Kefalonia 2010

The Hotel

White Rocks Hotel gets mixed reviews with some people saying the food is good and some saying it is bad, while others complain about hard beds. All we can do is make our comments here and leave you to make your decision.

Food

• The only night we did not enjoy the food was the night we arrived about thirty minutes before the restaurant closed. It was a choice of kebab or burger and neither were wonderful.
• Every other night there was a choice of two main courses and we always liked the look of at least one, if not both. The choice the first night was not representative of the other nights. Over the course of a week there are going to be some meals that appeal more than others at any hotel but there were none that we were unhappy with. They did some very good lamb that was wonderfully tender.
• The setup is changing for 2011 with a move to self-service. That could change things either way.
• We would not avoid this hotel on the grounds of food.

Beds

We had a bungalow and essentially the beds were a concrete wall with chipboard on top to support the mattress. We are used to very comfortable Vi-Spring beds so we did find them hard. That said we slept well every night.

We spoke to the people on reception after the first night and they offered to move us to one of the bungalows that had been refurbished with better beds. However, they explained the view would not be so good so we decided to stay put and did not regret it.

More bungalows were to be refurbished during the winter period so most, if not all, should have what we were told were better beds.

Location

We were told by people who had been booked into rooms on the road side of the hotel that the rooms were noisy and some upgraded to rooms on the beach side. I suspect just a few of the bungalows might also catch some noise from the road but most were down the hill side and after the road turned away. Our bungalow was the last row before the beach and we had no traffic noise whatever, just the sound of waves breaking but not at a level that disturbed us.

There are some restaurants and a small supermarket about fifteen to twenty minutes walk from the hotel, otherwise you would need to drive / taxi / bus to Argostoli.

The hotel site itself is lovely as can be seen in these pictures.

The room and views from our balcony

Looking out from the room	To the right
The private beach to the left
Going up to the pool
The pool itself
A few cats live alongside the walk to the hotel.	They seldom strayed onto the path. We like cats but they would not be a nuisance to anyone who does not.
Morag, Ron and Margaret	The lounge - bar in background
The outside terace next to the lounge
The lower terrace for refreshments and lunch
The public beach - from the hotel

"Discover Kefalonia" Tour

This was a full day trip and well worth going on. The tour also goes to the cave at Drogorati but we did not go into the cave.

Fiskardo
Melissani Yes the water is a lovely blue but it was a bit over-hyped.
	Thirsty cat near Melassani
The monastery of Saint Gerassimos	The island's patron saint.
Self portrait!	The winery

Argostoli and Lixouri

We took a bus into Argostoli and the ferry to Lixouri.

The sunken bridge at Argostoli
Turtles waiting for the unsold fish to be thrown back
Lixouri

"Secrets of Sami" Tour

This was an evening trip and the coach journey there was enjoyable. Sami itself had closed down so apart from eating, there was little else to do. We went with the guides suggestion for the meal and wished we hadn't! The food was OK at best.

Enchanting Ithaca

Along with "Discover Kefalonia" this is the other tour we recommend. A very enjoyable day out.

	Bjorn of ABBA on the next table