We have just returned from what we consider to be the best holiday we have ever had, and believe me, we've had many (just note our ages!!).

I am going to get my moans out of the way before I begin the positives, so either bear with me or scroll down a little!

Our major disappointment was our tour operator, Cosmos. We booked the actual holiday through Sky Travel, which we have no complaints about. To it's only credit, (as far as we are concerned)Cosmos did make enquiries about the suitability of Damia's for us, but only after I had spent over an hour filling in forms relating to my disability (I am a wheelchair user)and we had paid for the holiday in full! However, we were told that although Cosmos would ask for a ground floor room they could not guarantee this and the first floor was up a flight of approximately 12 steps. With no lift, I fail to see that we could have coped with anything other than the ground floor, which I am relieved to report, we got.

I only learnt at the end of the holiday that Cosmos allocates apartments, and not Damia! Apart from this, we had many complaints about the lack of information from reps, the total absence of a rep, and the attitude of some reps. I could write pages, but I won't bore you or remind myself how bad they are! It is a sad fact that if we want to return to Damia's, which we do most definitely, we would have to think long and hard about having to use Cosmos again, as a contract exists, with no alternative agent.

Right....all that said, here I go with the positives!

Having used this site to research actual opinions for several years, I was delighted to read all the good things people had written about Damias. Upon arrival, we were not disappointed.

The Hotel looked every bit as good as people had described, and we were warmly welcomed by several members of staff in the reception area. I was amazed that neither Sky nor Cosmos told us that the hotel was totally wheelchair friendly throughout. Damia and her architect have clearly put a lot of thought into this, and I have to say, it's one of the few places in Corfu that have made a real effort in this respect. (no apologies for constantly mentioning the wheelchair,but there are lots of us around, who need to know these things). If I have to make one criticism at all (and it isn't an insurmountable problem) there could possibly be some grab rails in the apartment bathrooms, in the shower and by the toilet, which would be a bonus.

With regard to the actual setting of the hotel, it is ideal. It's peaceful and relaxing, and for us, exactly what we look for. The pool area is excellent for young and older people. It never seemed to be crowded or congested, but that's probably because there are only 31 apartments, ideal for those of us who do prefer the calmer, quieter days. The apartments themselves are spacious, well equipped, spotlessly clean (as is the whole hotel) and towels and sheets changed regularly.

The terraces and balconies all have plastic tables and chairs and a small washing line, and all self contained. The grounds are kept beautifully, with trees and lovely flowers encompassing the complex. There is a small play area for children which is well kept too.

The restaurant is lovely. We ate there a lot during our 2 week stay, and everything we had was very good. We ate mostly Greek dishes (otherwise what's the point of being in Greece?), all of which we relished. The food is well cooked, full of natural flavours, and above all, served up well, by the most friendly waiting staff, Paula and Nicos. (they also dance well too on the Greek nights......and whenever they hear the rhythmic tones of Greek music, which was not often enough for our liking, but certainly not in short supply). We had read about last year's barman Yannis, and found he was no longer at the hotel, but has been replaced by Claudio. OK, maybe Claudio isn't as outgoing as Yannis sounded, but a nicer man you couldn't wish to meet. John certainly got on really well with him, and had quite a few chats about different things. We couldn't find anything bad to say about any of the staff or Damia's family. We heard that a couple of people had said they found people stand-offish, but I maintain that you get out of any situation what you put into it. I have travelled to many countries in my life, and I have to say, hand on heart, I have never met such warm and friendly people as the Corfiots. Wherever we went, there were warm smiles and friendly greetings, but of course, we offered the same, so it works both ways.

I would definitely recommend Damia's to anyone, although the location and peaceful days might not be to everyone's taste, but there is the noisier aspect of Sidari (what we refer to as "little Blackpool") for those who prefer that. Having said that the evenings at the hotel can get quite lively and the Greek nights are not to be missed. We had such great fun, watching the professional dancers and then everyone joining in. The food was in ample supply too, all around, great value for money.

