Kefalonia Bay Palace — Hotel in Sami Municipality

I apologize in advance for the lengthy review but there is a lot to cover. This hotel is like a double edged sword, with both good and bad things about almost everything. First is location. The village is wonderful, lots of great places to eat and drink. The village is also fairly remote. The hotel is set at the end of the road high above the bay. The views are no less than spectacular! With that said, driving to the top parking lot of the hotel is also no less than horrifying. It is an incredibly steep and narrow incline straight up. Although most of the village appears to not be too far away, the hotel climb is not for the weak. These things are the items the hotel has no control over, however the remaining items are self imposed by the hotel itself. The hotel has 3 separate lifts (elevators) to get from the lobby to the top level of the property. They are separate in that they aren’t in the same location and you would need to take all of them to get there and walk to each one. However one is still under construction and during our stay the other 2 were broken at the same time. When people say that there are a lot of steps, they aren’t exaggerating. The hotel lobby and dining area are beautiful and the views are priceless. However they are not air conditioned and when it’s 90+ outside it’s worse inside. The breakfast is “ok” at best. There is almost no variation so it’s the same thing every morning. The hotel was short staffed so the inside bar was closed. The pool bar was staffed by a friendly young woman, however she didn’t speak any English nor did she have any knowledge of making drinks, but she tried at least albeit unsuccessfully. We had a 2 bedroom villa with a private pool and courtyard area. The space and views were absolutely amazing. However the rooms were not without significant issues. Upon our arrival the air conditioning was off and the room was sweltering. We had to contact maintenance for a completely clogged shower, a sink with zero water pressure, another sink which leaked water on the floor like a sieve. The rooms and bathrooms were “cleanish.” Like others have mentioned, things appear well dated. The staff were very friendly and helpful with handling issues. As a hotel this is at best a 3 star experience, however the views and the village are as mentioned...

I get the feeling this hotel complex was conceived and started before Greece's money troubles, with the idea of being a beautiful, self-contained miniature village style 4-5 star hotel complex - and then they ran out of money.

We booked this "four" star hotel through Thompson's. Not our usual thing, we normally like to go more native, but having had a tough year, we thought we deserved a little pampering.

Arriving said it all. You can't drive to the hotel reception because the road is unsafe and closed, so be prepared to carry your heavy bags up many, many steps.

On first inspection, you think it all looks very nice, but then you start to notice neglected and shabby bits everywhere. If I was to guess, I'd say that the present owner(s) are milking the place for every penny they can, and not spending a thing on maintenance. Considering we paid over £3K for a fortnight, somebody is making money some where and they sure as hell ain't spending it on the hotel.

And so to the scary bit - My wife and I noticed independently that the whole place had an uncomfortable, oppressive feeling. It certainly had no holiday atmosphere. It really did feel like some abandoned complex from a post-apocalyptic zombie film. Suffice to say, we spent as much time as possible out of the hotel complex, in fact we spent most evenings in the pool bar of the hotel just down the road - wish we'd booked there instead.

The only saving grace of Kefaloia Bay Palace Hotel, were the staff. There wasn't many of them for such a big place at the height of the season, and we saw the same staff day and night EVERY DAY FOR A FORTNIGHT, so I'm not sure what hours they were working, but it looked like 24/7 to me. Despite all of this, they were delightful, kind, generous and helpful. The lovely girl who worked at the pool bar (every day, on her own, up and down 100 stairs 100 times a day in 36C temperatures) was fabulous, with a wicked sense or humour and a great pride in her job.

Our holiday could have been spoilt by the weird, shabby, scary hotel, but instead it was made perfect by the fabulous Greek people.

We will go to Greece again, but we won't go to Kefalonia Bay Palace Hotel - 'cos it's just a bit unpleasant and weird and...

We had a fantastic stay at the Kefalonia Bay Palace and honestly don’t understand some of the complaints I’ve seen! The hotel was clean, with a charming retro-style decor that gave it a unique and welcoming character – we really enjoyed the vibe.||Our room was spacious and comfortable, with a large balcony that offered incredible views – the perfect place to relax with a morning coffee or evening glass of wine. The staff were all friendly and helpful, making us feel welcome throughout our stay.||One of the best things about this hotel is its location. It’s quiet and peaceful, perched above the coast with amazing views, but still only about a 10-minute walk into the village. Honestly, I don’t get why people complain about that – do they not check where a hotel is before they book it?! It’s clearly marked on the map, and for us, the short walk was part of the charm. Put simply- if you cannot walk for ten minutes or walk up stairs do not book! ||Yes, there are steps – quite a few of them – but that’s just a feature of the hotel’s hillside design. If mobility is an issue, this may not be the place for you, but if you’re able to walk up and down steps, it’s absolutely worth it.||The local beach is stunning – a natural, unspoiled white pebbled beach that’s perfect for swimming and snorkelling in crystal-clear water. It felt like a real hidden gem, especially compared to some of the more crowded beaches elsewhere on the island. Bring your sea shoes and enjoy!||Breakfast was lovely each morning – a relaxed, unhurried start to the day, with a good variety of options. The whole hotel has a laid-back, peaceful atmosphere that we really appreciated.||If we had to mention a downside, there was a strange smell outside the side entry near the hotel lobby at times. It didn’t affect our room or the rest of the hotel, but it was noticeable when walking by that particular area.||All in all, we loved our time here and would absolutely stay again. Just do your homework before booking – if you want flat terrain and no stairs, maybe look elsewhere. But if you want gorgeous views, friendly staff, and a peaceful base with an authentic feel, this...