Ithaka outside the Greek west coast is known to attract the rich and famous. I once read that Madonna and Guy Ritchie, Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks have spent their vacations here, but we didn’t spot anyone of them during our stay on this pretty Ionian island. But we did visit the world’s largest natural harbor in Vathy, hoping to catch a glimpse of the owner to some of the luxurious yachts anchored along the waterside.
Even though the capital Vathy has a few bars and nightclubs it is thanks to the nature and culture, people visit Ithaka. Because of the island’s small size and rather poor accessibility – ferry and fast boats depart from Kefalonia, Lefkas and Meganisi though – you will not find any crowds of tourists here as on the neighboring island Lefkas. As a result, many celebrities see the Ithaka as a perfect hideaway.
Stroll around the village center, past whitewashed houses, taverns, cafés and shops where local artists sell their work. Spend the afternoon at Vathy’s own beach or join a boat tour to discover the more secluded beaches on the island. Don’t forget a diving-mask. The water around Ithaka is perfect for snorkeling. Lunch at one of the taverns serving traditional Greek food and try Rovani, the island’s special sweet rice, for dessert.
A 45-minutes boat ride took us to the island Kefalonia, known from the movie “Captain Corelli’s Mandolin” starring Nicholas Cage and Penelope Cruz. In hope to attract more tourists a few restaurants on the island have names such as Captain Corelli’s Bar or Captain Corelli’s Restaurant. But skip those and head for Kiani Akti, in Kefalonia’s main city Argostoli instead. The tasty meze dishes are satisfying, but many guests probably opt for Kiani Akti because of its terrific location on the pier.
Wherever you choose to lunch, don’t miss the island’s own produced wine Rompola or the flavoursome honey-and ewe’s milk cheese.
Myrtos Beach, Kefalonia
We spent most of the time in the village Fiscardo — visited by Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Cruise, Bruce Springsteen and the Italian fashion family Prada — on the northern tip of Kefalonia, and admiring Myrthos Beach five minutes from the village Agia Efimia. Check out the small cave at the end of the beach. And don’t hurry. There is a reason why Myrthos is the most photographed and visited beach on Kefalonia.
Our base for the trips to Ithaka and Kefalonia was Nidra on Lefkas, a tourist resort on the island’s east coast, easy accessible from Preveza Airport thanks to the bridge from the mainland. Apart from Ithaka and Kefalonia, we enjoyed the excursion to Skorpios, a private island owned by the shipmaster Ari Onassis.
Island Hopping Tips
For information on ferry schedules in the Greek archipelago, visit Greek Travel Pages, Greek Islands and Ferries.gr. Island-hopping is a terrific introduction to Greece. Despite the increasing tourism you can find empty beaches and quiet surroundings — for example at Paxos – and people in search of the opposite have plenty of islands with busy nightlife to choose between. A good idea is to focus on one island group and have your base on any of these islands or, if appropriate, on the mainland. You can either book your island-hopping holiday with a set itinerary through a travel agent, use the regular ferry services as the locals or take small boats with only a handful of passengers. If you are a skilled sailor and prefer ultimate freedom, why not rent your own boat?
We focused on the Ionian Islands and opted for a hotel in Parga one year and on Lefkas the following year. By living on the mainland we could hop back and forth between the nearby islands and didn’t need to worry about accommodation. Boat connections are best during high season, July and August, but at the same time hotels and B&Bs charge less before and after the busiest months.
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Sounds like a great place! The photo is beautiful. Did you visit Kefalonia before the great forest fires? I was just wondering if the fires hit islands?
It was before. I don’t know much about the fires though, but Kefalonia is definitely a great place to visit.
Just did some research, it was mostly south-west Greece and the island of Evia that was affected by the fires.
Great Place!
I like it…
I was in Kefalonia during the filming of Captain Correli Mandolin
Nicholas Cage was the most stuck up person ever He would not look up when asked between scenes so people could take his picture
Madonna, Hanks, and Robert DNeiro came to the island during the filming
Great island to visit!!
Hi Dimitris,
Must say I’m on Cage’s side on this one. He was there to focus on shooting a movie, not to be photographed by fans in between takes.
I agree that’s Kefalonia is a great island to visit though. Would love to go back someday.
Athina Onassis is reportedly selling Skorpios for $ 355 Million ! Madonna is interested !
Zaharoula, Really? I had no idea. Interesting…