Almiros Village - Acharavi
Operator and Date: Sandra, Tim + 2 children
Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : 34, 38, 8,4
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Hotel some way from Acharavi, but looks exactly as on internet. New+modern great adult and childrens pool.Right on the beach, which is sandy good for kids. The sea can be very rough though. Food ok, bit repetative, not enough staff in restaurant, they do their best but just too many tables to cope which meant a long wait for tables, cups etc. Entertainment rubbish, all in German we were the only English family at the hotel and were told it was a German resort and hotel. This should be made clear to people when booking. Insects and mozzies worst ever known. Everyone had bites, used all creams and bayvap nothing stopped them.
Overall good value for money but wouldn't go back becuase of mozzies made it hell!
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Almiros Village (Gardens) - Acharavi
Operator and Date: (Olympic Direct) Olympic September 2005
Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : Bob and Jane , Brighton (47 & 37)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
We wanted a quiet holiday and that's what we got.
The hotel is clean, rooms spacious (although the orange curtains and bedding are a bit much)bathroom has a jacuzzi bath which is a nice touch. The staff were mainly friendly, mostly young student types but very helpful and extremely polite.
The food is quite basic for an 4* all inclusive (I've definately had better at 3 star resorts), but there was something there for everyone really, plenty pasta, salads etc
However, the entertainment is appalling! Three resident animation team members (all English)were pleasant enough people but they were severely lacking in the talent dept. There were three nights in the week where others were drafted in to help and they were worse than the others!! In their defense though, they didn't have a lot of support from their Management and during the day they kept the kids busy and organised football etc for the blokes. But as you are at least a 30 minute walk away from the town itself, the evening entertainment needs to be greatly improved if they want to attract people back.
Achravari is a nice enough little town, plenty of shops and a few decent taverna's. You can pay 5 euro's for a taxi or wander along the beach (30 minutes)
Kasiopi is a 15 euro taxi ride away and worth a visit (lovely harbour and secluded sandy coves), but unless you want gangs of louts falling out of bars and vomit on the pavements stay away from Sidari.
All in all, I would say that I really enjoyed my stay as we were looking for a chilled out week, but I can't say that I would rush back.
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Almiros Village (Gardens) - Acharavi
Operator and Date: September 2005
Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : John Smith 50
Resort Rating: Average
Accommodation Rating: Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
Not really 4*, despite claims. Beedrooms comfortable, aircon included. Meals ok.
Service very poor outwith mealtimes - staffed by a student - only one bar open. Drinks in plastic cups to avoid washing. Entertainment very limited.
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Almiros Village (Gardens) - Acharavi
Operator and Date: Your Holidays - September 2005
Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : Stan ,Anne Henderson - Fraserburgh (57,55)
Resort Rating: Average
Accommodation Rating: Average
My/Our Holiday Opinion:
If you are considering booking this Hotel - don't. My Wife and myself have just arrived back Saturday 24/09/05 and would like to add this review.
The hotel is nice with good size rooms, with excellent air conditioning but I,m afraid that is all the good points I can say about the place. When building the Hotel the doors must have been cut too short and every night the room was infested with all sorts and sizes of insects, we also had a big leak from the bath which we reported three times before the repair man came (after four days). The Hotel is stuck in the middle of nowhere and has virtually nothing in the way of Entertainment as you would normally get in a 4* Hotel. Evening was bad, bingo eventually starting around 22.00. The food was pretty basic but alright, although on numerous occasions the coffee cups ran out and this ended up with a queue waiting at the one and only coffee machine.
We were told by the Club med rep that if you wanted to travel anywhere it was virtually impossible to get transport out of the Hotel(you could sometimes get a taxi but may not get back again was his way of putting things)this was to make sure you booked his excursions, but this was not the case as you walked half a mile up to the main road and you could get the local bus to Acharavi, Roda, Sidari or Corfu (timetable from reception). There were also far too much dogs being allowed to roam around the Hotel grounds fighting with one another and sitting around you waiting for scraps of food(Dogs are renowned for carrying Rabies).
Finally, we arrived at the Hotel at 0430 on the 17th September, so realistically our 7 day Holiday ended at 0429Hrs on the 24th September but lo and behold we were expected to check out at 1200 Hrs on the 23rd and have our all inclusive wrist band removed (the first time this has happened to us, having stayed in numerous all-inclusives!) We paid 25 euro to keep on the room (it cost 40 euro if you wanted to keep the all inclusive facility as well). I had just laid down to try and sleep, at 20.00 when the phone rang asking me to check out. We thought we had paid for the room until we were ready to leave.
All in all the place and the staff were nice on the outside but the place and their practises left with a lot to be desired and My wife and myself would never rate it as a 4* and would never go back.
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Almiros Village (Gardens) - Acharavi
Operator and Date: Med Hotels - July 2005
Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : Erica Nunn - Burton on Trent (54, 53, 30, 31, 2
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Arrived back yesterday (23 July) from Almiros Village known over here as Gardens. The hotel classes itself as a 4* but it is more like a 3*. As it is still being completed some of the facilities were not available such as they Gym, childrens club, upstairs bar and balcony. It is outside the resort of Acharavi which is a 5 euro taxi ride. The resort is fine with bars and tavernas and shops.
Room - large and air conditioned, mini fridge in room is not stocked with anything but it is great for keeping your aftersun in. Maid service was a bit hit and miss, towels and bed linen changed every three days.
Bathroom - this is the only hotel I've stayed where they have scales in the bathroom. When you are all inclusive why would you want to weigh yourself. Jaccuzi bath is great but the water can be a little brown in colour.
Food - Breakfast was very boring, same thing every day. Lunch and evening meal became boring always Lamb, Pork, Veal, Salads and Pasta. Ice cream available all day this was one of the real good things!!
Pool - large and deep even in the shallow end but there is a childrens pool which is great for the little ones. Plenty of sunbeds available.
Bars - 2 open at present pool and lounge staff still learning the ropes but friendly especially in the lounge bar.
Snacks - they need to work on these.
Beach - when we arrrived they were just putting up the parasols, once up they were great and free as well as the sunbeds. Beach is pebbley and shingley, sea not child friendly as it has rocks to get over to the sandy bed and can be very choppy at times. You can walk along the beach to Acharavi but it is a good 30-45 minutes.
Would I go back - yes but only to see it they have made it a 5* which is what the management team were saying they wanted it to be, they need to do alot more work and ask the guests what they really want/think.
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Almyros Gardens - Acharavi
Operator and Date: on the beach holidays/med hotels - June 2005
Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : john and sue price (47,47)
Resort Rating: Poor
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
went first week of opening 17th june 05 nice and clean in village setting and good food on all inclusive basis only one problem actual name of resort is almiros village not almyros gardens as we got our own tranfers taxi ,s did not know where to go from airport, hotel very good can only get better but resort absalutly rubbish beach rubbish if you want holiday by the pool great place large pool no problems getting sun beds this will only suit people who wan,t quite holiday as no night life there
in general good holiday but suited us to just relax by pool rated as 4 star i would say good quilaty 2 to 3 star in apartment type rooms .
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Almyros Gardens - Acharavi
Operator and Date: med hotels - 2005
Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : 43, 45
Resort Rating: Average
Accommodation Rating: Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
this hotel is rated as a 4* but is actually more like a 3*. food is a bit hit and miss,some of the evening meals were quite nice but breakfast and lunch were not very good. a road was just being layed when we were there, so you can actually walk to acharavi, but only during the day, no lighting to walk at night. you can also walk to acharavi by beach but again only by day.
drinks are mostly served in small plastic cups round the pool bar day and night, quite good wine.there is a couple of tavernas near the hotel. one on the beach another to the right as you come out of the main gates of hotel.
you can get a taxi to acharavi for 5 euros,
roda 8 euros,kassioppi 13 euros.
beach right outside hotel shingles, sea very stony not the best beach i have been to. done lots of sunbathing around the pool. very quiet holiday.
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Ano Studios - Acharavi
Operator and Date: (Golden Sun Discounts) Golden Sun - May 2004
Opinion submitted in June 2004 by : Emma McDonnell- Wirral (23,24,24,24)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
I have just got back from a weeks stay at Ano Studios and have no complaints whatsoever. Apartments are clean just the right size and are in a good location. Acharavi itself is a lovely place if you are staying at Ano Studios no doubt you will use the pool at the Chrisa Hotel which is just over the road this is run by an English couple Sue and Jim and they are the nicest people you could meet.
Acharavi has some lovely restaurants our nicest meal was at the Lemon Garden which is a barbecue restaurant the food was perfect. Im sure you will have a fantastic time if you are going out there.
The beach is around a 5min walk from the studios and is nice although slightly pebbly. Its that nice we will probably go back this year.
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Beis Beach Hotel - Acharavi
Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook- May 2006
Opinion submitted in June 2006 by : Luck- (45, 45, 16, 12)
Resort Rating: Below Average
Accommodation Rating: Below Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
The resort of Acharavi is very basic, the beach consists of pebbles. All the shops are pretty much the same.
The accomdation was also for the French and German, we found it hard to get a sunbed, the entertainment was non- existent, the excuse they gave us was it was only the second week of the season and they were not trained yet. The entertainment staff just walked round talking to people. There was a great selection of food though cold and the drink selection for all inclusive package was very poor. The staff were all very friendly though the Rep didn't want to know when we went to make a complaint.
Overall don't choose this accomodation.
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Beis Beach Hotel - Acharavi
Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook september 2005
Opinion submitted in Jan 2006 by :
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Below Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
Hi,
we booked this as a last minute holiday. We were very disapointed with the hotel - it was overrun with italians and germans and they got preferntial treatment. The food was absolutely awful and although we were all inclussive we often ended up eatting out - it didn't bother us too much as we got our holiday cheap but we would have been really angry if we'd paid full price. The snacks and afternoon cakes were absolutely disgusting. It is in a good location opposite the beach with a good variety of shops just a short while away in both the towns of acharavi and roda. I found the staff to be unhelpful, and our room was only cleaned once during our stay.
I DEFINITELY would not recommend this hotel to anyone unless they got it cheap and was planning on eatting out a lot. One restaurant we can highly recommend is the navigator, it is just a short walk (5 mins)from the beis beach and the staff were really helpful and the food was excellent. We went there loads of time.
