Kefalonia Palace Hotel

I have just got back from staying at week at this hotel with my boyfriend and I am feeling throughly depressed at having to come home as I had such a good time!! All the staff were very friendly and made our stay thoroughly enjoyable. The hotel itself is about 6km from the town of Lixouri so its quite quiet and out of the way but this didn’t bother us as we knew this when we booked it and this is what we wanted. Its only about 8 euros to get a taxi into town and reception arranged this on request with no problems. The beach is about a 2 min walk and is lovely but we prefered to stay by the pool as there were plently of sun loungers with umbrellas for shade if you want it and the pool bar serves excellent food. There was entertainment and games available during the day such as WATER GYM, darts, table tennis etc. You werent pressured to take part and it didn’t distract you from chilling in the sun if that’s all you wanted to do! We liked the fact that you were allocated a table for your meals so you didn’t have to worry about finding somewhere to sit. The food was excellent and there was plently of choice, even for me and I am a fussy eater! On one of the days we had arranged an excursion and needed to leave at 6:20am. Normally we would have missed breakfast as it served 7 to 10am but they arranged a special early breakfast at 6am so we didn’t miss out! The hotel bar was brilliant, and Terry who worked there had some really funny jokes to tell us! As for evening entertainment, there was bingo most nights, kareoke, the usual things you would expect. The best thing was the fire eating!! The guy that did it also walked on glass and then lay on it and had a guy smash a rock with a sledge hammer on his stomach!! It was amazing to watch! If you are after a chilled out and relaxing holiday then this is the place to go!!

Well what can i say, stay at the CPH was 2 weeks i wil never forget! i really enjoyed the evening entertainment, it was funny and you really felt as though you were involved, the greek dancing is amazing! i also liked the fact that when you arrive your allocated a table in the dining room, this is a great idea as you can go to dinner whenever you want and you havent got to worry about wether there will be a table free! the rooms are liveible for 1-2 weeks and everything you need is in there, also the beach is a 2-3 min walk and it is total paradise, just to let you know i have been on several holidays and when we left CPH i broke down into tears,that is the 1st time i have ever cried when leaving a holiday! CPH is brilliant! deffenately would want to go back in the future!

Beware. All the blurb says that this is a perfect location for families and couples. It is not. It is for families who want to stay put around the pool (if they get a sunbed by 9 o'clock) and have loud entertainment laid on from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. Also, for those who are happy to sit at the same allocated table for each of their meals (breakfast and dinner) as if at school. The property is fine, clean, with good facilities and friendly staff. But it's relatively remote (for walking) so you will need a car, without which you run the risk of overdose on quiz nights, bingo and the hilarity of grown male guest wearing wigs and putting balloons up their shirts. The standard brochure descriptions are otherwise accurate - but badly misleading on these points - which make the hotel more of an old style, if better equipped, holiday camp. If you are looking for the 'real' Kephalonia this is not the hotel to choose.

We have just been to the Kefalonia palace hotel, like one of the other comments, the hotel was full of people who had booked on the Thomson price breaker deal!! The hotel itself was lovely, but you really must have a car, the hotel is 8km (about 5 miles) away from anywhere...this didn;t bother us at all, the only problem is that there isn;t much to do on an evening...there is lots of entertainment but it would have been nice to have gone out to some local bars, a taxi ride to lixouri will cost about 8-10 euros. Also, try not to drop any crumbs on the floor of your hotel room, we dropped the smallest piece of crisp and went back to our room 3 hours later to be greeted by lots of ants!!! Overall though, the maid service etc is excellent, we never had to worry about making sure everything was away before the maid went in like you have to in some holiday resorts, very safe, and the beach at the hotel is lovely!!

we spent just a week here last august without our children (they were both away) and it was lovely, clean, service was great, couldnt fault the food and what can you say about the beach BEAUTIFUL CRYSTAL CLEAR WATER!!!!! we hired a car for a few days and on one of the days we drove all round the island stopped at every beach comparing to the X1 it was with no doubt the best on the island. our holiday was to short we didnt want to come home. we are going to book again and this time take our children. although we went in the height of august it wasnt packed with kids, you always got beds at the beach but you had to be up early for the pool. if the ladies are going to pack evening wear for dinner then dont bother i took with me lots of lovely dresses and didnt wear them it is very casual. overall we had a lovely time and are in the proceeds of booking again. hope you have a great holiday.

