Travel Guide To Corfu

The beautiful north-east coast of Corfu provides the perfect late spring or summer holiday, especially for families. Compared to the rest of the Mediterranean, it is affordable - a villa on the Côte d'Azur would cost at least twice as much. The sea is suitable for toddlers, warm and free from dangerous currents and there are charming seaside villages with a plethora of good, inexpensive restaurants. For those who prefer an active holiday, the island is particularly good for spring-time coastal walks. Read our magazine story on Corfuhttps://www.cntraveller.com/gallery/corfu-north-east-coast

Where to stay in Corfu

HOTELS

SIORRA VITTORIA

36 St Padova Street, Corfu Town (00 30 26610 36300; fax: 26610 40777; www.siorravittoria.com). This 19th century townhouse hotel opened in 2005 . Nine stylish rooms have beamed ceilings, LCD TVs and elegant furniture. £

VILLA DE LOULIA

Peroulades (00 30 26630 95394; fax: 95145; www.villadeloulia.gr). The tiny, traditional village of Peroulades is only a few kilometres from Sidari, one of Corfu's busiest resorts, but it could not be more different. Villa de Loulia is a family-run retreat set in immaculate grounds. Built in 1803, the three-storey mansion has seven simple but elegant bedrooms and two suites painted in bright, contrasting colours. The attic rooms have views over the walled gardens, where shady nooks and jasmine bowers abound and old almond trees cast their shade over a large swimming pool. Villa de Loulia was featured in Greek Island Hideaways. ££

VILLAS

GASTOURI HOUSE

This mansion in Gastouri village - 10 minutes' drive from Corfu Town, is covered in jasmine, ivy and lichen. Old dark-green shutters, weathered urns, little courtyards and elegantly peeling paint characterise the property, which has a large swimming pool, bedrooms with painted bedsteads, open fires and superb antiques. Gastouri House was featured in Greek Island Villas. Book through CV Travel (020 7384 5895; www.cvtravel.net). Sleeps 10. Price on request.

HOUSE ON THE ROCKS

Fully refurbished in 2004, House on the Rocks is, as the name suggests, wedged into rocky cliffs above Corfu's Kaminaki beach, which is accessed by a precipitous footpath. With its staggering views as far as the Albanian coastline, this modern, stone house has a great sense of light and space. There are three terraces for sun-worshippers and an infinity-edged swimming pool. House on the Rocks was featured in Greek Island Villas. Book through Meon Villas (0871 664 1122; www.meonvillas.co.uk). Sleeps six. Price on request.

KATAVOLOS HOUSE

Between the sheer crags of Mount Pantocrator and the northern coastline of Corfu, the village of Katavolos is rarely visited and largely abandoned. Its best-kept secret is Katavolos House, a rustic mountain retreat among the olive trees. The entire ground floor of this converted farmhouse is open-plan with a farmhouse kitchen and huge white living room. Lawns lead down to the pool, where an olive tree provides shade for long lunches. Katavolos House was featured in Greek Island Villas. Book through CV Travel (020 7384 5895; www.cvtravel.net). Sleeps 10. Price on request.

KOKKOKILA

Kokkokila is an 18th-century shepherd's cottage turned English country house. There are cuttings from Tatler on the walls, and family photos in frames on antique coffee tables. Accommodation is in three en-suite double bedrooms. The attractive location is high up in the hills, 15 minutes' drive from Ayios Stefanos on the edge of the village. Kokkokila's large swimming pool looks out to sea. The property is good for those who don't care about the beach but want privacy plus the option of visiting the local tavernas. Book through CV Travel (020 7384 5895; www.cvtravel.net). Sleeps six. Price on request.

LOUTSES

The high number of regulars (they treat it like home and dead-head the flowers) make it difficult to book this villa, which was built in 1878 in the hills towards Old Perithia. Rooms are small-ish but cosy, decorated in simple creams, with muslin curtains, iron bedsteads and African artefacts. The kitchen and terrace are well equipped for dining. A small swimming pool means the property is better suited to painters and walkers than sunbathers. Views across to Albania are superb. Book through CV Travel (020 7384 5895; www.cvtravel.net). Sleeps four. Price on request.

VILLA ALEXINA

Agios Illias, Perithia (00 30 26630 98147; 01326 565415 in the UK; www.villa-alexina.co.uk). This 400-year-old Venetian-style manor lies on the outskirts of New Perithia, just a 10-minute drive from the sea at Kassiopi and is a good base for some of the prettiest walks on Corfu. The decor is rough, romantic, unpretentious, with cypress-wood floors, pale-ochre walls and fans instead of air conditioning. There is a vine-shaded terrace and a swimming pool with a children's pool. Alexina is very well-priced and is good for off-season holidays as it has a fireplace. Sleeps six to eight. Price on request.

VILLA BELLANDA

This villa is particularly good for couples. Located above Ayios Gordhis (a package-holiday centre) on the west coast, the property has an impressive sweep of cypress-covered hills below it. Rooms are furnished with antiques, ornate mirrors, old card-tables and silver candelabra. The infinity pool is one of the best on the island and the garden is covered in jasmine and butterflies. The elevation means there are soft breezes even in high summer. It comes with a charming housemaid called Flora. Book through CV Travel (020 7384 5895; www.cvtravel.net). Sleeps six. Price on request.

VILLA PETROTI

One of CV's flagship properties, Petroti is just a 15-minute walk from the pretty village of Ayios Stefanos (which is quieter than Kassiopi and a good choice for younger teenagers). The superb swimming pool is surrounded by terracing and an oleander awning. The villa is backed by tall cypress trees that hide a tennis court. Vertiginous steps (unsafe for young children) lead to a bay for swimming. The smart interior features soft yellows, Provençal greens, terracotta flooring and smart antiques you won't want toddlers to touch. Book through CV Travel (020 7384 5895; www.cvtravel.net). Sleeps eight. Price on request.