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Beis Beach Hotel - Acharavi
Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook - August 2005
Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : Carolyn Gerrish (65,60,42,32,9)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Have just returned from staying at the Beis Beach Hotel.
It was our first time at an all inclusive and we were a little apprehensive as what to exspect.
This hotel was excellant the food was superb and such a varied choice at each meal and they never ran out of anything so it did not matter if you went to eat late.
The rooms were spotless and of a really good size there was air conditioning at no extra cost and also a fridge which came in handy.
The down side was the amount of Germans and Italians there were in the hotel and typically the rush for the sun beds when they were unlocked in the morning at 8am, I think the Italians were worst than the Germans.We were lucky as our room was right by the pool so in true English fashion anything they could do we could do better!!
This did not spoil our holiday and I would certainly stay at this hotel again.
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Can Gardens Resort - Acharavi
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
- May 2006
Opinion submitted in June 2006 by : David,Denise,Simon-Manchester (52,52,17
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
We stayed at the Can Gardens Resort in the first month of its opening and we were delighted to stay there.
The place is beautiful with polished marble floors inside and a honey coloured stone outside.The gardens are, obviously ,still young but the staff are working diligently to provide an oasis effect.
The staff are indeed one of the strengths of the Can Gardens.They are attentive, polite ,friendly and helpful.The atmosphere is that of an extended family.
The food is plentiful,fresh,varied and very very good.All tastes are catered for and ,being all inclusive,you can afford to be adventurous.
If we are honest ,there is an issue with night time entertainment because there isnt very much of it and what there is is not very good. I believe that they are on their 4th "animation team".The management will have to do better here.
We would go again anytime. The holiday was great and as a mainly English resort in an area of Germans and Russians ,it deserves our support.
PS Hello to Pat,Gulsah, Karaman and Ocan.
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Chrissa Hotel - Acharavi
Operator and Date: March 2004
Opinion submitted in Apr 2004 by : Verity & James
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
This 16 room hotel is in a perfect location in the town of Acharavi. It is just a minute's walk to the heart of the town (plenty of shops, bars and restaurants) and is only a couple of minutes from the long sandy beach.
The hotel is run by a very friendly English couple, Sue and Jim, who did everything possible to make our stay enjoyable. They provide an excellent cooked breakfast and they have a very well-stocked bar!
As our visit was out of season we did not get a chance to try out the excellent-sized pool at the accomodation but we will be returning in August to take full advantage of the sunbeds, pool and snack bar.
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Corifo Village - Acharavi
Operator and Date: Date Not Specified
Opinion submitted in Apr 2004 by : 48
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Great reception at accomodation Mrs Katie makes you so welcome All staff are very friendly and helpful
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Eriva Apartments - Acharavi
Operator and Date: Thomas Cook - Aug'07
Opinion submitted in August 2007 by : M&D + C (36,38,7)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
I have been to a couple of Greek islands before and know what to expect, So don't expect extensive luxury (toilet paper in bin, not down toilet).
If you haven't been to Greece before, go with an open mind, zero expectations and above most planning to enjoy yourself, you'll be on the right track!
Eriva Apartments (Jul->Aug'07):-
GOOD POINTS:
Accomodation clean on arrival, and cleaned regularly;
Air-con available (about E20 euros/week/room)
Pool is quite a good size ratio to guests (& it's clean), 2.4mD to 0.7mD with sectioned baby area;
Snack bar serves limited variety of food, but of good quality;
Excellent location for families and couples wanting a relaxing holiday;
Greek night (free-of-charge);
95% of staff very friendly;
seemed to be a safe & secure environment for children;
Supermarkets near-by;
high-street close(ish), but not too close (i.e. noise);
Beach & Tavernas close(ish) but not too close (i.e noise), 5min walk?;
Try "Valentines" on beach-front and "Acharavi Park" on high-street for excellent food and service;
If you want a relaxing quite holiday, this is it;
Pool table, and a pool bar (E2.50euros/500ml lager, E4.00euros for cocktails);
seems to be a UK only complex (i.e. no other European nations), but "NOT" the typical Brit's-on-tour, thank god.
BAD POINTS (not many):
don't ask for a poolside apartment if you've got kids, as the pool bar stays open sometimes (rarely) 'til 3am, not noisy music, but loud voices travel at night;
got to the pool one morning (09:30) & there were 47 towels on sun-loungers with only one person at the pool, the pool doesn't open until 10am (until 7pm);
our cooker didn't work, but we didn't inform them either as we didn't need it (sorry to the next occupants);
bed in kitchen is a joke, even a child would fall of this sofa it is so small (we didn't need it!);
catches on the ventilating louvre doors were all broken at the bottom, so if you've got small children you'll have to come up with an improvised locking system (string, tie-wraps etc etc) if you're going to leave the glazed doors open.
All-in-all, I would recommend the Eriva Apartments to a family with young children or a couple looking for a quiet relaxing holiday.
If I lived forever, I would definitely go back, but there are so many other places to visit!
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Eriva Apartments - Acharavi
Operator and Date: jmc - 2007
Opinion submitted in July 2007 by : t c 43 41 18 16
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
The Eriva Apartments are well situated close to a nice beach and a good choice of restaurants. The complex was clean but the apartments were not. When we first walked into our apartment we thought, my god what have we done, we felt as though we were entering the seven dwarfs house, the beds were small, the bathroom tiny, the spare bed minute, it was a shock. We had a studio situated oppposite the reception with our balcony facing the concourse where the coaches offload. The problem with this is that they wake you 3/4 times during the night, 1am-6am on mondays and fridays with their droning which hums through your apartment.
Our room had several problems, the fridge door seal was split and didnt shut properly, the kettle lid didnt click shut, their was only two electric rings for cooking, no oven or grilling facilities, the spare bed is in the kitchen, the mattresses are lumpy etc etc.
The sunbeds were taken early and the pool area was always busy, dont expect any peace. Also be warned if you get caught using the air con with your door open even for a few minutes the owners warn that they may fine you a 100 euros, be careful.
But we enjoyed our holiday because we hired a car and toured the island and got to see some lovely places. The apartment was mainly used for sleeping, when you managed to get peace. The best restaurants with the friendliest staff and best tasting food were the Acharavi park on the high st and Valentines on the beach front.
We would not stay at these apartments again as they were very basic and totally inadaquate.
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Eriva Apartments - Acharavi
Operator and Date: j.m.c. sep 2006
Opinion submitted in January 2007 by : Dan & Jean O'Sullivan 47 49
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
We have been going to Acharavi for twelve years, so we must like it!
We have stayed at various appartments, and never had a bad one.
But for conveniance to the beach and the town centre, Eriva has been by far the best.
The rooms are basic, typical Greek accomodation, so if you have not been to Greece before forget about luxury.
We were over the moon this year because we had a shower curtain!
But they have all been clean and tidy, and the people more than make up for a lack of five star rooms.
The Greeks in Acharavi are realy nice people,
and will do anything to help you.
Most of the bars and tavernas are owned by the same families who owned the land when it was an olive grove and vineyard, so everyone knows everyone else.
We have made some realy good friends, Vagelis who owns the Mythos bar has been a friend since our first holiday.
He makes ace cocktails and is very funny, though cheeky aswell, but all in good fun.
George and Anna own the Central bar and are realy great and always make us welcome.
They also serve the best breakfasts.
If you go to Acharavi, you must go to the Pumphouse restraunt in the town center and ask for the roast lamb, it is outstanding.
Enjoy!
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Eriva Apartments - Acharavi
Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook,jmc-sept 06
Opinion submitted in October 2006 by : gail,sheila-dumfries(37,42)
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Opinion:
We only book holiday one week before we left and ended up at ERIVA Hotel,which i must say was typical greek-basic but clean.Having been to Greece before its not a shock,but if you haven't visited a Greek resort you could be shocked!
Saying that Eriva apartments were clean and adaquate for us.We had a 2 bedroom apartment for 2 of us,so had a room each which was nice,a large balconies at the side and the back.We found it very quiet but it was late sept.
We only got 1 large bath towel,but asked for another and it was provided.Another thing was we only got 1 toilet roll provided for the whole week!! We bought our own.Toilet bin was only changed once also,we changed it ourselves twice,and bed sheets and room serviced only twice
.Thats all the negatives,don't let that put you off,it's just to warn you!!
The Eriva is family run by 2 brothers and their wifes(think that was the set up!), they were very friendly and happy to help.
Pool area was very clean,and snack bar sold good snacks and drinks at very reasonable prices,cheaper than main street(especially liqiours!!) They had sky tv in pool bar area showing mainly music and football,but no tv's in room.
To get to main street,walk through the car park at the pool bar area,follow path,turn to right and walk straight up road to reach main road 2mins! Supermarket on left.We found there wasn't much if you turned right!At night path back very dark take a torch or we bought one in supermarket)
We found MATT the rep very efficient.Didn't do any trips etc as only wanted the sun.He did reccomend a restaurant called ROGGIA where the owner Alexs collects you in his people carrier and returns you free of charge,and its well worth it!! We went on our first and last night it was so good,and lovely surroundings(it's at his private holiday villas).Yes its more expensive than main street but well worth it.The fillet steak was best i've ever had,approx £12 which is great value really.Apparantely chef is most expensive chef on the island!!
Other places we liked were Acharavi Park which is first one you come to when you turn left onto main street,just past supermarket.Pumphouse was good,wasn't that impressed with service at La Fattoria(italian but we were only people in at the beginning,but slack service-no tip!)
Bars we liked were Yamos,Freddo and Central,very quiet with back ground music only-If your after lively disco places Acharavi not the place for you!
When we were there pool area quiet and were first down at 10am and got sun lounger no problem,but i dare say in peak session it will be a scramble.
We stayed poolside all the time as it was pleasant and not busy.
Went walk along beach area one day it was cloudy and dull,but its very stoney so never bothered going to beach again.
Its a 10 min walk along to left to reach Roda the next resort.We didn't look round we just walked straight back(dull day nothing else to do)
On a whole we couldn't fault Eriva or Acharavi,if you wan't quiet place its fine,people we spoke to had stayed at Eriva before so thats a good sign!!
