Skala Holidays

South-easterly Skala once made its living as a fishing village, but these days it’s all about the 3-kilometre-long beach. The rest of the town fans out from its forested edge. Along the main road, there’s a haul of restaurants and tavernas, while Roman ruins and hiking trails scatter the surrounding hills. To top things off, some seriously popular Kefalonia icons are within daytripping distance, including ancient Drogarati Cave and Hollywood starlet, Antisamos Beach.

A coveted Blue Flag flutters above Skala Beach. Mooching along its 3-kilometre sand-and-shingle stretch, you’ll spy caves, coves and a mosaic-floored Roman villa. Watersports and glass bottom boats kick off from the beach, too. Bigger ships venture further afield, putting islands like Zante within easy reach. Come sundown, Turtle Beach – a half-hour walk away – is the place to be. The clue’s in the name – loggerhead turtles nest here from May to August.

Heading for the hills is a must. The ruins of the Old Town are about a 15-minute walk away – it’s now a jumble of tumbledown olive presses, bathhouses and wells. Other ruins tick off a 7th-century Temple of Apollo and a chapel. Serious hikers should throw on a pair of boots and make for one of Kefalonia’s top walking trails – the 8-kilometre coastal walk to Poros. It’s pretty panoramas all the way.

Kefalonia’s star attraction, Drogarati Cave, is a 45-minute drive away from Skala. This place comes in at a not-too-shabby 150 million years old, showing off underground caves oozing with stalagmites. If heading that way, make sure to swing by Antisamos Beach. It became a local celebrity when it starred in the film Captain Corelli’s Mandolin.