Filoxenia Apartments

Just returned today from a week break at this hotel and have to admit was slightly apprehensive after reading some of the comments!all i can say is thank god i didnt take any notice of the negative ones.
The location was to die for ,set just below the mountains ,surrounded by olive and lemon groves it is a fairly small hotel (approx14 rooms),yes its basic but clean and friendly.
The owner works behind the bar and on arrival made a personal visit to each room to welcome everyone which was a nice touch
The pool and grounds are meticuously kept.
Food and drink was slightly cheaper than the resort centre ,basic again and only catered for snacks around the pool but to be fair i think most people would venture in to the resort at night as more choice in restaurants.
It is a five minute walk to the centre from the hotel but a lovely walk along a quiet country road,the occasional cat crosses your path and the nightwalk back
is filled with the sound of crickets and the sight of glow worms.
To round up, the place is tranquil,pretty ,basic and friendly,yes its quiet but then again the whole resort is.
If your looking for partying and hectic nightlife look else where as you wont find it here or in Katelios but if you want peace and relaxation this is the place.

i will point out this was a cheap break and only cost us £220 each(including transfers).
Great value!!

6 readers found this review helpful

Having visited a number of Greek Islands in recent years, I was looking forward to Kefalonia. My wife and I always travel outside of school holidays as it is quieter, ie no kids about, and generally cheaper. However, we ended up paying more for a week here than we did for 2 weeks in Santorini last June, so I was hoping for something particularly pleasant.
Kefalonia itself is the most backward of the Greek Islands I have visited. It appears that everything was built after the 1953 earthquake and has not been touched since. If you are familiar with Greece, then the delicate plumbing will not be an issue.
We picked up a car at the airport, which was £120 for a week, as it was recommended to have one on the island. Hotel transfers were £30 per person with Thomson, so in effect we got the car for £60 for the week. ALWAYS book in advance online, as prices on arrival (if there are actually any cars available) were at least double. Thomson were trying to flog 3 days rental for £150 which is scandalous.
Katelios is situated on the south eastern tip of the island, which is dominated by the mountain in the middle. All resorts along the south climb down the bottom of the hill towards the sea, and are often laid out on 2 or 3 levels. Expect to do a LOT of up and down hill walking. However, when you come around the ridge into Katelios, the incline is not anywhere near as steep down into the village.
Katelios is spread out over a couple of square miles, and there is no real feel to the resort. There is a row of hotels, apartments and shops on the main road round to Skala, and a small supermarket which is not particularly well stocked. If you turn off the main road you come to a couple of bars, including one called Artemis, run by an English lady where you can at least catch up with the sport on sky tv, and she is more than happy to show football matches etc. A few hundred metres along and you come to the "main square". This consists of a bus stop, a cigarette kiosk, and somewhere to turn your car round. Along to the left on the sea front is the beach, which is not at all attractive and actually looked quite dirty. 500m along there is a small row of sunloungers but we did not bother going along there as the beach still looked unattractive.
Turn right at the front and you will find approximately a dozen or so tavernas and restaurants. Most of them have an indoor area on the mountain side of the road, and an al fresco area closer to the sea. We were there 7th to 14th September and it was still pleasantly warm to eat out in the evenings.
The restaurants all have roughly the same menu with slightly different prices, and the same view and ambience. We found by trying a few different ones that the only difference is the level of service you get. Some of the service was so laid back it was almost horizontal, and we often had to ask for more drinks or the next course. We are used to GMT (Greek Man Time) but this was excessive. However, the most pleasant of them all was Ostria, the very last taverna along the front towards the "harbour" (which consists of some large stones placed around some moored boats). The owner made a particular effort to ensure you were happy and discussed his own home cooking in order to help you choose. The rose wine here was also the best we had, the coldest we had, and at E5.60 a litre, the best value we had. He cooks a superb Village Lamb, his own take on a Kleftico, nicely presented and superbly cooked.