Only slight downside is the 2 hour transfer to Eriva,depends on how many drop offs there are,as rep has to see people to there room,way back it was only a hour.
You have to wait outside airport to check in,but heh anyway just forget all that until the time.
We would consider Eriva again.
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Eriva Apartments - Acharavi
Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook/JMC - Sept 2006
Opinion submitted in October 2006 by : Manchester 54, 51
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Just arrived back after 2 weeks-had fab time.2nd Visit to Greece but never to Corfu before. Appts basic in style & equipt.(typical of Greece) but spacious,airy & immaculately clean, also nice spacious balconies, most with views.All of site incl.pool was kept immac.& owners/all staff helpful. Cleaners went about their early tasks very quiet/ considerate so did'nt disturb anyone & didnt come in too early to clean. Bedding changed twice over 2 weeks,appts cleaned every 2-3 days,towels changed 3-4 days-only give you 2 hand/1 bath towel between 2 people but will give more if asked.
No entertainment at appts but a nice quite bar with gentle background music/large TV & nice food.Location brill as only 30 secs walk to beach & long mostly concrete promenade (ideal for trolleys/wheelchairs etc),bit sandy/pebbly but quite/ok,walk 5 mins to the right & it gets sandier. 3 mins walk from the back of the appts brings you to the main street for everything, no shop on site but supermarket 3 mins away opens till 10ish & plenty of other supermarkets./pharmacy/shops/tavernas etc . Erivas road in & out at back is private so only people staying there have access to/through which we liked as it kept it nice.Navigator,Posideon & Alex's tavernas restaurants on beach front all nice, good value & friendly. Acharavi tavern & Greek tavern on main street nice.
Thomas Cook staff good at airport & despite the total chaos got us through & checked in swiftly for our journey home.
Overall excellent holiday,good value/ location,weather good/hot with a few 'off days' which I think was unusual for the time of the year. Kassiopi/Roda/Sidari/Corfu Town worth a visit, bus goes 2 mins from appts. Would recommend/visit eriva again.
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Eriva Apartments - Acharavi
Operator and Date: JMC - July 2006
Opinion submitted in July 2006 by : Lynne Donaldson - Tullibody (45, 45, 18 and 15)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Just back from 2 weeks at Eriva. Owners very friendly and helpful. We had 2 bedroom apartment which was lovely and overlooked pool. Cleaners awful - rude and sheets only changed once in fortnight and towels infrequently. By the way we had 4 adults but still only got 2 bath towels. Pool nice but had to be out early to get sunbeds as all 'reserved' by about 7.30am. Resort lovely but a bit quiet for our teenagers. None of the tavernas had entertainment at all. Lots of lovely restaurants to pick from and never had a bad meal. Went to Kassiopi for the day which was beautiful - only 20 mins on bus - beautiful harbour, loads of restaurants, shops and every taverna had entertainment - will seriously think about booking there sometime. Roda too is only 10 mins along the beach and has loads of restaurants and tavernas with entertainment laid on. Word of warning - watch the mosquitoes - absolute torture - bite both day and night so be prepared. And finally - Corfu airport has got to be the worst we have experienced - takes for ever to process you through and they search bags and cases.
All in all had a lovely holiday and will definitely be back sometime to Corfu though probably somewhere a bit livelier than Acharavi.
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Eriva Apartments - Acharavi
Operator and Date: JMC - July 2006
Opinion submitted in July 2006 by :
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
We stayed at the Eriva apts last week of June - 1st week of July. The studio we stayed in was basic as you would expect in Greece but very clean.
Round the pool was very busy with almost all of the sunbeds "booked" the night before - i.e. people left towels out all night to book the best ones!!
We went to the beach each day as it was quieter and less kids about. The sea is ideal for swimming and very safe.
After about 8-9 days we were struggling for places to eat, Pumphouse and The Chinese very good value for money.
Yamas bar turned out to be our fave bar, there most nights! A lot of locals went here too so must be good.
On the whole I would recommend Acharavi and the Eriva Apts for a relaxing holiday, it's not a busy resort so if you're looking for all night partying then it's not for you. If you want a relaxing time the Acaharavi is the place to go.
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Eriva Apartments - Acharavi
Operator and Date: JMC May 2006
Opinion submitted in July 2006 by : Nick Barton - Preston (34, 33)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Our holiday had to be changed at the last moment and we ended up in Acharavi and not in Sadari as we had planned. As we were both ready for two weeks of R&R we were glad that the resort was not as busy as Sadari.
The apartments were typicaly Greek, and as this is our nineth Greek holiday we new what to expect, this said the apartments were excellent and the staff couldn't do enough for you. The JMC rep had only just arrived in the area so didn't have the local knowledge that you expect. The walk in to town only took about 5 mins. and the main street has a good selection of bars and resturants. We had many an enjoyable hour in the Orpheus Bar. We hired a car from the travel company on the beach road on the way to Roda for about half the price the Rep wanted. This was an excellent way to visit the smaller towns and see the real Corfu.
I would recomend this holiday to anyone wanting to get away from it all for a couple of weeks and we both look forward to going back soon.
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Eriva Apartments - Acharavi
Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) JMC May 2006
Opinion submitted in May 2006 by : David Barton Winchester (36,34,1)
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Opinion:
This was our first stay in Corfu (but about our 8th stay on a greek island) - we booked cheap and last minute so we weren't sure what we we get but were pleasantly suprised. We stayed in the apartments near the courtyard and these were luxurious compared to some of the places we had previously stayed at.
The owners were very freindly even though we didn't spend a lot of time at the pool bar and kept the apartments in spotless and working order.
The resort is fairly small and quiet which is what we wanted since we have a 15 month old child. Some taverna's had high chairs but the majority didn't - we took a travel booster seat which was invaluable.
Things have obviously changed since the poor review that was given in 2003 as the high street is less than 5 minutes away and not along the beach. There is also a nice walk to Roda along the sea front which is mostly tarmacced and the unsurfaced areas were not too difficult with a basic stroller. The apartments are situated in a great position between the high street and the beach.
We didn't find the JMC rep's much use - they really just wanted to sell tours and nothing else. We couldn't beleive that they wanted 76 euros for a one day car hire when the high street agencies would supply one for 30 euros (without haggling!). We had a car for 3 days from Satar travel which was find (turn right when you hit the high street and it is about 75 yards along on the right). They also do trips to corfu town for about 8 euros (each) instead of the 20 euros per person charged by JMC. For anyone wanting to do walking, there are some free guides available from crossways travel agency (I think that is what is was called!) which is near the central roundabout.
There are a fair few places to eat out. Some of the more traditional taverna's can be found towards the old town if you pass the pumphouse on your right hand side. We had a meal at the Lemon Tree which has nice grounds (in a lemon orchard) but we thought was overpriced, fancy and not particularly good.
The resort was a bit anglicised but not as much as Roda and had certainly not been completely trashed as Sidari has. We drove through this huge sprawling resort and have never seen so many John Smiths, StrongBow and Stella signs. It even has a MacDonalds!
If you are coming here for two weeks then it could get boring unless you hire a car - we struggled to find things to do for one week in the resort. It is pretty mountainous with a few hairpin bends to navigate but nothing too hairy - we tackled them all in a group A car (mostly in first and second gears!). One word of caution for anyone going up to Mount Pantokrator - get a powerfull enough car. We stalled due to lack of power on the final bit that goes up to the Monastry and Radio antenna. It is a road with loose rubble and we just didn't have the power to do the hillstart. We had to reverse back down to the previous bend. However, it is worth at least going to the foot of the summit as the views are spectacular.
Don't miss PaleoKastrista - it's a stunning place for scenery and we also went to Afionas and St Georges bay.
Overall we had a great week.
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Eriva Apartments - Acharavi
Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) JMC - June 2005
Opinion submitted in Aug 2005 by : John & Rosie Mcarthur -[39, 38]
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
We visited the Eriva Apartments for two weeks and we would have no hesitation in recommending these apartments to anyone. The apartments themselves are clean and spacious. The owners, Spiros and Angela are friendly and by the time we left felt like part of the family.
There is a good sized pool with a bar. Plenty of loungers, although towels did mysteriously appear by 7 am in the morning. The apartments are near the main street and the beach. 2/3 minutes walk takes you to both. The main street is crammed full of good eating places and this is one place you won't starve. The beach, although not the prettiest is good for families and there are lots of restuarants and cafes along the front.
We would recommend taking a few day trips and seeing the rest of the island. We really liked the boat trips. You can book these up on the mains street at any number of travel agents. There are a few 'hole in the walls' up on the main street also. The people are lovely, very friendly. Good selection of bars. Mythos Bar was a favourite. We will definately go back one day and see all the friends that we made. Acharavi is a lovely base for a family holiday.
Two downsides. One: The towels were changed very infrequently at the apartments. Two:The mosquitos are rife and you really have to arm yourself to the teeth with repellants. We both became victims. My wife had dozens of bites and was in quite a bit of discomfort for a week or so. Mosquitos are around all day - so always wear repellant, use plug ins and put candles on your balconies.
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Eriva Apartments - Acharavi
Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) JMC - 2005
Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : Jenni and Bernie Thompson (Old) Jane and Brendan Golding (not so old)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
The Eriva was lovely. The whole complex is lovely. The staff were wonderful ( and we are not the ones who spent or sat by the bar all day) Our grandson is 2 and the walk to the beach or town took no time. Lovely resort. Lovely apartments.This is the only holiday we have spent where the staff stood outside and waved us off. We will certainly be returning to the Eriva.
We have been to Archaravi several times but this complex is by far the best. Anyone due to go..... enjoy.
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Eriva Apartments - Acharavi
Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) JMC - 2005
Opinion submitted in Aug 2005 by : Leah Cain ( 63, 62, 19, 17, 15 )
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
My family and I have been going to Acharavi for 5 years and have been to the eriva for and we love it. We too we transferred from the kapetanios, where dimitri is also a very good friend of ours.We loved the Eriva first time and have been going ever since! The appts are fab ( not cow sheds, rightly said gemma! Hiya btw.)The staff are very friendly and basically we just couldnt have asked for a better holiday! The Orpheus resturant on the top is very good too. But overall the holidays at the eriva have been the best ever! And by the way gemma was a great rep lol!
