Athens has lots of history and culture and took me by surprise. I only spent 2 nights here but would love to come back, especially when it’s a little cooler, as the August heat can be a bit too much.
Corfu is a great island to visit with lots of cheap direct flights from London. There are many different parts of the island to explore so hiring a car is a must. I spent 4 nights here and based myself in a villa in Pelekito (north east of the island).
I decided very last minute from Nice to go to Athens and Corfu. Covid-19 has really made me become more flexible with my travel plans and accept that cancellations happen. Being spontaneous isn’t so bad after at all!
Athens
Day 1
I arrived late in the evening but settled into my hotel, St George Lycabettus Hotel in Kolonaki. I really enjoyed staying here as the rooms were nice, there were great views of the Acropolis from my balcony, a rooftop pool and as an extra, they gave a free bottle of red wine on arrival! The area is super safe too and central to all main sights.
In the morning, I went for a walk to Lycabettus Hill. From the base, it took me around 10 minutes to get up. This is also a great sunset spot!
I went to Pynka for their spanakopita for a breakfast snack and then went to the Monument of Philopappos for great views of the Acropolis. This was probably one of my favourite spots to see the views of the city!
Afterwards, I went back to the hotel to relax by the pool. It was so nice to be poolside in the 36 degree celsius heat!
For a late lunch, I went to Kostas for their pork souvlaki. It’s only €2.50 and so delicious!
In the evening, I saw a bit of the sunset from my room and at the hotel pool rooftop before heading to the rooftop at Central Hotel for a drink with Courtney. The sunset views of the Acropolis were amazing!
We went to Ergon House for dinner. It had a market vibe inside with a farm to table concept and as there was 7 of us, we shared a number of dishes including variety of dips, falafel, Greek salad, octopus, pork chops and fish. It was all very tasty and the service was also great. They also gave complimentary shots at the end.
Day 2
I got to the Acropolis of Athens at 8am (as they opened). Tickets are €20 for the Acropolis and its Slopes. It’s worth getting the special ticket package for €30, as it includes 10 other sites but as I had time constraints, it wasn’t suitable for me.
It was cool to see the ancient architecture and learn more about the history of the Acropolis.
For lunch, I went to Filema. I had the Greek salad (a starter but the portion size was huge) and the squid which was also a decent sized portion and really well cooked.
Corfu
Day 1
I arrived into Corfu in the afternoon. There is the 15 bus from outside the airport taking you to the Old Town for only €1.70. It comes every 20 minutes and it was a convenient and cheap option to get into town.
I met Ish and we walked around the cute Old Town then had a cocktail at Mikro Cafe. It has a nice little alfresco area which was perfect for people watching.
We went to Pane E Souvlaki for dinner. We shared a bottle of rose, fried feta, Greek salad and the chicken and steak souvlaki. We were so full after it all but it was so satisfying!
We then headed to Papagiorgis Patiserie Gelateria for gelato! I had the Corfu strawberry and pistachio (the flavours were on point) and it was some of the best gelato I’ve had in a while!
Day 2
The next morning, we drove for around an hour to Palaiokastritsa and went to the Monastery of Paleokastritsa. The views from above are incredible.
We then drove to Rovinia Beach. The roads to get down here are unsealed but there is free parking right at the bottom. We hung here for a few hours, relaxing and going swimming.
In the late afternoon, we went to La Grotta Beach Bar. I went for a dive on the spring board but we mainly came here for the drinks. We had a couple of cocktails and chilled here for a while.
For dinner, we headed to Taverna Sunset in Acharavi. The panoramic views were amazing and the food was also very good! We shared the Greek salad, lamb chops, calamari, moussaka, beef and slow cooked lamb and wine, of course.
Day 3
The next day, we got a taxi transfer to Marina Gouvia to get a private boat for the day. We had a full day out on the water as we got on the boat at 10am and got dropped back to the pier at 6pm.
The boat provided some wine and beers and some sandwiches and chips, but we brought our own aperol, vodka and prosecco. We went through around 16 bottles of prosecco!
We went past Old Town and went south and stopped at numerous stops for swims which was really fun. It was a really great day out in the sun!
After being dropped off, we caught a taxi to Malibu Summer. We shared a variety of dishes including the saganaki, Greek Salad, roast veg, chicken souvlaki, prawn pasta and Mediterranean pasta.
We hung out here until 9pm where we got a private transfer back to our villa. We were all knackered by then!
Day 4
The next morning started slow with baked eggs and spanakopita for breakfast.
It was our planned chill day so it was nice to hang out by the villa and go swimming in the pool.
In the evening, we went to Ambelonas Winery for dinner. It had a lovely dining space and we were free to roam around the vineyard.
For dinner, we shared a bunch of dishes including octopus, fava, sausage, smoked cheese, green salad, pate, fish, slow cooked lamb and vegetable moussaka which were all fresh and delicious. I also really enjoyed the white wine here!
This spontaneous trip was 100% worth it and I’m so glad I was able to experience Greece again in summer!
Day In, Day Out 