Liberatos Village

Just returned from a fantastic fortnight at the Liberatos Village, glad we never saw any of the reviews before we left otherwise would have seriously been put off.
We were a little dubious when we were taken to the hotel and saw the hill but the view from our apartment was glorious. The apartment was basic, but no more so than any other apartment we've stayed in. All we want to do is sleep and chill in it, it's not where we hope to spend most of our time on holiday - if we wanted to do that then we'd book a villa! The kitchen was again basic however we ate out every day, but there was enough for us to do the basic cooking we normally do on a S/C holiday. The bins were emptied every other day and the bedding and towels were changed 3 times, more than enough. We had no hot water one day but that was fixed by the time we returned.
We managed to walk up the hill at least once a day, to be honest neither of us are fit and are both well covered but if we could do it after a day out and a meal then any but the old or infirm could do it. It at least meant we did one form of keep fit a day, which is never a bad thing and it didn't detract from the holiday.
The pool was absolutely superb - always clean - in fact the cleanest pool I've ever used. Never any debris on/in it and rarely any insects either. Always beautifully kept and lit.
Fotis and George, the barman, were both friendly and helpful and Fotis did a grand job of running the complex. His father (George [not the barman]) was also friendly. The bar was no dearer than any of the restaurants in Lassi for drinks, it is not a cheap Greek island generally. The BBQ was good value at 5Euros per person and Fotis and his father entertained with Greek dancing. The only night we heard any noise from the bar area was BBQ night - we heard more carrying up from Lassi than the bar area. The dog did wake us a few times, but as it isn't their dog there isn't much point complaining.
Yes, the supermarket was on the expensive side - but then we never bought anything from it, preferring to buy from Lassi, the option was ours. We have been on enough S/C holidays to know that any 'attached' supermarkets are dearer than others wherever you go.
The location of the apartments means you can walk into Lassi or Argostoli easily, Argostoli having the better selection of shops and eateries you would expect from the capital. Lots to see and do, but would probably hire a car next time as the tours only give you a taster of a place. Would shop around for the tours as the local firms were better priced.

I was a bit dubious about this holiday having read the reviews, however, the location is fantastic the pool is lovely and accomodation is of a good standard, Yes the hill is a pain in the heat but i have had a lot worse (Lourdas!!) and it is windy not steep and good for walking off your meal.The real issue with this place is the maid service, there is none! We had sheets and towels changed after 2 days and that was it until we complained 4 days before leaving.The apartment wasn't cleaned until we complained and the toilet bin was left for 4 days and then we emptied it and 4 days later we emptied it again! We ran out of loo roll and were told by the owner George that we have to buy our own as we are self catering!! I don't think so!! The rep said he was pulling his hair out with them re the maid service and they have lost a star rating due to this. On the positive side a great resort, we used CBR car rental as they had no excess and covered undercarriage for damage. Best restaurants are Sirtaki (singing waiters), paedra, mystic gusto for breakfast,il Gabrianoa and if you like pizza the Nepoli is a must.Cheap cocktails and interesting surroundings at the Simple Bar.

1 reader found this review helpful

Lovley place, nice pool, beautiful views but the hill up to libertos village is a joke, 15 minute hard walk but you can get a mini cab up and down the hill but it will cost you 5 Euros each way which twice a day can add up to a lot at the end of the holiday.
The shop on-site is a total rip off, they just make up prices each day. Loaf of bread 5 Euros, its cheaper to shop at Harrods.
We went as a family group of 16 and spent a lot of of money within the complex and just before leaving the complex they presented a bill of 10 Euro for a ripped towel which already had holes in it and was very old and frayed, that is just an example of how these people and this place are, Penny pinching, money grabbers.
If you are going as a group the chances are you wont be together, the apartments and the studios are so far apart its a joke, the apartments are up another hill which is a 10 minute walk from the studios. A lot of aggrovation.
we have been to about 10 Greek islands and know what to expect, but this place was so different to any Greek island we have aver been to. Its a Greek island with the price tag of Dubai.
We wouldnt go back to Liberatos Village or even Kefalonia.

