Kefalonia

1 July 2025

Kefalonia was a dream. It exceeded my expectations in every way. The food was better, the water clearer, and the towns more charming than expected. The Mediterranean Sea was calm, warm, and had an aura of romance. On our trip we took a ferry to Ithaca. It was an amazing day trip where legends of the island and reality blended to produce one of my favorite travel days ever. Traveling with friends and family is always a blast. On this trip, we were joined by Elyse and Alex, their children Pip and Cyrus, and faithful Poobie, who always comes through in a pinch.

Día 1

We got picked up early and spent a good amount of time sitting in the airport. We departed Amsterdam at 5:00 am and arrived in Cephalonia at 8:00 am. Our friend Poobie arrived shortly after from her travels in Austria. We last saw her in Bali after an amazing cruise to Komodo Island. We picked up a rental car from a local company called Greekstones. It was their smallest and cheapest car – a Fiat 500 Panda. It ended up being fun to drive, but totally gutless. I had a hard time on some of the steep switchbacks that are common across the island.

Alex and Elyse were picking up their car and getting situated so us three drive towards a market but on the way stopped at a beach. I couldnt help but jump in the water. It was great. I wasn’t in for long before getting back in the car and meeting up with the group at a nearby market. Elyse bought an orange bread that was extremely good. We also bought a ½ liter of whole milk for the baby but realized that we didnt have a cooler and weren’t going directly to the hotel so we drank it there and then together. I tried a lemon coke zero which was extremely good.

Makris Gialos Beach

We drove to the nearby Makris Gialos Beach – a wide, sandy stretch on Kefalonia’s southern coast, perfect for swimming and relaxing. Unlike many rocky beaches on the island, it has soft sand and shallow, clear water that’s ideal for families or a long swim. It was beautiful. An umbrella and two chairs cost 30e so we just found a small patch of shade and set up our things there. We spent a lot of time in the water enjoying the clear, cool Mediterranean Sea. I borrowed some swimming goggles from Alex and swam the length of the beach, then walked back. The familiarity of the act made me miss living in Puerto Rico.

After the beach, we went to lunch. We got several appetizers to share. I got lamb chops, which come with fries; they were pretty good, but the lamb was pretty “lamby”, if you know what I mean. Indi loved her Greek salad.

From Argostoli, we drove across the island to check into our hotel, Fotini. The hotel was located on a hill overlooking the Sea. Driving up the hill was a bit of a challenge at first, but it got easier the more I went to and from the hotel. The view from the hotel was beautiful.

Día 2

Fteri Beach
Assos
Myrtos Beach

Fteri Beach

We got a fairly early start (not that early) on the day to catch the first ferry to Fteri Beach. It departed at 9:30 am. Alex and Elyse were not able to make that time slot, so they came later. Poobie, Indi, and I enjoyed a scenic ferry ride on a rather small boat to the beach.

Fteri is a relatively small, rocky beach with crystal-clear morning waters and dramatic coastal scenery. We noticed that although the water was crystal clear in the morning, it got more and more murky as the day went on. By the time Alex and Elyse arrived 1.5 hours later, the water had become noticeably less clear. We had chosen 1:00 pm as our departure time with the ferry service, and E+A chose the same slot. We all rode back together.

Assos

While E and A explored on their own, we childless adults drove to Assos, a charming village that rims a small bay. A whale-tail-shaped peninsula stretches from one side, topped with the ruins of a tall Venetian fort. It was very hot, so we skipped the hike, but I flew my drone around the fort to take in the views. We wandered the village streets, enjoyed the sights, and I even got in the water for a bit while Indi and Poobie explored the local shops.

Myrtos Beach

After Assos, we met up with E+A at Myrtos Beach. It was rocky and just wavy enough to be slightly annoying, but the beach was still awesome. Giant cliff faces surround the beach, which make for a dramatic backdrop. We had considered sticking around for sunset, but when we learned that the sun would not set until around 9:20 pm, we decided to call it a night and head back to the hotel.

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Día 3

Foki Beach
Fiskardo
Paralia Emplisi

Indi suffered from food poisoning overnight and in the morning, so she opted out of the day’s adventures. Elyse and Alex were wrangling the kids, so Poobie and I set out to the north side of the island. The drive was scenic, as per usual.

Foki Beach

Our first stop was Foki Beach. There were olive trees that led up to the water, which was cool. The rocks were fairly sharp, and the rocks in the water looked mossy, so we didn’t bother getting in. There were kids with nets gathering fireworms and putting them in a bucket. Brave kids.

Fiskardo

We met up with Elyse and Alex at Fiskardo Beach. It wasn’t much of a beach; it was a boat launch, really. We didn’t bother getting in; instead, we walked around Fiskardo and enjoyed the quaint town.

