We started our day in Athens bright and early at 4:30 am to catch our flight to our first Greek island – Corfu. The check in process was very smooth and quick, and our flight was on time. After an hour-long flight, we landed in Corfu around 8:30 am. A massive party van arrived to pick us up and transport us to our accommodation, Barbara’s House.
Upon reaching the house, we were greeted by our host Aristotle, who helped us carry our belongings up the steep hill to the house. Although it was still early and we couldn’t check in yet, Barbara and Aristotle graciously allowed us to store our bags while we explored the nearby town. Barbara and Aristotle’s hospitality was heartwarming.
We decided to take a walk to the town and visited the local monastery at the top of a hill, which offered breathtaking views of the beach and surroundings.
En route, we couldn’t resist buying fresh corn and fruit from a roadside stall, enjoying juicy peaches, cherries, nectarines, and apricots.
As we still had some time to kill, we headed back to town for lunch. However, it was only 11 am, and most places didn’t start serving until noon. We found a spot where we could order drinks and decided to wait it out with some Aperol spritzes.
Finally, when noon arrived, we ordered our meals, but unfortunately, it turned out to be the worst food we had in Greece so far. The pitas were stale, and the meat lacked flavour and tenderness. Exhausted from our early start, Saz and my dad even dozed off at the table.
Just as we finished eating, we received a text informing us that our accommodation was ready. Excitedly, we made our way back up the hill to check in. Our place exceeded our expectations, with stunning views, a light and airy atmosphere, and incredible vibes.
Barbara herself came down to welcome us and provide us with all the necessary information. Her kindness was remarkable! We all took a siesta, relaxing on the patio and soaking in the magnificent views.
That evening, we cooked a delicious homemade Greek dinner on the beautiful patio, including pita, tzatziki, chicken breast with Mediterranean spices, greens, and potatoes.
After dinner, we had a little family movie night and went to bed early after our early travel day.
The next morning, we started the day with a relaxed breakfast on the patio, savouring scrambled eggs and toast while appreciating the beautiful morning. Our plan for the day involved heading down to the beach, where we could rent beach chairs for the day at a nearby restaurant. After settling into our chairs and sheltering ourselves under the umbrellas, we decided to dip our toes into the ocean.
The water was unexpectedly freezing, akin to an arctic chill. We quickly realised that we needed more time to warm up before getting in the ice cold water. We spent the morning reading and lounging on the chairs.
Eventually, we mustered the courage to brave the FRIGID sea and took a plunge, albeit after some hesitation, particularly from me. To warm up afterwards, we made a stop at the bar for margaritas before returning to our cozy chairs.
In the early evening, we rented a paddle boat shaped like a car. We took turns paddling around the bay and had a great time, although bringing the boat back to shore proved challenging due to the strong winds and current.
After successfully docking the boat, we made our way back up the hill to Barbara’s House. We relaxed for a while before we made another delicious homemade meal of pork gyros, pita, and tzatziki.
Inspired by our surroundings in Greece, we watched the movie Troy and went to bed.
We started the next morning with breakfast on the patio, enjoying toast, fried eggs, and bacon. The morning was as beautiful as ever, and we decided to do a hike up the mountain behind Barbara’s House.
The hike took us through an absolutely charming Greek village called Lakones. Perched up on the side of the mountain, Lakones village had stunning vista views of the beautiful sea below.
Upon returning home, Aristotle paid us a visit, bringing fresh vegetables from his garden as a gift. We received cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, and bell peppers, a thoughtful gesture on his part.
We also took some time to explore the abandoned neighbouring property that we fantasised about renovating and purchasing for one million euros, and then spent the afternoon in the sun chairs, relaxing on the patio, engrossed in our books and revelling in the good life.
My dad suggested checking out a closer beach that supposedly had warmer waters. Intrigued, we made our way down there to test the waters. It was marginally warmer, so we had a little swim and laid on the pebble beach to soak up some sun.
As the day drew to a close, we returned to our accommodation, showered, and prepared for dinner. We had homemade spaghetti bolognese, accompanied by garlic bread. It was yet another incredible meal enjoyed on the patio.
Having spent most of our time in our little neighbourhood, we decided to set out the next morning and rent scooters for the day to explore other parts of the island. However, we discovered that we couldn’t rent them without each driver possessing an International driver’s license. Since I was the only person that had one, we ended up renting a car instead.
The narrow and winding roads were a challenge to drive, but we saw amazing sea views and charming little Greek villages along the way. We visited the village of Arillas, where we stopped for lunch and enjoyed an amazing chicken souvlaki on the beach.
We then drove Sidari, up on the northern tip of the island. To our surprise, the beach was much warmer than in our village, enticing Saz to take a quick swim.
We let ourselves get lost in the charming little roads and villages of the island, taking in the sites before headed back to our accomodation for the afternoon.
The next morning, we set off around 9:30 am to get gas and return the rental car. We encountered a chaotic scene upon arrival, with cars parked at the pumps while their owners enjoyed breakfast. We waited in line for way too long before finally filling our tank and dropping it back off at the rental car place.
After dropping off the car, a boat rental shop caught our eye! They had a charming little boat available, which we promptly rented. Saz and I headed to the next door grocery store to stock up on boat drinks and snacks, including cookies, beers, ciders, and ingredients for sandwiches. With our boat cooler stocked up, we headed down to the water.
The boat was incredibly cute, and Captain Richard skillfully operated it! We spent the entire day exploring coves, swimming to beaches, enjoying drinks and sandwiches on board, and even trying our hand at freediving to touch the bottom.
Although the water was still cold, it was an improvement from the first day. It was a perfect day on the water, with blue skies and nice temperatures.
I flew the drone for some boat shots, and the colour of the water is simply to die for! Landing the drone back on the boat was a challenge, but we eventually managed!
Our last dinner at Barbara’s House needed to be special, so we began preparing dinner around 6 pm, whipping up a delicious meal of Mediterranean couscous and gyros, accompanied by garlic bread. Dad went out to get ice cream, and we savoured our Ben and Jerry’s on the patio, chatting, and enjoying our last night in paradise!
The next morning, we woke up for our last morning at Barbara’s! We enjoyed a nice breakfast on the patio, and reluctantly packed our bags, feeling absolutely devastated to leave. It had been such an amazing stay on an absolutely stunning island, and we will most definitely be back (or move here permanently, stay tuned!)
Next stop – Santorini!