Corfu beaches: Ermones - Ermones is situated in the west of Corfu at about the same hight (geographically) as Corfu town. The village is placed at the edge of the Ropa plain and it is a small and busy tourist resort. The beach is a mixture of sand and pebbles. In highseason it can get very busy in this popular village because of all the visitors from Corfu town. There are all kinds of watersports to play and off course also here there are sunbeds and umbrellas for rent. Ermones is not particulairy suitable for children because of all the watersports going on and also because of the beach itself, with sometimes sharp pieces of seashells and pebbles. In front of the bay of Ermones there are rocks, and the legend says that it is a pirate captain that has turned to stone after he tried to steal an icon from the church. Others say it is a nun that has turned to stone. In Ermones there are a couple of tavernas abd a couple of large hotels.

Corfu beaches: Mirtiotissa - Mirtiotissa is seen as one of the most beautiful beaches of Corfu. This beach is also situated in the west of the island, just a bit under Ermones. Mirtiotissa is the only naturist beach on Corfu (for as far as I understood, but in the southern Agios Giorgios there are other pieces of beach that are unofficialy used a a nudist beach as well). Around the beach the cliffs rise straight upwards from the golden sand and there are many rocks that hold the seawater and there you can see beautiful fish swimming around. You can reach the beach over a steep road that leads from Vatos. The last part of the beach is used by naturists. Closeby is the Mirtiotissa monastery that originates from the 14th century. Here too there is a myth that the monastery was build after an icon was mysteriously found. If you have to believe all the mythts about found icons I believe that more of these religious objects were once in the bushes and under the ground than there are now icons hanging in the churches and monasteries, but it certainly would explain the large amount of these buildings in Greece... The monastery that is standing in Mirtiotissa now is from a later date. The beach is narrow and there a few facilities. Thers are a couple of snackbars though. There are not many rooms for rent, only at the taverna on the way to the beach, and there is a pension about 1500 meters away from the beach. You can drive the road all the way to the end where the beach is but it gets really steep at some points. Corfu beaches: Pelekas or Kontogialis Beach - This beach is sometimes named Pelakas Beach (because the village above the beach has that name) and sometimes it is called Kontogialis Beach. It is situated in the southwest of Corfu, just below Mirtiotissa and still above Agios Gordis. The distance to Corfu town is about thirteen kilometer. The beach is a sandbeach and it is an organized beach with facilities (umbrellas, sunbeds, watersports etcetera). In the old days Pelekas used to be a hippy paradise, but nowadays it is sort of quiet again. The beach is surrounded by hills with olive trees. At the beach there are several tavernas and a few mini-markets, and there are some bars. Just above the beach, in the village op Pelakas itself, there are cash-machines for the bankcards and you can also for instance rent a car there. Directly at the beach and just above there are a couple of small hotels and apartment buildings where you can rent a room. Corfu beaches: Glifada - Glifada is not really a village but more like a long sandbeach with facilities and a couple of tavernas (6 in total in 2010). The beach is situated in the west of the island Corfu just below Ermones and Mirtiotissa. Behind the beach are the steep green hills. This beach too is only reachable over a steep curvy road. At the beach there is a large hotel, which is named the Grand Hotel Glyfada, and lately other accommodation have been built along the beach. During the daytime it can get quite busy with day-visitors, but in the evenings when these have gone it is more quiet. The beach is rather long and wide and it is a sandbeach. The beach is shallow so it is easy to get into the water. At the beach of Glifada you can play several watersports.

