Corfu .. we finally made it!!

Every year in the month of June since 2013, I and 3 of my girlfriends have gone on holiday to an island. The only criteria was that it had to be reachable within 4 hours of flying time, so mainly the Mediterranean or Atlantic. 

Last year we had it all planned to go to Corfu and we all know how that turned out. We couldn't go anywhere due to the pandemic, and optimistically thought we could then go in September that year, but again not, unfortunately. We decided to wait it out patiently and this year we grabbed the bull by the horns in May and booked to go in September this year, opting for a no-fee cancellation just in case. Sadly, one of our group did not make it as she passed away earlier this year from an illness, but the remaining 3 of us decided to keep up the tradition in her honour and continue to go.

We stuck with the same accommodation as we had originally chosen, the beautiful Pictures Suites in Agios Stefanos, as it looked so beautiful. How lucky we were with the weather too. The week before we went it had rained and thankfully we had the most amazing week of temperatures in the high twenties.

The rules in place for travel meant that we had to keep checking government guidelines and keep updated to ensure we had all the correct paperwork in place. We did not have to do any covid testing before we went, but had to fill out a passenger locator form (PLF) and show evidence of double vaccination. The Greek form was simple, just 2 pages and the check in at the airport was relatively simple and quick. Once on the aircraft we actually felt that we were going. What a tremendous feeling that was!

Set into the hillside, the views from our hotel were amazing. Every night we saw a different sunset and we could always hear the sound of the sea. On day one, we took a wander along the beach toward the far end heading south and walked up into the village, stopping for a Greek coffee at Olympia bar/restaurant and a friendly chat with Stellios the owner. 

From there we walked back through the town which had a couple of gift shops, a boutique, supermarkets and a lovely array of restaurants all serving traditional Greek food. 

The beach stretched for quite a way in both directions with super soft clay sand and clay cliffs stretching towards the north of the island. We decided to hire a boat from Thomas at the San Stefanos hire company based right on the beach 100m from where we were staying, choosing to go to Cape Drastus and the surrounding area of Sidari, a popular tourist resort.

We set out in the morning on a beautiful cloudless warm day, a little choppy but so great to be out on the water again. Giannis our driver knew the area well, having grown up there and took us wherever we wanted to go, imparting his knowledge as we went. 

As we got closer to the most northern part of the island we could see the wonderfully sculpted by nature whitish clay cliffs, unspoiled and just stunning against the turquoise Ionian Sea. The only way to get there is by boat or by walking which if you have the inclination is supposed to be quite lovely for nature lovers. 

I would imagine though that the best views are from the water and we were not disappointed. Although Sidari seemed more crowded than San Stefanos, we did see seemingly secluded bays and people swimming and jumping from the rocks. 

We sailed past the tunnel of love, Canal d'amour, another popular attraction in this area. The tunnel is a natural formation eroded by the sea, and legend has it that if you swim through it with the one you love, you will stay together forever. 

After a couple of hours on the water we headed back again, sliding off the back of the boat into the sea and having a swim before a late lunch at the local beach bar.

Mid week we took the Green Bus public transport
into Corfu city. An hour and a half away, the cost was a mere €4.20 each way and the bus was actually an air conditioned coach. A very comfortable but sometimes treacherous ride through the hilly part of the island over some very narrow roads in need of a bit of TLC. 

It really was quite beautiful and a good way to see the landscape.

Corfu city is typically European in style and was bustling with people. Outdoor cafes and shops were busy and it was nice to feel that normality has returned to a lot of places. After a stop for a Greek Frappe (iced coffee) in the pedestrian precinct we walked through meandering cobbled streets towards the old part of town and the harbour.

Knowing that the last bus back was at 4.30pm, we found a great place for lunch overlooking the water and the Old Fortress which was constructed by the Venetians in the 15th Century.

It was just the perfect spot to sit and enjoy lunch with a view and a refreshing glass (or two even) of Greek Rosé which was surprisingly good. 

I think we could have sat there for ages as it was so peaceful and relaxing but the time came when we had to leave and we slowly sauntered back towards the bus station for our ride home.

Our return 'home' brought us in from the other side of town and we discovered another lovely hotel, Tereza's Sunset Hotel within minutes of where we were, with an outdoor terrace where we could have dinner later in the week. If you time it right, you get to see the setting sun dip over the horizon. What could be more beautiful?

San Stefanos was the perfect location for us as all we wanted was a beach, a pool, good food and wine and of course good weather. We got all of these in abundance. We ate in quite a few different restaurants, some we visited twice for lunch and dinner. The beach bar food was good and all the wines on offer were Greek. I have to say there has been a vast improvement in the quality of the wines since my first experience way back when I first visited the islands many moons ago.

We had to do our Covid tests for travel on our penultimate day and that was all very easy at the local doctors surgery. They did a rapid antigen test for €30 and provided a certificate of proof of a negative test. The only bugbear was the UK PLF which was 4 pages long and had documents to upload which can at times be challenging and stressful on a smart phone. The hotel was very helpful and printed them out for us as that's how they wanted the documents to be presented at the airport.

Our flight out wasn't until 23.40 on our last day, so we had a lovely relaxing few hours by the pool and were able to keep our rooms until the evening. We had a gorgeous fresh fish dinner by the main pool and the last sunset to see us on our way.

The staff at Pictures Suites, Laura and Christopher were wonderful and so helpful and friendly. We could not have asked for more. I hope our paths cross again at some point.

Places we ate - * for quality of food

Havana Beach Bar - lunch ***

Waves Beach Bar - lunch ***

Olympia - lunch and dinner *****

Zorba's - dinner ***

Spiros and Maria's - lunch and dinner ****

Tereza's Sunset Hotel - lunch and dinner *****

Delphin Blu - dinner *****

and of course the fabulous Pictures - breakfast and dinner *****