Bearing in mind the comments of other reviewers, we took some time to decide whether to book the Fotini complex or the annex. The reviews give a clear steer towards the complex but they do no have apartments for 4. We considered (at least for a short time!) booking 2 rooms at the complex, one each for one adult and one child. We could then judge when we got there whether it was safe and prudent to change to one room for mum & dad / one for the kids. Common sense prevailed and we booked the annex.

Arriving with some trepidation, we need not have been worried. True, the two room apartment was pretty basic and could have done with the odd repair or two (nothing serious but things such as a loose tap fitting, cracked tiles). However, it was perfectly comfortable and most importantly, clean. We were met immediately by the landlady, Vassilika. She could not speak a word of English - in fact I think she was German - but she was so very friendly! She worked very hard throughout. In fact I don't recall a day she was not at the apartments, cleaning and tidying (she lives in Lakones, a quite impressive and steep daily walk). She came into our apartment most days to clean and we got fresh linen / towels every 3 days or so.

Fotini is divided into four areas - the complex (pictured in the brochure), the annex (where we stayed), annex 1 (we didn't really get to see this but it's a further 50 metres or so away from the complex) and another, smaller set of apartments opposite the complex (can't remember what they were called!).

The short walk to the nearby swimming pool - in front of the complex - was no difficulty at all and no more than 50 metres.

If there was one annoying feature it was the lack of air conditioning. Now we weren't expecting any but neither were we expecting any in the complex. In fact both the complex and annex 1 have air conditioning - at additional cost - but bearing in mind the heat it was something I would gladly have paid for. As it happened, Vassilka offered us (by means of sign language!) two electric fans for hire at 4 euros each per day. NOw this was far from cheap - 112 euros for the entire 2 week stay - but essential. It was close to unbearably hot at night.

In summary, if you travel in the hottest part of the summer I would be very tempted to stick with the complex or anywhere else with air conditioning for this reason alone. But like I say, this aside we were very happy with the annex and rate them as "good".

As mentioned by several other reviewers, make sure you take plenty of anti-mosquito gear. We took 4 electric plug ins and they did a fine job in the apartment. However, when out and about in the evening you definitely need plenty of repellent and some bite cream for the odd occasion they get a piece of you anyway.

Paleocastritsa itself was very good. Its very strung out as a resort. Walking from one end to the other would take at least half an hour and only 10 percent or so of the length has any pavement. It can be a bit hairy at times - keep an eye on your kids if you have any! But the scenery is great and makes the walking worthwhile. TBH we didn't really use the beaches in Paleo - though the kids did spend some time on Alipa beach whilst we read / drank coffee at the very pleasant Alipa restaurant. This beach is also the harbour and seems to be quieter than the others but very pleasant nonetheless. The other beaches all seemed to be packed most of the day - not surpising bearing in mind the beautiful sand and clear blue water - and the fact that they're pretty small. For swimming we tended to stay wih the swimming pool.

The walk to and from the apartment (from the main road) was via a very steep hill about 300 metres in length. I'm a bit ambivalent about this. It was a pain - especially during the day at the hottest times. However, the fact was that as a result you have a truly excellent view (our first floor balcony did have a sea view, despite what the brochure / booking papers said) and Fotini is far enough from the main road and bars to be peaceful. On this basis, for us the hill was a worthwile trade off.

The main road - in addition to the lack of pavements - did seem to kick up a fair bit of traffic noise, particularly from passing motorbikes. This did not cause us any concern but I think it might if you stayed at apartments close to it (the main road is the only one in and out of Paleo which in effect is a dead end).

We hired a car for a week (via Olympic, booked before we left). I was surprised to find that the hire costs were less than if we had booked out there via the rep.

We visited Aqualand, more as a concession to the kids than something that mum & dad wanted to do. However, we all found the park was great. Not particularly cheap at 68 euros for the 4 of us - but not anymore expensive than a theme park in the UK. There were a whole host of water slides and rides and they all provided a pleasant relief from the heat - though I have to confess they were good fun too! In fact, we conceded to the demands of the kids and visited twice!

Use of a car also allowed us to visit several other places. The highest mountain Moni Pantokrator - was worth a visit, though the approach roads can only be described as a heart in the mouth experience. Not a journey you want if you suffer from vertigo! You get a fantastic view of Corfu from the top and of Albania just beyond. We bought lunch / drinks before we left and took them with us - so didn't use the one cafe at the top other than for coffee.

Agios Georgios (north west), Agios Gordis and Glyfada all had lovely beaches but the one at Pelekas seemed a bit quieter, slightly less developed and was our favourite of the admittedly few we visited.

I'll finish on the subject of food - a subject dear to my heart as I'm very fond of cooking.

We printed a copy of all the entries above and below (some 59 or so pages!) before we left and used the reviews to guide us.

We visited:

Nereids (a relatively short walk) and Oasis / Miltitias Corner (close to each other and a long walk to the top of Paleo) once each and all were perfectly good and much of a muchness in terms of cost. However, none of them truly set themselves apart. The food - whilst Greek - seemed to lack that just cooked / home cooked taste. We visited Belvedere once(again similar - though with a much better view, overlooking the sea) and Adama three times. Adama has a pretty good view too, though slightly set back from the sea. Whilst the food was on a par with all the others it did seem to supply the best value by far. The portions were larger (in fact just plain big), the food and drinks were all a bit cheaper and we got free desserts on each visit! For this reason alone, we have to recommend it.

However, the recommendation above all else is to get to Boulis in Lakones (mentioned by a few other reviewers). This truly does supply the authentic family based Greek restaurant atmosphere and food. It was not really any cheaper of more expensive than anywhere else - and certainly could not be described as flash - but the view way above Paleo was fantastic and the food by far and away ahead of anything else we ate there. It was clear that dishes were made and cooked to order or at least on the day for those that need time. And the family (dad cooks, mum and 2 daughters wait) are so VERY friendly. Dad very obviously treats the restaurant as his life and cooking as his passion. Whilst I have another job, I share this interest!

Mousaka / Stifado and the other dishes just tasted so much better, perhaps at least in part a tribute to dad's brother - the local butcher. The only downside is that you need to drive or face a 40 or so minute walk up a very steep hill. However, as other reviewers mention when you get to the top you can visit the Golden Fox restaurant (at the other end of Lakones) and for a cooling swim in its great pool - have a drink there (perhaps only one mind - it's comparitively expensive) and savour the truly exceptional view of Paleo and the sea below. This is DEFINITELY not one to miss. The do what we did - go to Boulis for dinner. Just be aware that if you walk you'll need to leave before it gets dark!

All in all a great holiday!

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Fotini Complex - Paleokastritsa

Operator and Date: (Olympic Direct) Olympic - October 2005