Corfu Holiday
Dropped into the Mediterranean between the heel of Italy and the west coast of mainland Greece, Corfu is one of the Ionian Islands' most beautiful and popular destinations.
Although somewhat swamped by the worst kind of British tourism in the town of Kavos in its south, the rest of Corfu holds of the hordes of pillaging British successfully enough, allowing its stunning mountain villages to remain unspoilt for the most part.
History has handed Corfu over between many different hands over the years, with the Venetians, Greeks and the British owning it at some point.
Shakespeare used the island as the model for Prospero and Miranda's place of exile in The Tempest, whilst Homer's work is littered with mentions of the Ionian islands.
Venetian architecture and influence is among the most noticeable, as the island was held under the rule of Venice from 1350 until Napoleon took over in 1797.
However, indiscriminate exploitation of the island's appeal to the masses has meant much of its fine coastline has been turned into eyesores of the burger and chips variety.
Kavos, in the south, is the worst example of British tourism in Greece. The sprawling town caters for little more than 18-30 holidaymakers, intent on drinking as much as possible among the neon-lit bars and clubs squeezed into the old town.
The once beautiful beaches are now marred with rubbish and seaweed, although thankfully, much of this ruination is confined to the very south of the island.
In Corfu Town in the north, life is slightly more enjoyable for the traveller, although its at its best when out of the city. Northern Corfu is more mountainous and rocky than its southern half, meaning much of the area – such as at the foot of Mount Pantokrator – is unviable for tourist developments and building.
Here the coastline is dotted with beautiful coves and inlets – the coastline at its closest to Albania.
On the western coast, long sandy beaches still dominate, although cleaner and less busy than those around Kavos.
Paleokastritsa is one of the other more touristy areas on the island, with its 'film set' architecture attracting tourists and day trippers eager to see the location of James Bond's For Your Eyes Only film.
The weather heats up on the island from June to October, with temperatures hitting 40 degrees in the height of summer. The most comfortable times to go are around Easter to the middle of June, when the temperatures, and the tourists, tend to ease off.
Most European destinations fly to the island's own airport, although it is not that big and traffic is limited to charter rather than international flights to distant destinations.
The island is a beautiful place to visit for any traveller, and although those seeking to avoid the clubbers would do well not to venture into Kavos or any other guilty towns, a truly inspirational trip can be achieved with a bit of care on an island which features not only in a poem by Homer, but in a play by Shakespeare himself.