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Eriva Apartments - Acharavi
Operator and Date: (JMC Discounts) JMC - July 2004
Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : Gemma Scott - Notts ( 44, 21)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
I am pleased to say that i was the JMC representative at these apartments for 3 months last summer. I had such a great time and was so sad to leave that i went back this summer for a holiday and will be doing so every year! my response to the previous comments... well, the apartments to the back of the complex are not cow sheds in my opinion. they are 2 bedroom apartments and 1 maisonette. As for walking along the beach to get to the supermarket and the high street... there is a small shop 2 minutes away, or you can alternitavely go to the main street which is 5 minutes. To anyone that is going on holiday this summer.. im jealous and you will have a fantastic time!
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Eriva Apartments - Acharavi
Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook - Date Not Specified
Opinion submitted in July 2004 by : gerry mitson-bristol (58,51)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Below Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
complex over run with children,sun loungers were all taken by seven thirty with towels placed on them. rooms were cleaned only twice in a week and bin in toilet only emptied once.
no hot water on one occation.
pool area very noisy as were apartments.
had to pay twenty euros to keep room on as we had a late transfer.
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Filorian Apartments - Acharavi
Operator and Date: Travel Club of Upminster - August 2004
Opinion submitted in May 2005 by : Mark Liechelle - Surrey (2 x 50 somethings)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
This was not so much a package holiday as a chance to stay with friends at their place by the sea!
Filorian apartments are old but well maintained and comfortable. Where they really score though, is in their location. From your apartment you only have to walk a few steps and you are in a lush garden with plenty of sun bathing places and a cooling pool. Walk through the gate at the end of the garden and you are right on Acharavi beach itself!
As if that was not enough, there is a superb Taverna on site so, whether you want a cool beer while you sunbathe or a romantic dinner for two, watching the sun set over the sea and Albanian hills beyond, you don't have to stray from the apartment complex.
There are two supermarkets nearby and, if you do need to go into Acharavi, it is only a ten minute stroll to the "pump" (a landmark in the centre of a roundabout that marks the middle of town).
For us, the biggest plus of this holiday was the friendly attitude of all the staff. From Maria, our maid, to Spiros ( and his family) in the taverna, and especially not forgetting Dianne the rep, they treated us like their friends, not clients, and made this a holiday not to be forgotten.
Guess what, we're going back in 2005!
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Gongas Apartments - Acharavi
Operator and Date: (Golden Sun Discounts) Golden Sun - July 2004
Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : Joanne K - Lancs (26,36)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Poor
My/Our Holiday Review:
Acharavi itself is a lovely place, and I would highly recommend it to couples or families with young children looking for an easy going and relaxing holiday. Teenagers may be disappointed, but livelier resorts can be reached with a short bus ride.
ACCOMMODATION: Gongas Apartments (called Gogas Studios when we booked)
* Warning - DO NOT ACCEPT a stay here! *
Okay location and usual Greek basic facilities, as described when booked, however they didn't tell us that the apartment would be DAMP and DIRTY (unusual for Greek standards)!
The smell hit us as soon as we arrived, un-clean water was seeping through the floor in the bathroom and on both sides of the front door. Mould was growing all over the kitchen (utensils in the drawer, oven knobs etc), on the spare blankets and pillows, and on the shower curtain. The twin beds were damp (had to sleep on towels) and the apartment made all our clothes damp and smelly.
It affected our health and was so bad that we had to pay for alternative accommodation - which was excellent, (Chrisa Hotel) please see review.
People above us said that themselves and their neighbours were going to complain because of the unhygienic conditions. Numerous other problems, for example a glass light shade in the corridor at the top of the stairs fell and shattered all down the stairs at 2am, a cleaner very loudly swept up most of the glass at 4am but there was still shards of glass all over the marble floor.
We are a very tolerant couple who don't complain - but this drove us to a formal complaint. Initially we tried to remedy the apartment ourselves but it just worsened. We then TRIED to locate the rep, and when we did she couldn't help at all, not even with clean sheets or towels implying that we don't need them as we were "only here for a week" we told her about the floor being constantly wet and everything else being damp to which she replied "well you have got a fan", incidentally this didn't work until my partner fixed it. The rep did finally admit that she had already spoke to management about the cleaners the previous week but said there was nothing else she could do. We asked her to recommend other accommodation which we could pay for, she told us to ask a tour operator!
The tour operator at HN Travel found a total of two places with vacancies, one was up in the hills of the old village (very nice but would need transport), the other was very expensive.
We thought we could do better ourselves and we did! The very first place we walked into CHRISA HOTEL, centrally located, beautiful grounds with a pool to die for, gave us a double room (with tea making facilities and breakfast) for the remainder of our stay. It offers 16 rooms in total and I must say the prices for this hotel are very reasonable, especially for the quality and cleanliness of the rooms and friendliness of the owners. I can't speak highly enough of it we are definitely going back to the Chrisa as this really made our holiday.
The English owners Jim & Sue offered recommendations for the type of holiday we were looking for - and we were not let down!!
BARS/TAVERNAS/RESTAURANTS
Lots of variety, only a few are mentioned:
CAPTAIN ARIS - near the pump. Brilliant, pity we didn't go in sooner! Welcoming, great atmosphere, traditional Greek warmth and generosity given by George & Marietta.
HARRY'S BAR - old village. Good, quiet, nice snacks. Show good films here if you want a rest.
Yamas - near pump. Welcoming staff/owners, good food and drinks.
Planet Olivewood - main street. STEPHEN SPIT (drag act) very funny worth watching, good nights' entertainment. Don't go if you are easily offended.
ADONIS - main street. Tasty, reasonably priced snacks which we had here quite often, we were able to sit on the terrace listening to music, with an ice cold drink - without being mithered.
LATO - main street, un-noticeable. Wooden benches to sit on, food is delicious here, a traditional taverna with generous portions. NB: the bread that they give you before the meal will be on the bill:0)
Lemon Garden - down steps on main street. Nice drinks and snacks, but lots of ants!
Chinese restaurant - end of main street. Was actually very tasty and authentic.
Valentines - near pump. Very nice but doesn't live up to the hype! Maybe this was just an off day.
EXCURSION Beach BBQ glass bottom boat
Good trip out but was not what we were told it would be! THE SELL: A glass bottom boat takes you to the west side of the island Paleokastritsa, exploring some beautiful caves, then onto sandy Paradise beach for BBQ of unlimited chicken, sausage, burgers, salad, fruit, wine, juice, water and ouzo; where you can join in the fun and games provided by the crew.
REALITY: = 1hour 35mins on coach, boat is good when you actually get on it. Sail = 10mins from harbour past Paradise beach and onto the 'caves' lots of people were disappointed as they were more like parking bays that you couldn't actually go 'in' to. Tour guide was interesting and we stopped for a swim from the boat = total time approx 45mins. Sail back to Paradise beach which is all shingle NOT sand, everyone gets one plate consisting of salad, bread, a slice of melon and a piece of chicken - that's it. There was some salad left over but certainly no unlimited BBQ. The drinks were as stated, although some said the wine was watered down. We were then left on the stony beach (buy sea shoes, 2 inch thick sandals, or suffer) for = 3hours 30mins in 34degrees heat with an inadequate umbrella between 2 for shade, and no games, music or entertainment as promised. The crew sunbathed and read books.
Back on the boat for the = 10 min trip to the harbour, then ready for the long coach journey!
I would return to Avharavi, due to the excellence of the Chrisa Hotel. I wouldn't book with Golden sun, as in our opinion the 3 reps we met were unwilling to help.
Thanks for reading,I hope this is useful to you, and have a great holiday wherever you go!
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Gongas Apartments - Acharavi
Operator and Date: goldensun- june 2004
Resort Rating: Average
Accommodation Rating: Poor
My/Our Holiday Review:
this accomodation has taken over salvanos appartments. trust me this is no resembalents to salvanos and if you have the choose to get a refund do so!!!!!!!!!!!!! it is about 10mins from the beach 15 mins from a pool and 10 mins from the main street. but that isnt the main problem the accomodation is not fit for dogs to live in everyone in the accomodation complained and nearly everyone left to go else where. i promise everyone hates it so dont except changes get your money back and run, its not worth it.
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Kamari Studios and Apartments - Acharavi
Operator and Date: (Golden Sun Discounts) Golden Sun - September 2004
Opinion submitted in Sept 2004 by : J and A (53,54,)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
Just returned from two weeks at the Kamari Studios. Didn't get off to a good start. Booked with Golden Sun, we began to wish that we hadn't. We arrived at 12 o'clock midday only to be kept waiting for SIX AND A HALF HOURS by the pool all because Golden Sun owed the owners Zac and Eva a rather large amount of money and they decided on the day that we arrived not to let any more holidaymakers who had booked with Golden Sun not have access to their rooms. We had previously read about this situation was about to happen but decided we would still go and see and make the best of it.We were just dropped and litterally dumped by the rep at the studios and were told that our rooms were not quite ready.
Four hours later when eventually a Golden Sun rep turned up, she did her best to sort things out but we felt she was just going through the motions. We were offered alternative apartments but we all refused to go. eventually by six thirty we were told we could enter the apartments. They were not bad but could have been a lot better so we just made the best of it.
The fridge was of very poor standard{no freezer door on}. The maids came in just to sweep round every other day and we only had one towel each per week. They provided one toilet roll and then we had to buy the rest. The crockery, pots etc were ok but it would have been nice to have a bit better quality. The pool area was ok but there was a light in the bottom of the pool that had come loose out of the wall of the pool{still connected up but not working}.
The Kamari's grounds are very nicely situated and although we could find faults we had a lovely holiday. After speaking to other people who had been there before they said that due to Golden Sun owing money to Zac he said he was reluctant to spend any money until the situation with G/S was sorted. Which is a shame because it could have been much better all round. I would not recommend going with Golden Sun as they were a total waste of time and just not very co-operative to our repeated phone calls when we arrived. Good luck to Eva and Zac and I hope they soon get the money they deserve as they both work hard{ oh and not forgetting Eddie the bar man, gardener, chief cook and bottle washer} he did all of these jobs and still kept cheerful and pleasent.