Other restaurants all seemed to blur into one to be honest, although Blue Bay does offer the best options when it comes to seafood.
As for the apartments themselves, we found the owner (a Greek lady) quite unwelcoming. There was a problem with them reserving us 2 rooms for us, so I decided to check both out and choose the best - sadly they were both the same: tiny twin rooms with a tiny ensuite and a tiny balcony, just enough for 2 chairs and a table. Now, I am used to Greek apartments, but these were REALLY small. Either way, we had booked a studio for 3 with cot space as that was all that was available at the time of booking, so I returned to reception and asked where the bigger apartments were. "Do you have family?" was the curt response. I explained that it was just the 2 of us, but that we had paid for a larger room. There was a shrug of the shoulders, and another key was produced for room 21. This, I have to say, was from one extreme to the other, and for a 2 star hotel this offered a very god sized apartment. The bathroom had room to swing a particularly large cat and actually had a shower curtain and did not actually flood when you took a shower. There was a double bedroom with a double wardrobe and several cabinets, and a second double bed in the main room with another large wardrobe and more units. On the other side of the room was a decent sized kitchenette with the usual double hob and small oven/grill, as well as a proper sized fridge (which did not need to be run on the lowest temperature to prevent it overheating).
There was also a large dining table with chairs inside, and a patio set of table and chairs on the largest balcony I have ever seen. This balcony looked out over the pool and across to the sea and on to Zante in the distance. It was fair to say that we were more than happy with room 21, which I can thoroughly recommend should you decide to visit these apartments/this hotel. However, be prepared for small and hot rooms if not, as none of the hotel has been fitted with air conditioning, and sleeping with the windows open and shutters closed just attracts mosquitos. I cannot imagine how hot it would have been in the height of the summer in late June/early July when temperatures hit the 40's. It was 30c most days in early September.
Downstairs, under our balcony, there was the pool bar. During our stay there, not one person used this at night, and I only saw the odd person order a drink from it during the day. On our first day we decided to chill out around the pool, which is actually really nicely done, with plenty of sun loungers in pairs. It is clean and obviously well maintained. However, the biggest problem is the SILENCE that is maintained around the place. It was like a Sue Ryder Care Home. Lots of people seemed to be of retirement age and spend all day every day sitting on their balcony - odd. Those that did venture to the pool did so in solemn silence, and god forbid if you spoke to anyone! Ok, so its nice to chill out and relax, but this was way too quiet. Maybe thats why some people chose it, a real "away from it all" atmosphere, but for me it was bordering on the insane. In the end, we went out in the car most days to find a nice beach, which we did down the hill at Lourdas, about 20 mins west. Here there is white sand, a choice of sunloungers at 6 euros for 2 including parasol, and a number of nice tavernas behind for lunch and drinks. Prices are cheaper in Kefalonia than Rhodes or Kos for example - expect to pay around 8 to 10 euros for a main course, or less for some of the lunch menus, 2 to 2.5 euros for a large beer, 5 to 7 euros for a litre of reasonable house wine. Coffee however was pricey, and I paid 3.50 for a small latte in one beachfront cafe in Lourdas.
The Filoxenia apartments are situated out in the sticks on their own. There is a small road that runs past. One way takes you to the top of the resort and onto the main coast road, the other is down hill into the village, and comes out opposite Artemis Bar, rather conveniently. The mood here is relaxed in keeping with the rest of the resort. It will take you around 10 minutes at a steady pace to walk from the apartments into the village, but between 15 to 20 minutes to walk back uphill. The road is very dark with only a few street lamps, but we did not find we needed a torch as it said on the website.
