A road, a few beaches, some restaurants... Lassi (Lassi Resort (Kefalonia))

Member Name: grahamt

Product:	Lassi Resort (Kefalonia)
Date:	30/10/08 (565 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Close to the capital and with as many restaurants as you could ever want

Disadvantages: Not a lot else though, unless you want to sit in a bar and watch football

When were looking for somewhere to stay in Kefalonia we really didn't know enough about the destination to be able to be sure which resort would be the best for us. According to the reports of other visitors, many had something to recommend them. In the end we chose primarily based on cost and distance from the airport. We've had more than enough of three hour transfers from our skiing holidays and this we wanted to avoid.

Lassi is a "created" resort, that has arisen primarily to serve the needs of the rapidly expanding tourist trade, much of which has resulted directly from the publicity that Kefalonia has gained from it being the location for Louis de Berniere's "Captain Corelli's Mandolin". Not just the primary destinations identified in the book have benefited; the whole island has now become a Mecca for fans.

Lassi gets a less than enthusiastic write-up in my copy of "Rough Guide to the Greek Islands". It says that Lassi "sprawls unattractively along a busy four-lane highway". This is grossly unfair, not to say wildly inaccurate. Lassi is located just south of the Capital, Argostoli, on the road that leads on towards the airport. It is separated from Argostoli by the hill that forms the spine of the Argostoli peninsula.

The road drops down towards Lassi and is, it is true, quite wide at this point but there is virtually no building of significance here. It is only after the Dolphin Supermarket that Lassi proper starts and at this point the road narrows down to three lanes at best. In fact the road is effectively only two lanes as one side is, for virtually the entire day, lined with the parked cars of visitors and locals.

What is true about Lassi is that it exists for one purpose and one purpose only and that is to provide accommodation for the tourists that visit the area. There are hotels, apartments, rooms, tourist shops, restaurants and bars. However, unless you like eating and drinking you will not find very much else by way of entertainment. For that you will have to journey into Argostoli, about a half hour walk or a shortish taxi journey away. Some of the hotels and restaurants do provide evening entertainment but it is very far from the sort of night-life that could be described as "exciting". Ayia Napa this isn't.

Which makes Lassi just our sort of place. It has reasonable beaches, good food and a relatively relaxed atmosphere. There is absolutely no sense of unease walking around at any time of day. We saw no signs at all of any rowdyism or drunken behaviour, not even from the Brits.


Accommodation
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We were staying at the Lorenzo Hotel. I have written a separate review. It is one of many hotels of all different standards. We saw quite a number during our stay. Going by looks alone, the one that seemed by far the most attractive is the Lassi Hotel. This is located below the main road and reasonably far from it and so can probably be expected to be quite quiet. It is also one of the closest to Argostoli so from there a walk into the town would be about ten minutes less than from the centre of the resort.

If you felt like just grabbing a flight to Kefalonia and organising accommodation on arrival, I would not expect you to have any difficulty finding a room, except maybe in high season. Everywhere we saw signs for rooms available and those that we saw seemed perfectly acceptable. In high season there may be more problems but it did seem that there may be an over-capacity so haggling might get you a good deal.