Acharavi is a lovely resort to stay in with lots of really nice restaraunts and shops, {no pushy waiters etc trying to get you to go inside to dine}. The beach was very pebbly and stoney but once you got past them into the water it was lovely. Plenty of sunbeds and umberellas a reasonable cost of 5 euros for all day for the two of us
All in all we had a good holiday but will not be using Golden Sun again as even as after reading on the internet before we went on holiday and phoning Golden Sun head office they assured me that they were not aware of any problems.
So by all means go to ACHARAVI as its a lovely place but dont book with Golden Sun.
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Kamari Studios and Apartments - Acharavi
Operator and Date: (Golden Sun Discounts) Golden Sun Holidays August 16th-30th 04
Opinion submitted in Sept 2004 by : Chris & Sharon 41736
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Opinion:
We booked our holiday approx. a month before and were happy at the price we paid. In our experience all accomodation is very basic and this is what we arrived to, so it wasnt unexpected! Our attitude is that we only sleep and shower in our room so we were happy for a comfortable(ish) bed, although we were disappointed with the shower/toilet facilities.
Zac & Eva the owners were fantastic, they coudnt help enough,and that included everybody on our stay.Yes, they have some manky dogs but they get the message they are not wanted if you dont want them around, usually a slap is sufficient!
Resort is good with plenty of bars and retauruants to eat at, we loved Restauraunt Yannis on the sea front, excellent food and lovely owners and waiters(especially Pedros).
The major downside to our holiday was the tour operator Golden sun holidays and their reps.Come on you lot get your fingers out.We needed help, our rep did not want to know and did nothing, neither did the other staff at the office.I had to sort out my own problem myself by 4oning their English h/o.
Go to Acharavi, go to Kamari Appartments, expect a good basic holiday-you are going to the Greek isles for gods sake.Leave Golden Sun well alone.
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Kamari Studios and Apartments - Acharavi
Operator and Date: (Golden Sun Discounts) Golden Sun - June 2004
Opinion submitted in June 2004 by : Syd & Sue Addison (mid 50's)
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
Kamari Apartments consists of 5 blocks of 10 apartments and studios in a nice lawned garden, a good sized pool with slide, plenty of sun loungers but limited number of sunshades.
The pool bar serves meals and tasty snacks and has a TV and pool table. There is a small reception with safety deposit boxes. Eva, the friendly owner has 5 dogs and 2 cats.
The studios are very basic but adequate. The shower has no curtain so the floor gets soaked - no problem, grab a mop from the landing outside the rooms.
Maid service is practically non-existent - you only get one towel per person to last a week. Bed linen is only changed on a weekly basis, if there for 2 weeks you may have to change them yourself as our friends did.
Lots of birds nesting around eves of the apartments so very noisy in early morning -however this did not spoil our enjoyment
The apartments are in a quiet situation, 200 yds to beach and 100 yds to main road where you will find Spiros' supermarket.
Centre of resort is 10 -15 mins walk from the Apartments. The resort was very quiet when we were there. It is long and strung out along the main road, loads of restaurants and bars, also restaurants on road fronting beach.
Restaurants we enjoyed include Yiannis (in old village), Pumphouse (near roundabout) and Navigator down by the beach. Good cake shop near Castaway travel agents.
Excellent local bus service with the best air-conditioned coaches we've seen in Greece, not crowded either.
By bus, you can get to Kassiopi - a lovely village with nice harbour (1.5 Euros), Sidari - large resort with sandy beach (1.5 Euros) and Roda (90 cents). You can also walk to Roda 20 minutes along beach where there is a lovely English restaurant (Meggies Place). You can also get a bus to Corfu Town but last one back is about 4pm.
We took 2 trips booked at local travel agents (cheaper than Golden Sun):
1. Corfu Town night shopping trip by coach. Lovely views of coast on way there.
2. Grand Island Tour - spend a lot of time on the bus. Photo stops at Koulara, Mouse Island, visit to Achillion Palace (Entrance Fee of 3 Euros per person) and Paleocastritsa. During our trip there wasn't enough time at Paleo as we had a one hour stop for lunch (extra cost) and approx one hour at the Monastery. The planned boat trip (which is optional) was cancelled due to bad weather.
Weather lovely until last 2 days. We had a few showers 2nd last day and on the last day a spectular storm with forked lightning which lasted from 11pm until 11am and turned apartment lawns into ponds.
We enjoyed our week in Acharavi only downside was the maid service.
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Katerina Studios and Appartments- Acharavi
Operator and Date: Corfu Castaways- August 2004
Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : Price family- Herefordshire (51,41,12)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Flew with AirMalta, which was great. Arrived at lunchtime to an extremely hectic Airport in Corfu. Waited ages for the luggage, they seriously need to extend that airport's arrivals lounge, to allow for the amount of planes landing at the same time. Collected by taxi and taken to our accommodation, all very prompt and organised.
We were greeted by the charming Elena, at Katerina's who is an absolute star and acts as barmaid, snack-chef, waitress, pool-maintenance girl etc. She is such a lovely person she makes your trip to Corfu worthwhile.
Our appartment was two-bedroomed, with a fitted kitchen and smallish shower room with the typically Greek hand-held shower, which takes a bit of getting used to.We had a double balcony which was most useful especially as it had washing lines attached for you to hang out your laundry.
We chose this accommodation as it only has 9 appartments which makes it very private and on the quiet side. The pool was very nice and surrounded by ample sun-loungers which you didn't have to reserve with towels the night before!!
The only down-side with the pool and loungers is that Katerina'a allows other tourists not staying there to use their facilities on the strength that they buy drinks from the bar. Obviously folk don't, and one party of Dutch were being extremely boisterous and noisy, dive-bombing onto guests Lilo's and rings without permission. Poor Elena had to ask them to leave as they were just so OTT.
We were very close to lots of fantasic restaurants and the beach was only a short stroll away. My family were not that keen on the pebbly beach so we mainly stayed by the pool.
Our favourite restaurants were, Woody's (on the beach) Valentine's (on the beach and on the main street) The Pumphouse (extremely busy so go early to avoid dissappointment) Alex's (just down the road from Katerina's, but beware of mozzies as it's surrounded by greenery!)Monolythi(which has an olive press inside) you have to drive or get a taxi to this one as it's in the mountains, well worth it as the food is excellent but again the mozzies are horrendous up there this year. A great bar to sit in and enjoy cocktails and entertainment is PLANET OLIVEWOOD, we were lucky enough to see ELVIS whilst we were there.
THE MOZZIES!!
Well what else can I say except "They were an absolute NIGHTMARE this year"
I got bitten badly the first week, even though we had been taking Garlic capsules for 2 years, Vitamin B complex for weeks before we arrived and using three different types of repellant. My hubby got badly bitten the second week, he had about 100 bites on each of his legs, yet my daughter only got bitten 4 times throughout the holiday. If I had realised how horrendous they would be, we would have gone to Knight Angel on the main strip above Freddo's Bar and hired nets to sleep under for the fortnight.We thought that the newly installed air-conditioning would have saved us having the french doors open at night, however the air-conditioning is only in the kitchen, making it totally useless to keep bedrooms cool at night. Hence, having to open doors to let fresh air and mozzies in to eat you alive. If you take my advice, and suffer badly from bites- get the nets! We did buy a clicker from Knight Angel for 10 euros, to help with the itching, as it gives the bite an electric shock. I have come to the conclusion that people with Rhesus Negative bloodgroups tend to suffer worse than other blood groups from the bites, after asking most tourists around the pool and totting up the feedback!
Sue at Castaways is such a lovely helpful lady too, as my hubby was ill whilst in Corfu and she couldn't do enough for him, arranging for the doctor to call etc, she was marvellous.
You may like to visit Corfu Town also, we were lucky enough to watch the Olympic flame being carried through Corfu Town whilst there. It's fantastic for shopping, and has some lovely restaurants. We had a beautiful dinner in The Black Cat, which is right on the front, near the port.
Be warned though about use of mobile phones and your network. Ours are T-Mobile and we could send texts home but not phone home, however could receive calls. I think Vodafone is about the best on Corfu.
The airport, the day we departed was an absolute joke. Thousands of tourists outside, some sat on the grass waiting to be ushered in. There were supposed to be security checks with the luggage, well... you would just die if you saw it........ONE scanner near the door, for the whole airports' homeward bound passengers luggage to pass through!! I'm surprised that everone had time to check in. Duty free shop, forget the leisurely browsing for bargains, just grab what you need and run for the plane, as it took so long to check in, or even get through the door.
Hope you haven't been too put-off by an honest account, we did have a lovely time, despite the mozzies and airport fiasco. Elena from Katerina's was an absolute gem and if you stay there she'll welcome you and make your holiday so special.(Especially if you loan her your CD's to listen to on her PC whilst around the pool!)My daughter absolutely loves her Chip-Butties at lunchtime!
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Kostas Apartment - Acharavi
Operator and Date: Travel with Friends. June 2007
Opinion submitted in June 2007 by : Dave and Jean Morrison. 73, 70.
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Another great holiday with this family. We are treated like long lost family on arrival and this continues for the rest of our time there. Met many old friends of all nationalities in the various tavernas and the beach and sampled many great Greek dishes. Not over keen on the Pumphouse but will reccomend Theritas on the old main road, Skondros and Maistro on the beach and Filarakia to the west of the main road. Would not recommend a meal in the Fattoria... walked out when served with wine that should have been put down the drains, and no suitable alternative.
Tooth out second day of holiday, illness on 5th day, then wife had accident on the 8th day, but due to great services of Greek Doctor and also the dentist, this did not spoil our holiday one bit. We are pleased we entrust our care to Sue at Travel with Friends(Castaway Travel) she is one in a million!!! Our flights as usual were with Monarch Airlines and we cannot fault them. Will be back in June to the same apartment (already booked). Have good hols you readers, Peter Pan of Acharavi.
a.k.a. Dave Morrison. P,S.The Palm Tree taverna has now closed and is to become a games parlour and there is no sign of the Elongata ever opening again.
