Kefalonia Garden Village

GREAT VALUE FOR MONEY,excellent greek food, nice and big flats, friendly staff, children will love it! It is better to hire a car.

As with other people we were tempted to cancel this hotel as the photos looked horrifying. Talking to the management at the hotel, it seems the photos were put on the websites by management of of other hotels in the area trying to put people off. Admittedly, this is a new hotel and has alot of teething problems, but it is nothing like people have made it out to be. The hotel in the middle of nowhere, but most all-inclusive hotels are, you do need a car to get around. We booked a car from reception that cost us 200 euros for 8 days and it was well worth it. There is a problem with carparking, we were not allowed to park by the hotel but down the hill near the beach. They really do need a minibus service into Lixouri and to the local beaches, this really would help the carparking problem. The beach area is being developed, it is adequate and there are plenty of sunbeds, volleyball and ski-hire as well as a beach bar. While we were there, the evening entertainment was in the Panorama bar at the top of the hotel but they were flattening an area at the back of the beach and all entertainment in the future would be held there. The hotel is built of the side of a hill, so if you are elderly, disabled or have young children try and book levels 1-3, levels 4 -5 are up a very steep hill. The waterpark is at the back of the hotel and well worth the hike, there are 5 slides, a bar and toilets, so you could spend the day there although there are not enough sunshades . I have 2 children of 12 and 15 and they throughly enjoyed the entertainment that was put on each day. There was always a choice of volleyball, aqua-aerobics, waterpolo, basketball, football (an astroturf pitch about 10 minutes walk) table tennis, darts and tennis. In the evening the Entertainments team keep the small children amused between 7-9pm and the adults between 9-11pm. They are fantastic (especially Ray). The food, like most all-inclusives, gets a bit monotonous after a while, but there is plenty of choice and breakfast is fantastic even if you have to queue for the fried eggs and the view from the balcony if superb. The rooms are spacious with the largest bed I have ever seen and the views from the balcony overlooking Argostoli and Zakynthos are stunning. There is a fridge and microwave but no cutlery or crockery. The bathroom has a power shower and a jaccussi bath. Lixouri is 4kms away, do take the ferry over to Argostoli, it takes 20 minutes and is 5 euros for a car and 2 euros per person. If you are getting a taxi from the airport to the hotel it costs 55 euros, the best thing to do is get the taxi to the ferry in Argostoli, get the ferry across to Lixouri (every half an hour) and a taxi to the hotel. Not only is it quicker and cheaper but you see more of the island. Kefalonia is a beautiful and scenic island, make sure you go to Assos, Mrythos beach (it is hard to park), Fiskardo, Sami and the caves. All in all we had a great holiday, do not expect to much of the hotel, plants and flowers have been planted that will grow and I should think in a few years time when the teething problems have been sorted out this hotel will live up to it's 5 star rating.

Stayed at KGV 15th-29th July and we really enjoyed our stay. On the whole we found this hotel very good. The main pool was lovely. Really refreshing in the hot sun. We didn't find the pool itself dirty. It was cleaned and swept every evening. The area by the sunbeds could do with a hose down. They could do with some extra sun beds, but people didn't seem to stay all day, so about 1ish you could get a bed. The idea is that between the beach, main pool & water pk, there should be beds for all. We went to a different part & came back later. There was not much shade in the water park. The restaurant is buffet style. The food was varied and plentiful. The food was changed & replenished regularly & whilst we were there we didn't hear of anyone becoming ill with food poisoning! You could never get a restaurant to sit all 900+ people in one go. The restaurant was open at 7.30am - 10am for breakfast, 12.30- 3pm for lunch and 7pm-10pm for evening meal. Plenty of time to stagger your eating. You can eat indoor (in the air con dining room) or out on the 2 verandas (1 cosy and small) and 1 large. All seats had a wonderful panoramic view of the sea and the mountains. There were small queues for the fresh fried section, but the remaining 6 hot/cold plates (each accessed from both sides) with numerous dishes in each, was never over crowded. Also bread section, pasta bar and an additional ice cream bar. The hotel is set on a hill which is steep in parts. It is not suitable for elderly or unfit individuals and I was worried at first, but as you eat so much, drink lots and generally laze around, lots of people commented it was good to do a bit of exercise (after a few days we could get up it very well). The golf buggy managed the hills excellently and was a good idea, apparently there will be more arriving to ferry guests back and forth. The evening entertainment was enjoyable and the kids loved it so much , they keep asking if they can go back again. The Dutch kids club takes 25 children and if its not full it will take children from other nationalilties. It is run by the Dutch equivalent of Thomson, so next year there may be more for the other children if Thomson take it over. 1 hour was the minimum for the UK kids club, some days it was a lot longer (11.30- 1.30 when practising for the kids caberet). If you go for lunch straight after, it means the kids are out of the sun in the hottest part of the day. And that was just great! We go on holiday as a family and don't want to put our children out of the way like they go to school. The animation team really work hard throughout the day with both adults and children. We found the shop quite inexpensive. The lady and the man kept rounding down the amount you paid and we found them to be very friendly and helpful. The beach area could do with a toilet and that would make it better. Regarding the cracked paving. My children ran about the whole time and never once tripped, if fact I didn't notice any cracked floors. The gardens are watered using the recycled water from the taps(not sewage) as most hot countries do. True to say it did smell if you got it on you, so we just avoided it! We put our towels any washing out over night without any problems. We know of English people were on the 1st and 2nd floor during our stay. If you are in a room on level 6, this is the same level as the water park, so its very handy to use this as your main pool. People can have different opinions and could be disgruntled by any situation, but we had a lovely holiday and didn't sit around trying to find fault with the place. Although the all inclusive hotel is very good, it is well worth hiring a car for a few days to visit the rest of this beautiful island.