Beaches
~~~~~~~~~
All of the beaches in the Lassi area are pretty much the same so far as sea and sand are concerned. The good news is that the sea is crystal clear although the sea bed is fairly featureless. So far as snorkelling is concerned, you will see loads of fish but not a lot else. On some beaches you will find large slabs of smooth rock peeking through the bottom.

The sand varies between a greyish colour, the influence of the limestone that forms most of the island, and proper sand, which I get the impression may, in some places, have been imported. Near the sea margin you often find a band of small pebbles that, for a few strides, can be a bit uncomfortable on the feet.

On all of the beaches, sun-loungers and umbrellas are usually set out. You just find a spot you like and park yourself. Eventually a guy will come round demanding money. Around 8 Euros is the usual fee. If you only spend a couple of hours you might even get away with not paying at all. The equipment seems mostly to have seen better days. I guess it's been in use for several seasons by the state. We always took large beach towels down to cover them over.

My recommendation, if you are staying any length of time at all, is to ignore these and instead buy yourself an umbrella and a blow-up plastic sun bed. These are usually ready inflated when you buy them. It will cost you no more that 15 Euros in total so for about the cost of two day's hire you get a weeks worth of use. It's cheap enough to leave behind if you don't want to bring it back on the plane with you, especially if your baggage limit is touch and go. If you're really enterprising I'm sure you could sell them to some newly arrived guests.

Mediterranean Beach
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This the beach that, as it's name suggests, is immediately below the Mediterranean Hotel. A reasonable size, if all the spots are filled then there is an overflow a little bit along the beach, over some rocks.

This beach also has a largish bar where you can get drinks or have lunch, without having to make your way back to your hotel or climb back up to the various restaurants on the main road.

More than that I can not tell you. We saw the beach when we arrived but never actually used it.

Antonio Beach
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Located down a little lane between the Lorenzo Hotel and the Aqua Marina restaurant. This beach is similar to Mediterranean Beach but much smaller. It seemed to be very popular and when we went to take a look, it was pretty well already full. This could be because there are a number of apartment complexes along this lane and this is their nearest beach. If you fancy trying it I suggest you get there early. It also has a bar.

Makris Yialos (Long Beach)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The name says it all. This is by far the nicest beach we tried. To get to it you have to head in the direction of the airport and you will see a sign next to a supermarket, pointing you down a lane. It's about ten minutes' walk and you pass a number of properties with signs advertising rooms to let.

The sand here is nice and golden and the beach width varies from quite narrow at one end to very wide at the other. Unfortunately the wide bit is where a private beach club has fenced off a section for themselves!

The back of the beach is a steep cliff about ten metres high, on top of which are a number of private residences and, for the benefit of beach users, some beach restaurants. We had lunch there and apart from the superb views from the deck of the restaurant, set about 25 feet above the beach, the food was pretty good as well. We had our usual selection of starters, washed down with a few beers. For 28 Euros (£21) it was good value as well.

Kalamia Bay
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kalamia Bay is at the Argostoli end of Lassi. Just as you head out of the resort, where the main road rises towards Argostoli there are a couple of roads off to the left. One goes straight downhill towards the sea; ignore this one. Take instead the one that runs almost parallel to the main road, dropping gradually below it.

Down here is the coastal road to Argostoli. Instead of the half hour walk it would take you on the main road, this one will take a couple of hours. The scenery is, however, incomparably better. The road eventually enters Argostoli from the opposite end. To reach Kalamia Bay, however, you need only walk a couple of hundred metres. It's down a path just past the Sto Psito restaurant.

The beach is quite large and the sand here is quite good. The sea is excellent and swimming is a pleasure. However, there appears to be just the one Concession running the beach facilities and these have mostly seen better days. You have the opportunity to hire sun-loungers and umbrellas and we had no difficulty in finding a good spot to park ourselves down.

The Concessionaire's hut does offer snacks and drinks but nothing very sophisticated. We only stayed a morning and didn't use any of the facilities there, not even the toilets, so I can't tell you how good or bad they are. What I can say is that there was the occasional whiff of "bad eggs" though where this came from I don't know. I certainly didn't experience this on any of the other beaches!


Eating Out - Dinner
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One thing that you won't lack for is somewhere to eat. Even in a fortnight we never got around to sampling all the restaurants. It's possible we may have missed some gems. If we did then they were hiding their lights under a bushel. We tried the ones that looked good and ignored those that didn't. One in particular that didn't appeal to us was Butler's, but only because of the massive TV screens that dominated the eating area and which seemed always to be showing sports programmes. It may well have a very good menu. If that sort of thing appeals to you then by all means try it.

Phaedra
~~~~~~~~~~
This was, without question, our favourite of all. We ate there twice, one of only three that got a return visit. Had we known that one of those three wasn't going to match our first visit, we would have eaten there again.