We spent our honeymoon here at the end of sept begining of Oct, And we can honestly say it could not have been better, the weather was perfect and we had the relaxing holiday that we wanted. The entertainment team were great and we will always remember Jack shouting DARTS!! or PING PONG!! in the afternoons, we shall return to this hotel in the near future and reccomend it to anyone wanting a easy going relaxing holiday. Would love to hear from any of the friends we made while there.

Well, I agree with the other reviews that the Kefallonia Palce Hotel is lovely. It is clean, well laid out and functional. However, we had a very different holiday to those others mentioned. We decided that we would take on a last minute deal in the October half term (21st-28th), this was great the weather was Ok (we got burmt the first half of the week and rained on the second) but that was fine. What did disappoint us what that everyehere was either closed or closing at that time of year. i know if you decide to go then, then it is just tough luck and eal with it! But there were no warnings of this when we booked (over the internet) - anyway it didnt spoil it for us but we did ask for things - i.e (draught lager - finished, orange juice - finished, bug spray in shop - finished) so think on that that you will need to take all unique things with you as most shops are shut. there are enough open to have alook around and in Argostoli there are more - but that is a 5 minute taxi roller-coaster ride and a 30 minute ferry away. many of the excursions at this time are not on and in the hotel there is no such thing as an entertainment team. we had a guy from Manchester would decided (off his own back - i ight add) to run a couple of pub quizzes. good idea but we were bored of that the second night - not his fault though! there were no water sports and no air-conditioning in the rooms as it was out of season. If you are happy with this then you will have a great holiday but after we have paod quite a lot of money and we started to think about it we really did not recice the full pakage we had booked. Also, watch out for the taxi drivers- off thier heads - hold on tight now. However, for us we didnt really know any better at the time and had a great time - thre were no arguments for sun-loungers no queuing anywhere (except at the Messiliani Lake when a coach full of germans appeared). However you could tell that the staff at the hotel (not the restaurant staff or the maids) were fed up and wanted there wekk to finish and at times i found ome of them rude - it was still our holiday and we probably paid just as much as some in summer and we got a half deal. I would highly recoommend this hotle and destination and i would return but not in October - the island is certainly deserted.

My wife and I booked a Thomson 'Pricebreaker' to Kefalonia, (2 to 9 Sept 04), which was a deal offering either The White Rocks, Medeterannee or Kefalonia Palace, Thomsons Choice, allocation on arrival. We wanted either of the first two, and the person with whom we booked said that the Kef Palace was full that week, which I cheked and confirmed on the internet. Needless to say we ended up at the Kef. Palace, as did everyone else on a 'Pricebreaker', as far as I could determine. Not that that was a problem, but we could have booked it slightly cheaper thru more conventional deal. Anyway, our initial disappointment at being in an isolated location disappeared as soon as we got there. The hotel is in a wonderful situation, right on one of the best beaches you will find anywhere in Europe. All of the satff are genuinely friendly throughout and help create a wonderfully relaxed atmosphere. But. You have to remember this is Greece, and Thomson's ratings may slightly mislead you. The rooms are pretty basic and the bathroom is disappointing at first view. However, everything works, there is always plenty of hot water, and all well cleaned daily. The dining room again very relaxed with very helpful staff, where the food is 'OK', if again a bit basic. (Probably rate it better than OK if they had more choice of sweets). The common areas however, are all good. Bar staff are brilliant, prices reasonable with two happy hours every night. The pool is excellent . Entertainment is naf, but somehow you want to let them off with it as the perpetrators are so genuine. There are a couple of beach tavernas, again very laid back, quiet at night. Lixuri is a 7 Euro taxi ride away. (There is a bus 9.30 am returning 2.45 pm - Cheap) Worth a visit one evening, but again low key. Ferrys to Argostoli are regular, cheap, and very efficient. Well woth a visit, wonderful ambience. We did not hire a car this time, went on excursion instead. (be aware of extra costs, ask other guests advice)) but if there a fortnight probably would have as the island is bigger than we realised, and very beautiful. On the whole, a wonderful holiday in a relaxing, beautiflul environment. There is not much for those who seek a lively nightlife, but we found the week flew by, and everyone else staying there, young and old alike, seemed to be of the same opinion.

