BLUE GARDEN APARTMENTS - Small block of apartments, about 5 minutes walk from main bit of Roda. Lovely apartments all white and blue, with a nice pool area, and a brand new pool. Set at the bottom of beautiful hills, with trees all around. Also childs area of pool, totally seperate from main pool. Main pool only 1.5m in deepest area however. Due to the fact we were there in the first week of the season, the pool was absolutely freezing however! Apartments themselves are quite small, but the 2 bed one in which we were in was fine and big enough for us. Seperate kitchen and bedroom, which was good. The apartments could maybe do with a little updating inside - the fridge had seen better days, and the taps were going a bit tarnished, but for a two star place we were more than happy. The bathroom only has a shower, but is plenty big - shower also has curtain and shower mat etc, for all those who cannot live without them!

There is a bar there which serves a surprisingly large selection of food, including some Greek dishes - we just had the basics - a couple of toasties for lunch, a burger when we got there, and a breakfast - they were all fine.

The apartments are run by Andreas and Elena, who both speak English, and who are very friendly and welcoming. They also have a young daughter (about 12 - 18 months) who is one of the most cheerful babies you will ever see! Never saw her cry once the entire time we were there. Elena and Andreas seemed willing to do anything for you.

Although the apartments are a bit away from the town, this is actually quite good, as its only a short walk into town, and means that its absolutely peaceful up at the apartments. There isn't a path to walk down, so you are walking on the road, but all the drivers seemed to expect to see people, and slowed down. The only problems we saw was one family walking on the wrong side of the road (you walk INTO the oncoming traffic so it can see you!) and all walking well into the road, so they were a hazard. Its quite a quiet road as well, especially the later it gets. Also we saw loads of fireflies up and down this road when we were wondering along in the dark. Street lights all up the road however, so no need for torches. Taxi rank at the bottom of the road however if you are feeling REALLY lazy! Fine for kiddies I think, as long as you're holding on to them.

Safe rental 5 euro, fan rental 5 euro too - rooms quite cool however, so might not need it. Can also get a potty and baby bath from Elena if you need it.

The only slightly dodgy bit about the apartments was the cleaning. Although the cleaner did the floors etc (and even the dishes!), the sheets and towels weren't changed, which is pretty neccesary when you're smothering yourself in either suntan lotion or aftersun all day.

We generally thought the apartments were quite good the money we were paying, which at £235pp for a week, was pretty much next to nothing.

RODA VILLAGE/ CORFU - Corfu on a whole was okay, but every part of the island that we saw was generally quite grubby and run down. We really didn't see anything very Greek about the island at all, except Corfu town, and even then all the buildings could have done with a good lick of paint. There were a couple of things to see in Corfu town, but most of it was just tourist tat shops - with quite aggressive staff!

Roda itself was okay, but there is NOTHING there except places for tourists. The whole place closes down for the winter, and pretty much no one lives there all year round. Roda was nice, but we didn't think it was very Greek at all. Again, it could also do with a bit of renovation/ investment. There are quite a few wild dogs and cats around, and although these were very friendly, they were obviously a bit of a health hazard. Roda beach is okay, and not as bad as some say, but is definitely not a beach lovers paradise - the sea was nice and clear however. Roda is pretty tiny, which is what we were looking for, but alas we were looking for tiny as in Greek village charm tiny, not miniature bog standard blackpool type tiny.

One comment that summed it up 'Feels like we could be anywhere'.

EATING/ DRINKING - Got the best meals at Roda Park, which makes a joke out of its rubbish service, but is actually okay. The quieter it is, the better it is I think however. Maraki (only has greek written name on outside - tiny place across from Mistral Bar) did amazing Gyros - Greek Kebab - and was very cheap. Could get kebab to take away as well as sit in - a lot of Greeks in and out as well. Everyone seemed to think the the Odysseus was amazing, but food wasn't quite as good as the Roda Park, and was quite a bit more expensive - okay but overpriced. Maggies does excellent fresh Fish and Chips (North Sea cod oddly enough!), but beware, the large is actually very very big - it comes on a serving platter, not a plate, so maybe think before you try to show off! The small would probably do most people, or the medium if you're feeling ravenous. Maggies was also quite nice for evening drinks. The Roxanne bar was quite nice on the waterfront, with a friendly guy behind the bar. Aphrodite just next to the bridge did a fab Club Sandwich. Went to the Harbour Bar one afternoon for a snack. It was absolutely revolting. We ordered a burger and fries, and the burger was not cooked, barely warm in the middle, and they had even managed to make an ar*e of the fries - tasted like they'd been cooked in oil saved from the end of last season. And you pay BEFORE you get the food - how surprising!

Generally all the restarants seemed fine, nice and laid back etc, whilst the bars all seemed to be in a different resort - playing loud music, and trying to be so cool it made you wince. This was made even more amusing due to the fact that the resort was mainly full of 50+ and young families due to the time of year, and they were all empty. Drunken Sailor and Mistral were on opposite sides of the street, but were pretty much the same bar they were so similar, but imagine they would be good for a drunken night out when they were a bit busier. Couple of brit bars, which were fine. One club that wasn't open when we were there, the Sound Factory. Looked like a beige box from outside however.

Sidari - Quite big, probabaly good for a night out. We went to the highly recommended Roof Gardens, but weren't that impressed. Think it would have been better for Steaks etc, whilst we ordered Greek dishes. Nice view over the beach. Went to a couple of bars, which were generally better than the ones in Roda, but due to a power cut about 10pm that was the end of our night out in Sidari! Beware however that Sidari is a fair bit pricier than Roda for everything!

WEATHER/ TIME OF YEAR - We booked for the first week of the season, having travelled late in the season before, thinking it would be the same. It's not. The earliest I would go again would be the end of May. Everywhere was pretty deserted, which was generally odd. The weather was okay when it was sunny, but it clouded over on the Thursday morning, and we didn't see any sun again till about 3pm on the Saturday. During this time it was bloomin' baltic, and constantly wet. Lightning on Friday night meant no electric till late Saturday afternoon. Due to the fact this hol was so cheap, we can't really complain about the weather, but without the sun, we were bored stiff - nothing to do except sit in the bar or in the room. Go in September - much warmer!

SUNSET/ THOMAS COOK - Excellent service, fab rep called Sam, and generally run very well. Been on two Thomson Holidays hols before, and Thomson Holidays seem like a bunch of fools compared to Thomas Cook. Even the plane food was good!

PRICES - We spent about £550 and that was eating out every night, and some lunchtime/ breakfasts. Greek main course about 6 euros, and 1 litre of greek wine the same. 1 Litre of Mythos (local lager - very good) between 2.2 euros and 3 euros. All cheaper than Britain, but not dirt cheap. Could have done this with a lot less spending money if we wanted to however.

TRIPS - A few places you can book with along the front, much cheaper than with the rep as usual. If you go to Corfu town, remember that if you want to have a good look around, you'll probably need the whole day, not just a couple of hours.

SUMMARY - Blue Gardens good, Corfu might as well be in Spain. If you're looking for a lovely atmospheric greek village, go to Lindos in Rhodes - not here!

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Blue Garden - Roda

Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook - 2005