Where to stay in Kefalonia: the best areas and resorts

Argostoli was flattened by the 1953 earthquake and rebuilt, so don't expect a Venetian maze. What you get instead is a cheerful, very Greek town: a palm-shaded main square ringed with cafés, a pedestrian shopping street and a long waterfront where loggerhead turtles often surface by the fishing boats, waiting for scraps. The stone De Bosset bridge stretches across the lagoon.

It's the best base if you like evenings out and good restaurants. Choose a boutique hotel with period charm overlooking the bay, a five-star boutique with Italian-styled interiors and panoramic views, a 29-room boutique hotel with balconies over the port, or a sleek, modern hotel on the bay. The nearest good beaches, at Lassi and Makris Gialos, are a few kilometres away.

Just south of Argostoli, the Lassi peninsula is lined with small, sandy coves of clear water, Makris Gialos and Platis Gialos the best known, and it is the island's busiest resort area, with bars, tavernas and car-hire shops along the main road. Further south, Svoronata and its beaches around Ammes are calmer, greener and right beside the airport.

It's a practical, likeable base, especially for a shorter stay. Pick a spa hotel overlooking the sea a couple of kilometres from the airport, a smart hotel with a private beach and two restaurants, a boutique resort near Ammes beach about 9 km from Argostoli, or hilltop villas 300 metres from a quiet sandy beach.

The south coast is where the mountain meets the sea. Lourdas, or Lourdata, is a long beach of sand and pebbles below a green hillside village, with Mount Ainos rising behind; to the east, coves such as Trapezaki and Avithos look across the channel to Zakynthos. It's quieter and more rural than Lassi, with olive groves and citrus orchards running down to the shore.

Hotels here are some of the island's most appealing. Stay in a five-star spa hotel right on Lourdas beach, a Relais & Châteaux collection of villas with private pools above a discreet beach, a family resort near Avithos beach facing the islet of Dias, or an all-suite hotel a short walk from Trapezaki.

Skala, in the far south-east, is Kefalonia's most popular family resort. A long beach of sand and fine shingle stretches for kilometres below pine-covered hills, the water is clear and shelves gently, and the village behind has plenty of tavernas, bars and shops. Neighbouring Katelios is a tiny fishing village with excellent fish tavernas and a much sleepier feel.

It's a long way from the airport, around 35 km, but the trade is worth it for families. Choose a luxurious complex next to Skala beach, a hillside resort with panoramic sea views 3 km from the village, a hotel village with a pool and babysitting, or an ultra-modern resort in green gardens at Katelios.

The east coast is Kefalonia at its most scenic. Sami is a ferry port in a deep, green bay, with the turquoise cove of Antisamos over the hill and the underground lake of Melissani, where sunlight turns the water a glowing blue, just outside town. Further north, Agia Efimia is a pretty harbour village of tavernas and boats, and the road beyond climbs to the clifftop viewpoint over Myrtos.

This is the base for explorers and couples. Stay in a family-friendly holiday village on the beach at Karavomilos near Sami, an amphitheatre-style seafront hotel in Agia Efimia with villas that have private pools, cliffside villas next to Myrtos, or a boutique spa hotel about 10 km from Myrtos beach. Fiskardo, the pretty Venetian-era harbour at the island's northern tip, makes a superb day out.

Across the bay from Argostoli, the Paliki peninsula feels like another island. Lixouri, its laid-back main town, is a short ferry ride from the capital and has a relaxed square of cafés and tavernas. To the south, Xi beach is famous for its red-gold sand and pale clay cliffs; to the north-west, Petani is a wild, beautiful sweep of pebbles and turquoise water.

It's the place for peace, sunsets and long beach days. Stay in a luxury resort steps from Xi beach with a 46-metre pool and a large spa, a boutique hotel right on the waterfront at Xi, a resort a short walk from Xi's red sand, or a hotel in Lixouri itself.