San Giorgio

2 readers found this review helpful

I booked this holiday with Portland after reading all the fantastic reviews on the internet. We decided that we didn't want B&B or HB so we went self catering and paid around £750 for 2 adults for the week. The self catering accommodation is nothing to write home about at all. Our room was quite tired, relatively small, we had a shower only (not the bath that the hotel guests rave about) the balcony area was not private (open to all) and the facilities for self catering in the room were quite poor -2 electric rings and a minibar fridge that had trouble getting cold (make sure you immediately find the dial at the top and the back and wack it on full). The on site mini market really has only limited stock so you have to make the journey into Skala to buy even just the basics. So all in all a great disappointment for the amount of money we had paid for the week.
The rest of the hotel I can say is definitely above standard. The pools are beautifully warm (watch out for the wasps & mossies as they really are a problem). There are plenty of sun beds. The pool bar can go from reasonable prices to the ridiculous (my husband paid 4 euros 70 for a milkshake!). The snack bar is excellent value for money and the food is fab-its open from 10-6 so would definitely recommend that. We ate in the hotel restaurant a few times and our experience was that the food was generally very good and reasonably priced. One word of warning do not order the champagne we were given a bottle of Asti and charged 30 euros for the dubious pleasure! There is internet access in the reception (1 euro 15 mins, 1.5 for 30 and 3 per hour). There is also a currency exchange in reception where you can change money and get cash back (advisable as the only cash point in Skala was out of order for the entire week). The minibus into Skala (trust me it is closer to a 30 minute walk and in searing heat you do not want to do this) can be booked at reception, although the timings of these are very ridged about when you want to come back (the generally give you a two hour slot so out at 10 back at 2 for example-you can change the return I think). Last minibus back is at 9pm. A taxi will cost you 5 euro.
Skala is very pretty and you will find supermarkets, cash point, and tour operators there. We booked a trip to Ithaca with Panem for 36 euro each-stopping at the capital and a fishing village for lunch and two swim stops-a fantastic and very full day out.
I am vegetarian and had no problem and quite a lot of choice in all of the restaurants. We ate in the Pines-main courses were awful and you were very rushed. Symposium food was fine, nice atmosphere and my Husband said he had one of the best fillet mignon he had ever eaten. Our favoured place was the Scandinavian-excellent food and well priced.
Don't underestimate the heat here; we had mid thirties all week. All in all apart form being quite disappointed about our room we did have a great time, I would return to Kef but probably not to San Giorgio again (unless I was booking B&B).

1 reader found this review helpful

Booked this holiday on a whim after finding a good deal - didn't realise what we paid would get us such a lovely, clean and peaceful holiday!
We wanted a calming 2 week sun break, away from high rise Britain-by-the-sea type resorts and this was ideal. The hotel is situated just a couple of km from Skala town, so you're away from the noise but can get there with ease on the handy, and free shuttle bus run by the hotel. There are lots of lovely tavernas and a couple of bars, so perfect if you just want to have dinner, a drink and relax.
There is a water taxi to Katallios which is lovely for an evening, all the tavernas are along a small beach, but you have to get a taxi back which costs about 20euros.
The pools were fantastic and very clean, and the views were lovely from them too.
The rooms were equally as clean and we were given fresh towels every other day.
After going on some days out all over the island, i'd definitely say this is the best resort if you want nice food, stunning views and relaxation.

2 readers found this review helpful

The San Giorgio Hotel is first class,the staff are all very nice,food very good we had one week the beaches around the area are fantastic a hire car is a must we used Pefanis Rent a Car who were very professional.Poros sami Argostoli,Kateleio, Myrtos bay,Aghia Euphemia to name a few are all worth a visit.The roads around Kefalonia are quite rough in places,you would have to be very brave to drive at night.We will be going back as we had such a great time.Would recommend Kosmar, very good rep (Janice)very helpful.Kefalonia is a beautiful island.

2 readers found this review helpful

our room was excellent - number 152 although it couldnt have been further away from main hotel, but we had a car (the receptionist did check we had !!) and we loaded the car and drove the the pool !! wonderful room, almost new, full bathroom with shower screen and fully tiled with hairdryer. Big sette and plenty of room....and with amazing and beautiful sea views across to Zante and what must be mainland Greece. Yes some rooms have a huge step climb to get to, but if you have a car there are plenty of little spots to park at up the hill..................well, its a mountain really !!!!
We booked this as an independant holiday and got a bargain at £111 for the room B & B for a week, through Thomson and booked flights with excel at £296. If you have a car it is worth looking as we saved alot on this, total holiday with insurance £430 thats for 2 people and not each...
Hotel is excellent , clean and tidy, with great well stocked bar by pools. Snack bar sold salad and the usual snacky stuff....... Pools lovely with plenty of sun beds and sea views from all the terraces. Internet and snax and small shop, all faultless. Only draw back was the restaurant - we booked table at 8.00pm and by 8.50 still no sign of the starter !! The guys are running around but men just dont multi task as well as us ladies (well ok some do !!) so the service was very slow. But with the glorious sea views - it wasnt a major problem. But go to Skala (book the mini bus of the hotel early, we heard many people being told it was full) and eat at the many tavernas. Greeks eat late, so arriving at 9.45 wasnt unusal at all...........Kefalonia is an island we married on last year and this was our 5th trip. It is beautiful, rugged, laid back and typically Greek, but tourism is number 1 so expect tourists to be catered for, but if u search u can still find real Greece.
Suggested car hire through Greekstones, no credit card needed - paid at airport and no exceses which is really good...............try the road from Poros to Sami, then continue to Agia Efima and then to Fiskardo, but steep in places, a bit hairy !!! but so rural and this is real Kefalonia with small mountain villages and the views to Ithacka are truly breathtaking...... Best beaches are Lassi for sand or north of Sami for small white pebbles. All in all the most wonderful holiday. enjoy.

