Skala San Giorgio Hotel

My husband and I just came back from a week at San Giorgio and we absolutely loved it!!I spent two weeks browsing all possible islands and types of accommodation and realised that it is very hard to find a place with high ratings, close to the beach, with good food and reasonable price.

We booked the last room available - twin with inland view, half board. We didn't expect much and were even a bit scared when during our transfer we saw where were some people being dropped off, far from the world and not to mention town or beach. But we liked the place the moment we saw it. Our room was great size and we could even see the sea from the terrace.

Location wise it is far from Skala where the main beach is but we did not need to go to Skala and the main beach. The nearest access to the sea is 5 mins walk, just accross the road from Porto Scala, down the stairs and cliffs and it is a perfect spot for snorkeling. The best feeling ever swimming around and seeing over 100 fish chilling out around you so close you can almost touch them, fantastic!! 15 minutes walk down the main road is the nearest access to the sea. It is not the best beach in the world, quite rocky but I think the purpose of the beach is to access the beautifully warm crystal clear sea. We called it our beach and no matter where else we went we most liked that spot.

We rented a car through Rob (the Olympic holidays representative) which turned out to be a great thing and a good deal - 3 days + 1 Free for 155 euros, quick and very simple process and well worth the money. We drove all around the island. Very scary mountain roads but beautiful views, amazing. It was not very busy on the roads, most cars are rented probably by English people not used to drive on the other side of the road so everyone was driving very slowly.

We were on half board basis, breakfast was good, there was some hot food but we were not interested in that, it gets so hot from early morning that last thing we wanted was a heavy hot breakfast. Diner was great,big portions, very tasty, with good service, you must have a greek salad to share and then one of the greek dishes each as main. We were so glad we booked half board, the easiest thing after a busy day driving around the island is to have a diner at the hotel rathar then looking for a place in town. My husband is a chef and he gets a bit fussy with food but he loved everything at San Giorgio.

The must see things on the island are Drogarati Cave, Melissani lake and Myrthos beach all maximum hour drive from Skala. We visited all other bigger towns/villages and realised that Skala is the best place to stay if you want a quiet holiday with a nice beach where you don't have to fight for a space to put your towel. But if you are looking for a place to have fun, go out and party please stay away as Kefalonia does not need ruining the quiet rustic feel it has.

If you want to visit the island stay here great value for money. shop around for best on-line deals the difference for the same dates and the same airport can be as much as ' £400 for a total holiday price for two.

We had a very enjoyable two weeks at the San Giorgio Hotel, and Kefalonia is a beautiful island. It's very unspoilt, and the people are so friendly. We would recommend the trip to Ithaca. It was very interesting and very worthwhile. That was the only trip we did, as we hired a car and toured ourselves. Myrtos was amazing, and the restaurant at the top of the hill was very nice for lunch. Fiskardo was very picturesque, and some of the views on the way there were amazing. Take the road on the right of the island, which is the one the buses can't use, and explore the villages. Aghia Euphemia was our favourite little resort, and we spent a lot of time there. Also Poros has very good restaurants right along on the water edge.

I'd most certainly go back and see more of this island in the future.

The San Georgio was a lovely hotel, exceptionally clean and the staff on the whole was friendly and approachable. The snack bar was nice and reasonably priced, as were most of the drinks with specials most days such as bottled beer for 1€. There was only one bin in the room, in the bathroom, which did get very full and usually over-flowed. The room was spacious; plenty of room for 3adults and most had a lovely view of the sea from what I could tell. The outside areas were also spotless - the maids were superb and I cannot emphasise enough how clean everywhere was! There were two nice pools, plenty of sunbeds and a mini-market also reasonably priced considering the isolated location. The hotel offered a mini-bus into town for free but we had a car and so can't comment on the service. If you want to explore the island a car is essential. The breakfast in the hotel was nice, much better than the Captains House Hotel, with toast, rolls, ham, cheese, cereal, tea, coffee, juice and either yoghurt/fruit. This is the only thing that let the hotel down slightly, the ham/cheese was not covered and the wasps/flies were often seen munching on it - nice! And the lack of fruit daily did get a bit annoying, we ended up buying some to take with us but overall the hotel was superb. I would definitely recommend the hotel to anyone. However, the hotel is situation on the side of the hill and there are a lot of steps! There are at least 25between levels in the blocks and they cannot be avoided. There are 3carparks located up the hill but even the road requires first gear and high revs - very steep!!

The resort of Skala is a nice busy little town. No-where on the island is big though; the capital city is about the size of a large town in England if that. There are lots of nice places to eat in the town, and nice beaches in the area if you have a car (reviews of beaches at end.)

Reviews of restaurants:

Symposium - is on the seafront and a large open-air restaurant. It was very high quality service and the food was nicely presented and reasonably priced.

