This year our holiday destination was Kefalonia. This was also our deferred honeymoon, having got married last November and it was also the first time that we had taken a two-week break in the five years since I started being self-employed.

Kefalonia is one of the chain of islands in the Ionian sea to the west of the mainland, the other main islands being Corfu, Lefkas and Zakynthos. We have now visited all of these islands and they are all very attractive, as winter rainfall ensures that they stay green throughout the summer. They are all quite mountainous, Kefalonia all the more so.

Kefalonia's most recent claim to fame was being the setting for the book and film of Captain Corelli's Mandolin, being loosely based on true events whilst the island as under occupation during the Second World War.

We stayed at Garbis Villas in Lourdas on the south-west coast. Lourdas stretches for 2-3km along a winding road that zig-zags down to the beach. The accomodation was very pleasant and very scenic with fine views over the bay. It would have been a long walk to the beach even had my back been in good shape but we travelled with Direct Greece who included a hire car in the package.

The back pain that I was suffering in the weeks before we left had eased quite a bit but was still troublesome at the start of the holiday. On the third night I had a particular problem and at that point I wondered if I was going to be able to stay the course. However after that low point it was all uphill and by the end of the holiday by virtue of losts of rest, relaxation and gentle exercise I was pretty much recovered.

That will do by way of introduction, as there will be lots more blogging to come on various aspects of the holiday.

Here are some of the island's attractions that we enjoyed during our stay.

Assos - our favourite part of the island. The village of Assos sits on the isthmus of a small peninsula with a small natural harbour formed between this and the coastline. Is's a really pretty place and every few steps something new reveals itself which makes you stop and take a photo. On the peninsula itself there is a dirt track which winds its way up to the ruins of a castle on top. It's a bit hairy when you meet cars coming the other way, but recommended for the adventurous.

Argostoli - the main town and port for the island. Worth a trip to do your shopping in the pedestrianised Lithostrato Street and the other roads around the main square.

Ithaka boat trip - Ithaka is the smaller island adjacent to Kefalonia. We took the day trip on the Sami Star from Sami, reasonable at 25€ per head. It rounds the southern end of the island then stops in a bay for a swimming break. Next stop is a shopping break at Vathy, the main town on the island with just 2000 inhabitants. After that it's lunch in the pretty village of Kioni, then back the same way with one more swimming break. As we rounded the south-west tip of the island the Meltemi wind sprang up. Funnelled between the two islands this made for a choppy crossing back to Sami.

Caves - The Drogarati Caves are in the vicinity of Sami and have quite an impressive collection of stalagmites and stalactites. Close by are the Melisanni Caves, with their collapsed roof. Oarsmen take you round these in little boats.

Lixouri Peninsula - we took the drive around to the Lixouri peninsula, stopping at Petani Beach on the north-west coast for lunch. Then we headed across the peninsula on minor roads which offer fine views across the lagoon towards Argostoli and the rest of the island. That took us down to Xi Beach, with it's red sand. Finally we drove to the town of Lixouri and got the ferry back to Argostoli.