Kefalonia advice

[greyvix]

We want to go to Kefalonia again this year. Does anyone have knowledge of Fiscardo? We could go to Scala, where we went last year- lovely beaches nearby, but a change would be nice....
We don't have young children, so no issue there.

Fiscardo is lovely, but very different to Scala. The beaches are pebbly and smaller, but very beautiful. Fiscardo has the traditional venetian architecture (only place left standing after the 1953 earthquake) and in this respect is different to the rest of the island. The place can get very busy in August. It s a good base for day trips to Ithaca and for getting to Myrtos beach (a must) and Assos, but a bit cut off the southern parts of the island. Emelisse Hotel is a lovely place to stay, if you decide to go.

Thank you. Decisions, decisions. The accommodation near Scala is at Mounda Bay, so nice and quiet.

I love Kefalonia, we go every other year and stay at Nine Muses. I like the fact that we can walk everywhere in the evenings and not need to worry about driving as everything is accessible in the town.

My experience of Fiskardo is limited to day trips, have never stayed there. (Apparently Johnny Depp and his family have holidayed there!) It is very pretty.

Not been but debating going to Scala this year - would you mind a slight hijack for me to ask what it's like?

Nice beach-mostly sand and not too crowded, backed by pine trees at the quieter end. There is a lovely beach around the corner- Mounda Bay; it's big and quiet, but with a hotel where you can use showers etc.
We didn't give the Scala tavernas much of a try. We stayed at Old Scala, where there is a very nice taverna.
Scala itself is pretty low-key, but we liked it. Also, if you hire a car, the rest of the island is very accessible. As kefybaby states above, Assos and Mounda Bay are lovely, and not too far away- we went twice in the 2 weeks we were away.
If you are looking for a low-key beach resort, I would recommend Scala.

Thank you. I don't drive, so wouldn't be able to hire a car. Would it be a disaster without one?

Not a disaster without a car. The beach and the town are easily accessible. In Greece, public transport is usually good, though I have no experience.

Thanks. Have done several other islands with public transport only - the buses are fine if you don't worry too much about precise timings and don't mind standing. Have just read on a number of reviews that a car is recommended for Kefalonia.

Remus, if you stay in Scala itself you can access beach, town, tavernas, shops and supermarkets easily on foot. If you want to go to places further round the coast there are water taxis from the beach, also Captain Costas does a day trip to Ithaca on his larger boat also accessible from the beach. There are also car taxis from the south end where the pines are. There is also a small ruined roman villa where you can see the relatively intact mosaic floors. Apparently it belonged to a general and his family originally, and costs nothing to have a look.

For further afield, you can book excursions from a couple of places if you aren't going on one with a holiday firm like Thomsons. I would suggest not doing an Ithaca trip with them as they bus you to Poros and put you on a ferry there which adds to the length of the travel time and it's more expensive. Captain Costas has been doing his trips for many years and it's better value.

As greyvix says, it is very low key and definitely not club 18-30. There are some nice places to eat, some hidden down side streets off the main shopping street. Can also recommend Veronicas jewellers, very nice and not too expensive!

Thank you for all that - v useful.

It's likely to be just myself and 17 year old dd - we want low key and none of the whole 'English breakfast and football on TV' thing.

All we really want to do is have a mooch around, read a lot of books and eat some nice food. :)

There are a few bars with TV's in, but they aren't dreadfully loud.

Scala is a good place for relaxing.

Thank you. :)

We actually went to Assos, but spent a lot of time at Fiscardo. The whole area is beautiful, but very quiet this year, due we think to the Greek economy.

Any recommendations of which area of Kefalonia would be good for 3 teenagers? I don't want them to be bored

Maybe if you look at Lixouri or Argostoli as they are towns. You could still go on excursions to other places on the island.