Eriva

Having recently separated, myself and my 2 daughters were in need of a break. I looked up some last minute deals via Wanadoo and found the Eriva apartments to match the criteria for our needs - clean, family run apartments, close to the beach in a quiet location with pool and bar facilities.
I’ve been holidaying in Greece for years, having originally fallen in love with EVERYTHING about the country 20 years ago, when I went to Athens to work as an Au-Pair. Put it this way, I'm very comfortable to go as an independent traveller, but with 2 pre-teen daughters I felt happier booking a package deal so everything is done for you, just pack, go - RELAX!!!
I found booking us all as adults made the costing cheaper, less underoccupancy surcharge was added (how do Travel Companies get away with the pricing policies, it seems a scam to me?).
Everything went very smoothly, even losing my eldest daughter at Manchester Airport was not a problem, as the staff helped us locate her in double quick time, no hold-ups or delays and smooth transfers once in Corfu. We found ourselves in a lovely 2 bedroom apartment, which although relatively basic was spotlessly clean and matched the brochure description.
I can’t find anything to fault the Eriva on, all the staff were wonderful and so laid back it was impossible not to wind down and relax. The pool was clean and maintained daily, with a children’s section for the little ones. The Snack & Drinks menu was good value for money too, and not pushed on you, with the staff quite happy to chat away!
As I speak some Greek, I had a chance to practice with them and score a few brownie points for us Brits - someone who has made an effort to learn something about their culture and language really goes down well - it’s my top tip and isn’t as difficult as many people think to learn.
In Acharavi itself, we found plenty of great local tavernas, bars and restaurants to choose from, all quite reasonably priced too.
Acharavi is the main town for the North of Corfu so it is quite busy during the day & evening - it still has a villagey feel to it though, which is very endearing and as a visitor you certainly feel welcome - as a single mum, I felt very comfortable and relaxed walking about at night, as did the girls!
The nearby beach is a mixture of sand and pebbles, and goes on for miles - my girls love swimming and the sea is shallow, without too many rocks, but not many fish around - disappointing if you like snorkelling!
Highlights of our trip - a boat trip to Sivota on the mainland, Aqualand Waterpark and the Karaoke night at the Eriva - all really good fun and excellent family value - not forgetting the outstanding hospitality of Spiros & Angelica who own the Eriva, their lovely staff Ilias & Sofia (Albanian) and their little boy Kledi, who at 7 is already trilingual and a real joy.
A testimony to our experience is that we are definitely going back next year, hoping to explore a bit more and enjoy the beautiful countryside and abundant olive groves - I can almost smell the pine forests and hear the ubiquitous crickets and swallows just thinking about it now - truly a blissful, chilled out experience - Yiamas!!