Rest on the island of Corfu (Greece), dates 04/29/12 - 05/06/12. Hotel Corfu Holiday Palace 5 *.
My husband and I got out to rest, we decided that the rest should be calm (sea, sun) and active in places (with excursions).
Requirements for the hotel - not very noisy and a moderate number of people.
The hotel was chosen - Corfu Holiday Palace (5 *), in fact it is a solid "4" (reminded of a good Soviet hotel).
The charter flight "Transaero" did not disappoint, the convenient time of departure from Moscow at 13:10 and arrival back at 20:30 made it possible to sleep well.
The difference in the time zone is -1 hour (we have 9 am, in Corfu, the administrative center of the island, 8 am).
About the hotel.
The hotel is located in the eastern part of the island, Kanoni area, 20 minutes drive from Corfu (the administrative center of the island), about 15 km from the airport.
The hotel consists of 8 floors:
-2nd floor - gym and access to the pool, to the sea.
-1 floor - dining rooms,
0 floor - reception,
from 3 to 7 floor - rooms.
All hotel staff speaks English, they know a number of Russian words of greeting and gratitude.
The "decoration" of the hotel draws on 4:
the facade is old, the furniture in the rooms is not super new, the territory of the hotel is not very well maintained.
The rooms have free WiFi, there is a TV with various channels, incl. Russian, air conditioning, refrigerator.
The room consists of an entrance hall, a bathroom, a room and a balcony.
Linen was changed regularly and cleaned well.
If there is a need to iron the linen, you will have to go down to the laundry room, because. iron and board are not provided in the room,
or if time waits - you can give things in the evening and in the morning they will bring them ironed to the room.
Dry cleaning and laundry must be ordered separately, the price list is in each room.
The hotel has a swimming pool, but it is for adults, because. deep.
There is a very primitive playground (2 swings, 1 slide, in general, that's all).
Breakfast from 7.30 to 10.00, dinner from 19.00 to 22.00 (we took half board).
They cooked well, there were a lot of vegetables, fruits, meat dishes in the assortment too.
For dinner you had to pay for drinks and alcohol, for breakfast everything was included.
True, for gourmets, the choice of food is a bit scarce and monotonous.
But this can be compensated by gastronomic delights in the restaurants of Corfu.
Near the pool there is a special elevator to go down to the sea, but you can go down the path and stairs.
The beach is not big, sand and pebbles.
Sunbed and umbrella cost 7 euros per day. Towels were provided around the pool.
Many took a towel and settled down right on the sand or on the pier near the beach.
There is a small bar on the beach.
From the side of the street near the hotel there are shops and taverns (cafes).
Also near the entrance to the hotel on the street there is a bus stop to the center of Corfu.
The price of a one-way ticket from the driver is 1.5 euros, in the shop at the bus stop - 1.1 euros.
Near the stop there is a schedule of bus number 2, on average it runs every 20 minutes on weekdays, and every 30 minutes on weekends.
The age of vacationers is about 80% people over 50 years old, most of the vacationers are from Western Europe.
There is an opportunity to practice in foreign languages.
Pensioners mostly from the European Union, very sociable and friendly, asked a lot about Russia.
We clarified with pensioners why there are no young people with them, they said that their vacation season is in the summer, and now children and students are studying.
We didn’t travel much around the island, but we had a good look at the administrative center of Kerkyra and the palace of the Austrian dynasty, Achileon.
In Kerkyra you can see:
*Old Fort (entry 6 euros);
* New Fort (entrance 3 euros, but it is poorer and there are not many exhibits for inspection, in short - only walls);
* Orthodox Church of St. Spyridon, in the temple you can bow to the holy relics, consecrate icons on the relics, order a prayer for health, etc.
St. Spyridon is very revered, people turn to him with requests to help with health, money, with difficult housing problems, and finding a job.
*There are also many museums.
In Kanoni worth a visit:
*Vlaherna, the oldest monastery with a church, the symbol of Corfu. The date is 1635.
* Nearby is Pontikonissi, Mouse Island. Travel to Mouse Island - 2.5 euros per person. The kings of the island are called peacocks that live here. On the island there is a church, a small shop. A very beautiful landscape overlooks the sea.
We also recommend a trip to Achilleion.
The residence was built in the 18th century, a very beautiful interesting palace, garden. Entrance price: adults - 7 euros, with an audio guide - 10 euros, children 4 euros.
From the center of Corfu can be reached by bus 10, the price for one way is 1.5 euros.
At the entrance to the residence, you will be photographed and at the exit you will be offered to buy a photo for 4 euros.
We bought it, although my husband did not want to (I insisted, it was a painfully good photo, against the backdrop of the landscapes and beauties of Corfu).
We wanted to rent a car, but changed our minds.
The price of 1 liter of gasoline is 1.8 euros. We decided next time.
Although upon arrival, at the airport and at the hotel there are booklets for car rental, you can use it.
For those who want to go somewhere else and book excursions on the spot, hotel guides will make a number of suggestions on the first day.
To understand prices:
Sightseeing tour along Kerkyra - about 50 euros per person (children pay 50% of the full price for all excursions).
A trip to Meteora (Temples in the mountains, who traveled say just magical views) - 150 euros per person.
In this case, the trip will be long:
30 min by bus from the hotel to the port,
1.5 hour boat trip to the mainland,
2.5-3 hours on the mainland by bus and you are there.
And the same way back.
Unfortunately, due to the small amount of time, it is possible to see 1-2 temples on Meteora.
Strict rules on the dress code for visiting temples.
Lunch is not included.
A trip to Bari, to the relics of St. Nicholas - 320 euros per person.
From our race, no one seemed to go, I can’t say the opinion of the people.
