Corfu is a Greek island with strong Italian roots making it a super different experience to some of our favourites like Paros and Kefalonia. Corfu was a former colony of Venice which didn’t make any sense until a quick look at Google Maps shows you Corfu hanging out just below Puglia (the heel of the Italian-shaped boot). Wandering around the old town feels more like a slice of Italy than a Greek Island escape.
On top of its quirky Italian influence, Corfu is also Greece’s second largest island at about three times the size of our beloved Paros. Such a big island made it tricky to plan for our four night stay. I really struggled to work out where we should base ourselves as we didn’t plan to rent a car. We wanted to be able to easily explore the magical old town whilst still getting away from the most touristy centre. The answer for us was to divide our stay between the Old Town and the sleepier suburbs of Gouvia which I would highly recommend as a great Corfu exploration strategy, especially for first-time visitors.
In hindsight, we were wrong to not rent a car. Taxis are expensive and the island is huge. I want to go back – there is so much more to see – and I would definitely rent a car. We probably could have explored a little further by using taxis but honestly, we were a little burnt out from our time in Albania and our gorgeous hotel pool was way too tempting!!. Corfu is an easy direct flight from London – we loved the Island and for me, our time feels unfinished so I know we will be back!
Restaurants we loved in Corfu
– The Venetian Well
Known for being the most romantic restaurant on Corfu and it certainly delivers. It’s a must book and I would recommend requesting a table in the courtyard if you’re going in the warmer months. The sommelier was excellent and recommended a fantastic light red wine which worked with all our dishes. I would highly recommend walking the somm through what wines you like, as their wine collection is extensive and a good recommendation will make for a great meal. Service in general is flawless!
If they’re still on the menu I can highly recommend the beef tartar starter and the bourdeto which is a very traditional Corfu dish of fish with tomato broth with onion, garlic and red spicy pepper. Of course, the Venetian Well’s version of bourdeto is much more elevated than the local dish but it is superb! And save space for dessert. It’s all delicious!
– Etrusco
I think morale was a little low following our time in Albania and a few recent average Michelin star spots in London. Heading to Etrusco, I thought maybe we’d made a mistake. Maybe we’re a little over these fine dining tasting experiences. I sometimes get asked – now that we’ve eaten at these incredible restaurants, do we no longer enjoy casual no-frills spots? And the answer is honestly absolutely not. There is a time and a place for all dining. I flipping love take-away pizza and street food and giant portions of homey lasagne. I love really good food and sometimes that’s fancy and sometimes it’s eating barbequed chicken feet on a plastic crate in the street. Ya know?
BUT I do find we get a little jaded about the fine dining experiences. I find something they try for clever before they deliver delicious and it just doesn’t work for us. This is a long way of saying – I was really worried we were going to spend a lot of money on a weird out-there dining experience AGAIN.
So yes, this is dramatic, but Etrusco reminded me why we love fine dining. The food was superb and interesting and hyper local whilst still being so delicious. I would highly recommend the tasting menu at Etrusco. Right from the amuse bouches I was sold and on the journey with Etrusco. I was blown away by their seafood from this little red prawn tartare situation to the langoustine broth, carpaccio and caviar deliciousness. The food was beautiful AND delicious. The service was perfect. And I would highly recommend the wine pairing too.
Places we visited but weren’t our favourites
– Artisti – perfect nice Greek food but not a must visit
– Pane e Souvlaki – again a nice souvlaki spot but nothing super special
– La Famiglia – Italian restaurant
Things we did when not eating
– Self-guided walking tour of the old town
Corfu old town is beautiful and packed with history but we weren’t up for a structured guided tour. Instead, Jono found this free self guided tour and directed us around with updates along the way. Would recommend 🙂
– Or get completely last exploring beautiful Old Town
We had a good amount of time in the old town so spent our time wandering around looking for a little magic along the way. Try to get lost near Papagiorgis Patiserie-Gelateria – which has been around since 1924 and makes a great gelato!
– Explore the old town at night. It’s unbelievably romantic and you may miss out on this if you don’t spend a couple of nights in the old town. If you’re a first time visitor to Corfu I would highly recommend basing yourself in the Old Town for at least part of your time here. It truly is a magical town and comes into its own in the evening. And yes, you can visit from your nearby suburb but I think you’ll miss a little of Corfu’s Venetian magic.
– Hang out by the swimming pool
Yes, base yourself in the Old Town for a little. But then please goodness find a couple of nights to escape to the sleepier pockets for afternoons with cold beers and books around the pool. There’s nothing worse than coming back from a holiday feeling like you already need another holiday! We very lazily spent two full days at the pool and whilst I do have a little regret, I know I was happier for it. Especially landing back to dreary London in mid-September….!
Ideas for our next visit
– Agni Bay – Historic fishing village. Nikolas’ Taverna is recommended for lunch.
– Cape Drastis – Northernmost point of the island
– Longas Beach – Great beach to watch the sunset from. Either head to the beach or stay on top of the cliffs at one of the clifftop restaurants with a glass of something cold
– Porto Timoni – beach for swimming and snorkelling. Pack a picnic
– Palaiokastritsa – little village with a monastery worth visiting
– Day trip to Antipaxos
Where we stayed in Corfu
In the Old Town we stay at the very little but super central Yiasemi Corfu Luxury Studio. It’s a tiny bachelors type apartment but the location is perfect, the price was right and it had everything we needed.
For a little peace and quiet mostly focused on pool time we stayed at Art Hotel Debono in Gouvia. This has a bit of a resort type feel but I don’t think they offer all-inclusive packages. Our room included breakfast with a really extensive buffet selection that ran til pretty late in the morning enabling lie-ins.
We’re not big buffet people and we don’t typically have many meals at our hotel but we actually had two poolside lunches (think salads and sandwiches) and we joined them for their Sunday barbeque dinner buffet. I was actually really impressed with the huge variety, fresh salads and veggies, well cooked lamb chops, and tasty gyros all served hot and without having to queue. Buffets are actually really hard to get right and our hotel knew what they were doing. (Spot our new friend for the night!)
So if you’re looking for a gorgeous spot in a quiet neighbourhood with a pretty good buffet dinner set up for maximum chilling – Art Hotel Debono would get my vote! I will SAY – don’t pay extra for the hot tub. The hot tub took well over an hour to even get halfway full and honestly by then you’re going to be so over it. I always spring for the hot tub if there’s an option going but it just doesn’t seem to work.
Other great links for reading about Corfu
I found this post by Hand Luggage Only super helpful in planning our trip. And this three day itinerary by Solo Sophie was great too. As mentioned, I really struggled to work out where we should be based and found this post very helpful.
Have the best time in Corfu
with all my love, Tahlia
