The Rovers? I’d rather be in my Corfu beach bar

AS REGULAR viewers of Coronation Street will know, chilled is not a word that is used regularly to describe my character, Carla Connor, or the many glasses of red wine she consumes at the Rovers Return on a nightly basis.

Take me away from all that, though, and put me in a beautiful villa in the most picturesque part of Corfu and it is pretty much the only word that will fully do me justice.

I managed to escape there with an extended group that included my six-year-old daughter Daisy May and my best friend Emma.

Our home for the week was Villa Irida, ten minutes north of the pretty town of Kassiopi in the supremely picturesque north eastern part of the island. Tucked away up a steep drive, Villa Irida is roomy and comfortable, traditional and elegant. We were a group of all ages, from two upwards, and there was something for everyone – a main pool, a kids’ pool, a ping-pong table and a pool table – which allowed me to indulge my guiltiest pleasure whenever I felt the urge.

We soon settled into a blissfully lazy daily routine of breakfast, swim, snooze, game of pool, sea, dinner by the beach, game of pool, bed.

Every day at about 2.30pm, when the sun had done its worst, we would head down to the glorious Kalamaki beach. It’s an amazing, child-friendly stretch, with shallow waters and a white jetty that’s perfect for jumping from into the blue waters below – which the children did again and again.

Sunbathing just below the Nicolas Taverna on Kalamaki was a treat. Every afternoon, as the tide changed gently, a beautiful natural lagoon formed, making a perfect, ankle-deep pool where the kids would try to catch fish, while we watched from a safe distance. Most evenings, as the sun dropped and cooled, we would take the few steps from the beach to the bar, where George, our favourite waiter served us chilled white wine and a feast of courgette fritters, grilled sardines, moussaka and the best sea bass I’ve ever tasted.

The occasional requirement to stock up on groceries gave us a good excuse to venture beyond our safe little enclave to Kassiopi town, where there is a pretty harbour and excellent bars and restaurants.

Back at our villa, the stresses and strains of life simply faded away and I was as chilled as the delicious Greek wine that George popped into the wine bucket whenever we ambled up the steps to his bar.

If it sounds like your kind of escape, I can’t recommend it highly enough, but you may have to beat me to it.