Acharavi Review
by Dean Armes
Corfu Holiday Resort Review: Acharavi by Dean Armes
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ACHARAVI
Acharavi is a bustling resort situated on the North coast of Corfu. Recent years have seen a lull in tourism in general and especially British tourism. This may make you decide to visit elswhere on the island, but in my opinion you will be missing out.
Acharavi is sometimes known as the capital of the North, and is an all year round resort, in that I mean that it doesn't completely close up in the winter, not that you can holiday there all year round (you could I suppose, but not with a tour operator!) Almost everything you need is right on hand in Acharavi, they have a big (in Greek terms) supermarket, a post office, banks, mobile phone shops, baby shop, toy shop etc. and you will find that many Corfiots from the North of the island visit here rather than go to Corfu Town. This area is also a favourite for Ex-Pats, due to having these things close at hand. There are the usual selection of gift shops, olivewood shops, small supermarkets, jewellery shops (good gold prices apparently!) so taking a little something home as a memento or a gift will be no problem.
If you do choose Acharavi for a holiday, you will have chosen well; along with all the things mentioned above you have a great selection of tavernas for eating out, and bars aplenty to get the night off to a good start or even a better finish! The main street in Acharavi is where you will find a lot of these places, but a walk along the beach will bring you another great selection. You will find that in Acharavi you are mixing with locals,and other nationalities who are taking a holiday, which makes the holiday a little bit more cosmopolitan. We all have our favourites when it comes to eateries and bars, so I won't recommend any particular choices, but I will say that you will be hard pushed to find a bad meal or a less than warm welcome anywhere in the resort. There is no longer a nightclub in the resort, but many bars stay open until the wee hours as long as their is someone in them! There is even somewhere to grab a gyrospita on the way home, for those of you who fancy a kebab after a night on the beer.
Acharavi beach is by no means the most attractive on Corfu, but saying that, on a clear day the view across to Albania are spectacular.The beach is a long, narrow stretch of sand and pebbles (I am sure this year that someone has added more pebbles to the beach, but maybe I have in the past viewed it through rose tinted specs!). A walk to the East brings you to sandier parts of the beach, if thats what you like, but at least with pebbles the sand doesn't get in those places you would rather it didn't! Once in the sea though, it is a pure sandy seabed, and the water shelves gently, allowing you to walk quite a way out before you are out of your depth. This makes it ideal for children, too. Sunbeds are available all along the beach for a fee, and there is a doughnut and icecream seller who travels up and down the beach during the day. There are no public toilets on the beach, as is the norm in Greece, but plenty of bars you can use if taken short, although it is only courtesy to buy a drink if using their facilities. Water sports are available during the holiday season, but these are situated close to the neighbouring resort of Roda, a 15-20 minute walk away.
If your accomodation in Acharavi doesn't have a swimming pool, don't worry! There are numerous pools all around the resort that are free to everyone, with free sunbeds too, just make sure you don't take your own food and drink with you, and buy from the pool bar, (apparently owners can be fined on the spot if people are consuming their own goods), and besides, its is only fair you give something back for using their pool.
If you fancy getting out and about whilst on holiday in Acharavi, there are numerous travel shops along the high street, and in the road that leads down to the old village next to the Pumphouse roundabout (one of only 2 roundabouts on the island, apparently!) In these you can hire a car, or if you don't fancy driving, book one of the many coach or boat trips around the island, or even visit some of the neighbouring islands such as Paxos, Ericousa, Vidos, etc. You will notice that if you are travelling with a major company these trips will be offered to you at the welcome meeting, but by booking in the resort you can save a lot of money, so wait!
Acharavi has its own waterpark! Hydropolis is situated a little out of town to the East, and is easily walkable from the main road, about 15 minutes from the roundabout. In the times we have visited it has never seemed too busy, and most of the slides and attractions are in the same area, so its ideal if you have younger children, as opposed to the much busier, larger and more spread out Aqualand which is in Ag. Ioannis, near Corfu Town, although having said this it is a real fun day out especially for us BIG kids!
All in all, Acharavi is a great all round resort which has unfortunately and unfairly suffered from many aspects of the fickle tourism trade, but there are places to stay in Acharavi be they through a travel agent of by going it alone. Give it a try!
© 2005-2006 Happy Holidays Corfu
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