Palatino

Great 3* hotel in Lixouri, Kefalonia. Accessible by ferry from Argostili 35 mins boat ride. 52 rooms with garden or sea view. A 5-10 mins walk to the main square. Large swimming pool area with outdoor snack bar. Very good value for money.

We recently stayed at the Palatino Hotel and overall had a pleasant stay but there were a few things that stopped it being a higher rating. The room was basic, but that's expected for Greece, the beds were comfortable and the free air conditioning was excellent. The cleaners came in daily to freshen the room, they were fabulous. The pool itself was lovely and the food served at the pool bar was good. Unfortunately, the pool experience was let down by the "lifeguard". Her manner came across as quite intimidating and some of the rules seemed to be made up on the spot, such as only allowing one dive into the pool per day!! You constantly feel like you are being watched by her, not in a lifeguard capacity. The pool also doesn't open until 11am because that's when the lifeguard starts, which was disappointing as I enjoy an early morning swim. It also closes at 7pm, which felt quite early. The bathroom shower and tray were covered with mould and grime and it had a damp smell. The fridge in the room was very small, had broken shelves and became very hot on top, there was a drawer above it and we couldn't put anything in due to the heat. The location offers lovely views, it's around a 10–15 minute walk downhill to the tavernas, with a fairly steep uphill walk back. Breakfast was quite basic and the same every day. We also had a late flight home and asked if we could keep our room on, we were told the hotel was full. The alternative shower room provided was very poor, down in the basement, tiny, with no air conditioning, no mirror, no plug sockets and just a handheld shower over a tray, toilet and sink. It wasn't ideal for freshening up before travelling and we didnt use it. Overall, we enjoyed our holiday and there are some good points to this hotel, but there are several areas that could be improved to make guests' stays much more enjoyable.

Overlooking Lixouri, the hotel is up an incline so walking down takes 5 minutes but walking back up about 10. The hotel itself is clean and away from the front, so quiet and with plenty of parking if you hire a car. Rooms are small but as expected with a comfortable bed, clean bathroom with a good shower and free air con, which is needed. Pool is quite big but drops quickly to the deep end, so the shallow end (1 Metre) can get busy and perhaps not suitable for young children. Breakfast is fine with a good choice, rooms cleaned every day (if you need), staff friendly and helpful. One draw back is that there are no bathrooms near the pool so you have to go back to your room or reception. If you want a quiet stay within walking distance of the town centre, this is a great little hotel for a really relaxing stay.