Paralia Emplisi

E and A headed back to the hotel. Poobie and I continued another 5 minutes north to Paralia Emplisi. It may have been my favorite beach so far. I left my GoPro and drone in the other car, so I have very few photos, which is a shame. Those I have don’t do the beach justice. The water was as clear as ocean water can get. It was slightly colder than at other beaches, but it had a warm layer on top. The beach was relatively small and crowded. It is ringed by a flat rocky coast on either side, making a small bay. People were lying out on the rocks. From the beach, Ithaca was clearly visible, and beyond it, the mainland. I wish we had had more time there.

We got back to Agia Efimina and stopped at a market. We returned to the hotel and spent a lot of time at the pool. Indi, Poobie, and Elyse picked up food. I got a gyro platter, which was solid but not amazing. Late at night, we decided to take a day trip to Ithaca the following day.

Day 4 - Ithaca

School of Homer
Afales Beach
Kioni

We got up at 6:30 am to get to the ferry on time. I woke up around 1.5 hours before the alarm went off and lay in bed until it finally did. We bought passage for both cars, so when we got to the ferry, Alex and I drove the cars inside it. The ferry to Ithaca took about 30 minutes. We sat on the top deck to take in the view on the way.

School of Homer

From the ferry port on the south side of the island, we drove north to go to some ancient ruins called the School of Homer. It’s comprised of walls, pits, and some partial structures surrounded by olive trees looking out on a bay. Some think that the complex was Odysseus’ home. There is evidence that the original structure dates back to the Mycenaean Greek era and was sporadically or continually inhabited for many hundreds of years.

Pip went to go pee somewhere and picked up a few pottery shards. ChatGPT dated them all to different eras, including a tentative dating of one unglazed, pale piece to the Mycenaean era. I desperately wanted to keep one but felt it was wrong, so we put them back.

Afales Beach

It was hot, so from there we drove to a nearby beach – Afales beach. It was seriously pretty. The water was crystal clear. For some reason, I decided not to wear sunscreen and got super burnt. Pip talked to Indi and me for a long time in Dutch, which was fun.

Kioni

After the beach, we drove to the cute port town of Kioni. I picked up a knick-knack and we walked the waterfront. The roads surrounding the town are extremely narrow and have super-tight turns. Alex and Elyse showed up later than us and Alex only had about 5-10 mins there before he had to get back in the car.

We drove back along the scenic road to the ferry port. When we got back, Alex told us the host had united us for a kind of group dinner. I went to a few meat markets to get meat skewers to share. Poobie and Indi made a kind of Greek salad and cut vegetables to roast. Nikos is part of the host family, and he cooked the veggies and meat for us on a charcoal grill. They turned out great. The later we stayed, the more people showed up. We talked to multiple people who had been coming back to this villa year after year, for many years. That included a man from Hungary who was the first guest when the villa was built in 2009 and has been coming back every year since.

Día 5

Melissani Cave
Drogarati Cave
Antisamos Beach

Melissani Cave

We started the day by driving 15 minutes to Sami to visit some caves. First on the list was Mellissani Cave – a cenote with clear, brackish water. We paid 10 euros for entrance and walked down a sloping ramp towards the entrance, where a rowboat was waiting. Our group took up half the boat, and the rest was filled by strangers. We rowed around on the water for 10 minutes maximum. It was pretty but a massive rip off – just as I expected.

Drogarati Cave

Next, we drove just a few minutes to Drogarati Cave, which was cheaper and cooler. You descend ramps and stairs to enter a large cavern covered in crystalline stalagmites, stalagtites, and columns. If you have to choose between the two caves, I’d recommend this one. You can spend as much time as you want wandering around the cool, damp interior of the cave. It may be less pretty, but I think it’s pretty cool.

Next to the restaurant was a cafe, and gift shop, and a pool. We had bought some things at both places previously, and so had free access to the pool. We hung out there for a while waiting for a restaurant to open that Elyse was interested in – a kind of farm-to-table, country-style place. The food was super good, much better than any of us were expecting. The lamb chops I ordered were far better than the other lamb I had on the island.

Antisamos Beach

After lunch, we drove to Antisamos Beach. The beach is covered in beach clubs with free umbrellas, and tables are set out next to the water. Antisamos is a large pebble beach that was by far the most commercial beach we encountered on Kefalonia. Alex and I went for a swim along the coastline. I found a hole underwater where fresh, cold water was flowing into the ocean.

Mt. Ainos

After the beach we parted ways. Alex and Elyse returned to our hotel in Agia Efiminia. Poobie, Indi, and I drove to Mt. Ainos. It was pretty but absolutely covered in flies living off the goat poop.