Our first visit was on our first night on Kefalonia and we couldn't have chosen a better start to our holiday. From the menu I chose Kefalonian Meat pie, only because it sounded intriguing. It was delicious. Think a large, succulent, traditional British meat pie and you'll not be far from what this turned out to be. It was just a well it wasn't any bigger! My wife had one of their lamb specialities and well pleased as well. I finished off the meal with the Baklava, one of my favourite Greek desserts and an especially good example here.

We had a superb Tsantili Macedonikos red wine with it and this wine proved to be a regular choice throughout the holiday. Not a lcal one but one from the Greek mainland, nevertheless it amply demonstrated just how good Greek wines can be. Retsina this isn't. 53 Euros (£41) the lot!

On our second visit I had traditional Beef Stifado whilst my wife had the restaurant's pork special. Once again the food was excellent and no apologies for choosing the same wine again. I went for their Chocolate Mousse this time whilst my wife had Apple Strudel (yes, I know, hardly traditional Greek). Price pretty much the same as before. Service excellent both times. Definitely the star of the holiday.

Ionio
~~~~~~~
Very close to Phaedra and perhaps the mutual competition keeps both restaurants "honest"? From a food point of view the restaurant cannot be faulted. Once again we ate here twice and although the first time the service was a bit slow, probably because of the popularity, the second time we had no complaints.

Although not specifically a fish restaurant, their fish dishes were excellent. Variously we had grilled sole, sea bass and red snapper, all superbly cooked and served. For dessert, their baklava also go top marks although the second visit saw me try one of their other dishes, banana fritter. Both time the meal came to around 55 Euros (£45).

On both occasions we had a local wine, a Robola Davina and a San Gerasimo, both white wines. By the way, you may sometimes see Robola spelt Rombola. It is the same wine and the correct spelling is Robola. The additional "m" is the result of a mistranslation from the Greek. In the Greek alphabet the "b" is not the same as our "b". In fact there is no Greek letter for the Latin "b". In its place they use two letters, "mp". It makes more or less a "b" sound but some translators leave the "m" in instead of leaving it out.

Mystic Gusto
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Don't be put off by the name. It was the only other restaurant we visited twice for dinner. Mystic Gusto is down at the airport end of Lassi, on the sea side of the main road. You might miss it if you're not careful. It's set below the level of the road and is entered through a small stone archway. Beyond the restaurant descends in four terraces, all covered against the elements, but open plan internally.

The restaurant has a nice atmosphere and on both occasions we were entertained by a British band with a Geordie lead singer, singing hits from the 50s and 60s, which went down with the diners. Service was a bit hit and miss. It was good on our first visit but a bit slow on our second. Fortunately we were not in a hurry!

The food was generally good. I had the Veal Stamna and my wife the restaurant's special chicken. On the second I had their Moussaka and my wife the Pork Souvlaki, which she did say was a bit tough! The wines to go with this were a Linos Red and a Rubis Calliga Red, both excellent. Cost around 45 Euros (£35).

Paralos
~~~~~~~~~
A quiet venue with the open air eating area behind the building and so sheltered from the road noise. Situated at the Argostoli end of Lassi. The views are not spectacular though; the eating area looks out onto a rather overgrown field. My wife decided she didn't like it half way through the meal!

Food is Italian influenced and very good. However, the portions are enormous, leaving you feeling guilty about not being able to finish it! If you have a huge appetite, this could be the place for you. Cost around 60 Euros (£48).