The hotel is very welcoming on arrival - it has a traditional Greek feel rather than a large, commercialised hotel that could be found anywhere in the world. Reception staff are very friendly and go out of their way to be helpful. During our stay we needed to get hold of some travel pills, which we could not buy at the shop. The shopkeeper suggested we ask at reception and, when we did, the lady immediately suggested contacting her collegue who would pick some up for us on her way to work. She did so, and did not even accept payment for the pills. This is a prime example of the attitudes of the staff. The rooms are lovely - very well furnished with excellent bathroom facilities. Ours was cleaned daily to a very high standard. The only thing that can be faulted in this area are the pillows - only one thin one is given per person, which I found to be uncomfortable. I suggest asking at reception for another if you have the same problem. The kitchen and dining room is very well run. Staff work very hard and seem to work every morning and every night. All are polite, friendly and helpful. The food is very nice, but not overly varied from night to night. Children tend to stick to the chips and pasta, so perhaps there should be more options that would appeal to them. Desserts are not of a very high standard, however I feel this is typical of Greece as a whole rather than this particular hotel. The location of the hotel is ideal. It is a ferry ride from the main part of Kefalonia, so is away from the main hustle and bustle (although this is still quite a peaceful area) and the trip across is very short and pleasant. From the hotel it takes only a few minutes to walk down to a beautiful red sand beach, where you can find a quiet spot or walk a bit further along to where there are banana boats, pedalos etc. I recommend hiring a car and exploring the island; there is a magnificent underground lake and caves, and other activities such as scuba diving can be reached. The entertainment team are fantastic. Jack (the team-leader) and Isabella run all the sports and have the most amazing amount of energy and enthusiasm. The encourage you to get involoved but do not pressure anybody. They work so incredibly hard, and have only one day off per week. During the day you can participate in water polo, water volley, beach volley, darts, table tennis, and the famous cocktail game, which can be anything from throwing a basketball into a bucket to a swimming race on inflatable crocodiles. The winner of each individual (ie not team) game recieves a cocktail during the night-time entertainment. Noel runs stretch class and pilates and water aerobics. There is also a kids' club, which they all get involved in and thoroughly enjoy. The only problem with the day-time entertainment is that there is not much for the 11-15 age range. The maximum age for the kids' club is 10, and only 16-year-olds and above may join in with the games for which a cocktail can be won. The night time entertainment is very amusing and fun, and again a lot of effort is put in by the team. There is something for the children first (often a disco) and then an activity like bingo, Goula-Goula (a music quiz), a comedy show, a very embarassing "Miss Kefalonia Palace" competition (do NOT trust Isabella when she tells you that this 'surprise event' will be 'nothing bad, just a few games' and that you should take part) and various other shows. Unfortunately no ouside entertainment is hired, it is the same team every night. A traditional Greek act would be nice, even if just for one or two nights a week. There is also a video set up for the children to watch every night. Finally, a special mention must be made for our holiday rep, Jenni. She is the best rep I have ever encountered, so very friendly and always on hand to help with any problem, great or small. She has really thrown herself into the life there; she has learned the language and teaches Greek lessons once a week for the guests should you wish to try. Her knowledge of the island is incredible. She recommended and got us onto various excursions, which proved to be fantastic. She even takes over from the animation team on their night off and does a quiz. It was greatly thanks to her that our holiday was such an enjoyable experience.

