End of another amazing summer

Well that is it for summer 2016. We have now closed the resort down for the winter and Samantha and I have just returned back to the UK via a short visit to our friends and colleagues Cliff and Quee from Fig Leaf Villas, a small naturist facility on the Greek Peloponnese. We also took the opportunity to visit a few of the famous Greek attractions before boarding our ferry to Italy and then on to the UK.Mark and Samantha

We have had a very busy summer this year and are really pleased that so many of you were able to join us, its always great to see old friends again and also to make new ones. It never fails to amaze me what a great group of people come out to Kefalonia each year.

We hope to have news very soon of some new improvements to Vassaliki which we are in the pipeline. We are just sorting out some final details as this newsletter goes out.

We have also heard some local gossip that the German company Fraport who now run Kefalonia airport are planning to do a large expansion to the airport to allow up to ten aircraft at time at the airport and to drastically improve / expand the terminal and its facilities. This is great news for the island and we hope this will result in more flights from more countries visiting this stunning island. We will keep you updated.

Flights

Kefalonia Greek travel aircraftWell keeping on the subject of flights, most of the flights have now been launched for summer 2017. All the charter companies have set their schedules with the cheap airline Ryanair only launching from 1st of June to 18th September at the moment but we have been told this schedule should start earlier in the summer and run to the end of September. Easyjet have been a little slow this year but have just launched to the end of September.

This is the time to start keeping an eye out for a bargain flight. We have recently been using a great site http://www.momondo.com this shows the best flights and prices and has live updates so prices change on the screen instantly.

Vassaliki

We have our online booking system all up and running and we have launched our 2017 prices and dates on our website www.viglanatura.com/prices You will see we have not changed our prices but we have decided to open a little later in May than usual.

The busy months of June and July are already filling up very fast. With June already over 90% booked with a waiting list of couples waiting for rooms if people drop out. July is also popular and if you are planning a trip to us we do recommend you book this period early to avoid disappointment.

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nickWe are pleased to announce that our amazing Chef Nick will be returning for his third summer with us and has some new and exciting ideas to make your dining experience even better.

Nicky our superhuman housekeeper who somehow manages to keep all our rooms serviced and ready for our guests is set to stay with us for what will be her ninth summer. Most of you will have met her when you visited the resort and I am sure you will agree with me that she really is a huge asset to our business. Trust me I did housekeeping here for two weeks last year and it is a huge task to undertake.

A huge goodbye to Simon and Sheryle who have retired to their house in Valencia, Spain after being a tremendous help and support over the last four years.  They will be missed by all we are sure and they take with them lots of luck from all the Vassaliki family and guests.

Samantha and I will be busy this winter looking for two new members of staff to help us with the running of the resort. We have had a good response to the jobs that are on offer for next summer and some interviews have already taken place. We will continue to interview back in the UK and hope to be able to introduce our full team in early January.

Car Hire

We have been working now with Mercury car hire here in Kefalonia for 10 years. Back in the winter of 2015/16 Mercury called to tell me that they were taking all the Suzuki Jeep Convertibles off the fleet.

Well we now have the new replacement Jeep Renegade. These jeeps are all hard top versions with air-conditioning as standard. The high ride gives you plenty of clearance for those of you who want to explore a little further afield! The 2.4 litre engine gives you lots of power to climb the steepest of hills and the cabin space has plenty of room for four adults to sit in comfort.

We were lucky enough to be given one of these brand new cars to test drive earlier this year and we were very impressed with the overall look and comfort of the car. The driving position is nice and high giving you a good view of the road and views. My only concern is they are in my opinion a little expensive to rent starting at just under 600 euro a week, but who cares we only live once!!

Free weeks holiday.

We have been giving out one free raffle ticket to each of our guests for every €100 they spend at our bar, restaurant and excursions. All the ticket have been put in a hat and the winning ticket drawn is number 338 which is booking number 111.

Congratulations

Mr and Mrs P & J Robinson. You have a free weeks holiday next summer at Vassaliki!

For those of you who were lucky enough to get a loyalty card back in 2010 you have only next summer (2017) to collect your final stamps. Once you have all five stamps you can then claim your free week, but you must book and take the free week before October 2018 as the loyalty card will then become invalid.

Last but not least.

We are very lucky to receive many guests letters and emails thanking us for their holiday. Some people even arrive with gifts for Samantha and chocolate for me which we really do appreciate.  But this summer, two guests have gone a step further and have written, composed and performed a Vassaliki song. We had a debut performance in August at a Vassaliki BBQ night and we now have a recorded copy for you to hear.

Be careful when you listen to the song as you will be singing it all day and this may upset your work colleagues when you stat singing about being happy to be naked!

 

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