If you love Kefalonia….

[Augustone]

Looking for some recommendations…

we love Kefalonia but after a few years on the trot, we are looking for some ideas for next year - criteria below and all suggestions welcome!

-greek islands but direct flight from NorthWest airports, I’m not keen on ferry transfers etc
-quiet - no rowdy resorts
-would like to stay in a villa with pool
-will hire a car for exploring etc
-happy to be somewhere remote-the fewer people the better and doesn’t need to be in walking distance of any amenities such as bars or restaurants
-preferably a quiet ish airport, I’m not brilliant in crowds

just realised I am seriously fussy!

Hi there! Are you a family that's going? Because if yes, I would say ideal places are Corfu (went with my sister and her toddler, it was stunning) and of course Crete, especially if you're planning on renting a car (Crete is a huge island and you can literally find everything you want.
Are you only concentrated on Greece? Or in general Mediterranean places?

Beware Corfu though - or at least choose your location very carefully, as it can be massively touristy.

Corfu, but we stayed near Kassiopi which is probably too busy for you.

I can recommend the company we booked through though- Agni Travel.

Hydra - donkeys instead of cars, life but not rowdy

You are really restricting yourself to the islands with an airport, which are inevitably going to be busier and more resort like. You could try Skiathos.

Chania in Crete

It is just me and the old duffer (dh) going and we are easy pleased when we get there. We would also be looking at September so will avoid the crowds/school holidays which helps.

re any other options - not Spain or any of their islands but open to Croatia, Sardinia or Corsica?

The north of Mallorca is lovely

I’ve just come back from Rhodes. We stayed in the small resort of Haraki about an hour from
the airport. The villa was peaceful, a 5 minute walk from the beach and all the restaurants and bars, but it’s very much a chilled place, no nightclubs or anything, and only a few small shops. Just pina coladas by the sea sort of place. It was our second time at this villa and we’d definitely go back in a few years.

I’ve never been to Kefalonia so I’m not able to make a comparison here, but you mentioned Sardinia. We stayed a few miles inland from Olbia in September a couple of years ago and it seemed pretty quiet, indeed, a lot of the restaurants were closed in the resorts which appeared to be built around the marinas. The roads around Olbia getting from the airport were quite busy though, as is Olbia itself.

Agreed.

We stay in Vamos. 40 minutes from Chania airport. There are lots of secluded villas in the surrounding area and beautiful beaches within a short drive.

We went to Kefalonia last year to Katelios and this year we went to Kardamilli on the Peloponnese. It was beautiful. I honestly couldn't choose between the two. Maybe Kardamilli is slightly more remote from other resorts. Absolutely stunning though.

haha alright then, I think all three of them are very legit options as well. Croatia I am not sure about the weather in September, but Sardinia and Corsica for sure go for it. And since you are planning to rent a car anyway, it's perfect.

Zante.

Lefkada?
You fly to Preveza on the mainland but there's a bridge not ferry onto the island.
We stayed in the north which meant we could explore the island and the mainland.

Corsica is gorgeous. The south near Bonifacio or Porto Vecchio. Sounds perfect for what you’re after but beaches, especially small coves can get busy in August.

Can I be cheeky and throw your question back at you? We are looking at Kefalonia for next year and you pretty much described my perfect holiday - are you able to recommend a villa or area please?

Puerto Pollensa, Majorca

I’m in Croatia at the moment! Afternoon temperatures around 28 degrees and sunny.

We stay near Zola - beaches close by and just a few beach bars, water taxi to some gorgeous beaches only accessible by boat. We also really like Sami - more bars and restaurants, supermarket etc and we rent a boat and take ourselves out for the day and find little coves and do some sightseeing from the water.

Thanks for all of the suggestions, plenty for me to have a look at and start some planning !

Zakynthos. North of the island ( which is a world away from the 18-30s horror of Laganas!) Beautiful, unspoilt, glorious villas, not loads of people. We’ve been going for 15+ years, we have literally just come back.
We sometimes get the ferry across to Kefalonia for a few days too.

I was also going to suggest Lefkada

Why don’t you try the coastal mainland of Greece? Some stunning beaches which will be quite empty from mid September to October. gorgeous places to stay and Greek tourists so very authentic food and culture.

Look at Messinia perhaps (look in the Lonely Planet guide for suggestions). We like the area around Peroulia beach near Koroni for example. Some beautiful uncrowded beaches. You will need a car to get the best out of it and the area is a 4 hour trip from Athens.

One of our other favourite places is the Paleochora area of Crete in the south. Lovely beaches, simple tavernas, not much else.

I agree.