I'm 22 and went with My Byfriend (25yrs), Mum &Step-dad (45-50yrs), and Brother (16yrs) on 11 July 2004 for a week, my thoughts were: lobby/reception area: Nice tiled floors god for keeping cool, Helpful staff, Clean hallways, no bugs. Rooms: we were on the first floor and had 2 rooms next to each other. Very, Very clean, good size, telly with a quite a few channels (some in english). Double bed wasn't available we pushed the beds together. Nice size balcony, 4 chairs and a table with a washing line. If you were on the ground floor you had a huge terrace space with sun loungers. Ensuite Bathrooms - very very clean soap dispensers rather than soap - good idea. Fresh towels daily. Cleaned, sweeped and mopped daily and maids are trust-worthy. Maids/domestics: Cleaned, sweeped and mopped daily and maids are trust-worthy. I left digital Camera out and she put it in the draw, and my boyfriend left his watch on the balcony and she put on the bed-side table. Pool & Main Bar: Staff speak very good english and are extremely friendly and dont mind making conversation with you (the lovely Anna & Dina), large measures of drink at least 75ml! So be careful how you knock them back. Pool bar has uneven surface BUT there are lots of notices reminding you. Pool: Decent, clean, good depth. Baby pool okay, little cold. Glad people can't reserve sun-loungers/beds with shades, there's only 60 in sets of 2 so 30 really. Staff go round and remove people towels if their not there for more than 30 minutes. There are other sunloungers with out shades, that are stacked by the pool, but there isn't any shade. Animation Team: Noel, Isobella and Jack-animation team- we've met a few different memebers from previous holidays and they've always been of a high standard and the kids love them. These 3 are no exception, I have NO idea where they get the engery from, they encourage everyone to participate without being too in your face and annoying. Always helpful and bubbling over they most certainly do try to entertain you. If you have young children then they'll be fine with them. The Reps: The Reps well I was SO Pissed off with PAULA who was the First Choice Holidays Rep. We saw her for a grand total of 1 hour in a whole week! No contact number til Wednesday.She also discouraged you from going out. Her answer to everything was ''go to the port/harbour front and see what you can find'' this ranged from asking about over-booked excersions too finding a decent vegitarian meal (Mum is a Strict Veggie). Thankfully Jenny the Thompson Rep was Fantastic, and even tried to get us on her excursions when Paula messed up all our excursions. She was so helpful and did really well to resovle any problems, or would always try to find a answer to your question no matter how small. Food: Was great the Whole family ate well including my Mum who's a strict veggitarian and Vegan. Little brother 16yrs old always had food on his plate. And I'm fussy so yes the food was good and fresh, you actually see it get delivered about 11am if your in the laundry room. XI Beach: Right next to the hotel, stunning! Red Sand and blue sea, very good for swimming and water games not really sports as there isn't really much wind. More relaxing than anything.Safe for kids to swim in & play. Got a few beach cafe's best one is Dolphins which is linked to kelfalonia Palace Hotel anyway, full menu, good food & decent prices,staff speak good english. The side of the beach is made out of this clay that really good for Psoriasis as well as smoothing skin and making it soft and shiny, try it if you walk along the beach you'll see bits of it everywhere Greyish colour. Wet is and smear it on, leave it to dry 5 mins and exfoliate with the sand it works! Soft ,smooth, kissable skin. Overall: Very relaxing, Good food, friendly, helpful staff, nice country, stunning views. entertainment could be better, not much for young couples or teenagers to do come evening time. More sun-loungers by the pool area. Do the excursions especially Onasiss & Island tour.