Kefalonia boasts some of the best beaches in the Greek Islands, with waters considered amongst the cleanest in the world. Explore the picturesque golden sandy shores and vertical cliffs in the north of the island on your villa holiday. Secluded sandy coves offer beautiful views over small bays to the west, while many of Kefalonia’s Blue Flag beaches offer clean, well-organised facilities ideal for a family holiday. Drive around the coast, especially the east and stumble across small beaches scattered amongst rocks and trees, under the main coastal road.

Acres of inland forest-covered mountains provide captivating views of Kefalonia and its stunning scenery, neighbouring Greek Island Zakynthos can even be spotted on a clear blue-sky day. Spend the day visiting tiny isolated beaches and coves all along Kefalonia’s pretty coastline on a boat trip, observe the sea-turtles nesting on the beach and visit natural wonders like sinkholes that make sea water disappear then reappear across the island. Horseback riding is found at several holiday resorts, as well as watersports facilities, cycle hire and bird watching hotspots.

Archaeological finds suggest that humans have lived in Kefalonia since Neolithic times 7,000 years ago. For the explorer, many ancient sites of unrivalled beauty still reside here. These range from Venetian fortresses and monasteries, Byzantine churches and underground Mycenaean tombs dating back to 1200 BC, to the remains of a Roman villa and its fascinating mosaics from the second century AD. More recently, visitors flock to this Greek Island for its connection to Captain Corelli’s Mandolin – the book and subsequent film, inspired by World War II.

Much of the busy nightlife in Kefalonia is concentrated in the main holiday resort of Lassi and the island’s capital, Argostoli, where the central square is lined with many restaurants, cafés and bars and on a warm summer night, local people take their traditional evening walk here. Kefalonia’s larger harbour side resorts also offer bustling entertainment, including traditional dancing and live Greek music – a good way to observe the local way of life on your villa holiday. In the smaller, more rural villages you’ll find local tavernas and nightspots offering a quieter, relaxing and romantic evening retreat.

• Explore the fishing port of Fiskardo for its smart yachts and charming narrow streets of Venetian-style houses

• Take a boat trip from Fiskardo and sail across to nearby Ithaka or take the twice-daily boat trip to explore Lefkas

• Take in the spectacular views of other Ionian Islands from Mount Énos, Kefalonia’s highest mountain. Stop for some local wine-tasting at the village of Frangáta on the hike down

• Follow the dramatic cliff and mountain road to Myrtos beach, then wind down in the atmospheric little harbour of Assos

• Relax the Kefalonian way in a beachside taverna or on your own villa terrace overlooking the Ionian Sea.

• Take a ferry trip from Spartia to nearby Zakynthos for the day and explore its many historical sights and superb beaches