Kefalonia is the largest of the seven-island Ionian group and perhaps the best, or at least the most varied. It hides secrets and surprises below its rugged, towering mountain range of the Erisos peninsula in the north, citrus and olive groves and sprawling vineyards of the south west and the huge sandy beaches of the south east coast, including beautiful harbours, walking trails and the local cuisine. Kefalonia opened up to tourism well after the boom and learned from the mistakes made by other islands so development is heavily restricted, so most Kefalonia villas are generally very tasteful. There are no buildings above three storeys, no tree cutting, no hotels closer than 100 metres to the shore, no 18-30 clubs, no crime and no tack. It's uncommercialised with tasteful buildings, balconies dripping with bougainvillea and lovely mosaic pavements in the capital, Argostoli, which are sprayed clean every morning. Despite the annual influx of visitors the island is so big that you can still find villas in Kefalonia in quiet corners. Vast tracts of forest cloak the rugged limestone landscape, with ten peaks topping 5,000 feet. Winter rains make Kefalonia one of the greenest and lushest of Ionians and produces some of the best wine in Greece. Another great reason to rent one of the Kefalonia villas listed on our site.