Apostolata Island Resort and Spa — Hotel in Argostoli Municipality

We stayed here last week and were absolutely blown away by the hotel. It was a little quiet as it was early in the season so we didn't see it functioning at full capacity, but nevertheless we had an amazing time.

The location is roughly an hours drive from the airport, we rented a car and the drive there was beautiful and picturesque, going through the mountains with lots of views of the small villages along the say.

On arrival, we were taken to our room and we were able to park our car directly outside, a bit of a bonus! The man who took us down couldn't do enough for us, helping unload our bags and showing us how everything works.

The rooms looked a little dated on some of the reviews, but ours seemed to have been recently decorated. It was modern, with a really good aircon system and a good shower. We stayed in a room with a sea view and it was spacious and the beds we comfortable with plenty of pillows.

Rooms were cleaned and left immaculate every day. They came round fairly early at around 10-11am meaning we never came back to a messy room.

The staff are incredibly friendly and polite, everyone greeted us with a smile and nothing was too much trouble. Staff would bring drinks over to your table so you don't have to go up to the bar, and if you did they would tell you to sit down so they could bring them over to you. They were constantly cleaning, tidying and taking glasses away throughout the day and evening. The reception staff were happy to assist with booking taxis and advising on nearby trips.

The waiters in the restaurant area were fantastic. They would seat you and take your drinks order the moment you arrive, pour your drinks for you and clear away empty plates very attentively. The food was fantastic and definitely a level above a standard "all inclusive buffet style". Each night had a different theme with plenty of choice. Everything was fresh, hot and tasty.

We also used the al a carte meze restaurant upstairs and the service was just as good as in the main restaurant. The waiter we had was very knowledgeable about the area, telling us the history of the hotel and the region. I personally loved the food, but if you are a bit of a fussy eater I would stick to the downstairs restaurant. If you like Mediterranean cuisine and seafood, you'll definitely have a great evening in here, but I know this will not be to everyone's taste.

As it was quiet, there wasn't much in the way of entertainment which was understandable. The last 2 nights the animation lead, Lenny, came and was fully of energy making everyone feel relaxed, welcome and helped everyone have a great time. He helped create a really fun but relaxing atmosphere around the hotel throughout the day and evening.

The setting of this hotel is absolutely spectacular. The views from the pool, restaurant and our room were just breath taking and with a short 5 minute taxi/bus ride into Skala town, I don't think you'll find a hotel in a better location in the world. Skala had the perfect balance of busy, without being rowdy. There are plenty of great restaurants and bars and you are really spoiled for choice.

I just want to reiterate how great the staff are here, they are a real credit to the hotel, so friendly and attentive and contributed to us having an amazing stay in Kefalonia, the owner must be very proud having such a great team looking after his guests.

We will...

Kefalonia is stunning. The location was by far the best thing about the experience.

The room was clean and quite big considering there were only 2 of us. I’d definitely recommend choosing a sea view room. Air con was amazing in the room. The bathroom was a slightly weird set up as there was a toilet in the shower and a phone. Balcony was lovely however slightly private but not fully.

The cleaner would sometimes leave music playing loudly on the TV in our room and also walk in to the room without knocking, slightly annoying but not a big deal.

The pool is beautiful. Amazing & relaxing. Sun loungers are an average comfort level. You will need to reserve them with a towel every morning before 10am or you’ll be left without. There was an issue with one of the parasols. One of the days it was quite windy and our parasol flew away and nearly hit someone.

I’d definitely recommend booking the spa for an hour (no extra charge) you get the whole spa indoor pool to yourselves. And the sauna and steam room.

The biggest disappointment were the staff at the restaurant. Very unfriendly. Really bad customer service. They don’t really say hi or greet before they ask for the room number. Breakfast staff in particular. Trying to get milk for your tea is a struggle.

The food was good but extremely lacking in variety. I would definitely recommend all inclusive, as we would have ended up spending a fortune on water/tea/alcohol as they are not included.

The staff at the pool bar are the same. Not friendly whatsoever. The man that cleans the pool would stare but not smile. Slightly creepy.

The woman in the on site shop was similar, not friendly and the shop is very very overpriced. €4 for a bag of crisps. You have to spend €3 in the shop to use card (which isn’t an issue because everything is over €3).

However the snack bar staff were exceptional. Very friendly, smiley and helpful.

There are a lot of steps. Be prepared to climb 40 steps up to the restaurant from the pool. And a further 20 from the restaurant to the reception and bar.

The night time entertainment is very repetitive, making it boring. Slightly awkward and cringey at parts.

All inclusive issues - Some drinks aren’t included and there is only 8 options of food available at the snack bar. You can get the majority of spirits for free but not as a cocktail which makes no sense. Same thing for the milkshakes, you can get the ice cream for free but the milkshakes are €7 each. You get one free night in the other restaurant ‘A La Carte’. The view is amazing from up there. Lovely Greek salad. However, the mains were awful and you have to pay for dessert. They did a chicken and veg with gravy main - three slices of chicken, 2 carrot sticks, a courgette, 3 new potatoes and ‘gravy’ which was very perfumed.

In some areas we were disappointed. But the island, the room, the pool and the snack bar staff were honestly incredible. We visited Skala which was stunning. We would definitely visit kefalonia again. In a different hotel however, as some of this was not...

The hotel staff could not be faulted however there were a lot of lows for this hotel, the hotel should never be rated as 5 star, it is 3 at best. The room was very disappointing and very basic, the hygiene of the room was very poor indeed, the towels were not refreshed unless you threw them on the floor and the sheets do not fit the beds, then there are the awful "eiderdowns", not clean either, the beverages are not refreshed when you have used them and 1 bottle of water and some bruised apples is not a welcoming gift, definitely not 5 star, paying for a safe 2 euros if you want a fresh orange juice and a deposit for a pool towel which had seen better days was also not what is expected when booking all inclusive, also there is the condition imposed on all inclusive and that is after midnight you pay for your drinks!! The pool bar is a shed at best, manned by 1 bar man who becomes increasingly stressed after midday and it becomes uncomfortable going back for another drink. If you are happy to climb up and down over 100 steps to the pool area, this is a holiday for you! Then there is the signs to the beach!!! a very long walk down the 100 steps, slopes of considerable gradient and then to find a slab of rock and a ladder going into an already rocky and deep sea, definitely not a beach and should not be advertised as such. The hotel is very noisy at all times, this is not always from the guests, the droning of machinery 24hours is a nightmare and the 1 bar in reception after 6pm is not ideal and this is generally manned by staff that are also expected to clean the area. The entertainment is appalling, and the pool entertainment, if you can call it that is also well worth missing. I have already mentioned the mostly friendly staff, they were great especially Eva, what a credit to the team, if the barman in the pool area had some help I am sure he would be too! I would suggest that the management that you DO NOT see re-visit this so-called 5 star hotel and then also decide if they have enough staff to do a very demanding job to the best of their ability, I would also suggest some staff training with regards to making drinks, very different depending on who makes them for you. The positives for the hotel are the views, the very friendly and helpful staff and...