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Kostas Apartment - Acharavi
Operator and Date: Travel With Friends - September 18th. 2006
Opinion submitted in October 2006 by : David and Jean Morrison - 72, 70
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
We returned to the Kostas apartment as we had booked it during our stay in June. The lovely family greeted us with great enthusiasm. As Nikos and I share the same interests of gardening and making wine, mine is from fruits of many kinds he had asked Sue of T.W.F. when was "to Kiporos" the gardener returning. To me this was the question of a friend. He also let me help with his wine making and I was over the moon" at being asked. We had a wonderful holiday and met many of our friends again. Sue and John, Billy "the flag man" and his wife Pat, Steve and Pat and so many of our Corfiot mates, too many to name. Our friend, Dinos at the Palm Tree Taverna is to sell all the Kitchen equipment and the taverna will be up for rental in the coming months as he will be returning to his job as a roofing operator. We will be very sad to see him go but will be using others of the great tavernas in the village or on the beach. It is hard to choose between them but if Dinos wife gets a chefs job in Acharavi we will be regular customers of hers. Just a word of caution for anyone needing a new roof for restorated properties! Do NOT go through a Property Agent. We heard that most of them use cheap foreign labour, mostly unskilled but charge high rates. Please look for local tradesmen with a good reputation. It will pay you in the end.
We booked to return on 4th June 2007 and can't wait for the dat to arrive. We are independant travellars so book a holiday with T.W.F. then arrange out flights. The cheapest we have found are on the AVRO web-site, they give a few flights about the dates you want then you pick the best to fit your circumstances. Thats all for now folks from Peter Pan. Get booking now.
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Kostas Apartment - Acharavi
Operator and Date: Travel With Friends - June 2006
Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : Dave Morrison, Jean Morrison. 72,69
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
We are regular visitors to Acharavi, 6 times in the last 5 years. This was our first time at the Kostas apartment, but it will not be our last. In fact we have just booked again for September. The apartment was great and the owners who also live in site were wonderful people. They gave us veg from their garden and eggs fresh from there chickens. As we were on self catering, this was a big help. We ate at afew local tavernas, but our favourite over the years is the Palm Tree with Dinos and his lovely family. His wife Ellen is the chef and one of their sons, Spiros, serves and looks after the customers with Dinos. Another great holiday. We booked our flight with Avro, and can recommend them anytime. If you are in Acharavi from the 18th. Sept. Call in to the Palm Tree and ask for Peter Pan. We will be pleased to see you.
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Lena Mare Apartments - Acharavi
Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook - Date Not Specified
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
It was great. Dimetra and Vas were really nice and a great laugh. It was one of the best holidays i no i will eva ave.
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Marie Hotel - Acharavi
Operator and Date: accom 2u - august 2004
Opinion submitted in Sept 2004 by : Richard Toley - herts ( 43, 41.13,11,5)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
we booked this holiday on lastminute.com about 10 days before departure, we had been to acharavi before ( in 1997) so had an idea of what to expect
Acharavi has not really changed that much since our last visit 7 years ago the resort is still unspoilt with a nice selection of bars and restaurants in the main town area and a few on the beach , for younger people this area is perhaps not ideal as we never came across any late night discos/nightclubs but for us with a young family it was great , though towards the end of the week i think both our eldest two ( 13 and 11 ) were perhaps in need of something more entertaining than a nice meal in a nice restaurant but from an adults point of view we found it great, everywhere we went to eat or drink we found the owners/staff very welcoming and were never hassled into anything , children were also never overlooked and were quite often greeted with compimentary ice cream etc - a special mention here for the snack bar/bar with the indoor play area and bouncy castle who's owners always went out of there way to make you feel welcome
of the restaurants we tried we would recommend valentines italian/greek on the beach - the ribs and lasagne combo was superb - the chinese at the far side of the town which offered a nice set 'banquet'meal and the first restaurant on the beach just down from the marie hotel where we had some very nice lunchtimes
the beach at acharavi is sand/shingle and shelves gently so is generally safe for kids but when the breeze gets up it can get a bit choppy and caution is advised there are watersports available pedalos etc but when we were there (23 aug) most of the action stuff - bananas, doughnuts ,paraglides etc seemed confined to the next resort Roda which is a pleasant 30 minute stroll up the beach
on the beach at acharavi is a chap who goes up and down all day on motorised cart selling freshly made donuts and ice cream delicious and very reasonably priced
sunbeds and parasols are readily availible at around 5 euros for 2 beds and 1 parasol per day
Marie Hotel is on the eastern edge of the town just off the main street so is very peaceful it is about 5 minutes walk up into town where you will find the main evening entertainment and about 200 yards from the beach with a minimarket on its doorstep and a larger supermarket 100 yards away in our opinion it was in a great position , the hotel is clean and well maintaned by greek standards , the rooms are twin bedded with shower and small bath and , as the owner proudly pointed out have a full size fridge (new 2004)
Being a party of 5 we had 3 rooms and the owner had kindly kept us all next to one another each room has a small balcony 2 of which overlooked the front of the hotel and 1 which overlooked the delightful garden courtyard where meals may be taken
Booking this holiday last minute meant that we found ourselves on a half board basis - we always go self catering to eat out - so we gave it a go on the 1st morning and evening- but in all honesty the food was not up to much although the service from the (family) staff was to be admired - i would imaging that the a'la carte menu would be much better
In summing up we still think acharavi is a lovely place and will go back again , though if you have teenage children it may be a little too quiet for them - and the Marie Hotel is a very nice little hotel with basic but clean facilities and welcoming owners/staff
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Matoula Apartments - Acharavi
Operator and Date: First Choice - August 2007
Opinion submitted in August 2007 by : Macdonald family - 43,36,16,13,12,
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
This was our seconnd time to these apartments and we were not disappointed. The apartments continue to be maintained to a high standard and the surrounding gardens and swimming pool areas kept immaculate.
Immediately fell back into our familiar routine down at the beach and were pleasantly surprised when a number of the restaurant owners recognised us. As usual spent each day down on the beach lazing on Woody's sun beds and spending the day playing and relaxing in the oceon and eating great food at Woody's. Akis and Rena were still running this restaurant and it was a delight to see them again. It doesn't matter what you choose from the menu, the food is lush and the friendly familiar service remains the best we have ever experienced. The breakfasts and the Sunday dinners are better than what you would get in England, the cook is amazing!!! What makes them special is they find the time to sit and chat and make your holiday special and don't mkae you feel that you need to eat, pay and leave to free up a table.
We ate out at several restaurants during the evening not a complaint with any of them, all the meals were lovely and the prices much the same as eachother.
Met up with two families from the previous year and the kids hung out regularly back at the Matoula apartments and stayed out to all hours of the morning. The kids chatted to the night security guard who kept an eye on them all.
The weather was at times cloudy however we tanned better than ever. It is so easy to relax in Acharavi everyone is friendly and the environment feels safe.
We had some great company provided by the Lockyer family, especially 'little man' Drew. A great family, fun to be around and the kids got on brillantly.
Airport still too small however it seemed to run a lot smoother this year than the last. We never spent any time at the swimming pool or ate at the Matoula but many families said that it was very relaxed and that the food was great.
Would we go back? yes.
Why get stuck in a rut? mega relaxing but largely the reason would be that we now consider Akis and Rena at Woody's friends, we will keep in touch with them throughout the year and if you are lucky enough to meet and spend some time with them you would understand why we will be returning for a third time.
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Matoula Apartments - Acharavi
Operator and Date: First Choice - July 2007
Opinion submitted in July 2007 by : Cheshire (42, 37, 10, 8)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Just returned from 2 very hot weeks at the Matoula apartments. First impressions were that these apartments looked a lot better than the previous drop offs we had seen.
Had a 2-bedroom apartment which was incredibly spacious but the kitchen was the main living area but the tele was in the main bedroom. Not really a problem though. Maids came in to clean every day except Sunday, linen change every few days.
Although reception is closed on Sunday, you are made fully aware of this on your arrival.
Spiros the pool bar manager very friendly and generous but he does not give much warning when he wants to close the bar! The Greek Night was fun and worth going to.
This resort is one of the better ones in Corfu and has a very good mix of English, German, Italian and Greek holiday makers/locals. It does not have the "Dog & Duck" feel that nearby Sidari and Roda have. Plenty of good restaurants along the main road (about 3 minutes walk away) as well as on the beach frontage (about 2 minutes away). Woodys on the beach front is great for breakfasts and the owners are instantly friendly.
We found hiring a car in resort was much cheaper than booking through the tour operator. Very easy drive to Roda, Sidari, & Kassiopi. Even ventured up the mountain to Pantokrator - not for the faint hearted!!
Would definately return to Matoula and Acharavi. Enjoy your holiday!
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Matoula Apartments - Acharavi
Operator and Date: First Choice June 2007
Opinion submitted in June 2007 by : Trudy & Shaun Akers - Norfolk (37,36,55,6,4)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Matoula Apartments we found were clean and spacious, we had a 2 bed apartment (1 comment though, could the loo seat in apartment 121 be changed as it was disgusting), otherwise nice. Pool area were we spent most of our time was nice, clean and tidy with a jacuzzi, a paddling pool and large swimming pool, our girls loved it. We ate at the apartments on our 1st night and the food was of a very good standard (no complaints there), we also ate at Pumphouse which was fantastic and very friendly, La Fattoire (Pizza and Italian Restaurant 3 or 4 doors away from Pumphouse) was also fantastic and run by a very lovely greek man, we went back 4 times in 2 weeks, Archaravi Park was another very good Restaurant try the mixed rib dish, this was fantastic. Tried the Lemon Garden, we didn't like this at all, too many ants on the table, even crawling on high chairs disgusting, and full of mozzies, cats and dogs and the food was expensive and horrible!!!!!
Wasn't over struck on the beach it was too stoney hardly any sand, not too good for the kids if they like making sandcastles. Spiros was a gent a brill guy just dont take him for granted if u do watch out he has a bad temper!!!!!
Moans 1) beach was crp
2) loo seat in our apartment
3) reception was not open on Sundays
Otherwise nothing bad to say about resort, very good for all families and we will return very soon
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Matoula Apartments - Acharavi
Operator and Date: First Choice - October 2006
Opinion submitted in October 2006 by : Mike, Debbie and Samantha - Manchester
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
We arrived back in sunny Manchester today (9-10-06)after spending a lovely week in
Acharavi at Matoula Appartments. The accommodation was clean and well maintained,the pool was the cleanest we have ever seen,we found Woody's just down the end of the lane just in front of the beach, and we couldn't have found a more perfect place to eat.Akis and Rena were the perfect host and hostess they were very pleasant couldn't do enough for us and the food was excellent(especially Woody's special)We spent most of our meal times in there. The only dissapointing thing we found was the pool bar at the Matoula, Spiros the bar manager was on quite a few occasions rude and very abrupt.He moaned if there were hardly any customers and when there were customers he turned the lights out and stopped serving whilst customers were still in there, the latest he stayed open was on Friday night after HIS greek night was midnight.