I would not recommend eating at the pool bar. On the first day we ordered a Chefs Salad. "No sauce" said the owners son who was left along to run the bar all day long. So we ordered a Tuna Salad instead, at E6.50, and were presented with a tin of tuna tipped out onto a saucer with 2 slices of green pepper! Needless to say, we either ate elsewhere or bought food at the mini markets in the village and made our own salads or pasta dishes. You really would not want to be cooking much more than that in the hear or in the confines of the smaller apartments.
Kafelonia itself has some pretty and interesting places to visit, but the island is bigger than you think once you start driving around it. I would also recommend paying slightly more and getting an upgraded hire car, as the economy models are all small wheeled 1.0 litre engined mini cars like Hyundai Getz and Kia Picanto. They really struggle to cope with 2 people going up a hill, and most of the island is one big hill!!!
Skala is about 5-10 mins drive around the south corner from Katelios, and is a muc more touristy resort with rows of karaoke bars and tables lined up for dinner on the main street; much more in the style of Cyprus, Crete or Corfu's main resorts for example. There is even an Irish Bar, which is never a good thing in my opinion.
Up the coast is Sami, the deep sea water port where Captain Corelli's Mandolin was filmed. I was so glad we did not book to stay here when we visited it on a day out, as it was very windy and there is no beach, although if you drive a few KM up the road you can find some stunning tiny little pebbly coves and have the beaches to yourself. Sami is full of touristy restaurants and cafes, prices are higher, and the scenery is less interesting. It is not a place for a beach holiday. Nearby are the famous caves and underground lakes which most people tend to visit and are probably worth a visit.
The drive up to the north of the island takes you out into the wilds. It made Saddleworth Moor look positvely industrial. Sheep/Goats everywhere including on the road. A fantastic and breath taking drive up and down the mountains, which could become a nightmare if you have young children or passengers who get car sick.
Eventually you come out at Fiskardo, which is an old harbour village with some stunning scenery. Cafes and restaurants line the harbour, but surprisingly prices are not high. Its a beautiful little place, frequented by many people on yachting holidays and the seawater equivelant of the jet set. A lovely place although it is out on a limb somewhat.
Drive back down the western side of the island and you will comed across Assos, a smaller and more rustic version of Fiskardo. Lovely and quaint, but mindnumbingly dull to stay in I would imagine. Further on is the stunning Myrtos Beach - the one you will have seen no end of photos of with white sand and turquoise water from taken from high above.
We drove through Lassi, the biggest and most touristy minded resort, which actually appeared a lot nicer than Skala, and had one or two gorgeous beaches, and would probably be a better place for people looking for a beach holiday with a choice of places to eat and a degree of nightlife, without approaching rowdy at all.
Returning to Katelios by car was like going back 100 years. It really is a remote place, with hotels, tavernas, studios and villas spread out all over the place.
In a nutshell, I was disappointed with Kefalonia. I had had it built up as somewhere really special. Unfortunately I found it a bit dull and nothing special at all. For scenery and views, it paled into insignificance after Santorini, or Lindos on Rhodes, and there was nowhere the atmosphere that we experienced for example in Kos Town. But then maybe thats the reason why most of the tourists we saw in Kefalonia were over 65 or wearing walking boots!
Katelios is tiny. There is very little there. I was bored at times during a week, so give it serious thought if you are planning a 2 week holiday.
Filoxenia Apartments are out on a limb and remote. The pool is good, but its deathly quiet around the place. The local beach is not nice, so be prepared to travel to find a decent beach. There is enough choice of places to eat for a week, but any longer than that and you will find yourself in the same place a few times.
For us, the week served its purpose in terms of getting some sun and relaxing, but have to say I found it TOO laid back, and I am not a party animal by any means. Take plenty of books and a large ipod, and definitely rent a car and explore the island a bit.
I will be honest and say I felt much happier in Rhodes, when we stayed in Pefkos near Lindos, but each to his own I guess.