I would not go back there for sure. The travel agency ensured us that it was a "A" category 4 star Hotel. But far from it. Its a mass prodused holiday 'camp' village, catering for mass holiday makers under 40 with children under 12 years old. Nothing for older children or over 60 year olds like us. There is nothing likeable about the hotel. Standard food, standard service with very poor trained staff trying to keep the place servicable. You need to hire a car to be able to do some siteseeing, they provide some organised day trips but not very exciting. During the day you can not get near the pool because all the beds are already taken and there is nothing much else to do. Although its a new establishment they need to improve everything starting with proffesional staff.

Have just returned from KGV having spent a week there. We enjoyed our holiday and loved the island but would probably not go back to the KGV. We felt the problems were fundamental rather than simply teething problems - namely poor hygiene of food and common facilities & serious lack of concern about health & safety issues The week we were there (14 to 21 July 07) the hotel was rammed full. Approx 40% of guests were Dutch and another 40% Greek/Cypriot the balence being British German Austrian and a smattering of other nationalities. The hill up to the rooms is incredibly steep - 1 in 3 in places. You cannot take cars up there This actually put a damper on the holiday for us as it was awful if you needed to go back to your room in the heat of the day (we were in 612 at the very top and no chance of changing rooms as the hotel was full). Interestingly the lower level rooms were all given to Greek or Cypriot guests. The day we left they had taken delivery of a golf buggy but we did not see this in use and seriously doubt that it would make it up the hill safely for passengers. I for one would not like to be sat at the back on the way up the hill as there was nothing to restrain you from falling out. The hotel had obviously been finished in a hurry and to a poor build standard. The concrete road at upper levels already had many large cracks which are trip hazards and these got visibly worse in the time we were there. This is only 6 weeks after opening so what will it be like at the end of the season when all the concrete is even more flakey and broken? Flagged areas at the top of the steep staircases on the hill were already cracked and broken and again a trip/fall hazard. We saw at least 4 people with broken legs and believe these were either accidents on the hill or trips in the dining room where food spillages were a constant problem. The doors to the reception area are plate glass and a serious hazard to young children several of whom we saw bumping into them. One of the heavy metal handles actually fell off one day and was not replaced. On the subject of food this is a food poisoning episode waiting to happen. The hot food is served lukewarm and that is just asking for trouble. EU Food Hygiene Regs just don't seem to apply here. It reminded me of school dinners - its simply mass catering for 800 people - with a huge echo problem in the dining room which gives you a headache. There are only 350 seats for the 800 plus guests so be prepared to wait and queue for popular dishes like fried eggs, chips and ice cream. If you are bothered about 500 snotty children handling the utensils or sticking their fingers in the self serve food before you eat it then this resort is not for you. In fact the adults were just as bad at handling the food then putting it back in the serving dishes. If you stick to the cold food and cut your bread from a fresh loaf you will have a slightly lessened risk of food poisoning. Flies in the dining room and wasps in the bars and by the pool were an increasing problem during our stay. There are fly killers evident in the public spaces but these were never in use and can only assume they have not been wired in. If you hire a car there is very little parking available, this has not really been considered, you need to be good at reversing and turning on a sixpence. If any of you are expecting an outside adults only pool this was never built - the water park has been built there at level 6 up the hill instead of at the beach where it was planned. It opens at 10am so don't climb the hill before then as you will be disappointed. There was no evidence that the resovoir at the bottom of the water slides was ever cleaned out - it was filled with fag ends and other rubbish and as a stagnant area will be a breeding ground for mosquitos. The heated spa inside pool is not heated and the jaccuzzi does not work. The main pool area became much dirtier in the week that we were there. Spilled food and discarded cigar and cigarrette ends were just left. The pool edge was actually filthy and needed a good jet wash. The pool itself is extremely cold and not pleasant to swim in. Even though the weather was 40+ degrees the pool was unpleasantly cold and you actually got goosepimples. There are 150 sunbeds by the pool which is not nearly enough for 800 guests. If you