Liberatos Village – Lassi, Kefalonia
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Well, the last review I wrote four years ago was about a much needed week of rest and relaxation. Having not had another summer holiday in the last four years, it made sense to ease myself back into Ciao reviewing by following a similar subject.
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Location:
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Liberatos ... Read review
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Advantages: Set in beautiful surroundings. Disadvantages: Halfway up a big hill.
Liberatos Village – Lassi, Kefalonia **** Well, the last review I wrote four years ago was about a much needed week of rest and relaxation. Having not had another summer holiday in the last four years, it made sense to ease myself back into Ciao reviewing by following a similar subject. **** Location: **** Liberatos Village, for this year at least, was a Thomson’s only complex in the resort of Lassi, Kefalonia. ... ...the route you take. Liberatos is, for some at least, in an ideal location – but only if you don’t mind walking uphill! The main resort is set alongside a main road, very close to the beach. Our apartments were away from the hustle and bustle, approximately 750m up a winding road that took you up a rather steep climb into the complex. This may sound like a problem, but it meant that there was a little more wind, making the air fresher, which left ... more
Liberatos Village – Lassi, Kefalonia **** Well, the last review I wrote four years ago was about a much needed week of rest and relaxation. Having not had another summer holiday in the last four years, it made sense to ease myself back into Ciao reviewing by following a similar subject. **** Location: **** Liberatos Village, for this year at least, was a Thomson’s only complex in the resort of Lassi, Kefalonia. Next year, the owner is planning on trying to take more control over the bookings himself. Lassi itself is well situated just a ten minute transfer from the airport, and around 4km from the island capital of Argostoli – depending on the route you take. Liberatos is, for some at least, in an ideal location – but only if you don’t mind walking uphill! The main resort is set alongside a main road, very close to the beach. Our apartments were away from the hustle and bustle, approximately 750m up a winding road that took you up a rather steep climb into the complex. This may sound like a problem, but it meant that there was a little more wind, making the air fresher, which left the apartment a little less stuffy on an evening. The other advantage was that after walking down into the town to eat, you could pick whatever you fancied, as the walk back up would certainly help to cancel out some of the extra calories! Luckily, whilst coaches are unable to make it up the hill, our transfer dropped us on the main road, where a mini-bus came and took us the rest of the way – as it would not have been much fun with a suitcase.
Once in the complex, the apartments are in blocks of around 6, with some being close to the pool and entrance, and others set slightly further up the hill. Our apartment was in those further up the hill, which made it slightly quieter being away from the bar. We had a beautiful view of a fruit orchard and olive trees that appeared to be only a few years old, and could see the sea. **** Cats: **** Whilst not strictly a review of the facilities, I just had to mention that around the resort there were a large number of cats. These were not hotel residents – but strays that lived off the land. The cats, however, were not isolated to the resort, they appeared to roam all over Kefalonia, so if you are allergic, just be aware of this. **** Apartment Facilities: **** When travelling to a Greek island, it never pays to expect too much from your accommodation, particularly when booking at a 2 star level. Whilst it is far from a third world country, the beauty and simplicity of Greek life does not go hand in hand with some of the luxuries we Brits take for granted. However, I was very pleasantly surprised. There are approximately 70 apartments in the resort, in two storey blocks so no one has to climb too many stairs.
We had an apartment, rather than a studio, which provided us a bedroom, lounge/kitchen, and a bathroom, as well as a patio. The living area had a sofa that could also be used as an additional bed, a dining table and chairs, a coffee table, and had a tiled floor. This was clean, but, as it was the end of a busy season, there were a couple of marks on the sofa and one of the curtains needed a new hook as it had obviously been used by some other over-zealous holiday makers. Presumably this will all be taken care of over the winter, ready to start afresh next year. The kitchen comprised a fridge with a small freezer compartment, plenty of work surfaces, a sink, and a microwave sized oven with hobs. There was also a reasonable amount of crockery and cutlery. The only major complaint would be the bread board, which was on its own in a cupboard, and had gone black with mould. There was one minor observation, the sink had no draining board which got a little frustrating when you wanted to wash a few things.
The bedroom was reasonably well furnished, with a double bed – something not that common in Greek hotels – a small dressing table with a mirror, bedside tables and lamps, and a couple of wardrobes and above wardrobe cupboards. There was also a small safe in the bottom of the wardrobe – but it cost us 10 Euros to get the key from reception. Crime isn’t much of a problem on Kefalonia, but it did provide added piece of mind, as the last thing you need on holiday is passports and other valuables going walkies. There was also an air-conditioning unit – but we didn’t opt for this as there was a charge, and the height of summer had passed when we went.
The only complaint about the room was the hardness of the bed. For me, this sometimes proved too much, as I can be a bit of a princess and the pea type sleeper, and sometimes found the pressure on my hips or chest unbearable, but for those who like a couple of holiday cocktails before bed, it shouldn’t cause to much of a problem.
Greek bathrooms are notorious for their simplicity. You can sometimes count yourself lucky if there is a hole in the floor to drain your shower water away. However, in our apartment there was a sink, toilet and reasonable sized bath with a shower above the bath. The toilet seat was loose – which came as a bit of a shock on the first day – but apart from that it was clean and tidy.
The sheets and towels were changed once in the week, and a cleaner came in most days to empty to bins, and, most importantly, the bathroom bin – as there is a no toilet roll down the toilet policy across Greece (the drains and pipes are too narrow to carry it).
The patio was pleasant, and had a table and four chairs – ideal for breakfast or watching the sunset. **** Resort Facilities: **** As with any good holiday resort, there was a lovely swimming pool. It was spotlessly clean, with gentle steps into the shallow end. I’m not sure of the exact length, but would guess it was 15-20 metres. There were plenty of sun beds and a reasonable number of umbrellas set around the pool to provide sunbathing or shade, depending upon your preferences.
The pool was a focal point for the complex, with the over communal spaces being set around it. There was a laundry area – but not like where Dot Cotton works. This was a room with toilets, and showers – ideal for the last day of a holiday when you had to vacate your room by 10, but weren’t leaving until late in the afternoon. Next door was the Agora – or mini-market. It wasn’t overly stocked, but did supply the basics such as water and other drinks, crisps and snacks, ice creams and bread. However, the prices weren’t that great. We got a shock spending 6 Euros on a maltesers ice cream and bounty ice cream bar! The owners obviously realise some people wouldn’t want to head down the hill just for a bottle of water, or that they wouldn’t want to lug them back up the hill.
The bar was pleasant, but again, not always the best value when compared with bars and tavernas on the main strip. Lunches and snacks included Greek salads, toasties and Souvlaki. Perhaps the highlight of the food was Friday night’s weekly barbecue night, where, for 7 Euros, you got a nice plate of food including chicken, pork and pasta salad. Whilst it was more expensive, we found ourselves ending up in the bar at the end of most evenings, as George the barman made it a pleasure. He was friendly, attentive, talkative, and made a fantastic iced coffee as well as providing a great deal of local knowledge. There was a TV that showed a variety of sport for those interested and music for those who fancied a bit of a dance. **** Overall: **** I would seriously recommend the Liberatos Village – the grounds were well looked after, the accommodation clean and more or less comfortable and the staff were all very friendly, helpful, and would do anything they could to make your holiday enjoyable. If you have difficulties climbing hills, it may not be for you. If you are capable, I would advise you to get off the main road and venture a little further up to enjoying the stunning views and fantastic atmosphere.
