Villa Yeraki, Corfu, Greece

VILLA YERAKI doesn’t just sit on the north-east corner of Corfu, it clings to it, built into a vertiginous slope dropping down to the warm, blue Adriatic. Every element of the architecture works to underline the magic of this location—rooms point out to the sea and every outdoor seating area (there are at least half a dozen) is arranged to remind you why you came.

Modern planning rules mean that such a home couldn’t exist today, but, thankfully, no such restrictions were in place when Yeraki was first erected in the 1960s on the outskirts of Kassiopi, in the very smartest corner of Corfu. In the early 1980s, it was bought by Richard and Patricia Cookson, a husband-and-wife team. Their company, Corfu Villas, did a huge amount to fuel the island’s tourist boom.

Then a near wreck, Yeraki has been transformed into a serene six-bedroom villa surrounded by olive trees and Mediterranean flora, with an infinity pool and its own jetty.

The bedrooms are split two each between the main house, pool house and a lowerlevel terrace. Easy chairs, hammocks and sun loungers dot the nooks, crannies and terraces all around the property. Adding to that sense of ease are Joanne and Eleanor, Yeraki’s manager/in-house chef and housekeeper respectively—their discreet presence means that you never have to lift a finger.

Today, the villa is managed by Nick Cookson, son of Mr Cookson and the sadly late Mrs Cookson, and let out via a new company, the Villa Collective. The company might have changed, but the clients haven’t—as the guestbook testifies, many have been coming here on a regular basis for 30 years or more. It’s absurdly easy to see why they keep coming back. TK The Villa Collective (020–3950 1588; www.villacollective.com) offers seven nights at Villa Yeraki from €7,500, based on 12 people sharing