Ardavani Hotel

We have travelled to Greece lots of times including Cephalonia when we stayed in Skala. The small but perfectly formed village of Lourdata / Lourdas is a very refreshing change to the more commercialised tourist areas. The hotel was booked through TUI which classes the accommodation as part of their 'small & friendly' range. Therefore the Ardavani does have a very nice cosy feel which is certainly enhanced by the staff that support and assist its guests. There are currently two sections (blocks) to the hotel both offering comfortable rooms, however one section has received a very smart refurb and the other is awaiting to be transformed later this year, we stayed in one of the refurbished rooms. The room was spacious and had everything that you would need for a comfortable stay, we personally found the king size bed, plus nice linen and pillows very comfortable. Our room had a big modern bathroom, fridge, hairdryer, kettle, and air conditioning. The room was a good size and each balcony does have a clear glass panel that gave great sea views. Before our visit I emailed the hotel and enquired about car hire and received a very speedy reply from the owner Evan detailing the nearest and local options which was very helpful. The communal areas such as the gardens, and pool are all kept super clean making the outside space very pleasant and enjoyable. plenty of sun loungers surrounding the pool area and some seating is available. The hotel bar is a very pleasant place to meet fellow guests before you head off to enjoy the many restaurants either down the hill towards the beach /sea or up further into the village. The music is played at a level that is comfortable to have a chat and socialise without feeling that you are at club or shouting to be heard. Previous reviews have mentioned the cost of alcohol which we found compared to most of the other bars and restaurants within the same area, and the measures are generous. Breakfast is available from 8am until 10am. Hot drinks, juice, yogurt, fruit, toast, jams and cereals plus some hot options. We really enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere at breakfast, again super clean and polite efficient staff on hand to ensure everything runs smoothly (and it did). Breakfast here was a perfect way to start your day. The hotels location has some great sea views but the small price to pay is the hill, but again this has been mentioned before so no one should be surprised or have cause to complain. Personally if you take your time accessing the hill then it is fine, obviously walking down is easier and reasonably quick, failing that treat yourself to a taxi or utilise the local bus, the bus stop is right outside. There is a well stocked supermarket within a five - ten minute walk (down hill) and not particularly expensive. Their are quite a few restaurants and tavernas to try that are easy to find. I will review those that we visited separately. Lourdata is a very relaxing part of Cephalonia, we found the beach front to be quiet and peaceful throughout the day and during the evening. Lourdata does seem to attract a slightly older / mature customer base which certainly suited us. With have no hesitation with recommending Ardavani hotel in Lourdata, we had a very enjoyable stay. All the staff we encountered no matter what role they had were very pleasant and helpful, this added to quickly feeling comfortable and relaxed.

As regular visitors to Lourdas we have used the Arda Vani bar as a watering hole on the way up/down to the restaurants in the evening. We were looking forward to doing so this year. However, we visited twice and whilst the new staff are pleasant and the wine at €3 a glass was fine and about average cost for the resort, the bar now lacks any atmosphere at all in the evening. It was very quiet when we were there, us being the only occupants on one visit. It was always busy in the past and a lovely place to be. This all resulted in us sadly choosing not to return. We cannot comment on the hotel in general as we don't stay there but the bar in the evening has unfortunately lost its buzz! The bar appears in our opinion to have lost it's greatest asset , Monika. I notice a previous review mentions the drinks (cocktails) prices and the owners response. We found the costs across the resort to be between €6-8 and most places have a happy hour at reduced costs , so €8.5 (€7.5 during happy hour) could be construed as above average or even expensive by some?