1 reader found this review helpful

I really didn't enjoy my stay - I was on my own, it was the end of the season and I was bored.
Only visit this hotel if you can handle being pretty much well out of the action and all you want to do all day is eat and sunbathe. The resort is also pretty much Britain in a different language and more sunshine. Brits everywhere. Didn't like it.
Don't get me wrong, it would have been lovely if I was with my friends, but I wasn't. So this is my opinion. Put me somewhere with more hustle and bustle any day. Only good for groups.

The Hotel was ultra clean, the pools were great, and room was excellent. Staff not very friendly, whatever everyone else says.
Greek Stone car hire the best. Galera restaurant fantastic, the boat not bad but food not hot, Skandinavia ok but portions small.
Corfu next year !

1 reader found this review helpful

The hotel was lovely and the staff helpful. Good facilities with three great swimming pools. Rooms were clean. The hotel probably deserves 4 stars instead of 3.
Only problem was the hotel had six emaciated-looking kittens (presumably to keep the mice down) which were apparently just fed tip-bits from the kitchen and I was informed were left to die at the end of the season (October). I therefore would not entertain this hotel again!

1 reader found this review helpful

Excellent hotel, from the clean, simple rooms to the wonderful pools and friendly staff. We found our perfect location here, if you want to be away from noise in tranquil, pretty surroundings this is the place for you. The hotel is set on a hillside which means you get fantastic views virtually everywhere you go, however, the steps may pose a problem to some. It did not cause us any problems for us even though we had a two and three year old with us.
The rooms were cleaned every day to a high standard, bed linen & towels every other day. The only thing I would say is that if you want to do any cooking in a self catering room, the utensils were very limited and only two electric rings and kettle, no toaster or microwave.
The snack bar was very good, food reasonably priced and pretty good standard. The restaurant we found to be excellent, the meals were beautifully cooked, average prices and the waiters were extremely friendly and helpful (our waiter entertained my children on many occasions).
The pool bar was again very friendly and conveniently located between the pools which were great. If you have young children, there is a long strip of paddling pool, really shallow, with sun beds very close and we found, even our two year old, able to play happily while we sat on the beds supervising.
There was also a small playground which the children loved. For older children, there are three fairly large pools, two with shallow ends and a games room with pool, bar football etc.
For couples without children, the resort was also perfect as there were very few children when we went in May 07, so not overly noisy or invasive. There were more couples, mostly in the older age bracket, than families.
Entertainment was adequate, not too much, 4 nights, Greek night, karaoke, quiz night and music from past.
If you want to got into the resort of Scala, you have to either get a taxi (5 euros) or use the courtesy bus (request a ticket same day at time you want, its every two hours). It takes about 5 mins to drive in, about 45 to walk.
Overall, we found a wonderful, peaceful family getaway and will definitely go again, in fact I can’t wait to re-book, hopefully for 3 weeks instead.

1 reader found this review helpful

A beautifully situated complex of apartments and rooms. 4 beautifully clean swimming pools. Shop, reasonably priced restaurant and snack bar. 2 Bars. All wonderfully clean. One of the best features was the friendliness of all the staff, our 4 year daughter became known by all and we felt really safe letting her wander (within reason). We often drank in the evening with the family who owned the complex. Nothing seemed too much trouble for the kitchen staff who took me to the kitchen to show me the size of the lobsters that they had bought as a special request for me. The kitchens were spotless.
I can recommend this venue to any family. It may be a little quiet for singles but for single or 2 parent families with young children it is a must. We can't wait to return.

I would like to repeat one comment from a previous review, the one main disappointment / problem are the wasps whilst eating breakfast. The hotel does need to sort this problem out.
You could not relax and enjoy your breakfast without putting decoy pots of jam / honey at the ends of the table or trying to flick the wasps away. The rooms were always very clean, but our bathroom looked as if it needed a lick of paint / re-tiling.
Other than that I cannot fault the Hotel and can agree with the majority of comments outlined in previous reviews.