Greece: In the lap of the gods
29/ 5/2007
FROM the sun terrace, the Ionian sea - blurred only by a slight heat haze - seemed to stretch on to infinity.
The silence was broken only by the lapping of water on the rocks below, and the occasional clink of a wine glass.
If peace and elegance are what you are looking for, the Emelisse Art Hotel, in Fiskardo, Kefalonia, surely has it in spades.
The hotel is just one of many handpicked places to stay, checked and graded by Sovereign Holidays to ensure exceptionally high standards of comfort and service.
Attention to detail helped gain the company the Best Short Haul Operator 2004 accolade in a travel agents' poll.
And now, taking the personal touch even further, Sovereign are offering a range of designer `boutique' hotels with round-the-clock concierge service to make travellers feel even more pampered.
Concept
To sample the concept we visited two distinctively different but equally luxurious properties on Kefalonia, the largest of the Ionian islands in Greece.
The first, Villa Costa, in Skala, benefits from the personal stamp of its owner Marios Kourkoumelis. From the individually designed rooms, meticulously kept gardens and fine cuisine, nothing is left to chance.
With just seven rooms - all on the theme of Greek goddesses - the Villa stands, with its own pool, whirlpool and sundecks, just yards from the beach on the southern tip of the island.
Skala is very popular with the British. It has a Roman villa with mosaics, open to the public, and a thriving nightlife with bars, tavernas and restaurants aplenty.
Villa Costa, exclusive to Sovereign and immaculately presented, offers a unique atmosphere - like being in your own private villa, but with top class hotel facilities on hand.
Marios' eye for detail is evident everywhere, from the fine furnishings, to the monogrammed slippers and bathrobes.
Visitors can chose the exact room they want to stay in. We stayed in Hermione's room, which certainly lived up to its "luxurious and romantic" description with soft tones, cool furnishings and a large patio overlooking the gardens and the sea.
The restaurant offers a wide range of dishes from Greek to international. Dining al fresco with the sun setting at a candlelit table for two proved impossibly romantic.
Villa Costa's visitors' book bears testimony to its popularity with entry after entry insisting that the writer will return. And they do - despite being just a few years old, the property already enjoys a very high proportion of return bookings.
From Skala it was a fascinating drive over the island's central mountains, past herds of wild goats and hilltop tavernas, to the vertiginous west coast and the second property - the Emelisse Art Hotel, at Fiskardo, on the northern tip of Kefalonia.
Run by the Tsimaras family, the Emelisse is a larger but no less welcoming hotel with 63 rooms, ranging from doubles to suites and apartments, arranged in small separate buildings, many with balconies.
Set on a headland, with stunning sea views, it features two outdoor swimming pools with sundecks, a buffet restaurant offering local dishes and an international restaurant looking across to the nearby island of Ithaca.
Again it has a unique atmosphere. After parking in a secure car park, you are taken to your accommodation in an electric golf cart. Rooms are very contemporary, with stylish but comfortable minimalist furnishings.
Discreet
Service is warm and friendly but very discreet. Whether it is by the pool, in the hotel lounge or by the bar, Emelisse Art has a feel of sumptuous serenity to it.
At night the hotel grounds are illuminated with dozens of candle-lit lanterns enhancing the peaceful and tranquil ambience.
A sandy beach is only a short walk away, with the clear blue waters very popular with snorkelers.
The hotel operates a frequent free minibus service for those wanting to look around Fiskardo, especially handy in the evening if you want to enjoy a glass of wine or two with dinner in town.
Fiskardo itself is the only town to have escaped damage in the great 1953 earthquake which caused extensive damage to the rest of the island.
It features one of the most picturesque working harbours on the island, with a flotilla of yachts, and tavernas clustered around the waterfront. It has recently become a highly fashionable holiday spot, attracting its fair share of the jet set along with more traditional visitors.
Fiskardo is also well placed to visit Assos, possibly the prettiest of all the villages on the island, and the internationally renowned Myrtos beach with its impossibly blue waters and steep road descent. Both Skala and Fiskardo offer a range of boat trips, such as a day on a chartered catamaran or a `marine adventure', stopping to explore a sunken shipwreck.
The concierge service means you are greeted at the airport, given advice and assistance throughout your stay and met again on return, with guidance on returning the car and getting the right flight home.
Just a phone call away, 24-hours a day, your concierge, using his or her local knowledge, can also help recommend places to eat and places to visit
My wife and I both agreed this was one of the most relaxing holidays we had ever been on. The attention to detail, level of service and quality of accommodation was of a very high standard.
In the end it was that and those `little touches' that captured our hearts and made us sure that we too would wish to return to this jewel of an island in the Ionian sea.
Emellisse hotel
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Originally Posted by ScouseAl
The Geordie lass who loves Lourdas.
I'm sure Clare will give me a dig though every time she gets up!! 
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