Corfu, Greece- Choose Hotel Location Carefully

This is a "B" class hotel that was renovated in 1997. They are open April-October.

The hotel itself was fairly attractive, had reasonable prices and large rooms --ours faced the sea. It would be an okay choice for people looking for a party atmosphere, as parties of all sorts were held out front almost nightly. The beach is across the street and, although the water is clear, it is only a very thin, rocky stretch. I, personally, would not choose to stay here again, but that''s because I prefer a more relaxing environment -- not a party.

There is a large pool in front of the hotel, as well as a bar area.

My first impression when walking into the room was that it was "sterile" looking. Clean, but not very decorative. The bathroom was a private one. The shower was just a stand-up with only a curtain. No matter what I did, I always ended up with water everywhere! The balcony facing the sea was the best part of the room.

The room was equipped with A/C, of course this cost about an extra 5 euros a day.

The breakfast room was large, and they served a typical European breakfast with rolls, fruit, and sometimes hard-boiled eggs.

The staff were helpful with planning excursions -- they had every conceivable one under the sun available.

The road outside of the hotel, between the hotel and the beach was very busy with tour buses and scooters, cars. There are many stores and restaurants within walking distance.

This is an area of Corfu that I probably would have enjoyed more around the age of 17. It wasn''t an area that we wanted to stay in too much, so we spent most of the time exploring the rest of the island.

Phone: 06630 82008

Kassiopi is a very scenic village to either stay in or visit. We were driving around the island and took a stroll through the main strip of the town. I was delighted to find this unique store amongst all the usual souvenir trash shops. They had very beautiful carved sculptures, some made by the owner and some brought in from elsewhere. I bought a beautiful candle pedestal and two cats. Every time I look at them I am reminded of that beautiful village!!! If you are sick of the usual souvenirs, check this place out and buy something special.

While I stayed in Corfu, I took a boat to Saranda, Albania for a day. Saranda is situated between the mountains and the Ionian Sea. There were two ways to do this, either you could take a very comfortable, organized day trip with Ionian cruises, or you could do what we did. The people that I was traveling with like to really experience other cultures. We took a boat used mostly by Albanians going back and forth to Corfu.

Once we got there, we negotiated with a taxi driver to show us the sites for four hours--he charged US$50. He took us to various points that had amazing views, views that really were as amazing as those in Santorini. We went to the ancient town of Butrinty which was a beautiful archaelogical site. What made this area so much more attractive to me is the fact that it is very undeveloped and rugged. There is a very new (in fact they are still working on it) hotel in town--it is open. I believe it was called Hotel Butrinty, I wrote the name somewhere and need to locate it. It was a 4-star hotel and for suites we were told it would be US$150. I could probably only imagine a night or two in this area, but if you are going to Corfu it is really worth going to. I think in a few years this area may definately become developed, so I would suggest for the adventurous traveler that this is a must-see.