Ionian Emerald Resort Hotel

Just returned from a lovely weeks' stay at the Ionian Emerald Resort and would thoroughly recommend this hotel. The hotel is quite small which helps to create a relaxed and friendly atmosphere, but still has excellent facilities. The location is right on the beachfront and most of the rooms have balconies with a sea view. The town of Sami is a 20-minutes easy / flat stroll away which has lots of lovely sea front tavernas, and all the food we had was excellent. It is a fairly small and quiet town - ideal for couples like us (we are in our 50's). We ate in the hotel on one of the evenings and the food was superb (one of the best steaks I have ever had!) but it was much more expensive than the restaurants in the main town.||All the staff at the hotel were fantastic: Great service, very welcoming. There was always sunbeds available at any time of the day, and lunch at the poolside bar was delicious.||The rooms are well-appointed, with a very comfy bed and quiet (we slept really well). They were also spotlessly clean with towels and bed-linen changed regularly. The only minor points we noted were that the balconies aren't very private (glass edges on all 3 sides) and the shower wasn't great. Other than these very trivial points, we thought the hotel was perfect and very good value for money.||Beyond the hotel, Kefalonia is a beautiful island - very green with some stunning views. It was our first visit and we will definitely return.

Like all med resorts, they are happy to throw stars at their hotel rankings, and whilst officially ranked as 5 star, this is a 4 star hotel.|That said, the rooms, staff and food are excellent. We upgraded our bedroom and had a lovely spacious room that looked out to sea. The bed was huge and there was plenty of space. The wardrobe isn’t that well designed and my wife struggled to hang her dresses properly. The shower sits above the bath, so if you prefer or require a walk in shower, it’s best to ask in advance, otherwise you will have to clamber over the side of the bath to shower. |The pool is nice and quiet and we never had an issue getting a sunbed. The pool bar is well stocked and food is available from midday. |The small town of Sami has a number of really nice restaurants on the sea front and it is a 15 minute from the hotel. Taxis can also be arranged and they will charge €10 for the quick drive. Sami itself closes down around midnight, as does the hotel bar, which keeps the area pleasantly quiet and peaceful. We didn’t bother with drinks in the hotel bar, because frankly it lacked atmosphere and was also pretty expensive compared to other bars nearby.|I would definitely return to this lovely hotel

Really enjoyed our stay here. |The rooms are good and cleaned daily. |We were here at the beginning of June and it was quiet. No problem getting a sun bed. |The staff at the pool bar were especially friendly and helpful - Freddie, Elizabeth, Xara, Anastasi & Viviana - thank you. Not to say the other staff weren’t, everyone was pleasant and really friendly. |It was a 20min stroll into Sami where there are plenty of restaurants and tavernas, along with the usual shops & pharmacy. |We got the ferry to Ithaca for a day exploring the home of Odysseus. |The bar in the adjacent hotel is good & there is also a couple of restaurants in the square that are nice & only 5mins walk. There is also a lovely beach Taverna which serves good food 5mins from the hotel. |We will be making this our annual May/June week away. |Loved it!

The hotel is set in a stunning five star location with a beautiful large swimming pool. That’s where it ended for us. The hotel lacked any kind of local charm and when we booked we were never told that the pool is shared with a larger and cheaper hotel just up the road with the inevitable consequences. We expect a five star hotel to be exclusive so felt rather mislead and cheated. The menu was very mediocre and one evening we had to send our food back. We were quite disappointed.

Beautiful hotel - fab location on the sea front and easy walking distance to Sami town. Clean and spacious rooms . Lovely pool area with excellent food and juicy cocktails. The staff were great and Helena ( the manager ) was extremely helpful. Highly recommended.

We visited The Ionian Emerald Hotel in September and thoroughly enjoyed our stay. The hotel is very close to the sea and the outlook is just beautiful. The pool area is very well cared for and there were always sunbeds available. Food and drink was available all day til into the evening at the pool bar and staff there were great. There were also sunbeds and shades on the pebbly beach for hotel guests.|The bedroom was very comfortable, the only downside being the rather old fashioned bathrooms which have been mentioned in other reviews. They definitely need attention but contained everything you needed.|Staff everywhere in the hotel were very pleasant and helpful. When we reported a couple of things which needed attention, it was dealt with immediately. We booked a car through the hotel and the whole process was extremely smooth and easy.|Breakfast was really good. We ate dinner in the restaurant twice. Outside on the terrace was nice but the restaurant and bar inside really lack atmosphere. Food was good with plenty of choice. The walk to Sami to other restaurants can feel a little long. It took us about 25/30 mins depending on how far in you go. Overall, a really good hotel.

The Ionian Emerald Resort has been our best hotel and holiday experience to date. Everything about this hotel was fantastic from our room, the service, the meals and the staff. It is in a stunning location with fantastic views. All of the staff were wonderful and the food was excellent. Our room and indeed all of the facilities were spotless. The location was ideal in that it was a great base to explore the main tourist destinations on the island. It is a pleasant stroll into Sami which takes you along the beach and takes about 20 mins at a very gentle pace to take in the views. |If we could offer one small suggestion it would be to give preference to the facilities for the Ionian Emerald guests because they can be used by guests from the sister hotel the Athina which is across the road. There were occasions when towels were being placed on sunbeds from Athina guests 1st thing in the morning and they weren't being used until later in the day. If you are paying a premium you expect to be able to make full use of all of the facilities. We could imagine that this could be more of an issue in the busier months. That said we would recommend this hotel.

We visited Sami in Kefalonia for a family wedding.|This was the hotel that we chose to stay at for 7 nights, and I'm glad we did.||We were welcomed by Alexandra upon arrival, and although it was quite late, she took yhe time to take us to our rooms and show us how everything worked.||I found the room to be very clean, with comfortable beds, plenty of Towels, a hospitality tray, TV etc.|During our stay, I could not fault the staff, they are all so friendly and attentive.||Breakfast was good, loved the nespresso pod machine and the omelettes were amazing.||Couple of niggles worth a mention though, there was a safe in the room, but it wasn't fixed to anything, which in my mind mafe it kinda pointless!||Also, the Bathroom, bit dated with obsolete spa bath and non thermostatic bath shower mixer, but again very clean.