A week's stay at Villa Marina

I have just returned from a wonderful weeks holiday at the Villa Marina in Kefalonia. The house is built in a olive grove, a ten minutes walk from the village of Karavomilos which is a sleepy hamlet. It has a bakery, mini market and a few tavernas. One of the tavernas specialises in fish - the grilled octopus was wonderful - and another was right on the waters edge. The bakery, as well as stocking a huge variety of bread, had a beautiful patisserie section along with mouth watering ice creams. Needless to say we never went hungry!

Villa Marina

The villa has a bedroom upstairs with a balcony looking out to sea towards the port of Sami which was perfect for evening G&T's and it became a habit to see if the pretty, light bedecked ferry from Ithaca was on time. Downstairs there is a well equipped kitchen and lounge with patio doors opening out on the pretty walled garden. 

The garden is filled with olive trees and, much to our fascination, plants that flowered gorgeous purple blooms every morning and then shed its flowers each evening. After consulting with the Oracle (my Mum) I was told they must have been Morning Glorys. It felt like a real oasis, especially when blue tits and chaffinches came down to daintily drink from the pool edge. The only sound you could hear apart from the birds was the odd clang from a wandering goat herd - just lovely.

Agia Efimia

Kefalonia itself is wonderful. A car is included in the package price and so we ventured the ten minute to Agia Efimia a couple of times which is a picture postcard harbour village. Fifteen minutes further on from here is Myrtos beach; this beach must be one of the most photographed beaches in the world and getting to it involves driving down a narrow windy road but it is worth it. Our favourite beach though was Antisamos beach which is only a ten minute drive from the villa just around the bay from Sami. It is a sweep of pebbles backed by green mountains and the snorkelling here was fantastic. The sea is crystal clear - you could see the fish from your sunbed - and the colour of seas depicted in Caribbean holiday brochures.

We absolutely loved our time in Kefalonia and cannot wait to return.

Tracey Howard

Sunvil Holidays