Welcome back to the Avra Hotel

Many years ago, in the 1940s, one of the first hotels in Corfu was opened by the Spinoulas family. The Avra Hotel became universally well-known and even featured in a book called 'Around the World with $20'! Recently refurbished, it has been re-opened by the Monro family - Andy, Sarah-Jane and Jamie - who are planning to keep up the 'family tradition' and warm welcome.

The hotel is in the village of Benitses, about 15km south of Corfu Town, in an ideal location just across the road from the beach and close to the shops, bars and tavernas in the centre of the village. It offers twins, double and family rooms - and of course a great welcome! The Monros have many years of experience in Corfu, (in fact Sarah Jane is one of the partners in Corfuhomerentals) so you can take advantage of their knowledge of the island.
Diana

Dassia office moves (photo to follow)

Our office in Dassia has moved - but just how do we tell people where we are?

We used to say that we were opposite the Corfu Chandris Hotel, near to the flashing overhead traffic light. We have only moved two doors along, but we are no longer opposite the hotel. Telling people looking for us that we are between the Drunken Duck bar and the naked statue doesn't quite have the same ring to it, does it?
Sarah

Antiques on the roadside

Just past the Chandris hotels on the way north a new shop has opened displaying quantities of old furniture and bric-a-brac on its wide pavement. Looking rather like a cross between a shop and a selection of market stalls, this is a great place to stop and browse. Anyone looking for decorative items for their newly finished renovation project, or a special piece of traditional furniture might well find it here.

There are trays full of old watches - great for a collector, and rows of old stone and wood mortars which would make wonderful garden decor, or - even better - vast quantities of skordalia! Some rather strange stone statues jostle for space with old wooden threshing slabs (I've seen one made into a coffee table in one of the smartest villas on the island). I saw an old wireless and typewriters and Nazi helmets (don't ask!) as well as cutlery, glass bottles, wagon weels and even a couple of donkey carts. Inside are heavy wooden dining tables and benches, intricately carved dark wood sideboards that wouldn't look out of place in a castle, and quite a lot of furniture whose original purpose you need to ask about.

When we there at about 1.00 p.m. one of the large tables was being put to use by the entire family of the shopkeeper. Plates of macaroni and tomato sauce were being served and we were asked if we would like to join them just before they all crossed themselves and tucked in. Only in Greece!
Susan

Roadworks!

Roadworks seem to be spreading all over the south of the island. On the way from Corfu town to Moraitika there are now three sets of traffic lights, plus the occasional man with a red flag, ending in the brand new roundabout. A very nice roundabout - the only problem is there are no lines on the road to indicate who has right of way. And in some cases people have problems working out which way.

Then, when you go over to Halikouna, the bits of road that are not now tarmac have been covered in grit/sand - all except for the 50 metres or so outside my house. I begin to wonder if someone has something against us! However, when you look at the photo, perhaps we are better off just being left alone, if this is what happens to the road after roadworks and tarmac!
Diana

Lost in translation

There is a plethora of online translation software to choose from - some of which is actually quite good. This company obviously chose the wrong one.

This short extract is from something called "An Investors Guide to Buying Real Estate in Greece" and is, we think, supposed to be about buying land as an investment.

Investing into a concept in a assorted land is a bounteous selection and would order competent investigate and some visits. Planning a budget and employed by is advisable. It is sharp to ready opening options acquirable by studying the sellers mart as concept prices and situations dont rest constant. Professional instrument from a topical attorney or concept consultant would be the prizewinning artefact to move it. Factors same concept valuation, rentals and ontogeny possibleness are areas of skillfulness and it is prizewinning to lease the services of a proven consultant . A beatific discernment of the regulations for apiece land is also pivotal before language some acquire agreement. Be player certain if it is a partnership or daylong constituent deal.

Hospital praised

We met a very nice couple this week who are intending to buy a property from us in the village of Episkepsi. Unfortunately the lady was taken ill in the early hours of this morning with severe stomach pains and taken by ambulance to the Corfu General Hospital.

