Kate Louise Mustill: A Week Exploring Kefalonia, Greece (Crossing Melissani Cave Off My Bucket List)

Hello!

At the end of the summer (that i'm still clinging onto) we booked a last minute trip to Kefalonia, Greece, in aid of some relaxation time and of course, MORE SUN!

With it being so close to the UK (a three to four hour plane journey) it's an amazing holiday spot, with beautiful scenery, friendly people, tons of activities, restaurants and bars, you'd be mad not to visit at some point.

We flew with Thomas Cook on the 26th of September to Kefalonia Airport, right at the end of the season, and stayed at the Lorenzo Hotel. I must say not exactly a hotel full of luxury, but it's in a perfect spot with a five minute walk to the beach and two minutes from a strip of shops, restaurants and bars (brit abroad's dream).

Booking through Thomas Cook was so easy and getting from London to Greece was extremely smooth. The whole holiday cost around £400 so if you're looking for a lush holiday on a budget, have a look at the different hotels Thomas Cook have to offer in Kefalonia.

**I've seen the exact holiday, including flights, accommodation and travel to and from the airport for £250! (get ya self on it! Kefalonia is seriously beautiful)**

With the beach being so close to our hotel, we spent a lot of our time soaking up the sun with sandy toes.

Listening to music, reading, sleeping, eating Nutella filled cookies was mostly all we did this holiday to be really honest with you. But there's nothing better than taking a week off to do nothing but.

My god, if you've never had a cookie dripping with Nutella, you haven't lived! I can't find these anywhere in the UK, so I'm seriously considering booking a flight to Greece, getting a cookie and coming back (... well, maybe I won't come back)

The beach is beautiful of course, but it is quite a busy one. If you prefer quiet beaches, your spoilt for choice here as the island has over 30 beaches. A lot are hidden away, but you can always ask a local what they recommend.

Argostoli is the larger town by Lassi, where our hotel and beach was located.

It's a 10 minute drive away and one hundred percent worth exploring. Filled with locals, you can get a feel of the islands culture, while still having your essential holiday bars filled with your fellow British holiday makers.

Our evenings were spent either in the local restaurants or in Argostoli, eating way too much (and eyeing up the greek waiters) and attempting to do the free shots(without gagging and being sick everywhere) they give you after every meal (every fucking meal)... (just to make it clear, I am twenty yes, and I can't do shots, no)

On our last night, we managed to get ready in time to catch the sunset on the beach.
The sunsets were freakin' incredible here, and has to be the best i've seen.

So, onto my favourite part of the week.

Kefalonia is home to a little treasure called Melissani Cave. It's a large underground cave with crystal clear water thats mesmerising when the sun shines on it. (If anyone remembers watching H20, Just Add Water as a kid, then my god you'l feel like a real mako mermaid when you step foot in here)

The site is known in the Greek mythology as "the cave of Nymphs" and was discovered in the 1950's when part of the roof collapsed.

Melissani Cave is actually on the other side of the Island so getting there yourself can be a bit tricky, unless you hire a car or scooter. During the summer season, theres so many trips that you can book which include a visit to the cave, so make sure you get yourself on these. As we went right at the end of the season, when the towns were quiet and the restaurants started to close, there were no trips going out so we figured out the local bus routes.

It is possible to get there by bus, and it's extremely cheap, however, we were lucky enough to get into a cab with a lovely driver who took us round the whole island for a little price.

After visiting the cave, we headed to the Myrtos Beach View Point. Really, we should've spent the whole day actually on the beach, but the view point was still incredible.

From Argostoli, the drive to Melisanni Cave was around 50 minutes, and from Myrtos Beach to Argostoli, around an hour and a half.

I'd definitely recommend this day out!