Kefalonia Bay Palace

My friend and I booked via Tui and paid well over the odds for the experience. However, that is not the hotel's fault...just make sure, if you're thinking of booking via Tui, that you check the direct hotel rate instead as you could save yourself a lot of money! The location is fantastic - you could spend hours (and we did) staring at the sea and mountains. The staff are lovely - both Maria and Sis (apologies if I've spelt your name incorrectly, Sis!) on reception are incredibly friendly and helpful. The breakfast waiting staff are also great, as is the manager. Even though our bedrooms were dated, and the bathroom experience could have been better in my room ie it was a wet room and the shower water flooded the floor so that going to the loo became a bit of a wet feet experience each time, I am pleased that we stayed at this hotel. The walk into Agia Efimia takes about 12 minutes and we loved that walk - it takes you past some lovely little beaches which you can swim from. It also takes you past some amazing tavernas - the staff at Paradise Beach are incredibly friendly and we couldn't believe the price when we had our first evening meal there. So cheap compared to the UK and with amazing portion sizes. I also loved Amalia's taverna - great flavours. My first experience of goat's milk ice cream. Yum. It was only after we arrived that we realised that Tui didn't do any tour pick-ups from Agia Efimia so we did our own thing and are glad we did. Greka Travel in the village is a family taxi business and they took us to all the places we wanted to go eg Sami; Myrtos Beach; Fiskado, Assos. We booked returns and they were always there on time to pick us up. You can also book them for a tour, and they took us to Myrtos Beach, then onto Assos when we were ready, and then back to Agia Efimia. Lovely, lovely people. This is truly one of the best holidays I've ever had and I would return to Agia Efimia, and the north of the island, again. In fact, we're already checking dates for next May.

Wonderful views in a stunning location! Had a wonderful weekend stay with Friends. Rooms are clean with incredible views. Facilities in the Hotel was good, staff were extremely friendly and helpful. Lovely quiet location but within short walking distance to good restaurants and a couple of supermarkets. A perfect place to spend your time relaxing or taking an excursion (reception arranged this for us). I would highly recommend!

This is an excellent hotel. The views over the bay and towards the hills are magnificent. The staff are all very friendly and go out of their way to be helpful. My room was clean, and the daily cleaners ensured it was spotless throughout my stay - credit to them. Perhaps the bathroom is a little dated - a shower hose over the bath tends to leave splashes on the floor, but this is really no problem. On the balcony it was a joy to sit at the table and look across the bay. An armchair in my room would have been a welcome addition. It should also perhaps be noted that all the rooms are up what might be a tough climb for some. There are two lifts, but one has to go up fairly steep slopes to reach them. The hotel is well-designed and fits into the landscape pleasantly. Recommended.

Lovely hotel ideally situated about 10 min walk to the town, along the sea front, passing several good restaurants along the way. The sea views are breathtaking - from all rooms, from the breakfast terrace and from the stunning swimming pool. Yes there are many steps as the hotel is spread up the hillside, so not ideal for those with mobility issues, however not a problem otherwise as there are two external lifts if you need them to get to the rooms. The swimming pool is large, with a smaller pool for young children. The pool area was rarely busy, never a need to rush to get a sunbed, in fact there were beds available at all times of the day. Fresh swimming towels available every day. Staff were super friendly and very accommodating. The only thing I would improve is the fact there are no toilets by the pool which was a bit of a pain as you had to go up to the hotel to use the toilets there. Reading previous reviews we didn’t know what to expect however we loved our stay here and would definitely return.

Do not stay at the Kefalonia Bay Palace. We wish we hadn’t! It looks great from the outside and it should live up to it’s 4 star rating but unfortunately for it’s guests, it does not. Our room was very comfortable and clean except for the mould in the sealant around the bath. The staff are hardworking and are trying to meet expectations however they appeared undertrained and the place was obviously understaffed. The breakfast was awful because all of the cooked food was cold as the burners had not been turned on under the food warmers. The webpage claims that the hotel has a turndown service and bellboy service which is untrue. We hauled our own cases up to our room and did not have any sort of turndown service during our stay. The lobby bar was unmanned for the majority of the time and the pool bar wasn’t stocked with the supplies necessary to make the drinks it offered. This was not the fault of the bar staff who were trying hard to meet the needs of their guests. Many guests ended up taking their own food and drinks to the pool. The pool toilets were up a few flights of steps and when they were shut for repairs, guests had to go up more stairs to the restaurant toilets where it quickly became wet and slippery. We were told that the hotel is no longer a family owned business and is instead owned by the hotelBrain group who are obviously more interested in profits than maintaining the property and providing guests with the level of comfort and service they’ve paid for. The Agia Effimia village is a wonderful place to stay and base yourself to explore this part of Kefalonia, just don’t do it from the Kefalonia Bay Palace!