Once I heard the news, I phoned her husband to find out if he needed any help, and he told me that everything was in hand and he was hoping to take her out of the hospital today with some antibiotics, as the tests had revealed a kidney problem. I warned him that as doctors are in short supply on a Sunday it was likely that she would have to wait till Monday morning before being discharged, thus missing their flight home.

He called me again later, to say that there was a doctor in attendance who had discharged her with a prescription and a report to take to her doctor in the UK. Full of praise for our usually much maligned hospital, he said that they couldn't ask for anything more and that all the staff had been very helpful and polite to them. How nice to hear praise for a change!
Sarah

Berry strange indeed!

I wasn't quick enough to take a photo, and probably would have had a car accident had I tried to, but I am intrigued to know why a police car was full to its ceiling with boxes of strawberries. Right in the middle of San Rocco Square, there didn't appear to be enough room for two policemen to fit in.

Perhaps our Police Force are being encouraged to top-up their Vitamin C intake?
Sarah

Cricket in Corfu

For a few years most of the cricket matches in Corfu have been played on the comparatively new pitch at the Gouvia Marina. Last Saturday afternoon, however, saw a team from the UK playing against a local team on the Liston like in the old days. Makes for an exciting time for the spectators, as the cafes are very close and a "six" could quite easily end up in amongst the coffee cups, and if you love your car don't leave it in the car park! (Photo courtesy of Island Magazine.)
Susan

A village shop with a difference

We had no intention of spending any money, but Heidi's little shop in Afionas village square drew us in like magnets. What a change from the all too common tourist shops elsewhere in Corfu. Her shelves are full of tempting souvenirs, not all of them traditionally Corfiot, but all chosen carefully to attract the discerning holiday shopper. From local olive oil sensibly packed in easily transportable tins, really pretty boxes of guest soaps, tablecloths in olive patterned fabrics, to more expensive pottery, artwork and jewellery, the shop is a treasure trove. Two out of three of us succumbed and left the shop with a selection of gifts for some lucky friends.
Susan

Stairway to Heaven

Visiting a lovely village in the north west today to check on a property for its hopeful owner-in-waiting, we looked at the house from a new angle and took the attached "optical illusion" shot. With the bright blue sky and balmy temperature it really looked as if the builder had a spiritual destination in mind instead of the flat roof of the building!
Susan

Airplanes and orchids

I haven't been "blogging" very much in the last week, instead I have been very busy with a first-time visitor to Corfu (and Greece) trying to ensure that she appreciated our island despite the dreadful, unseasonal weather.

Loved-one's sister arrived just in time to catch a few rays of sun before the bad weather began, and left today just as the sun came out again. She mucked in (literally) helping to get the two villas and their gardens ready for our first arrivals on Friday, and then collapsed in a heap with us on Saturday. Unfortunately she didn't get to use her beach towel or sun-tan lotion, but she did make good use of my old trainers and socks.

It was lovely to hear her say that she felt very at home here, despite this being her first trip. That is exactly the feeling I had on first visiting Corfu, and I have it every time I go away and come back. What is it about a place that you just know it's where you want to be?

Seeing her off at the airport today and walking back to my car, I spotted orchids growing in a patch of ground between the airport and the road.Checking in my wild flower book, I think they are orchis morio - green-winged orchids. Who would expect to find orchids growing wild right outside an airport!
Sarah

Wow!

In one of those spectacular turn-arounds in which Corfu specializes, we have gone from winter to summer in 24 hours. I'm adding this to the blog so that anyone reading who is about to travel here doesn't worry too much about the weather. From central heating and two long sleeved sweaters, we are now eating outside and wearing short-sleeves. Hurray!
Susan

Charter flights again!

