We stayed in Kavos in the south of the island of Corfu in September, travelling from London Gatwick to Corfu International Airport ‘Ioannis Kapodistrias’. With a travel time of around 3 hours and 15 minutes, followed by a coach transfer time of a further 90 minutes (up and down some extremely windy roads) we eventually arrived into the resort of Kavos in the afternoon. We stayed at the Ekati Mare Lifestyle Resort on a bed and breakfast basis and chose to stay in Kavos as although we are not young, we still wanted somewhere fairly lively rather than being somewhere isolated or too quiet. We enjoy a stroll in the evening along the beach or harbour, some nice meals out and to explore where we are staying and further afield too. We guessed that by visiting Kavos in September we would get the ‘lively’ without the teenagers and the clubs etc. We were wrong ! We have previously stayed just outside Laganas on the island of Zakynthos and also in Faliraki on the island of Rhodes so thought we knew what to expect.
Our hotel was nice– we had the usual double room with safe, tea and coffee making facilities, a safety deposit box, fridge, decent shower and a hanging rail for your clothes. We were on the first floor, just 2 minutes from the large pool area which boasted an indoor restaurant area (this is where breakfast was served), an outdoor seating area, a fully stocked bar and a pool bar. There was also a rep selling the usual excursions in the hotel lobby area most mornings although there was a travel agency directly opposite the main gate to the hotel which had a great selection of excursions and car hire should you require it. There were plenty of sunbeds and cabanas around the large pool and some shady sofa style seating should you need it. Although the hotel is on the main road into town you are shielded from the noise by large hedges. There is parking opposite the hotel and you can pick up a bus / tour outside the travel agency which as mentioned is opposite the main gate to the hotel.
Kavos itself is of course the party resort of the island, and despite us choosing to visit in September, it was still pretty lively at night.
We did manage to find a couple of authentically Greek restaurants where Greek dancing and plate smashing were regular events but were not flung in your face and they let the food do the talking.
Unfortunately, there are still a few areas that you need to march through with your head down to avoid the touts who are trying to pull you into various bars and clubs.
There is a nice coffee shop in town which we used for lunch one day and some decent supermarkets should you need bottled water and snacks. There are also some decent streak restaurants. We also found a tattooist from the UK and a coffee shop for crepes and ice cream.
The beach here leaves a lot to be desired. It does not have the golden sands you would expect of a Greek island – the beach was quite frankly dirty, full of seaweed and had literally a hand full of sunbeds available along its whole length. The beachfront area was actually quite run down and felt really neglected. There are just a couple of bars on the beachfront which served food so eating out during the day was limited unless you wanted fast food in town.
Given that sunbathing on the beach was a no-go, we opted to get a car for a couple of days and headed out to Corfu Town to wander round the shops and it was actually really nice. It has the feel of Rhodes Town or Plaka in Athens – cobbled streets and alleyways selling souvenirs, clothes, local produce etc. We had an enjoyable few hours here and ended up with flavoured oils, local honey and loukoumi!
The next day we headed out again, this time to explore the north of the island, visiting both Sidari and Roda. Both of these resorts are much more what I would have expected of a Greek island – nice soft sand, clean beaches with sunbeds – free of charge if you used the facilities of the associated restaurant/bar, otherwise around 20 Euros for two beds and an umbrella.
Both resorts boasted nice cafes, bars and restaurants and good souvenir shopping. With hindsight being a wonderful thing, I really wished I’d stayed in the north of the island instead! My aunt and uncle used to holiday in Sidari and because of that I just assumed it was for older people. Well, here we are now and hubby and I are ‘older people’ and would no doubt have enjoyed a week in the north far more!
We then headed back towards Kavos visiting the Mavroudis Family Olive Oil Farm to purchase some figs, oils, nuts and seasonings to take home. I would say that the drive from Kavos to Sidari is not for the faint hearted; hair pin bends seem to be the normal on Corfu’s roads and you really can’t get anywhere very quickly.
We booked our car through the travel agency opposite the hotel, paying around 120 Euros for 2 days car hire. Bear in mind that they do require quite a large damage deposit which is held on your credit card – I believe ours was around 400 Euros and although this money is not actually taken from your credit card (unless you damage the car), you do need to have that amount available. Remember to always take photos of the car before you head out so that you don’t get caught out having to pay for scratches caused by the person before you! Also remember that you need to budget for petrol as the car needs to have the same amount in the tank as it started with.
I am glad we visited Corfu as the northern part of the island is lovely, however Kavos was a mistake on my part but I can at least now say I have been! The next island on my agenda is likely to be Crete and I’m hoping I’ve chosen a little more wisely by staying in Aghios Nikolaus!
See you soon
Tracey x
** see more of our travel adventures at georgialouisetravels
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