Kiliva - set off the main street and known for it's Greek dancing show, which many people watch from the street. It is very good for Greek food, such a Pastitsio that was delicious and also reasonably priced. Check your drinks however as vodka usually comes as bicardi when ordered with coke!

Captain Jerry's - Katelios (the next village on - towards the capital) is renown for its fish as it is a fishing village. Most restraints offer specials and the fish is fresh caught and lovely. The swordfish souvlaki was lovely and the sea-bass special was excellent value. The one waiter here was superb, the other not so much - he was very aloof shall we say hehe.

Penelope - is a boat restaurant on the side of the road from Skala to Poros not far from the San Georgio. The portions were huge, the prices reasonable and the homemade burger were superb - we only stopped for lunch but it was always busy of an evening.

Pines and Pines too - we went to the Pines too for Lunch one day and although right on the beach it was very reasonable and nice. It has music TV and is handy for beach refreshments and some shade! The Pines is situated at the end of the main street and on the square, it has service that little bit higher than some of the restaurants such as Kilivia - more formal but prices are 0.50€ more expensive. The food was nicely presented and delicious but the boss was very brash and when we asked to book a table he said there was no need and just to see him to be fitted in, regardless of us wanting a certain table for our last night (we went elsewhere).

Galera - by far the nicest restaurant in Skala. The service was superb, relaxed and yet prompt and the atmosphere was superb. The food was of a very high standard - the vegetables were fresh and well cooked, the potatoes were varied and the meats/fish were all to perfection. The Belly Pork with BBQ sauce was lovely, and the Carbonara was the best in the resort. We ate here two nights and they were more than happy to take a booking. A must.

In Poros we ate at a little restaurant called Bello, on the left of the mainroad through the village from Skala. It was a pizzeria with a traditional clay oven. The pizza was delicious, and my Mum enjoyed it even though she's not a pizza person. They also served ice creams and are very cheap. The owner was lovely and welcoming as was his son who worked on his lunch hour from school. It was also a very clean restaurant including the toilets.

In Sami we ate lunch at Cosi. The food was very nice and the staff were very friendly on first impressions even showing us their photo album of when the building was used in Captain Correlli's Mandolin. HOWEVER, the food cost 47€ and we left a 3€ tip thinking nothing of it. That evening we went out for dinner which cost just over 40€. Realising how expensive lunch had been (2club sandwiches, a Greek salad and ice creams) we returned to Cosi to check the prices. We had been over-charged, and not expecting anything back from the staff, but merely to question the cost, the staff lost the power to speak English and it was obvious they pulled this stunt on a regular basis.

Reviews of Beaches:

Poros - a very nice long beach with a very buoyant sea. As with most beaches it gets deep quickly but there are less rocks here than in most places. There are small bars along the shore and sunbeds available. It is a blue flag beach and very nice.

Agh. Paraskevis - nr. Sami - On the right hand side of the road leaving Sami, there are signs for a beach club and grill, if you park here you can get very very cheap drinks the beach club and access through a garden to a small rocky cove. The beach is very clean, has some trees for shade, and the garden is also very shady. The other advantage is the toilets! The sea is very clear but once again deep quickly, good for snorkelling. Don't take anything you would hate to loose such as sunglasses in the sea as if you drop them it is a long way down to fetch them - 25ft I dived for Mums!

Andisamos - follow the road into Sami and then signs for Andisamos up a road you are sure will disappear and you turn a corner to see views of a beautiful beach surrounded by a green mountainside - no development. There is a beach hut selling cans, a beach bar set back, plenty of parking and loos - though very waspy, there are also changing huts. The beach was nice, and picturesque but Paraskevis and Poros beat it easily once the impressive location wears off.

Makris Gialos (near Lassi) is a beautiful beach, follow the signs to it and you come to a car park shaded by trees, you then walk down past a very reasonable bar, down some steps to the beach. It is very long and narrow but sandy!! YAY no rocks hehe, and the sea gradually gets deep making it safer for children. The sunbeds are 8€ a day for 2 and a brolly, but if you don't want a day they won't budge on price. There are watersports available and showers for leaving the beach. Very nice.

If you have a car, petrol is cheapest between Mousata and Viahata, it was the cheapest by around 5cents on average which makes a difference when it has to be returned full with Europcar. The car we had was prebooked, nicely cleaned and grade higher than ordered. Be warned the roads are twisty and the island is hilly. The maps and signs are easy to follow and the Greeks drive using the theory avoid others meaning when the road is clear they drive centrally rather than on their side - don't panic!

Hope this has helped, we had a lovely time in Kefalonia which a gorgeous island and the places we ate, and the San Georgio completed it.

The San Giorgio is a fantastic hotel. The staff and the owners are very friendly. The accommodation is very clean and spacious with fabulous sea views for most rooms. The restaurant is excellent and all the facilities are good. Although the hotel is 2/3 kms from the centre of Skala, the hotel provides a free mini-bus to take you into Skala. We spent 2 weeks there and didn't want to come home, we had a brilliant time.