Based on 11061 reviews on Trustpilot
020·7962·9933
Everything went really smoothly. Very happy customers, as usual. Thank you Raphael.
Bradley was excellent - very helpful and went through everything
We always appreciate the help of Howard Crafter
Very good appointment of the apartment over looking the sea. Hotel food not as good as last year and the villas are in need of refurbishment which they are doing.
All went as planned, no hiccups.
The booking was very easy. Cameron was efficient and helpful.
All worked perfectly.
Tara was amazingly helpful all the way through. Great experience. So a big thank you to her.
Ashley does it again. Perfect from start to finish
Nicole is brilliant.
Zoe Lane is always brilliant
All went well, thank you
Excellent service as always. Thank you Matthew!
Wouldn't use anybody else.
First class as usual
Very impressed with follow up calls.
Zac's team triumphed again.
Smooth booking. Good seat allocation and good times for flying. All went well with easyJet. On time with no delays!
Dylan top man - everything well organised
Thanks for sorting out our check in home. The flight was delayed but made tolerable by an upgrade
Outstanding service!
Great mini break. Lily was super helpful
All very good and very helpful
Excellent as always.
Richard Warren was wonderful in checking that everything went smoothly. I can’t speak highly enough of this company.
As always excellent professional, efficient and friendly service from Luke.
Last minute booking. Excellent all round.
Daniel was fantastic. Helped with my awkward questions and delivered everything above my expectations. Already looking forward to my next adventure
Aegean has a lovely lounge for its customers at Athens
Superb customer service as always.
'Over there,' said our driver gesturing to a smudge of land barely discernible in the gathering dusk, 'is Ithaca: the home of brave Ulysses.'
He put the stress on 'brave' as if there might have been another Ulysses around who had less of an appetite for man-to-man combat.
Nikos, our driver, was a man of the classics, it appeared. 'According to legend, Ulysses spent ten years fighting the Trojans in the Trojan War and then it took him ten years to get home after the war.
'This journey home is the story of The Odyssey.'
We were on Kefalonia, the sixth largest of the Greek islands, which sits between Ithaca and Zakynthos - far to the south of Corfu.
Unlike Corfu and other tourist-savvy islands such as Rhodes and Crete, Kefalonia still has the look of a place surprised to find itself in the holiday business.
If Ithaca has Ulysses, Kefalonia has heroes of a more recent vintage. The island was the setting for Louis de Bernière's modern classic Captain Corelli's Mandolin.
FIT FOR THE BIG SCREEN
And, surprisingly - as Holly-wood almost never seems to shoot films in their authentic setting - this was where Penelope Cruz, Nicolas Cage and Christian Bale came to star in the film of the book when it was made here in 2001.
The locals are ambivalent about the film, as it makes narrative capital out of the two worst events to affect the island in living memory.
The ill-fated occupation by the Germans during the Second World War (which resulted in the massacre of more than 5,000 Italian troops as portrayed in Captain Corelli's Mandolin); and the terrible earthquake which destroyed large parts of the island in August 1953, killing 600 people and making thousands homeless.
Driving across the island today, however, there is little to suggest recent troubles.
Kefalonia radiates a quiet contentment, perfect for someone who has arrived, like us, searching for utter peace and quiet. What quickly endeared us to Kefalonia was that this was a 'real' place where the locals clearly have a life beyond tourism.
The capital, Argostoli, for example, is charming, with a substantial fruit market near the harbour. Of particular interest in the harbour are the turtles, who have become something of a tourist attraction. Another endearing factor, to me, is that there are few sights thought of as mandatory. Our only outing was to take a drive round the island to the harbour town of Fiskardo, 30 miles north of Argostoli.
FAVOURED BY THE STARS
It has become popular with the rich and famous as the perfect place to tie up their luxury yachts as they make their way around the Mediterranean.
We had a fabulous lunch at a harbourside restaurant where our waiter confided that Tom Hanks and his wife were on a yacht nearby and were expected to arrive for lunch imminently.
We strung out dessert as long as we possibly could, but Mr Hanks didn't put in an appearance (or perhaps he is so good at disguises that we didn't recognise him).
Fiskardo is one of the few villages on Kefalonia that were left undamaged by the 1953 earthquake: its handsome Venetian buildings are an impressive sight.
What was also impressive is that while the place is probably the nearest thing that Kefalonia has to a major resort, it didn't really feel like a tourist honey pot -it certainly wasn't crowded.
And, best of all perhaps, the excellent meal was very reasonably priced.
The island has only recently begun seeking to attract tourists and doesn't seem to have been alerted to the possibilities of ripping off visitors.
We took our trip to Fiskardo in the evening when the heat was tempered by a cooling breeze from the sea.
Close to our apartment were plenty of good tavernas and bars where we could enjoy a reasonably priced meal in the evening.
It may have taken Ulysses 20 years to return to Ithaca - we shall be heading back to Kefalonia much sooner than that.
First published in the Mail Online - April 2018
More articles below...
Not quite what you're looking for?
We can easily customise an offer to suit your exact requirements
Clients range from TV companies to Space agencies, investment banks to firms recruiting nurses, doctors and teachers around the world. One saves tigers, elephants and and orang-utans, another clears landmines around the world.
But they all have one thing in common. They love the unique DialAFlight approach. Read more here
Let us extend the personalised service of your booking into your holiday with great prices on business class flights ready to add a touch of class to your trip.
Take the stress out of travelling with a host of wonderful perks on offer from priority check-in and premium lounge access to chauffeur service and fine in-flight dining, plus the supreme comfort of a fully-reclining seat.
Call us to see how much you could save on Business Class flights.
Airport Lounges from £25
Once you’re through security leave the crowds, kids and chaos behind you with a visit to one of our comfortable airport lounges.
All offer complimentary food, drinks, wifi and newspapers with some also including Fastrack through security. Prices from £25.
Use our speedy private transfer service to avoid the stress of finding your way out of the airport terminal and looking for a taxi or bus on arrival.
With our meet and greet service, our driver will meet you in the arrivals hall. They will monitor flight arrival times giving you peace of mind that someone will be waiting for you with a name board even if your flight is late.
They will then assist you with your luggage and organise a private transfer directly to your hotel - there’s no waiting around for other passengers for shared transfers!
So no queues, no delays and less stress.
What could be better than giving someone the Gift of Travel?
Starting at just £50, with no maximum value, DialAFlght's 'Gift of Travel' vouchers make the perfect present for any occasion or celebration.
And it couldn't be simpler to organise, just contact one of our travel experts today and they will organise a personalised travel voucher to be sent out.
BACK TO TOP