turn up after 8.30 expecting to get a bed you will be disappointed. Folks were putting towels on them at night then not turning up til 2pm. Contrary to popular belief the Brits were not the worse culprits - the Dutch seemed to have it off pat. Plenty more sunbeds by the beach and a few by the water park but not much shelter from the sun there. The shop was well stocked but expensive. Do buy all your suncream towels beach toys etc before you go. There is no full time kids club unless you are from Holland. Our son was turned away 'he cannot stay because he is not Dutch - this is only for Dutch children' The animation team run a daily 1 hour session from 12 - 1 which was popular and our son enjoyed. If the hotel is full you will not be able to book a late checkout. We used the pool after we checked out at 12 noon but then had to struggle to get a shower. There is 1 gents and 1 ladies shower downstairs next to the gym but there is no light in either so you have to shower in the dark. Also no hangers to keep your towel or change of clothes dry. Now all the schools have broken up there will be a lot of competition for these 2 showers on changeover day - I wish you luck in the scrable for them!!!! The plants are watered automatically at about 2pm and 11pm. The water used stinks so must contain fertilizer. It honestly stank like it was sewage. Its a fine spray and can be directed onto the terraces outside the rooms so don't hang your towels and swimsuits over the railings if you are on the ground floor as they will be sprayed with goodness knows what. I would also recommend you don't breathe in the spray if you are walking back to your room at night. Any good points about the hotel? There are plenty of drinks, both non alcoholic and alcoholic available from 10 am til midnight. The soft drinks were especially welcome as it was very very hot. If you are not fussy about the quality and the germs there was plenty of food available with snacks mid morning and cakes in the afternoon. Rooms were pleasant and clean. Take some cups with you if you want a cup of tea in your room. The power showers in the room were excellent. It was pleasant to have a second room and not have our 6 year old sharing our room. As the plants mature the garden areas will be beautiful. We booked our holiday as a late, and therefore cheap, deal so were philosophical about the problems. We got plenty of sunshine which is what we were looking for so did not let any of the above ruin the break for us. However, if we had paid full price, as had several of the other British people we had spoken to, then we would have been very upset and disappointed. This hotel is classed as a 4 star but by no stretch of the imagination could this be called a 4 star. We would rate it a 2.5 . I thought long and hard before writing this review as I do not want to frighten any of you before you travel. However it is an honest account of what we found. We have travelled all over the world but I have never stayed in a worse hotel (though the Lanzarote Princess comes a close second) We believe that Thomsons have block booked this hotel for 2008. Perhaps their influence will improve the standards. Only time will tell. Catvinnat

don't understand why the bad reviews . we stayed here last week and i really couldn't find a fault. the food was lovely. entertainment ok. slide park is open and great fun. lovely views. if you want a relax by the pool , eat lovely greek food, and just chill this is the place for you. one thing don't book a transfer get a cab from the airport to the harbour and get the ferry accross and then cab to resort a lovely way to travel and will only take approx 45 mins.(and much much cheaper). excellent holiday. my 8 year old son cried all the way home as he didn't want to leave.

Have just come back from a week in K V G and although we enjoyed our holiday would not go back to this hotel.It is a new hotel and has teething problems,the rooms are fine and yes there is a kettle and a microwave but no crockery and cutlery.The hotel is very isolated and an 8 euro each way taxi ride to shops,bars and a bank,the shop at hotel is o k and the lady who runs it in the afternoon is lovely.It is a mountain trek to your room if on the 4th floor and above a 1 in 3 hill !! there is supposed to be a buggy coming to ferry visitors around but no help to the lady who fell and hurt her foot yesterday.The beach need some tidying up and the beach bar to open but the sea is pleasant.We were not happy with the standard of cleaning (they are having problems getting them)but the floor of outside restaurant wasn't cleaned until the last morning and then whilst we were eating! there was small bits of broken glass on floor for days and twice we reported it.Then there is the food it started off adequate and went down from there not a lot of choice don't know how they will cope when hotel is full this week.A lot of issues need addressing but like I said we enjoyed holiday the staff were friendly and although we don't join in games the animation team headed by Danny and Ray were one of best we have come across.

