Kefalonia goes all out for glamour: Greece’s tranquil, natural beauty with ‘unspoilt beaches’ has a new luxury hotel – and it has ‘stunning views of the Ionian Sea’

Think of the Greek islands as one big happy family: the seductive jet-setter (Mykonos), the party-loving extrovert (Corfu), and the tranquil, natural beauty (Kefalonia).

It has had its share of admirers, not least Lord Byron, who settled here 200 years ago and wrote: ‘If I am a poet, I owe it to the air of Greece.’

The largest of the seven Ionian Islands west of the mainland, there are swaths that have been left exactly as nature intended. A small herd of wild horses lives on the slopes of Mount Aenos and the fishing village of Assos is charming.

The capital Argostoli, on the west coast of the island, failed to gain fame when it refused permission to film Captain Corelli’s Mandolin on the streets (instead the town had to be recreated in Sami, on the east coast).

Argostoli consists of elegant pastel-coloured buildings, a beautiful square, Platia Vallianou, where you can sit and watch the world go by, numerous cafes and tavernas, attractive shops and a harbourside promenade with a Saturday market.

Kate Johnson visits Kefalonia, the largest of the seven Ionian Islands. Pictured above is the village of Assos, which she describes as ‘charming’

The capital, Argostoli (pictured), is ‘made up of elegant pastel-coloured buildings and is located on the west coast of the island’, says Kate

We are staying eleven kilometres away at the Eliamos Hotel and Spa (the name means ‘the smell of olives’) in the sleepy village of Spartia, with a winding single-lane road and where the shopkeepers wave at you as you drive past.

Opened last year, it was the first luxury hotel (member of the Relais & Chateaux group of individually managed properties) in the region. It was the brainchild of Kefalonia native Spyro Korsanos and his interior architect wife Maike.

Their dream was to create a special hotel in a place with a panoramic view. And that is exactly what they did.

Eliamos Hotel and Spa was designed by Kefalonia-born Spryo Korsanos and his interior architect wife Maike. The hotel ‘has 12 beautiful, stealth-luxury suites [above]’, Kate notes

‘All rooms at Eliamos Hotel and Spa have sliding doors leading to the terrace with a hot tub and a saltwater infinity pool,’ says Kate

The hotel has 12 beautiful, stealth-luxury suites with private pools. Mine has two enormous bedrooms, both with en-suite bathrooms and outdoor showers, on either side of the sunken living room and kitchen.

All rooms open with sliding doors to the terrace with a hot tub and saltwater infinity pool. The terrace is enormous.

Three suites are built on a separate plot of land nearby. The rest, a mix of one to three bedrooms, are built into the hillside, and surround gardens filled with lemon trees, herbs, lavender, roses and gnarled, ancient olive trees.

We look out over the beautiful Ionian Sea, which changes over the course of the day from galazio prasino (blue-green) to ice blue and finally steel grey.

It is private but not isolated, with the seclusion of a villa and all the services of a hotel.

The beaches near the Eliamos Hotel and Spa, such as Avithos, pictured here, are ‘unspoilt’, says Kate

The restaurant is great and the staff are friendly and if you need a change of scenery they can recommend local tavernas.

My charming and cheerful guide, Dyonisis, can take me on a purely archaeological or historical tour, but I prefer a combination of both, but with a personal twist.

It takes you to the spectacular caves of Amandakis Beach on Cape Liakas, where Dyonisis jumped into the sea as a child, and to a former bar where he played the piano in the shadow of the ruined 800-year-old St George’s Castle.

Being in nature makes everything better; a cooking class on the sunny terrace, a fantastic massage on my own terrace. The latter is the real deal, with a cool breeze instead of air conditioning, birdsong and the splash of water cascading over the infinity pool instead of muzak, and even my first attempt at outdoor Reformer Pilates ends too soon.

The beaches nearby are pristine. Thermanti is down a secret path (no sun loungers, no rubbish, occasional seaweed) and Avithos is a free bike ride away (it’s an e-bike but this place is hilly) where a couple of Greek ladies stand in the sea and set the world right. There can’t be a better place to do that than here.