CORFU TRAVEL GUIDE

It's already been two weeks since my visit to Corfu. My second visit, I must add as I visited once before with my boyfriend in 2012. The great thing is though, that it felt as if I was on a totally different island because the hotel we stayed in was located on the opposite side of the island and the surroundings there looked totally different! Originally my mom and dad were planning on visiting me on Zakynthos but when my plans changed they rebooked their holiday and asked me to join them. Holiday to Greece? You don't need to ask me twice.

Obligatory mirror selfie upon arrival

WHERE TO EAT
I have visited Greece many times in my life and time and time again I find that the Greek cuisine does not really take vegetarians let alone vegans into account. But my friends, I was pleasantly surprised by a couple of really good restaurants that we found. Luckily, even though my parents are not vegetarians they always want to be certain that wherever we go, there are enough food options for me. We went out for dinner every night and I realize how that is a true luxury time and time again.

Pane e Souvlaki 
We had already passed this small restaurant in the late morning when visiting Kerkyra, Corfu town, without paying it much attention. When evening came and we were looking for a good, affordable place to have dinner we stumbled upon it again. Nothing fancy here, a very relaxed atmosphere with equally relaxed waiters and waitresses. We sat down outside on crooked vintage benches and had the pleasure of witnessing a catholic marriage taking place just 20 meters from where we were sitting. I picked falafel in flatbread (100% vegan). Next to that I chose the quinoa spinach salad with beetroot, pomegranate, walnuts and raisins (again 100% vegan yay!). The portions were so big that I had leftovers for lunch on the beach the following day.

After a long day of strolling through Kerkyra we were happy to sit down and enjoy Greek food

Le Grand Balcon
This restaurant requires strong legs and the sacrifice that in the morning you wake up with sore legs. It is situated a bit higher so we had to climb walk a couple of hundred meters until we reached the stairs that lead to le Grand Balcon. But when your reach the top, you know it was all worth it because the view is simply stunning. Stuffed aubergine with tomato and cheese was my pick for tonight. It was difficult to choose because the menu offers a lot of different vegetarian options. This dinner was fingerlicking good and my favorite of the entire week. When we had finished, the waitress brought us a dessert on the house with lemon in the lead.

Dad and mom

Milto's
Vegetarian moussaka is what I was craving all holiday long and the friendliest waiter at Milto's told me that it was not on the menu but they were willing to prepare it for me. Once again we chose a nice sea side table and we waited for our food. We all liked everything we had here and enjoyed the dinner, the view and each others company.

Just look at my happy vegetarian Moussaka face lol

WHAT TO DO
Lemon juice
No matter where in Greece I am, I always order fresh lemon juice for a drink. Be sure to ask them to keep the sugar seperate so you can decide for yourself if and how much sweetness you want to add to your drink. I love mine really sour because it is so refreshing!
Greek night
Keep your eyes open for signs that say "Greek Night!" or "Greek live music". These evenings are so much fun! It even got me and my father dancing!
Sinarades
If you can, visit this little village on the west side of Corfu. It is very quiet and not touristy at all. Just go there with your photo camera and when you arrive you will think of me ;-). You're welcome.
Nikolaos BBQ Cruise
We did a boat trip that included a bbq for lunch even though I'm not a big bbq fan. The reason we chose this boat tour was that it is a relatively small boat which is always a plus if you want to stay away from huge boats, lots of people and long waiting. This boat trip has many stops so there is a lot of time for swimming and discovering caves.
Learn Greek
Even if all you can say is "Hello" and "Thank you" that is already enough to start a nice conversation with the people on Corfu. Besides that, it is fun to learn some words! Yamas!
Kumquat
You have to try it! It is Corfu's trademark. You can eat the fruit as it is or opt for a liquor made from kumquat. My father and I did the latter. We had to get used to the flavour a little bit but after a few sips we really enjoyed it.
Bikini ON
Take your bathing suit with you even when you think you won't be needing it because trust me, you're gonna wish you had! Temperatures can get really high and there is always an opportunity to cool down whether that is in the sea, a pool or a fountain.

WHERE TO STAY'
San Marco Villas
San Marco Villas is where we stayed and we liked it a lot! Especially since we were given one of the best apartments they had. We had a huge roof terrace and two bedrooms. The men working in the hotel were friendly and we even stayed for dinner twice because the food they serve in San Marco was really tasty. Once a week there is live music and a Greek evening that we attended/participated in, haha!

San Marco Villas