1 reader found this review helpful

Where do I start ?
basic rooms with an overpriced bar and supermarket situated up the steepest hill this side of Everest you will ever have to try and climb. An owner who was surly and unco-operative to start off but finished up the villian of the piece.
The strategy was basically to get out of their most of the time but thankfully Penfandlis Travel and guides Hilda, Esme and Vanna made the tours either on island or at sea a most enjoyable experience. It was on one of these cruises round the wonderful island of Ithica that news came through that XL went bust on the Friday. I flew with XL but then it became apparent Kosmar, our tour operator had gone down with them . We returned to the accomodation and a smily chap called Steve assured us all was well and all they needed was one passport per party and they would assist with our transport home. This was a fib as it became apparent during the Saturday that the passports were taken so George (the owner) could extract money from the tourists to cover his bills. Prices from E200 to E2000 were quoted and obviously bad blood ensued. The police were called but they did not help and a Thomas Cook rep turned up to be told that if he did not negotiate a compromise then we were going to notify the embassy, politicians at home and the media. It was announced if we wanted our passports we would have to leave. As I was leaving the next morning I could wait but after we left George basically threw everyone out of the accomodation to be transferred to Hotel Lassi .
The moral of the story is never give up your passport , never give this resort any business as when the going gets tough the owner gets nasty and never pay to get what is yours back. Steve should be ashamed of himself for his conduct and George , well , never give him your business. If you go to Lassi , visit Nicos at Panorama , as he provided us refuge for the last day when we needed to get offside.
Finally as the transport left for Bristol (which we had to collect from the outside of the apartments) George came out to shout but to a man we gave him the international sign of defiance.
Kefalonia is simply beautiful but stay away from Liberatos and the car hire co of the same name.

We were having a great time at Lassi, it is really a beautiful island, all the restaurants are really nice especially the Panorama and the Phaedra. I would definitely recommend eating at these, the food is exceptional and the staff are really friendly and cannot do enough for the customers.
The Liberatos Village is adequate accommodation it has exceptional views and beautiful sunsets, since I have stayed at many Greek resorts I was amazed that we had hot water for the whole of our 2 week stay except for 1 night, the linen was changed twice in the 2 weeks. We did have an extra pillows but one had blood stains on which we did not use, we had to wade through water after every shower there was loads of ants/wasps, wires with tape on but none of this bothered us because we were in Greece and as far as we are concerned it is just somewhere to sleep. The shop prices in the Liberatos Village were extortionate and how the owner can justify his prices I do not know (it is all down to greed).
The dreaded hill, although we can understand that it maybe difficult and off putting for some people we actually enjoyed the walk up and down especially after having one of the gorgeous meals in Lassi. We even pushed our push bikes up this hill because the bike owners shop was not open (it was there siesta time).
There is a lovely coastal walk to Agostoli which takes about 2 hours or the shorter route takes about 30mins. In Agostoli there is a ferry you can get to Lixouri really nice place and costs only 2.20 euros (20 minutes trip) It is worth the 2.20 just to watch them get all the cars/lorries/buses on the ferry. We did all the tours except for Sami by night and they were all nice trips.
When the news started to filter through regarding XL airways we were on a boat trip and we were not duly concerned because we knew that alternative travel would be found eventually to get us back home even if it meant that we had to stay longer (after all it was a lovely place and lovely weather). On returning to our apartment we were asked if we had heard the news by a member of staff and they asked for the passport of the person who had booked the holiday, so that they could arrange alternative travel arrangements for us, we were told not to worry and just enjoy the rest of our holiday as they would sort everything out for us – (Very Sly). Our Kosmar rep had been sacked so we didn’t suspect anything suspicious in this action – (How wrong we where).
The following day we asked for our passport back but where told that they had not finished with them, we said that we would collect them at 5pm that day. On returning back in the afternoon we sat around the pool which had an eerie and uninviting atmosphere, various holiday makers were asking for their passports back but it was becoming increasingly obvious that the owner was not parting with them and they were being asked to pay again for their holiday, it was all becoming very heated. At this point I was getting a bit concerned and decided to go down to the office which use to be the Kosmar office, when we got there we had information that our flight had been re-arranged and that we were going to be flying on our scheduled day. It was now about 5.30pm and we were flying at 5.00pm the following day so I went armed with my letter saying that I was flying and went to approached the owner for my passport, I showed him my letter and told him that they no longer had to arrange my flight because it was already sorted and all I needed was my passport, the owner tried to tell me the letter I had was not official and that they were just trying to make money (not sure what he was getting at) I told him the letter was from Thomas Cook who where arranging the flights, I again asked for my passport and he said that I could have my passport if I paid 50 euros per night (14 nights) I was lucky someone else had been quoted 150 euros per night. I told the owner that I had already paid and I was not staying any longer than I had originally booked for but he was adamant that I was not getting my passport until I paid for the whole of my stay again. Thomas Cook became involved to a certain extent and where fantastic, as you can see from a previous report the Police were called and it was agreed that we could have passports the following morning if we where leaving and we would not have to pay again for our holiday. That last night was awful we left our room to go for something to eat in Lassi but were on tenterhooks all night because I no longer trusted the owner and we went back early because of this, the hotel bar was deserted except for the owner and their was a deadly silence all around there was even no-one on their balconies it was just like a ghost town with a horrible blanket atmosphere over it.
We did get our passport back the following morning but only after the room had been checked which I made sure I accompanied the cleaner because I no longer had any trust in them (I got the impression that they were trying everything possible to get money out of us).
Whilst the guests were looking at the Kosmar board which the Thomas Cook rep had updated with pickups and flight times the owner arranged for the board to be taken down and thrown away (this all happened whilst someone was looking at it). How petty and insensitive this was especially as some of the Guests were really worried and distressed about getting back home – All this owner did was to add to his guests distress instead of being more companionate under the circumstances.
I asked if we could leave our cases until we were picked up at 1.30pm but the owner said that it would be at our responsibility and that they could not be responsible for anything happening to them (which is understandable) I wont go into the whole conversation but from my conversation with him about this and the issues which had gone on previously we felt it was not safe to leave the cases so most of the guests just took them around Lassi with them for the whole day (some not flying until midnight).
A couple arrived in a taxi for their holiday and they were also abruptly turned away – not sure where they ended up at.
We are use to things going wrong when we go on holiday and just take it in our stride but this was the worst and most frightening experience I have ever encountered it was like trying to escape from Colditz and I hope we or anyone else never go through this experience again. I was one of the lucky ones to escape but I feel really sorry for the Brits we had to leave behind and I just hope they managed to get out and get alternative accommodation for the rest of their stay in Kefalonia.
If you are thinking of staying at these apartments then I would strongly think again – be it at your own peril, you have been warned. It is not because of the accommodation it is basically because of the attitude of the owners and staff, they have no respect for their customers and the only concern they have is trying to make money at every opportunity and at whatever consequences. Unfortunately I used to really love the Greek Islands and always spoke very highly of them but this incident has really changed my view, I know the XL and Kosmar incident was unusual and I was not concerned about it really what I am concerned about is what happened after this and how the Greeks treated the holiday makers, it was not an isolated incident regarding holiday makers paying extra money, we spoke to several Brits from various accommodations and they had been asked and paid extra although the passport incident only relates to Liberatos Village. If you do foolishly decide to stay here then make sure that you take plenty of cash/credit card because you are certainly going to need it.
Don’t mistake this accommodation with the Liberatos Resort the Liberatos Village is on the same hill as the Olive Gardens and Nikos Studios.