If you are looking for an all-inclusive-lounge-by-the-pool-hot-hot holiday then look no further... I couldn't fault any aspect of the hotel, and still there is more to come (slide pool at top of hotel). Excellent clean pools, plenty of free sunbeds, wide variety of different food every lunchtime and evening, clean room linen daily and hydro power shower. The entertainment team are fantastic and are sure to get you involved night and day (look out for Ray!!!) The daily water polo matches are not to be missed... 1 poolside and 2 night-time bars to choose from as well as the restaurant. The walk up to the apartments is steepish, but the facilities make up for any walk! More than suitable for a wide range of ages - we're both 25 and made some great friends, older and younger.

My Husband, I and son aged 11 stayed at the hotel from 22.2.07 to 29.5.07. We really enjoyed our stay and most of the guests were English but I am not sure if we would enjoy it as much if the hotel was at it's full capacity. Whilst we were there, I think there was about 120 guests and there was such a friendly atmosphere all the time and no queuing up anywhere. Buffet meals were to a high standard but sometimes the food was lukewarm. Show cooking not available yet. The entertainment team were fantastic. There are only 4 of them (3 English and 1 from Bulvaria) but their enthusiasm, friendliness and hard work that they put into everything was unbelievable. Althought the kids club was not up and running, they still organised games, competitions etc for the kids as well as adults. The tennis court and basket ball court opened on our 2nd day there. However, the slide pool is far from finished. The gym and spa are also open and the adult pool is inside in the spa area. (Children were allowed to use this pool at the beginning of the holiday as the water in the pool and sea is still very cold but as more people arrived, they were told that they couldn't use the adult pool anymore, which was fair enough) They also have a table tennis room near the gym, 2 pool tables and 4 computers in the main bar area. The panoramic bar and restaurant is still not open either but they put all the tables and chairs out so I assume it will open soon. We had a one bedroomed apartment which was quite spacious with a massive wardrobe but there wasn't enough drawer space for us all. All rooms/apartments have balconies which overlook the sea and the view is spectacular. The hydro shower was really powerfull and there was always plenty of hot water Please take note that all rooms are up a steep hill and I would advise anyone with walking difficulties to think about this before booking. There are some special buggies on order for taking people up and down (they can't use normal buggies because of the steepness of the hill) but I don't know how long it will be before they arrive. A mini bus will take you and your luggage to your room The same when you leave so this wasn't a problem at all. There is a small shop which sells almost anything. Although there is a small beach with lots of sun beds on it and there are two sandy areas where you can actually swim. There were 2 jet skis and a couple of pedalos but we only saw the man who hires these out, the first few days. (maybe not busy enough yet) Volley ball net was put up on the beach thje day before we were leaving (you will definately need beach shoes) but the beach bar is not open and again it is quite a trek to walk back up the hill to the pool bar for a drink. We made our own way to the resort (about an hour away frm the airport) and got a taxi from the airport (70 Euros) but coming back we ordered a local taxi and it only cost 45 euros. It is a lot cheaper if you get a taxi to the port and get the ferry over. Then get another taxi the other end to the hotel but we couldn't be bothered to do this because of all the luggage. Just a word of warning if you have toddlers - there are a lot of glass doors at the hotel and one evening the doors to the main reception area/main bar were closed and a little boy ran straight into them. There was quite a bit of blood and some very loud screams!! It is also worrying that there are a lot of steps going down from the reception area and this leads straight to the main pool and if the doors had been open, would he have gone down there? There is no pool/beach towel service which we found unusual in a 4* hotel so we bought 1 towel from the shop and used the room towels which we were told would be ok. The hotel is not near anywhere but this didn't bother us as we just got a taxi one evening and had a meal at the port. Hope this review helps.

Just had a fabulous week at this place. There is no need to worry for anyone going there. The food is excellent, staff friendly and work really hard, especially the animation team. Also, there is a beach which is very pretty and sunbeds are free which makes a change.