The Greek hotel every traveller needs to know about this summer (2024)

Hotel address: F Zeen, Lourdata 281 00, Kefalonia, Greece
Website: fzeenretreat.com
Price from: £414

Why book?

For possibly the most relaxing hotel experience you could imagine – a seaside escape with a strong focus on nature and the surrounding environment, leaving you feeling completely carefree in a matter of minutes. An adults-only wellness hotel without an ounce of pretension.

Set the scene

Hidden in the shadows of pine-forested Mount Ainos, F Zeen melts into sandy, sheltered Lourdas bay. Spread out across the sloping sun-drenched coastline, golden buildings are dotted between winding paths, each with unobstructed sea views. Exercise classes, wellness activities and excursions are scribbled onto a giant blackboard by reception at the beginning of each week, ranging from personal training sessions and yoga and meditation classes to snorkelling, paddle boarding and mountain hikes. There is a spa, plus three separate swimming pools to choose from each day – not including the glittering ocean, just steps from the hotel, with private sunbeds and views of Zakynthos in the distance.

The backstory

Owner Christof Koumoudos and his family are from Kefalonia and have always loved the island's ethos. They connected with the core values held by those who had been living on the island for generations; a sense of connecting with nature and promoting a healthy, wellness-oriented lifestyle. The name F Zeen (ευ ζην) means “the good life” in ancient Greek, and the retreat is centred around promoting the island’s calming, nature-focused ethos.

The rooms

There are 61 rooms and two villas to choose between. Six superior rooms sit at the highest point of the hotel, with the best views over the bay, while superior raw retreat rooms have private plunge pools and rainfall showers with sea views. Each room feels like an extension of the outdoor area – natural materials of sandy-hued stone and neutral colours fill the interiors, creating a soothing atmosphere as soon as you enter. Each room comes with an iPad equipped with restaurant menus, reception requests and functionality to book classes, activities or spa treatments. The villas are a whole other ballpark, though – both have three bedrooms, a private swimming pool, roof terrace, a garden with an outdoor dining area, gym area and yoga deck, a kitchen, barbecue and pizza oven.

The food and drink

In the largest hotel building sits the main restaurant, where breakfast, lunch and dinner are served. In the evening, ask for the corner table for uninterrupted views of the Ioanian – locals claim that Lourdas bay is home to the island’s best sunsets. Order a co*cktail and sit back to gaze at candyfloss-coloured skies to the west as the sun dips down, with a dramatic mountain backdrop behind you and a soundtrack of peaceful waves lapping the sandy shores. The punchiest kalamata olives you’ll ever taste are the first port of call, harvested from the neighbouring olive groves and served in a pool of salty olive oil. All of the food is locally sourced from in and around the island, and fish is freshly caught each day by Lourdata’s local fishers. In line with the hotel’s wellness ethos, all dishes are inherently healthy – but not in a tight-fisted way, portions are excellent sizes and the deserts are well worth a try. Standout dishes include a tuna steak with homemade teriyaki sauce and skordalia (traditional Greek garlic and potato dip) at Selini restaurant, and lamb gyros with warm pittam apple tzatziki, tomato and red onions at Gaia restaurant. Order the black garlic tzatziki as a side – aged smoky garlic is blending with Greek yoghurt to create a deliciously lip-smacking dip.

The spa

The Idor Spa is a subterranean retreat hidden underneath the hotel reception. Treatments include signature massages, facials, specialist therapies and hammam sessions, and all products used are based on natural herbs grown inGreece. I tried a botanic detox treatment, designed to exfoliate, rejuvenate and detoxify the body, with black pepper and rosemary body scrub, a basil and lemongrass cleansing and detoxifying mask, a dittany oil and saffron scalp massage and finally an ivy, green tea and grapefruit cooling gel. Pair your spa treatments with relaxing yoga classes – the Armonia yoga deck is hidden in the forest just above the hotel, where sessions are accompanied by the soothing sounds and sights of the sea, visible through the trees. The ultimate relaxation station, the spa, nature and yoga combination is de-stressing to the point where all thoughts, time and space melt away.

The service

At a hotel, there are few things better than feeling a true sense of passion from the staff. Each member of the team felt so genuinely excited about every aspect of the brand, from the fitness to the food and everything in between. Stamos, who leads most of the exercise classes, has an infectious enthusiasm for the island. He took us snorkelling to catch a glimpse of some of the island’s wildlife, and on a morning trek to the top of Mount Ainos, where mountain-top views stretch across the Ionian isles, with Ithaca and Lefkada to the north, Zante to the south and the mainland in the distance.

The area

Kefalonia is one of Greece’s greenest isles. Mount Ainos offers a dramatic centrepoint, with black pines and Greek fir trees tumbling down hillsides into higgledy-piggledy towns and fields braided with grapevines and olive groves. Weave through the Omala Valley, between Fragata and Valsamata, and stop off at the Monastery of Agios Gerasimos. Stroll around the ancient churchyard, with trees and gates dating back to the 16th century, and visit the underground cave where, legend has it, the eponymous patron saint of Kefalonia lived for 10 years.

Eco effort

The retreat is based on the concept of connecting with nature, respecting the environment and refocusing on the here and now. To that effect,sustainabilityis everywhere you look at F Zeen. There is no use of plastic anywhere in the hotel and they hope to be 100% plastic free within the next two years. There is an organic vegetable garden where chefs pick fresh fruit and vegetables for the restaurant, and they are in the process of building an even bigger vegetable garden where guests can go and pick their produce to snack on as they wander between the greenery. The hotel works alongside the Lourdata village to help support local artisans and suppliers, using small local producers and hiring locally. There is a boutique shop in the hotel featuring carefully selected items created by Greek designers and made in Greece, from natural beauty products tosustainable swimwear.

Accessibility for those with mobility impairments

This is an area that the hotel could work on – there are limited accessibility options fordisabled travellers.

Anything else to mention

Be sure to have an earlier dinner one evening to make the most of theoutdoor cinema. Movies are listed on the blackboard in reception, and food and drinks can be ordered to your seat. Headphones are used to avoid sound pollution in the neighbourhood, so you can kick back with a movie as the sun sets, stars twinkle and bats flit through the night sky.