Yes, I know Easyjet have been flying into Corfu since early April, but today is the first day of "real" charters - holidaymakers arriving for packages including hotels, villas, self-catering accommodation, etc. Unfortunately we have not been able to turn on very nice weather for the first day of the season. It's really quite cool outside - 15c at the moment - with looming clouds as well.

We were talking about the weather last week as we squelched through a particularly muddy garden to take photos of a new-build house for sale. It was pouring down, and not at all easy to take photos whilst holding an umbrella over the camera lens (and me!).

What do tourists do when the weather is not as they are expecting? We all know that nobody is responsible for this unseasonal surprise, but our first visitors of the summer are going to be staying in accommodation that has been closed up for the entire winter, accommodation that is meant for full summer weather - ceramic tiles or marble floors, and NO HEATING! Add this to the fact that most suitcases will be packed with bikinis, tee-shirts and flip flops, and I predict a few unhappy faces unless we can produce some sunshine fairly quickly.

Personally I really like watching the 'planes flying overhead, and the ferries steaming gracefully up the coast. It makes me feel part of a greater whole, somehow. The to-ings and fro-ings of travellers connecting Corfu with the rest of Europe.
Susan

Hielidonia/Swallows

I mentioned swallows, in passing, in an earlier post about the coming of spring. This year we have two families busily making nests, one under the eaves of our upstairs covered balcony and one downstairs, similarly protected from the elements.

What a mess they are making, and how lovely it is, at the same time, to listen to their busy twitterings. More than any other bird, I think, they seem to be having conversations as they work. I can understand why (nice) shop-keepers and taverna owners build elaborate constructions under the nests to catch the mess and why (nasty) ones destroy the nests to "encourage" the birds to go elsewhere. This year's lot are particularly casual in their housekeeping methods - not only do we have the little piles of discarded nesting material and poops, but they leave evidence of their flight-paths as well, and the walls are splattered under every resting place - lintels, light-fittings, picture frames (yes, they come inside through any open windows).

One of my oldest Corfu friends, an English lady who married into a local family, used to move her bed every spring in order for the swallows to nest undisturbed in their usual place inside her bedroom.

Another swallow story - when I was a villa rep, I visited some perfectly pleasant clients in a rather smart villa on the north-east coast. They asked me, one day, to arrange for the removal of a wasps nest. When I went to have a look at the offending construction it was a particularly elaborate swallows nest - one of the ones with a little tunnel entrance leading to the main dwelling. In vain did I explain that it was swallows not wasps or bees, but to no avail. It is rather disconcerting to be "told" that you are wrong when you absolutely positively know that you are right! Especially when in a "customer is always right" context. What a quandary! I'm afraid I refused to destroy the hard-work of the swallows, and promised the clients that I would be back immediately if they saw as much as one single wasp entering or leaving "their" nest.
Susan

Is this a first?

After a busy property viewing day yesterday, I sat down today (Sunday!) to put some of the properties I had seen on the website, whilst they were still fresh in my mind. Imagine my surprise when I went to the Corfuhomefinders home page to review them, to find that ALL the most recent additions are either in the south or centre of Corfu. Usually mine are in a definite minority (about 75% are north Corfu), but this time I am definitely taking over! Which probably actually means that Susan and Sarah have been too busy showing clients around to add anything new, but still, this is a definite first for me.

Two weeks ago I went to see a house on the main central island road going towards the south. I drove straight past it the first time - and then I found a lovely, wonderfully renovated house, with galleried living space, great views, gardens, land, and gated parking.

Then on Saturday I was asked to go and view a house which turned out to be close to the previous one and again was a pretty, comfortable home, 'ticking all the boxes' with terraces, rock garden, lovely views, etc. now on our site as Nectarine House. After this I went off to a meeting to look at a villa, but on the way got diverted by a phone call asking me to go and look at land in Halikouna NOW, as the seller was just leaving Corfu for Athens and had only just made the decision to sell. Definitely worth diverting for - a nice flat, easy to build, large piece of land with sea views and only five minutes walk from the beach.