SKINOS

Decorated with old kelims, rocking chairs and antique maps, this is the villa for rich Bohemians. It stands right on the sea front, although people walk to the villages of Nissaki and Kaminaki along the coastal path beneath the terrace. Thick walls keep the bedrooms cool in summer and there are fireplaces for cooler nights. The layout is great for children, with adjoining bedrooms (and stone-platform beds), a huge living room and open terrace. Skinos was featured in Beach Houses. Book through CV Travel (020 7384 5895; www.cvtravel.net). Sleeps six. Price on request.

SOUKIA AND VINITA

These sister properties just south of Kassiopi belong to a US-based owner with a penchant for expensive hotel-style details: air conditioning, halogen lighting, state-of-the-art Miele kitchens, marble baths, trim gardens, big swimming pools and even bigger verandahs. Of the two, Soukia is prettier. It is also better positioned, with steps down to the sea and a generous infinity pool. The rooms are contemporary with pale walls and whitewashed beams. Vinita was featured in Greek Island Villas. Book through CV Travel (020 7384 5895; www.cvtravel.net). Both sleep eight. Prices on request.

NB Changeover day is usually Monday. Cooks can be arranged directly with the villa companies.

Where to eat out in Corfu

AKAMATRA Spilia (+30 26610 40101; www.akamatra.gr) For traditional Greek cooking, try Akamatra in Corfu Town.

CAVA BARBARA Avlaki beach (+30 26630 81905) Cava Barbara is brimming with young families. Watch out for toddlers between the chair legs. ETRUSCO Kato Korakiana (+30 26610 93342; www.etrusco.gr) Corfu's top gourmet choice is Etrusco, in the village of Kato Korakiana, where chef Ettore Botrini offers an interesting interpretation of Ionian cuisine. MITSOS TAVERNA Nissaki (+30 26630 91240; www.mitsostaverna.gr) Mitsos Taverna is good for authentic, inexpensive, local dishes.

PORTO Kassiopi (+30 26630 81228) Porto is good for inexpensive family dinners in front of Kassiopi harbour. TAVERNA AGNI Agni (+30 26630 91142; www.agni.gr) Agni is now considered the gourmet centre of north-east Corfu with its three excellent tavernas. This is the most expensive one where the pickled octopus is particularly recommended. Beware: if you eat at one of these tavernas, they will expect you to be loyal to it. Open May to October. TAVERNA GALINI Ayios Stefanos (+30 26630 81492) Serves excellent, fresh fish. The service isn't particularly forthcoming to non-regulars. TAVERNA NIKOLAS Agni (+30 26630 91243; www.nikolastavern.com) Come for lunchtime mezze - fresh food, convivial atmosphere, with the best position on Agni beach. Open April to October.

TAVERNA STAMATIS Viros (+30 26610 39249; www.tavernastamatis.com) Based just south of Corfu Town, is run by a local artist and is known for its delicious kolokithokeftedes (fried courgette croquettes).

THE SAILING CLUB (+30 26610 38763; www.corfu-sailing-restaurant.com) A fine option is The Sailing Club, in the atmospheric Venetian fortress on the seafront.

TOULA'S Agni (+30 26630 91350; www.toulasagni.com) Toula's is a popular seafood restaurant on Agni Bay.

VITAMINS TAVERNA Nissaki (00 30 26630 91278; www.vitaminstaverna.com) A family-run restaurant with a wide sun terrace overlooking the sea.

Things to do in Corfu

Corfu is the second largest island in the Ionians, about the same size as Mallorca but less crowded. Perenially popular with the English, to the south of Corfu Town and north as far as Nissaki, there are strings of tacky nightclubs and 1970s apartment blocks crowded with restaurants offering 'happy hours' and 'all-you-can-eat' breakfasts; but inland, there are villages where old women still wear the traditional black dress and knee-length pop socks. Explore the 16km curl of coast on the north-east side between the villages of Nissaki and Kassiopi and you'll find something altogether different; aptly referred to as 'Millionaire's Row', 'Costa Serena' or 'Costa Verde'. The evolution of north-east Corfu, with its beautiful villas and pebbly cove-like beaches, can be put down to a peculiar combination of topography, an English tour operator - CV Villas - and a handful of major landowners rich enough not to have to sell to mass-market tour operators. BEACHES The north-east coast of Corfu is rugged, its cove-like beaches pebbly and generally smaller than elsewhere on the island. Like the water, the beaches are clean. As a rule, where there is sand there is package tourism, take Kavos in the south, or Rodha, popular with Germans, at the other end of the island. But on the north-east coast the roads provide limited access, which is why most visitors hire a boat. In places, the land is so steep that even olive trees topple from their terraces, and this prevents hotel development. WALKS Many people go to Corfu for the superb walking, usually out of season (April, May and June) when the island is blanketed in wild flowers. For walking holidays, contact Walks Worldwide (01962 737565; www.walksworldwide.com).

Nightlife

There's a good choice of bars and cafés on the harbour front in Corfu Town and in the Liston, its French-style, arcaded promenade. You'll also find lively, late-opening venues in the resorts of Aghios Stephanos, Kassiopi and Acharavi.

The best way to get around Corfu

CAR HIRE IN CORFU Hertz (08708 44 88 44; www.hertz.co.uk) Avis (0844 581 0147; www.avis.co.uk) BOAT HIRE IN CORFU Pre-booking is essential in high season. Some villa companies include boat hire in their packages prices.