On Sunday there was a planned quiz night he was very off-hand with some customers and closed at 9 o'clock.We all found that really dissapointing as ourselves and five other couples were leaving the next morning and wanted a final get together. Instead we had to go and get jackets on and sit outside to chat and exchange adresses.
There wasn't much for children to do at all apart from the pool.
Other than that it was a good holiday, we met some good friends i.e. Liz, Steve, and their Grand-children Ellie and Jack they made our holiday even better.
Lastly the mosquitos were out in force we all went home with lots of bites.(A lot we got from sitting outside on Sunday night)
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Matoula Apartments - Acharavi
Operator and Date: First Choice - Sept 2006
Opinion submitted in October 2006 by : Umi and Sand - Cardiff (29)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Well what can I say Corfu was absolutely beautiful. We booked with First Choice, and stayed in Acharavi for 7 nights. The first day we got there the weather was great but the next 2 days we saw heavy rain. Luckily the weather improved for the remaining days and it turned out to be really hot. The resort is lovely, there's lots to do with nice bars and restaurants. The Matoula Apartments were really nice, definitely will be staying there again. The food in the pool bar was also lovely and cheap.The only bad thing about the resort is the mosquitos. They were a real pest, we never get bitten, but on this occasion we came up with lumps, and are still itching away. The repellant we took did not seem to do the job. There also seemed to be loads of wasps about which was annoying. Must be due to the season.
I would definitely advise hiring a car for a few days, as the island is amazing with lots of scenery.
We went on the Kourikiana greek night, which was really expensive and not worth it, as there were loads of people and the entertainment not that good.
The food was really nice in Acharavi restaurants. I would recommend a restaurant called 'Yannis' in Kassiopi. I am a vegetarian and thought it would be difficult getting food, but all restaurants catered for vegies.
We went to corfu town which was lovely. There are two parts to corfu town - the old and new, and the old is worth seeing. Corfu is good for it's desinger handbags and designer clothes.
We would definitely be going back to Corfu in the future, but will stay in Kassiopi as there is lots more to do there and is more lively.
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Matoula Apartments - Acharavi
Operator and Date: First Choice - September 2006
Opinion submitted in October 2006 by : Kim C - London (48,74,76
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
If you want a relaxing holiday with lots of restaurants and bars close by, then this is it. The apartments, pool and complex are kept exceptionally clean. The staff are really nice and helpful too.
Ideally situated and hardly any traffic noise at night, the beach is a 2 minute walk to the left of the apartments and the main street is about a 5 minute walk to the right.
We ate out in the evenings - Acharavi Park, Alex's, Valentines, Woody's and The Pumphouse - can honestly say we didn't have a bad meal at any of them - The Pumphouse being our favourite though.
We took a taxi into Sidari one evening - it's a little livlier, with many more restaurants and shops, but as a slow pace and relaxation was high on our list of priorities, was glad we were staying at the Matoula and definitely preferred Acharavi. Roda is a 20 minute walk away -again many restaurants to choose from, some with entertainment.
Many excursions are on offer both from the Reps and local agents in the main street.
Corfu airport on the other hand, is far too small to accommodate the number of passengers it has, particularly when many of its flights are delayed.
We all really enjoyed our holiday and we would definitely return to the Matoula.
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Matoula Apartments - Acharavi
Operator and Date: first Choice september 2006
Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : Mary and Joan Lincoln ( both over 60)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
this was a lovely resort. the apartments are spotless .rooms large we choose a 2bedroom apartment as usually in greece rooms are very small. but the studios are large enough . the pool was always clean plenty loungers. although we are over 60 . it had people of all ages . the bar food was good .it was close to the beach and the shops . we could not fault iether the apartments or location. the restaurants. are good and very reasonable. only one complaint we did not go for 2weeks Mary and Joan
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Matoula Apartments - Acharavi
Operator and Date: First Choice - August 2006
Opinion submitted in October 2006 by : Macdonald Family - 43,35,15,13,12,
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Holiday overall was superb. The apartments were spacious and the complex maintained to a high standard. Spiros was great! Very helpful and entertaining.
The resort is quite small however this suited our needs. The complex is only a couple of minutes from the beach where there are a number of good quality restaurants to choose from. Try Valentines and our favourite The Navigator. We ate during the day at Woodys, (situated on the beachfront) owned by a great couple. Very good quality food and the owners soon became your buddy's. You can hire your sunbeds fron the owners which are situated directly in front of their restaurant. You can venture into town at night time there are a number of restaurants to choose from but we found them too busy and preferred the breeze and the views of eating on the beachfront.
The beach is very stoney however if you don't like sand this can be a bonus. The weather was fab for the whole fortnight. The waves changed daily from rippling to boogie boarding monsters, the children had endless hours of fun in the oceon. We didn't spend one day around the pool we based ourselves on the beach and enjoyed the breezy weather and excellent food a stone throw away.
The locals are very friendly and prices are competitive. The most we paid for a three course meal and wine for a family of five was 70 euros.
Minor moans - airport a nightmare, (most Greek airports are) lots of mosquitoes, reception at the Matoula closed on a Sunday, so you can't get a key for your safety deposit box!! which caused us a big problem when we awoke Sunday with very little money on us and out traveller's cheques in the safety deposit box. The receptionist although working in the staff office refused to give us the safety deposit key and the rep was more than useless!! The problem was resolved by Spiros, the bar manager who lent us 150 euros of his own money, didn't let it spoil our holiday but annoyed us none the less.
Brill holiday, never been to the same place twice but this holiday met all of our needs and it was the most relaxed we had ever been, very safe environment for the children. Yep, going back next year!
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Matoula Apartments - Acharavi
Operator and Date: First Choice- August 2006
Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : Steve, Dawn, Shaun + Dan, 44, 41, 15, 12
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
We had a 2 bedroom apartment, which was surprisingly big and very clean. Beware though because the walls and floors are very thin and with us having ground floor we could hear everything from above and either side and were awoken several times during our stay,
The pool area and gardens are spotless and the bar was ok for a snack and to cover from the blazing sun ( 40 degrees some days ). Only problem we had with the bar was the soft drinks were advertised as Fanta orange Etc but was in fact very cheap 2 litre bottles from the supermarket which cost 70 cents and they were selling it at bar prices and if it wasn't iced it would have been warm. Lots of people I spoke to said the same and I thought it spoilt an otherwise well run bar.
The famous Spiros worked long hours and entertained all the kids into the early hours, and i must say was great to us during our stay, but I just thought he was a bit moody at times with some customers and could lose his temper at any time, otherwise a top geezer.
Acharavi is very clean, with plenty of good eating places and bars, but dont expect any kareoke or live music because we found it to be a little too quiet at times and the kids got slightly bored during our second week.
The pumphouse was good for eating, Orpheus for the sport and brill sunday dinner, best bars were Harrys bar and panda bar.
20 minute walk to Roda worth a go, its a bit more lively and everything seemed cheaper there.
Shingle beach not brilliant but the sea was lovely and warm.
All in all a lovely holiday but very quiet.
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Matoula Apartments - Acharavi
Operator and Date: first choice - Aug 2006
Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : Noreen 30, Karla 36, Mel 30, children 10,8,7,5,4.
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Just got back from a stay at Matuala. What can I say, second time staying there and the STANDARDS are still HIGH after two years. Very clean apartments and friendly reception staff. Best places to go are the Yamas Bar for drink (very child friendly, Pumphouse for food. Beach is approx 2 mins down road to your left and main bit 2 mins to your right. The only thing that would prevent me returning would be the mosquitos. They were far worse this time round, no one escaped bearing in mind we came prepared with tons of repellent!! I'm still itching, have massive lumps everywhere and I've been back a week!
Acharavi is a lovely place a must also is the Waterpark which operates a free bus service from the town and back again, otherwise a fifteen minute walk. You wont be disappointed by these apartments or surrounding area.
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Matoula Apartments - Acharavi
Operator and Date: first choice august 2006
Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : jordan watt - newcastle (10,34,36)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
excellent weather brilliant place lots of resturants but you need to go into roda or sidari for fun pubs and nightclubs. Spiros the poolbar manager was great fun and a really nice bloke we will miss him. Hire a car and explore the island and go to aqua land a good day out.we found the beach at roda better as it was sand not pebbles.
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Matoula Apartments - Acharavi
Operator and Date: July/August 2006
Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : Mark and Amy (26 and 22)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
The apartments are very nice they are clean and excellent value for money, however the maids are annoying and will try and wake you up in the mornings everyday but Sunday!!! The pool is great best in Archavi and it's 1minute walk right to the best supermarket the Dimitri and 1minute walk left to the beach.
Acharavi is a lovely place with lots to do Roda is a 20minute walk away 2 holiday resorts for the price of one! There are lots of trips available and i recommend you book with the local agents on the beach rather than the reps!
Top restaurants are Woody's just on the beach, Valentines although often be prepared to wait as it is so popular but great food, Lemon Garden which is beatiful a restaurant in a lemon orchid and the Pumphouse which is lovely.
Nice bars include Versus, Yamas and Central.
One word of warning watch out for the mosquiotes they are everywhere but be careful and you won't get bitten i only got bitten three times in two weeks. Use a good repellent and keep doors and windows shut after sunset.
Overall a wicked holiday!!!!!!!
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Matoula Apartments - Acharavi
Operator and Date: First Choice - July 2006
Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : Bernie, Fiona, Claire, Eilidh - Dundee (48, 45, 19, 15)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
We had a very enjoyable & relaxing stay at Matoula. The appartments are clean & comfortable, and are quiet - very little traffic noise. The pool bar is good for drinks & snacks, although the evening bingo sessions didn't appeal to us.