Sirtaki
~~~~~~~~~
Appears to be one of Lassi's newest reataurants. Was packed every night we passed it. Seems vibrant with a brash atmosphere but isn't actually as good as it thinks it is. A triumph of appearances over substance.

Food was reasonable though but not brilliant. Service was haphazard. Price was good though. At 36 Euros (£29).

Trata
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A restaurant in the central part of Lassi that specialises in fish dishes. An impressive eating area with a very noisy water fountain. Initially we sat next to it but it became difficult to hear each other speak! We moved.

The service was a tad impersonal and hurried; I don't think they were trying to get rid of us as the restaurant was by no means full. He food was good though. We both had Red Snapper, washed down with an excellent Melambus White wine.

Nefeli's
~~~~~~~~~~
A long thin restaurant strung out along the road. Proximity to the road meant that there was really nowhere to avoid road noise. Food, though, was good, as was the service. I would have gone back again but there wasn't enough time before the end of the holiday

Monte Nero
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Located right up at the Argostoli end of Lassi, almost opposite Paralos. A nice environment, set high above the road with a good stretch of gardens between. Service was indifferent but the food was excellent. However, they made a mistake with the bill which I might of missed had I not checked it carefully.

Il Gabbiano
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A large restaurant set above the road on a covered tiled terrace. No effort has been made to make the place feel comfortable; it lacks atmosphere. Once again, service was average although the food was good.

Il Tramonto
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If ever there was a restaurant which has signally failed to realise its potential it's this one. You would hardly know it was there except for a tatty and nondescript sign on the main road, which gives the impression that it's an Italian Take-away. The restaurant is on a small side road that leads down to the beach and is largely out-of-sight unless you make the effort.

However, the effort is largely rewarded. The environment is quite attractive and the views from the eating terraces are excellent. The food was good but lacked presentation. We asked if the wine that attracted our attention (Brilliante White) was a dry wine and was told it was; it wasn't, it was a semi-sweet!

Someone really needs to take this place in hand!

Da Veronica
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It would appear that the owners are big players in Lassi. Apart from the restaurant they seem to run several retail outlets as well. Pity they didn't put more effort into the restaurant! Really the only real dud of the holiday. Distinctly average food, poorly presented and indifferent to poor service. Indeed the waitress even tried to prevent my wife taking away the remainder of the bottle of water we had bought with our meal!!!! Unbelievable!


Eating out - Lunch
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All of the places I have listed above offer lunches as well but we were always looking for somewhere close to where we were at the time, which was mostly either around the hotel pool or on a beach.

Aqua Marina
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Closest to the Lorenzo Hotel, it is located between it and the Mediterranean Hotel below. Never busy at lunch, the food was excellent every time we ate there. Mostly we had a whole bunch of various starters in a sort of Greek Tapas, a regular lunch for us wherever we ate throughout the holiday.

Prices were always extremely reasonable, even when the inevitable wine or beer was added in. The only reason we didn't eat there in the evening was that there always seemed to be some sort of loud entertainment going on of a karaoke type though I don't know if it actually was; it just sounded like it!

Very definitely recommended for lunch though.

Sto Psito
~~~~~~~~~~~
This restaurant is the closest to the Kalamia Bay beach and it was on the occasion of us visiting this beach that we ate there.

Despite it being a bit of a hike out of Lassi, the effort is worthwhile. The food was excellent and the views over the coast and the bay to Paliki beyond are outstanding. Lunch was very reasonably priced and, thinking we might eat there one evening, we checked out the evening menu. The range of food appeared good and if as well prepared as lunch, would undoubtedly be very enjoyable. However, prices were significantly higher than elsewhere in Lassi.

If you are looking for something special, and to hell with the cost, this might well be the place for you.


Conclusions
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lassi met our requirements but I could understand if it was considered less satisfying for the younger end of the market. Having said that, the resort did not seem short of young visitors. Serious entertainment is not obvious here but undoubtedly Argostoli could fill the gap at the price of a taxi.

We were glad we went and we did enjoy our time there but it is doubtful that we would return, though this is nothing new for us. So much to see, so little time.

Summary: A resort that still needs a lot of development