Back on track, off I went to look at the villa. Absolutely wonderful! Have a look at it and I need say no more. I decided to be creative and drove some distance around the side of the hill to try and get a good long distance shot of the villa. On this part of the coast the local council have been busy putting down tarmac all year, so that all the dirt tracks are getting frightfully smart. I drove off down the road, nearly got to what I thought was the best vantage point for my photo - only to find that the beautiful new tarmac road has fallen into the sea! I was so shocked I forgot to take a picture of it. It reminds me on one of those earthquake shots - two sides of the road, a thin ribbon of tarmac and a gaping hole with a massive drop. So much for new roads.
Diana

Greek Easter in London

I did wonder what Greek Easter would be like in London - it is the first year we have not been in Corfu for Easter - but since neither of our kids was able to come to Corfu (and it was an ideal opportunity to take a quick long weekend off work!) we decided to go there instead.

We arrived in wonderful sunny weather, had a drink at our local pub, sitting outside looking at people stretched out in the park sunbathing, which was very strange for us since we are absolutely NEVER in the UK in the summer. We also absolutely had to take advantage of an old fashioned Mr. Whippy ice cream van, conveniently parked on the edge of the children's playground. Spiros said, 'If this is Spring in England, why do people come to Corfu?'. The next day it poured with rain and was freezing. We got soaked each time we went out - now he knows!

We decided to get only the best for our Easter lamb and went down to Borough Market, the 'foodie heaven' where we bought some lamb and strawberries from organic farm stalls (and had a venison burger as a snack, which was definitely a first for me).

Spiros went to the nearby Greek Orthodox church to find out what time the Friday Evening Service would be. He asked two people in the Church but they didn't speak Greek and had no idea when the service would be. On Friday evening he went along anyway, and in a very nice service the priests did the 'Epitaphion' procession, around the nearby St. Thomas Square - with occupants of the apartments all around taking photos.

Saturday morning we were informed that we had 'friends coming to lunch on Sunday' and since we did not have time to go down to Borough again we opted for extra lamb and strawberries bought from our local Tesco and thought it would be interesting to see if there was a taste difference. By the time we had run around buying all our bits and pieces we were too shattered to go to the Anastasie, so we all just said Happy Easter and retired to bed.

On Sunday morning we went down to Columbia Road Flower Market (see photo) to buy flowers and plants to compensate for having a flat with no garden and then we duly cooked both pieces of lamb - and what do you know, we couldn't see any difference. It was a beautiful day, and if we had had the courage we could certainly have BBQ'd in the park (except Hannah my daughter tells me it is one of the by-laws and definitely forbidden). I came to the conclusion that actually, Greek Easter in London, is not all bad.
Diana

Best of both Easters

My dining table is a classic example of Greek and British Easter traditions, holding both the dyed red eggs symbolizing the blood of Christ, and a Simnel Cake with the balls of marzipan on the top representing the twelve disciples.

On Sunday we enjoyed a New Zealand roast leg of lamb with mint sauce, and today will eat barbeque with salads. Hopefully we haven't got the cooking the wrong way round as Easter Sunday was hot and sunny and Monday threatens rain!
Sarah

A smashing Saturday

Corfu Town was as popular as ever on Easter Saturday for the traditional pot smashing. I was lucky enough to be invited to enjoy the event at an apartment just off the Liston, next door to the Town Hall from where my family and I joined in with throwing the pots from the windows.

For a change, Corfiots were very quick off the mark, as a kind of pot smashing wave surged through the streets, so that in fact we threw ours at about two minutes to eleven, to be closely followed by the roar from the crowds at the Liston on the stroke of eleven.

I wish this blog had sound so that I could play you the music from the bands - in particular the drummers of the Palaia Band perfoming the most extraordinary piece right outside our window. They lined up in two rows opposite each other with the big bass drums in the middle, and played a drum solo for a few minutes.
Sarah