Acharavi is small enough to walk round, but there is a good variety of restaurants (Pumphouse, Woody's, Acharavi Park are all good, but we never had a bad meal), and Roda is only a 20 min walk away.
There are also some lovely walks - our next door neighbour kindly gave us a sheet he had downloaded from the web, giving directions for some walks into the hills south of the village.
If you hire a car it's probably best to stick to the main roads - the road to Corfu Town / Paleokastritsas is fine, but the road east gets a bit dodgy after Kassiopi.
The trip to Albania is worth trying - it's a pleasant hour-long trip from Corfu Town by boat, and very interesting when you get there. We booked in the travel agent about 100m to the right when you get to the main road.
All in all, a very good place for a holiday (but be prepared to queue in the airport on the way home).
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Matoula Apartments - Acharavi
Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - October 2005
Opinion submitted in Nov 2005 by : Kevin & Julie (45,43)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Opinion:
It was an end of season, late deal. The apartments were superb with a good pool and bar area.The whole place was very clean and well maintained and all of the staff were pleasant and friendly. We only used the bar in the evenings a couple of times because it started closing at 11pm,(winding down for the close of season)and we usually didn't get back from nights out until later, otherwise we would have been happy to have used it more!
The location of Matoula was also good. Halfway down a quiet lane between the main street and the beach.
I must say I've seen better beaches, it's ok but narrow and pebbley,but a short walk eastwards brings you to a bit sandier stretch.
The resort its self was quiet, again due to the impending end of season. The handful of resaurants and bars that remained open were very good and offered enough variety for our 7 night stay. Acharavi park and Valentines were our favourite eateries and the Yamas bar and the bar next to Castaway travel run by George were the best bars. Roda and Sidari are only a short taxi ride away for a bit more variety.
All in all a thouroughly enjoyable experience but watch out for the mosquitoes, they're vicious little ba****ds, take plenty of repellent!
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Matoula Apartments - Acharavi
Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - August 2005
Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : Jo - Wigan (35,29)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Just returned today from these apartments and have to say they were excellent. We had never been to Greece before and expected basic accommodation but when we got there we were pleasantly suprised.
All the staff were always very friendly, polite and very helpful.
We didn't do any excursions as this was a very relaxing holiday for us without the kids, but we did stroll into Roda a couple of times up the beach, worth a walk. Word of warning if you are going to walk along the sea edge take some decent shoes as the pebbles can get very rough on the soles of your feet!
Also got to say that the food over there was amazing, every night we had an excellent meal, namely at Valentines, Acharvi Park, The Lemon Garden and The Pumphouse(whooppa!!!(you'll know if you go!))All I would say is make sure you take your mozzie spray though or else you'll end up being eaten too!!!!!
Orpheus is a good bar if you just want a drink and they always have the footie on and even Sky Sports news!!
And what can I say a BIG hello to Mike, Lorna and Nathan (thanks for staying up with us til the death!!), Simon and Carinne, and anyone else who remembers me being very upset after the Wigan/Chelsea match!!
And lastly Spiros, what can I say. Thanks for making many evenings (and days) so entertaining!!(especially Greek night.) He works very very hard and deserves every penny(and drink!) he gets.
All in all you will have an excellent holiday here whatever it is you are looking for!!!
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Matoula Apartments - Acharavi
Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - June 2005
Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : Allan Family - Scotland (47,46,11)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
We have just returned from our holiday at the Matoula Apartments. The best ever apartments we have stayed at as we have been holidaying in the Greek Islands for approx 20 years. Matoula stands out as more than excellent.
Very clean apartments, maid service every day apart from Sunday. Free safety deposit boxes. If you need anything (ie extra pillows etc) then speak to Matoula (the owners daughter who runs and looks after the apartments).
Spiros - what can I say about Spiros - typical Greek. He is very pleasant and works very hard. We read the review before booking this holiday and there were some comments that he just closed the bar whenever he liked - we experienced this once but never bothered us. We just laughed it off. The poor guy has to get an early night some time as quite a few nights he closed the bar at approx 3.00am and was back again at 9.00am. Yiannis (gardner, handyman etc) kept the pool spotless. The surrounding gardens were also kept immaculate and Yiannis looked after his tomato plants wonderfully.
We never booked any excursions as we love travelling around by local buses taking in the cultures. Corfu town is a must to see but depending on what time of year I would suggest going in the evening when it is a lot cooler. Hydropolis was good also. Just about 5 mins by taxi. There are 3 Water Parks in Acharavi, Aqua Land being the largest I think. Hydropolis has about 7 big slides, plenty of kids pools, one huge pool where you could play volleyball etc, trampolines, bar, restaurant and a zoo. It is cheaper booking at the travel agents than paying at the gate on arrival.
The restaurants are all superb. Woodys (to the left when leaving Matoula) on the beach front - a small family run taverna but fantastic food. Other good places were Odysseus, Chinese Restaurant, the Italian restaurant opposite Odysseus (can't remember name), Valentines, Acharavi Park. Never got to the Pumphouse but that is supposed to be good too.
Two things which would benefit being looked into - the first being able to pay extra in order to keep your room if you have an early morning flight (ie 1.35am, although there are shower rooms available it is better to have your own room so that you can have a rest/sleep in the afternoon and the second is for First Choice to have a 3 week holiday on offer as we certainly would love to stay there for 3 weeks.
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Matoula Apartments - Acharavi
Operator and Date: First Choice -May/June 2005
Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : Irene-Kent(40,39,15,12,7,6)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
The Matoulla is perfect, incredibly clean rooms, perfect accomodation, the pool and small pool are great there is even a jacuzzi, plenty of sunbeds and great evening entertainment.We loved the Matoula and Spiros is great, so friendly and great with the kids.
The resort of Archarvi is splendid, loads of tavernas, tourist shops and also some different shops which were good, olive wood shop, natural shop made the stroll to your evening meal very enjoyable. Freedos is an ice cream bar with freshly made ice cream, wow, its divine, we tried most flavours,i.e, amaretto, watermelon, aftereight, banofie, all 6 of us had a dfferent one every night. We ate in the Odysseus most nights very clean with friendly staff and food was excellent, infact most of the people staying at the Matoula ate in their most nights.
Corfu is a lovely island, we did some boat trips, one was the east coast trip, great boat trip, and we did an island tour coach trip, which was very good, even our kids enjoyed it. The beach was ok, a short walk from the Matoula as was everything, the sea was rough and wavy when we were their as their had been some storms prior to our arrival, but the sea is normally calm in Archaravi, and great for kids.
We went to Kefalonia for the day, and saw the caves and underwater lake, wow, was really worth it.
To summarise we loved Corfu, loved Archaravi, loved the Matoula, and the people of Corfu are a very hosipitable bunch of greeks, We have been to lots of greek islands, and normally have the attitude there are so many islands to see, we wont go back, but would definatley go back to Matoula and Arcahravi,.
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Matoula Apartments - Acharavi
Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - May 2005
Opinion submitted in June 2005 by : Corrine Godfrey (36) Steve (42) Ben (10) Jessica (15mths) Val (59) Brian (67)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
What a fantastic holiday one of the best Greek holidays we have been on although it was first time for my parents to Greece and they were very apprehensive about it they loved it, apartments are fantastic, very clean the cleaners all did a fab job, yan the handy man keeps the gardens pools and everywhere immaculate, Spiros is fantastic can't do enough for you, my son was 10 while we were there and spiros ordered him a cake and organised a party for him,
Resort brill very handy for shops etc close to beach, we walked to Rhoda every other day along the path at beach front, close to Sadari and Kassioppi (spelt wrong!!!)could not fault the holiday and the Matoula made it for us all other guests very friendly and hope to keep in touch,
will certainly return on count down now for next year would highly recommend to any one.
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Matoula Apartments - Acharavi
Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - May 2005
Opinion submitted in June 2005 by : Lorraine , Chris, Lauren , Aiden (38, 42, 13, 5)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
wow! we have just returned from a week away and what a brilliant last minute deal we got here. the apartments were spotless and cleaned every day. spiros the bar manager was really funny and cheerful with all the guests nothing was too much for him. he worked long hours and was always friendly with the kids even at midnight! the pool was great - if a little cold on some days - and clean. food around the resort was cheap and good value , try the 'water restaurant' as the kids referred to as it is really cheap and the food is wonderful - it's next to'Freddos' ice cream place which is also worth a visit.
The only thing about the resort was the beach is a little peebly but about a 15 min drive there are some beautiful beaches
Dont go on the Beach BBQ to Paridise beach especially with kids. The beach is all peebles and really hurts your feet and you are stranded there for about 4 hrs with a little brolley for shade and nothing to do!! No music , no games , no nothing and the reps just cook and then sleep!! Not recommended
We would most certainly return to Matoula a lovely clean and relaxing place!!
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Matoula Apartments - Acharavi
Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - October 2004
Opinion submitted in Nov 2004 by : Caroline and Kelley - Worcestershire (22)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
What a fantastic holiday!
We were the last drop-off from the airport and our appartments looked the best by far. They were spotlessly clean and the grounds were maintained really well.
The location was perfect (5 mins from beach and 5 mins from main shopping street), what more could you want. Our favourite place to eat was Woody's on the beach front (amazing food and a lovely family who own it). All the staff at Matoula were really friendly, especially spiros the bar manager! He was very entertaining and we had a great time at his greek night. He worked non-stop and was always smiling. We had such a laugh with him!
We will definately be back next year for another great holiday!
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Matoula Apartments - Acharavi
Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - October 2004
Opinion submitted in Nov 2004 by : Carol Ives - London (44,24,1)
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
RESORT
Plenty of places to eat, The pumphouse, Acharavi Park and the Faro (On the beach) were excellent and all within a 10 minute walk. A little too quiet for me but it was the end of season so maybe that is why.
Lots of travel agents who were a lot cheaper than the rep. Sadly due to bad weather we had to cancel one trip and another was cancelled for us as Aqualand closed early.
HOTEL
The staff were excellent, with the exception of the bar manager who on two occassions turned off lights, pulled down the shutters and left guests sitting there in the dark. Quite a few guests boycotted the bar after this. I won't name him, but he has been named in previous opinions and this is only my experience of him. The rooms and the pool area were spotlessly clean and to a good standard, but there is a 1 euro charge for the jacuzzi which was FREEZING.