Holiday from Hell!! After XL went into liquidation the atmosphere turned very nasty.
Passports were conficated, the Police were called ,money was demanded for the return of the passports & although some customers left early to find alternative accomadation, the rest of the Kosmar clients were thrown out on Sunday 13th September.....What can I say apart from DON'T GO TO THE LIBERATOS VILLAGE......HOLIDAY FROM HELL!!!!!!!!
THANKS FOR THE WORST HOLIDAY EVER GEORGE!! (& STEVE WHO TOOK OUR PASSPORTS UNDER THE FALSE PRETENSE OF HELPING US ALL RETURN TO THE UK)

We did have a brilliant holiday. Hill no problem although we are a fairly fit family. However, the Liberatos is sadly lacking in customer care. The supermarket was always unmanned so you had to wait around to be served. The staff don't seem interested in their customers unless the son shows an interest in your daughter! The barbeque was we felt good value - we seemed to be paying an average of 50 - 60 Euros for a family of 4 to eat out, and the barbeque was 40 euros for all of us (without drinks). It's also quite fun to watch the son pretending he doesn't know how to do the 'birdy' dance so that some dumb English girl will 'teach' him. He did this for the 2 barbeques we went to! Very sad!
The room were very small for a family of 4, although they were cleaned twice a week. You couldn't cook (even simple things) in the apartment, although it's supposed to be self-catering - cold breakfast is the limit.
Only one toilet roll provided (for a family of 4!) - the very over priced shop does have a large stock and you're expected to buy them. However the poolside bar has a toilet were you can nick an adequate supply!!
It's such a shame - and if you're booked here don't let it put you off - you will have a good holiday, but the owners could do so much more with what they have. I recommend customer care courses - they would have so much more repeat business, can't they see this? If the prices in the shop were reasonable they'd sell so much more. The ice-creams were DOUBLE the price of the village.

