Corfu at its dramatic best...
It’s stunning in For Your Eyes Only, but in reality, this gem’s even more dazzling
Corfu is a cliché when it comes to the most perfect of Greek Islands. It has all the comforts of familiarity, and plenty more besides. We took ourselves out there at the start of the season to find a tingling freshness to the Mediterranean.
A straight six-hour journey, door to door from London to the Rou Estate, a hilltop oasis perched above Kassiopi, couldn’t be easier.
In a way it’s not unlike parts of Britain and Ireland, with its craggy coastlines, secluded white-sand bays and dramatic seasides. But Corfu is 10C warmer and, for me, the local Greek yogurt – with the consistency of clotted cream yet a fraction of the calories – must be worth considering at the beginning of the bikini season.
The Rou Estate is hidden in the foothills of Mount Pantokrator and has breathtaking views across the sea to Albania. Architect Dominic Skinner lifted the shroud from this forgotten hamlet to create 14 imaginatively restored properties, each with a pool and swathed by terraced beds of rosemary, white iris, lavender and agapanthus. There is a stunning landscape to paint, infinity pool, a perfect yoga platform, and olive groves to walk up through and out on to the famous Corfu Trail.
There is no doubt that this northeast corner of Corfu is the island’s most beautiful and exclusive area. The Rothschilds’ private estate there is a billionaires’ bunker, while the Durrell brothers, Lawrence and Gerald, brought literary éclat. And the 1981 James Bond movie For You Eyes Only immortalised the rich historic past of Corfu town.
We drove the four miles from luxurious Rou to Kassiopi where the warmest of Greek welcomes awaits at the Tavernaki taverna. A waterfront table, tzatziki zinging with garlic and lemon juice, charcoal-grilled sea bass and a hunky Greek salad remind us why we came here. The Filippos family run a boat rental company from the quayside and are the Kardashians of Kassiopi, all glamorous wraparound shades and apricot bottoms snug in impossibly tiny white shorts, and, just like everyone else on the island, fluent in English. Aladdin, a nifty motorboat, bounced us around the bay, liberating and empowering as we anchored for a swim before lunch.
We all know Greek menus off by heart, but I could eat Galini’s (in San Stefanos) velvety taramasalata until I pop. Comforting familiarity in every sense sums up Corfu. We’ve grown to know it and love it from seeing it on screen but let me tell you, it’s much more beautiful and exotic to be there.
Simpson Travel (simpsontravel. com, 0044 208 003 6557) offers a variety of properties on the Rou Estate. Seven nights costs from €721pp including flights (from London and UK regional airports), car hire and accommodation. The price is based on four sharing a twobedroom villa with a plunge pool.