Lourdas Kefalonia

holiday report and Kefalonia map

Lourdas Kefalonia

LOURDAS BAY is one of the largest in Kefalonia and fringed by a long beach of pale gritty sand beneath a steep hillside.
The resort of Lourdas or Lourdata lies on the south coast just west of Katelios and Skala. There is a 3km beach of sand and pebble along the shore and the hillside village and surrounding area.
Lourdas or Lourdhata can also refer to a large area of the countryside including the village of Vlahata above and much of it is dotted with tourist accommodation.
The main village of Lourdas has grown up around a hillside spring but, as a resort, it is very spread out with about 20 tavernas, a couple of bars and two mini-markets interspersed with hotels and apartment blocks.
The tavernas are bland and, as tourism is the mainstay of the economy, you will be hard pressed to a menu item that doesn't include a large portion of uninspiring chips.
Lourdas is a clean and pleasant enough village, notably quiet as it is not near a main road, so all traffic tends to be local. It is a not unattractive village, although the architecture is modern and uninspired.
The growth in tourist accommodation and tourist services has given it an increasingly bland air but the centre is attractive and well shaded by large plane trees.
Lourdas village is also some distance from the sea and, although apartment brochures boast extensive views, they rarely mention the steep and tiresome climb up from the beach below - universally dubbed 'a killer'.
Lourdas beach is a long and grubby swathe of sand and shingle backed by a dirt road. It falls steeply into the sea so children should be supervised. The beach is so big it rarely gets crowded and many prefer to drive to nearby Trapezaki beach.
There are some pleasant walks through the forested hillside and more along the coast towards the Monastery of Sission and Katsonas beach.
Being cut off from the main road the village lacks a decent bus service and, what with the steep trek back from the beach, most tourists rely on a car to get about.