Neil and I arrived in Corfu after three days in Santorini, sunburned and looking for more adventure that could ease the come-down of leaving such a special place.
Sandwiched right between Greece, Albania and Italy, Corfu has a history of protecting itself from the many outside forces that have come through it, including Nazism and fascism. As a result, it has a strong sense of pride, with the word “óxi” (no) graffitied in many places, a rally cry that they don’t give up easily. While hanging on the beach is a major attraction, you can also visit the new and old fortresses in its old town area, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Corfu today has a distinctly Italian influence, with pasta menus everywhere and old shuttered buildings in coral and yellow paint lining its streets. In fact, Corfu is the island’s Italian name—the Greek call it Kérkyra.
Our cab driver dropped us off at our hotel, The Corfu Holiday Palace, after giving us a long speech about the legacy of Jim Morrison. As we settled into what felt like a huge and modern resort after hanging out on the hilly maze of caves that is Santorini, I started to feel a bit like I had entered the Bermuda Triangle. Airplanes skirted right over our hotel as they landed next door and a karaoke party raged outside until 2 a.m.
We kicked back, ate some delicious food and swam in the most beautiful beach I’ve ever seen. Here are some highlights.
Flags waving in Corfu old town.More cute mopeds, if that’s your thing.These are loukoumades, which are fried dough balls. We enjoyed both savory and strawberry hazelnut varieties at Stazei Meli.Corfu’s specialty drink is kumquat liqueur, which is everyyyywhere. I tried some, and it was not for me. It tastes like Smirnoff flavored vodka but weak? Plus, it’s bright orange, which doesn’t delight me at my old age of 30.It rained on our anniversary, so we ended up using the hotel’s bowling alley instead of its pool. It was cool except for the guys who worked there who kept trying to teach me how to bowl when I just wanted to suck at bowling in PEACE, TY.I took this really keut pic of Neil. 🙂To bowl, you had to buy a drink. I was shamed for choosing a mojito, which is apparently “basic.” Neil chose a champagne + whiskey cocktail that was surprisingly not disgusting.The steps outside our hotel.For our one-year anniversary dinner, we went to the Venetian Well, which is hidden away near the port in old town. We were immediately charmed by its beautiful setting, and by the band of accordion players serenading the customers.I have never had a meal that mixed Chef’s Table magic with just plain deliciousness like the Venetian Well. They gave us several surprise “bonus” rounds, including a beet amuse-bouche and butter in a smoke-filled chamber. It was like nothing else I’ve experienced. It was worth going to Corfu just to go to there. Neil said it was the best meal he’s ever had.More deliciousness, under their very Instagram-worthy lighting.Then we got frozen greek yogurt cuz we’ve been married a year and deserve a TREAT goddammit!Neil was very enamored by this basketball court.And I took a lot of pictures down alleys.Then we went to a market full of signs I couldn’t read.
I took a bunch of pictures of this cat eating a sardine, and the fisherman pointed me to a whole family of cats he was feeding behind him.Like these two kittens!On our final day, we went to Paleokastritsa, a beach on the other side of the island. The receptionist at our hotel (who had a very cool braid) told us it was “not to be missed.” She was right.I’ve never swam in clearer, calmer waters on such a colorful beach. (Except maybe in Santorini, which is a perfect place on earth.)Nestled next to the beach is this super picturesque dock.
We had a great time in Corfu, but if we went again we would stay right in old town, rather than up in resort-land. We almost never used our hotel’s resort facilities, and getting to town featured many expensive cab rides. You could probably get a Corfu experience in 2 nights if you spend your full day at the beach and then catch dinner at the Venetian Well. And go there before Santorini, not after. Trust me. 🙂