1 reader found this review helpful

Just got back spending 7days in katelios. The filoxenia apartments typically greek, we arrived to a warm welcome managers friendly/helpful. Rooms very clean, linen was changed. Apartments have balconies with stunning views. The pool great,very clean plenty of sunbeds and parasols for everybody. Bar area lovely, offering snacks, drinks at reasonable prices. Make sure on arrival you get a fan 10Euro 1wk you will need it, only downside no aircon!!! Very hot at night. Katelios is a lovely quiet village, plenty of tavernas down the harbour area, It is about 15mins walk - take torch as part of walk home isn't lit. We ate at several of the tavernas, we did not have a bad meal. All offered a good variety of menu & value for money, average cost meal for 2 between 20-35 euros this included 1 litre of local wine, which was very nice! The people who manage the apartments also run a taverna called the medusa we ate here twice v.good.We did island tour booked with Panem in villiage 20Euros, well worth it we visited north end of island stunning!! We had a brilliant holiday, we would definately go back to kafelonia a beautiful island.

We booked this as a last minute deal through Cosmos/Monarch on the basis that our apartment would be allocated on arrival - which it was. We weren't too bothered if it was basic because all we were really interested in was a place to sleep that was clean and had a shower and a fridge! We ended up at the Filoxenia Apartments a little way back from the beach.
It was very disappointing that the pool and poolside bar mentioned in other posts weren't operational - the pool was half full of stagnant murky green water and a few buckets and bits of other rubbish. I worried that people with kids staying there couldn't relax fully as the pool looked pretty dangerous. The bar was permanently closed and deserted, as was the small shop. The apartment itself was fairly modern and had a maid service most days - that said the big pile of dead ants by the door was there all week (we left it there as a test!).
I think something must have gone terribly wrong for the Filoxenia, a few people working in Katelios raised an eyebrow when we mentioned where we staying. The lack of air-conditioning was a real kicker, it being almost 35 degrees most days and nights; we asked for a fan, we had to wait three days for it and in the interim, the mosquitoes ate me alive as it was impossible to breathe if the windows and shutters were closed.
We loved Katelios as a base, and also the free and easy atmosphere of the village; uncommercial, friendly, it's largely as Greece used to be before the lager louts moved in! Katelios beach itself is great for kids as the sea is relatively shallow for a long way out.
There is a lot to see: on our trusty hired motorcycle we got to Assos, Sami, Skala, Poros, Myrtos Beach, and Kironi Beach plus a short visit to Argostoli - a shock to the system after the relative quiet of the other towns and villages. We also had a fabulous morning riding in the mountains with lovely Connie from the Bavarian Riding Stables near Sami (highly recommended!) - what a way to see the glorious countryside and we saw two gorgeous eagles flying across the valley! Don't expect nightclubs, you make your own fun, we had some wonderful food, met lovely people and on the whole, had a ball.
We would definitely return to Kefalonia and stay in Katelios, but definitely wouldn't choose to stay at Filoxenia unless it gets up and running again properly. It was a shame because it is in lovely location; it just needs some TLC (and some air-conditioning!)

2 readers found this review helpful

We have just returned from a very relaxing week at the Filoxenia Apartments in Katelios. We had use of a car for the entire week, and so did not spend a great deal of time at the accommodation. However, we couldn’t fault it. The rooms were basic, in the usual way of Greek self-catering accommodation, but the furniture was relatively new, and everything was kept very clean. I don’t know if it was because we were visiting quite late in the season and the place was under-occupied (I think we were the very last people to leave!), but the rooms were tidied almost every day. There is no air-conditioning, but the rooms had shutters, and this was more than enough for the (relatively) mild temperatures of late September (mid 20s or so). Despite the information on the Olympic website (which stated ‘inland view’), all rooms in the block have balconies facing over the pool, towards the village and the sea. The pool area is very well kept, and you can swim with views of the sea below, and the mountains behind – idyllic!
Katelios itself is about 10 mins walk away down a quiet lane, which is fairly well lit at night. The village itself is a very restful place for a break, particularly in low season. There are perhaps 7 or 8 tavernas, all situated along the beach, and 3 or 4 bars (although none playing loud music). All have very similar menus, with an emphasis on seafood, and the food is generally of a very good standard. After visiting Skala one evening for a meal, I would have no reservations about eating in Katelios every night of the week. If you’re looking for lively nightlife, go elsewhere (please!), but for a good meal under the moonlight listening to the waves, followed by a couple of Metaxas and a stroll home for a nightcap on the balcony, you couldn’t ask for more. All of the tavernas are good, but a special mention should go the Katelios Taverna, which had friendly staff, good food, and lower prices than everywhere else. Wherever you eat, make sure you try the Robola of Cephalonia, the excellent local white wine.
Katelios’ only drawback is the lack of a decent beach, and this is where a car comes in handy, as I believe that the local bus services are fairly limited. Skala is regularly mentioned as a good beach, but Mounda Beach (off the Skala/Katelios road) is much better and a lot quieter. “Platys Gialos” beach, outside Lassi, is busier, but has excellent snorkelling at the eastern end. Further afield, Myrtos beach is a must, as is the village of Assos, a place you could stay forever. Lastly, if you fancy a boat tour of Ithaca, drive to Sami, and book a trip on the Sami Star I – at 25euros, it is significantly cheaper than the trips offered by the tour operators, and the cruise is on a lovely little wooden ferry which wasn’t even half full on our trip. Of course, things could be different in July and August. It stops at the tiny village of Kioni for lunch, and you won’t want to leave.
On the whole, Filoxenia Apartments and Katelios make a great base for exploring this beautiful, friendly and peaceful island.