Corfu beaches: Agios Gordis - Agios Gordis is a beautiful and long stretched beach surrounded by two capes that stetch all the way into the sea. This beach is situated southwest of Corfu town on the west side of the island (on about the same geographical height as Benitses, which is on the east side). On the beach there is a large hotel, the Agios Gordis Hotel, which dominates the beach. Just like Glifada, this is more a like a beach with facilities than a real village. Agios Gordis used to be quiet, but it is becoming increasingly popular, and is visited by more and more people each year. Many new hotels were build in te area. Behind the beach there are olive tree fields with houses and some villas. In Agios Gordis you can play several watersports and there is also a diving center. The long beach consists of sand and small pebbles. The water of the sea is very shallow and so it is also suitable for children. Close to the beach are the tavernas and the shops. Agios Gordis has a regular bus service with Corfu town, going over Sinarades. The journey takes about 45 minutes and in the highseason the bus goes seven times a day. Corfu beaches: Messonghi - Messonghi in the southeast of the island of Corfu is sort of quiet, even though there are plenty of hotels, tavernas and shops in the village. This tourist center has more or less retained its village identity. It is situated on the eastcoast just below Benitses. The last few years plenty of hotels have been build here, but even in spite of the presence of large hotels, the camping, the houses and the villas, there is still some kind of a feeling of being in Greece. On the about 1 kilometer long stretch od beach between Messonghi and Moraitika all kinds of touristic facilities have been made. The beach is a mixture of sand and pebbles and it can get quite busy. Floating through Messonghi is the Messonghi river and the land is quite fertile. There are lots of ald olive trees in the area. Near the village are the remains of temples. On the hill behind the village for instance are the remains of a temple that dates from the third centuru BC. The area around Messonghi is suitable for making walks, inwards along the river, or southwards along the coast. Messonghi has a regular busconnection with Corfu town. Corfu beaches: Moraitika - In Moraitika, just above Messonghi you can find a number of the largest hotels on the island of Corfu. The Messonghi beach Hotel with its 870 rooms is sort of a village on its own and stands on a private beach at the sea on the edge of Messonghi village and Moraitika. This is also the residence of the large and luxury Miramar Hotel and a whole list of other large hotels in all sorts of classes. Because of this the village has not a real heart and is more or less just a holiday colony with one hotel after the other. In Moraitika you can play all kinds of watersports, and there are plenty of bars, disco's, restaurants and shops. The village of Moraitika is not really authentically Greek anymore and its for lovers of people who like sitting next to eachother in a crowd. In the village, just off the main road you can see the remains of a Greek-Roman villa and a bathing house.

Corfu Benitses: Benitses - Benitses in the southeast of the island, at a 12 kilometer distance south of Corfu town, is a cosy bathing resort with lots of shops, bars and restaurants (many of them are fastfood restaurants). There are cash machines for your bankcards here. Benitses once had a vibrant nightlife. The beach here is long an narrow with sand and pebbles and the water is shallow, so safe for children to get into the sea. You can rent sunbeds and umbrellas here. The beaches around Benitses are short and narrow and the surroundings are green and attractive, and suitable for making walks. In Benitses near the square in the harbour are the remains of a bath dating from the Roman times. Benitses is not really quiet or typically authentic and Greek (during the high season). It is an international feeling busy tourist resort with many people from england. The beaches are not so wide and they can quickly get very busy, especially in the highseason. Many of the beaches are pebble beaches. This place attracts lots of families, but also single people that come for the nightlife of Benitses. There are plenty of bars and discoteques to chose from (update: in 2012 there were just a few bars and no disco, so peace and quiet has returned to the village). In Benitses there are more than 2000 beds for the touristst. Still it is a little bit of a Greek village because of the usual Greek wooden boats in the harbour. The main road in Benitses goes right through the village. From Corfu town there is a regular bus connection to Benitses and the journey takes about an hour.

Corfu beaches: Agios Ioannis Periston - Around Benitses there are all kinds of small or larger beaches. One of them is the Agios Ioannis Periston Beach, which is situated just south of the village. It is a long and narrow pebble beach, which also has some sandy bits.

Corfu beaches: Perama - The village of Perama is situated a little bit south of Corfu town, opposite Pondikonissi (or Mouse island). It is connected with Kanoni through a dike. This village is the first large tourist resort south of Corfu town, but just like Kanoni is is close to the airport. In spite of this there are many hotels to be found in this widely spread village with its old center. Most of these hotels are placed in rows along the coastal road at the different small pebble beaches. Don't expect really beautiful long sandbeaches here. You can play all kinds of watersports here and there is also a variety of bars, restaurants and shops to chose from. There are also a couple of discotheques, but the nightlife is not as grand as it is in the village of Benitses, 3,5 kilometer away. Perama is placed in a beautiful green setting. The connections with Corfu town by bus are excellent (in the high season there is a bus to Perama and Benitses every half an hour).

© Hans Huisman, https://www.angelfire.com/super2/greece/ 2014