We stayed for two weeks at Liberatos Village which has magnificant views, however this was let down by the service we received at the apartments.
The rooms have bins emptied each day and are cleaned twice a week. Shower facilites are extremely basic even by Greek standards. The shower head is not stand alone so you have to hold the shower head with one hand whilst washing with the other hand. Shower drain was clogged each day, not sure last time the drain had been cleaned, didn't want to think about it to be honest.
There was a wasp nets above the entrance to our apartment, but wasps had been replaced by a rather large lizard, which seems to have evicted the wasps.
From reading previous reviews we decided to go to the Greek barbeque evening, what a mistake!!. It was 14 Euros, which is for food only and the only provision for non-meat eaters is extra salad and pasta.
The drinks at the pool bar are overpriced, 3 Euros for a glass of white wine compared with 3.5 Euros for half a litre of white wine at restaurants down the hill.
On an information poster outside the office it was advertised that the internet was avilable for 2 Euors for half an hour, we were charged 6 euros. I would recommend that if you require internet access go to Agrostoli, the internet cafe charges 1 Euro for 24 minutes.
For the first week of our stay what appeared to be the owners son was more interested in trying to pull a 20 year old woman and spent a large part of the day in the pool.
Lassi and Kefalonia is a brillant place to visit. The island tour is something that everyone should book. The guide was brillant and we learnt a lot and saw a great deal of the island in one day.
We enjoyed eating out in Lassi, Mystic Gusto, Nefeli, Sirtaki and Phaedra are very good restaurants.
On a couple of occassions we walked to Agrostoli, on the coastal road and ate at 'The Captain's Table' and 'La Gondola' which were very good and well worth a visit.
We would definately go back to Lassi, however we will definately not be staying at the Liberatos Village.

this was my first visit to greece, and i loved it! dont think i would ever go back to spain now!
staying at the liberatos village had a couple of plus points for me, they were it was only 7 minutes from the airport and the pool was gorgeous! people had warned me that the appartments would be basic..... well that was very true! we syayed in block A the wash basin leaked, after 5 days the air con leaked and the noise from it kept us awake! and it cost 50 euroes! the kitchen area was dirty no way would i have cooked anything especially after waking one morning to a cockroach running all over the cooker and sink!!
The owner george was supposed to be really friendly well he didnt put his self out much to be friendly!! fotis his son who manages the place, well im sorry he is just clocking up the pound signs, and checking his bank account!!!
woulnt ever go back to liberatos, but the panorama taverna made our holiday we ate there every night! THANKS dENNIS I THINK LIBERATOS DIED WHEN YOU LEFT!!!!

What a shame!!!!!!! this could be a truely wonderful resort with its breathtaking views, green areas, cooling breezes and lots of open/private space. It is also located close to the main area- taking the hill out of the equation.
Unfortunately the manager and most of his staff seem to have either lost customer focus (unless you're a female under 20yrs of age) or they're busy with new ventures £££££££. We stayed in I block the furthest away from the pool/ bar so the noise from the bar didn't trouble us, what kept us awake for the whole of the 14 days/nights was ..... a dog tied 50 yards away from our bedroom window. It barked and whinned during the day and night and when we complained to the Rep and manager/staff we were told " cant do anything about it, its not our dog" Great!!!!! - and obviously not a new complaint.
On our 2nd night a member of the young staff knocked on our door and wanted to take all 4 of our balcony chairs for the bbq, I luckily only let them have 2 as even after repeated reminders/requests the borrowed chairs were never returned.
The apartment was clean but the toilet could only be flushed by lifting the whole of the toilet lid off the toilet, it was missing a few light bulbs and a few door handles. But the Bedding and towels were changed 2x week. A Taxi up the hill cost us 5/6 euros but again the manager could easily have set up a shuttle service to and fro. The supermarkets at the bottom of the hill are financially well worth the trip. There are Fantastic beaches and places to visit so most guests seem to get a car and explore themselves. We will definately go back to lassi/argostoli but sorry not Liberatos and purely due to the lack of customer focus.