Our Postcards: Greece

Kefalonia, the island we keep coming back to

Our son, Tyler, discovered Kefalonia before we did. He first went in 2020 to volunteer with Wildlife Sense, later becoming a member of staff, and has now visited an impressive ten times. We’ve managed three so far, although each time we return, his growing tally becomes a little easier to understand.

Our first visit was in late September 2021. We rented a villa with our daughter and her best friend, while Tyler was working on the island. Travel still involved masks, paperwork and more preparation than usual due to COVID-19, but the chance to spend some time on this beautiful island made it well worth doing.

Spending time with family gave us a reason to visit, but the beaches, boat trips and food soon gave us plenty of reasons to return.

Turtles and early mornings

That first holiday gave us a chance to see beyond the usual visitor experience. Between beach days and meals out, we learned a little about the conservation work taking place around us.

Wildlife Sense researches and protects Kefalonia’s sea turtles, surveying nesting beaches, monitoring turtles in the harbours and following nests through to hatching. The work ranges from early morning beach surveys to protecting hatchlings affected by artificial light.

In Argostoli harbour, we watched adult turtles swimming through the water, often easily spotted by the local golden retreiver who always seemed to have his eyes set on them. Even knowing they might be there, we found ourselves stopping whenever one appeared, following its movements beneath the surface and waiting for another glimpse.

But the encounter I remember most began with an early morning call from Tyler, telling us to come and see some baby turtles that had just hatched. Seeing them so tiny was extraordinary, and getting a glimpse of the work he was involved in made it particularly special. Getting out of bed early required very little persuasion.

White Rocks and a day aboard Balboa

During that first holiday, we arranged a day aboard Balboa, with Tyler and a friend joining the four of us. We set off from Argostoli together and headed along the coast towards White Rocks.

The water was an incredible aqua blue, with pale cliffs rising behind little stretches of beach. Arriving by boat gave us a view of the island we couldn’t have had from the road. The beach felt wonderfully secluded, with the clearest turquoise water stretching out towards us. We couldn’t wait to get in.

We swam through caves and snorkelled among colourful fish, taking every opportunity to be in the water. Between exploring and swimming back to the boat, we worked up quite an appetite.

The captain laid out a Greek lunch of meats, fresh fish, cheeses, grapes, Greek salad, hummus and huge butter beans, with everyone helping themselves. After all that swimming, it tasted wonderful. Our daughter still talks about the beans, which have somehow become as much a part of the story as the extraordinary water.

There was also a cat on board, who quickly became our friend. A sailing trip, swimming through caves, a generous Greek lunch and a boat cat was a combination that suited our family very well.

From the beach to dinner in Argostoli

At Makris Gialos, we could happily spend most of the day between the sand and the sea. We hired a paddleboard and headed out onto beautifully flat water, looking back towards the beach before making our way in again. By lunchtime, Costa Costa was an easy choice, particularly for gyros. After a morning in the water, they were exactly what we fancied, and there was still plenty of afternoon left for another swim.

We often headed into Argostoli town for the evening, wandering along the harbour before dinner. A local golden retriever had a particular interest in the turtles and would follow them along the waterfront, making them much easier for us to spot. We soon learned to watch where the dog was looking, then peer into the water ourselves. Between watching the turtles and browsing the shops, there was plenty to keep us occupied before dinner.

Melograno, a sweet restaurant on Vallianou Square, became a regular choice. We enjoyed it enough to return across our visits, and it’s now somewhere we talk about going back to before we’ve even left home. Elsewhere, souvlaki and gyros remained firm favourites — we ate plenty of both and never seemed to tire of them.

Later, a cocktail or two often led to a very funny, slightly tipsy game of cards. Between the swimming, the food and those evenings together, we didn’t need to fill every day with excursions.

Taking the scenic route

Hiring a car gave us the freedom to explore, but the driving was an adventure in itself. Some bends were so tight they seemed to turn us back on ourselves, with steep climbs and descents keeping the driver firmly focused on the road. We quickly learned that a short distance on the map didn’t mean a quick journey, and saved admiring the scenery for places we could safely pull over.

The lookout above Myrtos Beach was one stop we wouldn’t have missed. The whole curve of the pale beach lay below us, framed by steep hills and brilliant blue sea. Photographs hadn’t prepared us for the scale of it.

Further north, we happily lost an afternoon in Fiskardo. Colourful buildings lined the harbour, flowers spilled around doorways and little shops kept drawing us in. Between browsing, watching the boats and stopping for fantastic ice cream, we found plenty of reasons to linger before tackling the drive back.

Around Sami, we visited Melissani Cave, where sunlight pours through an opening in the roof and illuminates the underground lake. The vivid blue water held our attention, framed by rock rather than the open coastline we’d become used to. Nearby Antisamos offered another beautiful setting, this time with green hills surrounding the bay and water we could actually get into. It wasn’t too busy when we visited, and we happily spent the afternoon swimming and relaxing before facing the winding drive back.

Back for a third time

By September 2026, we had plenty of reasons to return. Flying directly from our local airport in Bournemouth made the journey particularly convenient, and this time we landed to 31-degree heat, came swiftly through the airport and reached our hotel in less than ten minutes.

Dinner brought a little rumble beneath our feet. Tremors are a familiar part of life in Kefalonia, and this was brief, but it added something unexpected to our first evening back. For this stay, we chose Avithos Resort in Svoronata. Its studios and apartments are spread among gardens, with olive and cypress trees around the small buildings and a pool at the centre. It gave us a base close to nearby beaches, with Argostoli an easy drive away for dinner.

One of our first outings was a walk down to Ai Chelis (also known as Ai Helis) it’s a lovely little beach, although it can get busy, we were ready to spend some time beside the sea. Then something appeared offshore. At first, we thought it was a solitary dolphin before realising it was a seal! It popped up three times, keeping us looking out across the water to see where it would emerge next. We had only walked down for a look at the beach, and suddenly there was something we hadn’t experienced on either of our previous visits.

Why we keep coming back

What began as a visit to see Tyler has become a holiday we look forward to in its own right. Over three trips, we’ve found favourite beaches, restaurants we’re eager to return to and enough of a feel for the island to enjoy arriving without needing to start from scratch.

Kefalonia also holds memories of that first villa holiday, days spent together on the water and meals we’re still discussing years later. Returning means we can revisit those places, while finding room for different experiences and a few surprises.

There are many Greek islands we’d love to explore, but Kefalonia has become part of our family’s story. Three visits in, we still leave with places we want to return to — and a growing suspicion that there will be a fourth.