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Couple sold package holiday to Kefalonia – staying in a hotel 400 miles away on another island

Kefalonia's is home to some of Greece's best beaches - not that Ms Linger would have had time to see them - NoraDoa - Fotolia
Kefalonia's is home to some of Greece's best beaches - not that Ms Linger would have had time to see them - NoraDoa - Fotolia

An online travel agent has been criticised for selling a package holiday to Kefalonia that included accommodation situated 400 miles away on a different island.

A couple, from Harlow, Essex, booked a break to the Greek island with LastMinute.com that cost £945, including flights from Stansted to Kefalonia with Ryanair.

The ATOL-covered booking information stated that the couple had booked a “Flight and Hotel Package to Kefalonia for 7 nights”. But further down, Pauline Linger, who made the booking, was startled to read that: “With a stay at Skala Hotel, you’ll be centrally located in Patmos”.

The island of Patmos sits in the Aegean Sea, close to the Turkish border in the far east of Greece, while Kefalonia is located in the Ionian Sea, a long way to the west.

Getting from Kefalonia to Patmos isn't simple
Getting from Kefalonia to Patmos isn't simple

According to Google Maps, Ms Linger would have had to make an 17-hour journey - including an eight-hour overnight ferry crossing - in order to check into her hotel on leaving the airport.

Instead, the couple may have just been able to squeeze in a visit to the monastery of St John in Patmos, before heading back across Greece for their flight
Instead, the couple may have just been able to squeeze in a visit to the monastery of St John in Patmos, before heading back across Greece for their flight

Ms Linger complained about her predicament on the television show This Morning and said she was told by LastMinute.com that no-one would be able to contact her until 48 hours before she was due to depart.

She was eventually given a full refund after The Independent newspaper enquired about her case.

The company blamed a “technical issue” and said it “would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused” and also for “the poor handling of the two initial calls”.

18 Greek gems you'd never thought to visit
18 Greek gems you'd never thought to visit

A spokesperson for Lastminute.com told The Independent: “As customers are at the heart of our business and their satisfaction is the number one priority to us, our Senior Customer Care Team have since been in touch with the customer to explain why this happened and offered a full refund.”

The journey the couple would have had to have had to make to reach their hotel would have involved a ferry between Kefalonia and Kyllini on the mainland, a three-hour drive across the Peloponnese to the port of Piraeus, and finally an overnight, eight-hour ferry crossing to Patmos.

Remarkably, Ms Linger said she had been able to obtain transfers from the airport to her hotel for just £20 per person each way.