We found a lovely little spot on the beach in Poulades, which is still in Sidari, but the canal damour area. It's situated in front of Maria's who also do great food, and the waiters are really friendly. I became addicted to the Greek yoghurt with honey!!! As for the canal, I know some people complain about the smell, but for goodness sakes, it's a canal! And yes, some days the smell was slightly more than others, but honestly, it doesn't smell any worse that our canals do! The smell is restricted to the canal and its immediate area and does not waft like some smells we used to encounter in Majorca! It does, however, attract Mr. Mosquito in the evenings.

The biggest tips I got from this site were

1) ensure you take (and use) sufficient mosquito repellent (although its readily available in all the super markets)- but dont spray it in your apartments because it makes the tiles dangerously slippery - I found the jungle strength lotion the better option, and its also suitable for children over 6 months old

2) a MUST is a mosquito plug-in and if you like sitting on your balcony or terrace use some citrus candles, mosquitos hate them

3) take some bio-degradable nappy bags for the toilet paper. It cuts down on the smell in the bathroom and keeps everything cleaner

4) Use high factor sunscreen all the time - the sun is very strong and the amount of people we saw suffering from unecessary sunburn was incredible

5) Buy local tours and trips, they are every bit as good and much cheaper than your tour operators

We learnt from our mistakes here as we were opting for local tours but our so called Rep advised us against them as it meant having to walk into Sidari to be picked up and back after drop off. We later learnt that pick-up and drop-off points were only a matter of yards from the hotel!!!!

Still, we did go on the shopping trip to Corfu town, having been advised by the rep that we would manage OK with my wheelchair. A rep accompanied us on the coach, and, as lovely a person as she was, she didn't have a clue about the history of the island, the culture, her way around or anything really. We were dropped off at the harbour and she pointed people in the direction of the old or new parts of the town. John desperately wanted to see the only English cricket ground in Greece (don't even ask me why?) so the rep said she was going that way and would take us there. We had to go up a very steep, narrow two-way street with little or no pavements, with car parking on both sides, trying to manoevre the chair through busy traffic. But we survived!! The rep, after about half a mile said she was shooting off to the shops and told us to carry on up the hill and we would eventually see the cricket pitch. It was really hot and poor John was soaked through with sweat before we realised that we couldn't find the darned pitch despite the maps we had. We finally asked a lovely elderly Greek man and he pointed us back down the hill to it! We had gone almost a mile past it!

Well, after John's glee and my lopsided, grinning and bearing it look, we decided to go for a meal. We found a lovely place behind the Liston area, outside (yes, to those who think restaurants can only be interior establishments) and thoroughly enjoyed yet another delicious Greek meal. We then tried to look around the old town area but just couldn't manage the cobbled streets and steps everywhere, which is a shame because the buildings and atmosphere there are fantastic. We finally settled at the edge of the Liston area for the most exotic iced mocha coffee (very expensive, but then it WAS Corfu town, and I must say, worth every euro)and watched the early evening throng of people descend into the town. We felt that the four hour trip was enough, the full day would have been too much - for us anyway. I'm not sorry we went, just a bit niggled by the misinformation given by the reps. At least we got to see something different, and certainly interesting. If I was able bodied I would have loved to have gone inside some of the beautiful churches, but hey! can't do everything!

We also did the day trip to Parga and Paxos. The Cosmos rep had told us that both places were flat and the boat trip would take about an hour, we could have lunch in Paxos and an afternoon drink in Parga and be back about 5 having been picked up just before 8am. As it transpired, and *yawn..yet again a load of misinformation from the rep....

We WERE picked up just after 8am and then had to go and pick people up around Sidari and then the hour to get to Corfu town where the boat would take us on our way. After 2.5 hours we finally reached Parga. The boat trip itself was certainly relaxing as the water was so calm. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get upstairs but was able to sit and glance out of the large windows (glassless). John tried to get up top to video but it was so packed he gave up. He also said the heat was almost too much, so was glad of a bit of shade!

