Kefalonia (Greece)

I spent 5 weeks on Kefalonia this summer, totalling my number of visits to the island to 5. Over the years Kefalonia is an island I have simply fallen in love with; other locations just don't compare. Here you feel you are able to experience and observe Greek ways of life, whilst never being too far for some comforting British familiarity.

The airport is small but this year I found all my luggage arrived very promptly and things seemed extremely organised. Transfers were entertaining as always; a great opportunity to see some more bits of the island, as well as observing the amusing driving habits of the locals (think beeping, driving down the middle of the road and complete disregard for any speed limits even around killer mountain bends, generally while the driver is on the phone/having a cigarette!).

I always stay in Skala but have visited many towns on the island including Argostoli, Poros, Lassi and Fiskardo, to mention a few.

What makes Kefalonia so special is the people who live and work there. Even staying for a short time you get a sense of being part of the town and are able to build good friendships and acquaintances with many different people. While I was there I made many friends working in various locations, who always remembered my name, the names of my family, and other details about my life - something which you would rarely find in other countries. Also, nothing is too much trouble for them, and their generosity seems boundless.

The selection of bars and restaurants is good, although this is not the place to come if you are looking for a clubbing holiday. There are one or two clubs on the island (Spilios in Poros and another in Argostoli I think), and many bars do stay open to the early hours of the morning, depending on where you are staying. However there are always plenty of things to do, and you will find the pace of life is much slower here anyway - people take time relaxing and chatting over their meals long into the night, for example.

The place does become busy with British, German and Italian tourists in the summer months (particularly August!), however outside of this peak month it does not feel overrun with British people, as some locations often do.

I was there during the fires this year and it was a scary experience, however the locals dealt with everything so well (fire, power and water cuts for 24 hours) and the next night things were up and running again as normal, despite the fact that most people had spent the night sleeping on the beach/evacuating the town, trying to put the fire out/protect their possessions or contact loved ones. One has the sense that if such an event had occured in the UK, it would take weeks for normality to resume!

Kefalonia is a place I intend to return to again and again - it is simply a perfect, stunning location that stays with you forever.