Corfu, Ionians
The zookeeper and author Gerald Durrell has a lot to answer for. My Family and Other Animals, his memoir of an idyllic childhood on Corfu, has inspired generations of families to travel there, hoping to recapture some of the magic he describes. While pockets of Durrell’s “enchanted island” are now overrun with tourists, it’s large enough and still wild enough to fulfil any family holiday fantasies.
Stay
For larger groups, consider hiring a villa above one of the east coast bays; there’s no shortage of rental companies. The sprawling 388-room MarBella resort (hotel.qantas. com.au/marbellacorfu) has everything families could desire, including two-bedroom suites, six restaurants, a spa, various pools, water slides and splash park and a blue-flag private beach, playground, kids’ clubs, endless activities and stunning sea views.
Eat and drink
Beside pebbly Agni Beach in Corfu’s north-east, Theo and Nataliya Tsiolis greet diners like house guests at Taverna Agni (taverna-agni.com), plying them with grilled calamari and sister Eleni’s obligatory prawn saganaki. Small wonder some families have been returning here for decades. After seeing the ruined Venetian village of Old Perithia high on Mount Pantokrator, settle in at Foros Taverna (+30 6955 950459) where owner Thomas Siriotis offers up a simple menu of lemon-sauced dolmas and Corfiot classic pastitsada, baked rooster in tomato sauce. For fresh seafood, make your way to Fishalida in Corfu town (Lochagou Spiridonos Vlaikou 11; +30 2661 082150), which has a stall in the market right next door.
Explore
Meander around Corfu town’s Venetian streetscapes and fortifications and visit The Archaeological Museum of Corfu (amcorfu.gr) for a culture and context fix. The White House sometimes opens as a museum showing the Durrell family’s Corfu story (thewhitehouse.gr). Hail a water taxi on Kalami bay to tour the isle’s sparkling coves.