the hazy-blue Ionian Sea beyond. Perched on a pine-clad peninsula, the hotel is linked by a sloping path to a private curve of beach, with two adjoining Blue Flag sandy stretches. Or venture no further than the freshwater pool, lounging in the glam sarong you bought at the hotel’s concept boutique.

We love this laid-back resort, cocooned in a quiet coastal village a 10-minute walk from lovely Avithos beach. It curls around a freshwater pool flanked by tropical gardens, offering studios, maisonettes and apartments of bright, sea-inspired decor and kitchenettes; private balconies or terraces are dreamy sunbathing spots. You can start the day with fresh fruit and creamy local cheeses at the breakfast buffet, saving space for specialities at the local taverna later on.

This elevated hotel lives up to its name with splendid views over the Ionian Sea or the blue-hued outside pool. Its peaceful hillside village location is just beyond Magganos (home to a taverna, cafe and mini market), a 10-minute drive from Fiskardo harbour with its beautifully preserved Venetian buildings. Airy rooms and suites are decorated in soft, natural colours with yellow accents, and open out to private balconies. Hang around for fresh-fruit-laden breakfasts and wholesome dinners – after you’ve sipped a refreshing glass or two of white at the bar.

You’re in for the chill at adults-only F Zeen, set in lovely leafy grounds on a hillside 30 minutes from Argostoli: rooms and suites are simply furnished but don’t stint on style. And the wellness centre and natural healing spa complete the peaceful picture. Yoga decks, relaxing outdoor lounging areas, two restaurants and three fabulous freshwater pools look across to the sandy sweep of Lourdas beach, lapped by transparent shallows. Breakfast poolside on fruits, honeys, yoghurts and cereals, and dine at Selini restaurant, on fusion food using ingredients grown here.

A secluded space for grown-ups, this boutique-hotel gem in Lassi has softly fashioned rooms in powder-blues and iris-greys. Try to secure one with a garden or sea view from its balcony or terrace. The pair of pools – including one in a figure-of-eight – will keep you (in)active for the whole holiday, and a cooly contemporary bar with widescreen views of the bay means fun nights with new friends. You’ll eat well on fresh Greek salads and sublime souvlaki. And you can walk it off on the five-minute stroll to Paliostafida and Lassi beaches: lovely sandy sweeps for tanning.

You’ll be outdoors all the time at this coastal resort in Lixouri, on the eastern side of the island: it has lush gardens, and is home to two lagoon pools with sundecks and a dedicated splash park. When it comes to Zzzzs, smart, summery rooms do the trick, with sea-view balconies or terraces. We say upgrade to a duplex suite, sleeping four, with a terrace leading to your own private pool. Local hospitality goes well beyond the call of duty hereabouts: try the nearby family-run tavernas and al fresco bars. Take your towel to red-sand Xi Beach, a five-minute walk away: you can have a natural beauty session with the clay here, mixed with water for a mask.

You’ll fall for your room at first sight: there are 22 of them, warmly decorated and inspired by characters in Homer’s Odyssey, at this adults-only hillside retreat in the small village of Agia Efimia. Views from spacious private balconies up the sense of luxury living, as do lazy mornings in the glossy bathrooms with hydromassage jets. Healthy salads from garden-grown ingredients and traditional grilled meats suit the Med climate and keep things light – a good idea prior to spa visits for aromatherapy treatments and massages using local herbs. But the photogenic pools are the star attraction here – simply lie back and loll the days away.

Family-run equals family fun for eco-minded guests at this boutique hotel on the south coast: solar energy and a water recycling system all present and correct. The ever-changing poolside-breakfast buffet focuses on local organic specialities, while guests are greeted with complimentary sun-ripened fruit on arrival. There’s every reason to stay within the resort all holiday, in the glamorous pair of pools and minimally-styled, polished-concrete-lined studios and suites. (These come with kitchens and balconies or terraces for mesmerising sea or garden views.) But do rouse yourself to visit the local Avithos and Ammes beaches: sandy stunners.