Parga was absolutely lovely. Yes! it was flat around the harbour area but behind that the buildings all perch on the cliff side!! We spent the first hour there having a leisurely lunch (gob-smackingly lovely) and people watching then we ventured into the small side streets with its little bazaars and traditional Greek shops (amongst the usual tat souvenire shops). The smell of freshly baked breads and charcoal meats was mouth watering and we found a really tiny shop that makes pure olive oil soaps and body oils where we spent far too much money! Then we set sail for Paxos (for those of you who are bothering to read all my waffle, the trip was the reverse to the order the rep had given us)which was another 30 minute boat ride.

Entering Paxos harbour, which is said to be traditionally Greek with very little commercialism and is renowned for its silver-green colour from all the olive trees, the woman giving the commentary on speakers on the boat which no one could really hear or understand, told people to go somewhere on the boat to buy tickets for the bus trips to the olive groves. We were categorically told they would not take us or the wheelchair as it would not be suitable.

We then had 2 hours to please ourselves! It was a 20 minute walk to the little village, it was the hottest time of day, and there was no shade at that time either. We were, admittedly quite tired - and almost asleep due to the relaxed boat ride - so we literally went to seek shade under an umbrella at a taverna where I indulged in yet another yoghurt with honey and John had a peach melba ice cream topped with FRESH peaches! Of course, do your maths, and you will know that if we didn't leave Paxos until 5pm there was no way we were going to be back at Damia's at that time! It took just over 2.5 hours to get back to Corfu then there was the usual sorting out of who goes on which coach, so it was gone 10pm by the time we got back. I would say, for those who have the stamina and are able-bodied the trip is well worth it. Bear in mind though, you only have 2 hours at each destination, so it is mainly a sort of sea cruise type day. Again, I don't regret doing it, hindsight is wonderful, as you erase the tiredness and annoyance at misinformation, and just remember the great bits of seeing somewhere and doing something different.

As for eating places, I think it's tough to really recommend too many places as our tastes are all different, and it all depends if you want to go really traditional or if you simply like to continue your British diet. Loads and loads of people recommend the Three Little Pigs, so we went there, once. I ordered the moussaka, and it was very good. So were the chips and the side salad and the fresh corn on the cob, however, I didn't ask for, nor did I want or like the pile of rice covered in a tomato sauce stuff, nor the pile of pale over boiled peas and carrots nor the huge half boiled but stone cold potato.

We did go to Damia's Yard, Spiros' restaurant and thoroughly enjoyed Zorbas traditional Greek meal for two. Wow! for 20 euro's there is enough food to feed 6 people. We tried everything, but got beaten by the sheer volume of portions. We hate waste and we hoped Spiros wasn't offended that we couldnt eat it all, because it was delicious. THEN, the waiter brought us out a huge plate of water melon "on the house". I tell you, these people will bend over backwards to please their guests.

We also went to Sunset Beach with some lovely people we palled up with (and with whom we will see now we are back home because they dont live so far from us) and again had a superb meal. They had just had some fresh sea bream brought in and I opted for that. Others went for the swordfish, chicken and sofrito dishes. All cooked to perfection, and yes, slightly more expensive than Sidari town, but only marginally, and we felt it was worth the extra few euro's to experience seeing the beuatiful sun set. The panoramic views from there are something NOT to be missed (if you like that sort of thing, and we do!)

Our friends also recommended to us a place called The Orchard. We took a leaisurely walk there one lunchtime and enjoyed the food so all of us went there for our last night. No complaints whatsoever. As I have said, I think it's all a matter of taste, and in my own humble opinion, those who don't even bother to try the local food really don't know what they are missing. I liked it better than the Spanish food we love so much when in Majorca, and that really is saying something!

All in all, a terrific holiday (apart from the tour company and its reps, and a few rather large creepy crawlies who obviously thrive on the sunshine too!) that we would recommend highly to anyone.

Thanks Damia, for your warmth, your brilliant hotel, your friendliness, and your lovely husband and adorable sons (big kisses for the twins, and hugs for George and Dimitri). Thanks also to Paula and Nicos who we totally adore and to Claudio, as I said before, a really lovely man. I also want to thank Stan and Myra for helping to make this the great holiday it was, and one we will never forget.

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Damia's ApartHotel - Sidari

Operator and Date: (Cosmos Discounts) Cosmos - June 2005