Corfu: More British Than Greek

We leave from Bergamo with a Ryanair flight perfectly on time; we arrive in Corfu at 12:30 and pick up the car at the airport (rented directly in Italy with Hertz. We arrive at our hotel Costa Blue about 1 km from the village of Benitses. Rated 5 stars (perhaps by our standards I would say 4) it is very beautiful as it is located right on the sea, with pastel-coloured terraced buildings, with a splendid view over the port and the Albanian coast right opposite. The room is practically a real suite, with two bedrooms and two bathrooms, terrace obviously with sea view. After lunch in a tavern not far away, we enjoy a bit of relaxation in the pool. From here you can go down directly to the sea via a staircase. Our package includes half board, dinner is not, and will not be in the following evenings either, particularly inviting.

A rather limited buffet of typically English taste...in any case I would say this is the only flaw of the hotel, for the rest all is ok. in the evening we go to the nearby village of Benitses, with bars and restaurants.

First day discovering the island: we start from the beaches of the east coast and choose Mesogi towards the south, on the estuary of the river of the same name. It strikes us for its tranquillity and peace, with small pebbles mixed with sand, two rows of umbrellas and sun loungers with some tavernas and rental houses behind. The prices are more than honest (3 sun loungers and one umbrella for 8 euros all day). A wooden pier, a bit unsafe, cuts the bay in two where the water is crystal clear and full of fish. In the afternoon we go to the west coast and discover two completely different beaches, of golden sand, Issos and Santa Barbara, decidedly more trendy, full of young people, bars with music but also quite a bit of confusion and certainly without the charm of Mesogi. We then continue to Leucimmi, one of the southernmost villages on the island.

We head to Dassia beach north of Corfu Town. We choose to stop at Malibu, an equipped area with sunbeds and umbrellas, and behind the beach, a pool, bar, restaurant and beach sports courts. For the modest sum of 9 euros for three, we can stay all day and use all the services! Here too the sea is clear and calm. In the afternoon we continue along the eastern coast northward and pass Ipsos, with a rather narrow beach right along the road, then Barbati and Nissaki, with pebbly shores and ever-transparent waters. Last stop Krouzeri, with flat white pebbles, Blue Flag for its waters and cleanliness, though the little road to get there is terrifying with a good 30% gradient..you're definitely better off walking down!!

Today we go to the west coast of the island to Glyfada beach, a beautiful cove of golden sand nestled in the green hills. Here the sea is a bit rougher than on the eastern coast because it's more open, but the waters remain ever clear and transparent. For lunch we move inland to the village of Pelekes, at the Taverna Da Agnes, where you eat outdoors under a lovely pergola. The village is quite characteristic with its little white houses and a bright yellow church in the square. In the afternoon we continue along the western coast northward and arrive at Lakones. Just outside the village is the spot called Bella Vista, from which you enjoy a breathtaking landscape over the coves and beaches of Paleokastritsa. Six little beaches nestled between the blue of the sea and the green of the vegetation.

We then continue to Krini, from where you can walk up to the remains of Anghelokastro castle, built by the Epirus Michael Angelos when Corfu was part of the Despotate of Epirus. We continue further north toward Roda and arrive at Kassiopi, on the north-east coast. One of the few little harbors seen so far on the island, with houses around the pier. Usually the road runs high up and there are only narrow little lanes descending to the beaches. Kassiopi is the exception and is truly beautiful with its little streets going down to the port. Just outside the village there are some tiny little pebble beaches with white stones and truly splendid azure waters. We return to our hotel going down along the eastern coast.

morning

Today a visit to the capital of the island, Corfu, starting from the old fortress and the so-called Contrafossa which turns the peninsula of the fortress into a veritable island. It is not just a fortress but a true fortified citadel, with the remains of the castle, acropolis, church and lighthouse. Outside the fortress is the Spianada with the cricket field, a legacy of the British domination, as well as the park and the Maitland loggia, with neoclassical little columns. On the other side of the square are the arcades of the Liston, which recalls a bit of St Mark's and Venice and a bit of Rue de Rivoli in Paris. Under the arches are bars and restaurants that come alive especially in the evening with young people and tourists enjoying the cool air. Still around the Spianada are the palaces of St George and Michael, once the seat of the British governor, now a museum.

Not far away is the Muraghia district, which takes its name from the city walls, and from here we go into the heart of the old city, the so-called Campielo, with streets, alleys and little squares that recall Venice and sometimes even Genoa, like Piazza di S. Elena with the enormous palm tree. The church of Santo Spiridon, the oldest in the city, is located here. Dedicated to the patron saint of the island, it has a tall bell tower with a clock that rises up and can be seen from every point of the city. Through the streets of the Campielo you lose your way and arrive at the square of the Town Hall and the Catholic Cathedral. The new part of the city is rather chaotic and traffic-clogged, with shops and venues for all tastes. We have lunch at an outdoor restaurant with little tables on the steps of the stairways that connect the little squares.

afternoon

After visiting the city we go to the Kanoni peninsula, just outside the city, from whose terrace you can enjoy a beautiful view of the little white church of the Madonna of Vlacherna, set on a small island, a symbol of Corfu, with a pier you can walk along that connects it to the mainland, and a little farther away the other green little island, the so-called Mouse Island, also with a monastery hidden among the thick vegetation. Not far away is the airport runway, right on the sea and with a passage over the water and a low wall from which you can see planes taking off and landing very close by.

Today we return to the beach of Dassia and suddenly a very strong storm breaks out with the sky darkening and fog over the sea. After not even half an hour the weather clears again and you can go back to the loungers to sunbathe. In the afternoon, on the way back to the hotel, we visit the Achilleion palace, built at the end of the 1800s by Princess Sissi of Austria, where she would retreat and stay for various periods, especially after the death of her son Rudolf The empress, influenced by Homer's Iliad, named the palace thus in honor of Achilles. White with neoclassical-style columns with busts and statues of philosophers, surrounded by a splendid garden with a distant view of the city of Corfu.

We have reached the last day and, for one last sun and one last swim, we return to the beach of the first day, that of Mesogi, with its calm, clear sea and the peace and quiet of the place.

total cost of the vacation including flight + car + hotel with half board, for three people = 2300 euros.