Acharavi Matoula Apartments

Stayed at the apartments last year in had a nice time. out of school holidays. Left just as school kids arrived but if thats what you like go for it.

The short summary is that Matoula is a well cared for and well maintained set of apartments which are far superior to most accommodation we have stayed in on many Greek islands. If Acharavi in Corfu is your destination, Matoula should be your place to stay.

Matoula apartments are situated on a side road between the main Acharavi "High Street" through road (approx 500m) and the beach (approx 250m). This is a medium sized complex with (IIRC) 4 blocks of apartments and a pool bar block. Pool is situated at the front and is clean, but slightly small for the number of guests. Sun loungers around the pool are free, but in high season taken early. Free safety deposit boxes are available in reception and available ONLY when reception is open (09:00-13:00 and 17:00-19:00 when we were there). Air con in rooms is available at extra charge (4 Euros per day) but the units are fixed position so takes a while to cool room. Pictures on First Choice web site were fairly accurate.

Apartment seemed pretty big and well cared for, as did the others we saw which seemed similar. We had a studio which is designed for max 2 plus a child and we coped easily with three of us. Basically a rectangle 3.75m wide then split into balcony (2m deep), bed/living area (5m deep), bathroom, kitchen and entrance hall (2m deep). Standing at the front door, the bathroom was to the left which had modern fittings and even a proper shower cubicle. To the right was the "kitchen" with a 2 ring hob, sink work top, kettle and cupboards - simple but effective. Past the bathroom was a large built in wardrobe (plenty big enough for 3) and the two solid 2 solid wood single beds with bedside tables. On the right was a solid wood table and 2 chairs, a sofa bed and a dressing table. On the wall above was a small TV which received about 4 English speaking channels. The balcony had table and 3 chairs. Sounds a bit clinical, but it was all in good condition, clean tidy and well laid out.

People who run the apartments are very friendly and helpful. Extra pillows etc available from reception, rooms cleaned daily (except Sun) and pool bar open 7 days a week. This is a really good place to stay if you are going to Acharavi. Well positioned for beach or town, and if the weather is not brilliant (as with us) then a pleasant place to weather out the storm (sorry for the pun)

Acharavi is not really 18-30 territory (that's more Roda 3km or Sidari 13Km up the road) and is therefore limited in entertainment, but there are plenty of bars and places to eat both along the beach and on the main street. If you want the standard chips with everything then it's available, but there are a few places to get real Greek food (or at least a better facsimile than the local English Kebab shop). We managed to eat Greek food every night and never had a bad meal in Acharavi.

The Pumphouse was the best, but because it is good, gets very busy and so you may need to wait for a table. Service is very friendly, prices reasonable and the food excellent.

Acharavi Park comes a close second to the Pumphouse and serves a mean breakfast as well. Worth noting that the locals eat at Acharavi Park and the Pumphouse so the food must be reasonably authentic as well.

Woody's on the beachfront is really good for breakfast and drinks. I suspect evening meals would be good too, but we didn't try them.

Lunch (if your stomach is not too full already) at the Veggra bar on the beach is pretty good and is a really nice place to have a drink and watch the sea between sunbathing.

We ate in Roda (can't remember the name) and had "The Big Meze" which was OK, and there is a sister restaurant in Acaravi which we didn't try, but wouldn't recommend it. It wasn't bad, just wasn't very good.

The beach is, well how can I put this politely, stony. Forget the sand/shingle description in the brochure, the reality is a ribbon of pebbles with an occasional sand/shingle patch. Part of Roda beach is sandy, and there is more sand at the very far end of the cove in the other direction from Acharavi, but mostly it pebbles. These unfortunately extend into the water so you might want a pair of the cheap wet-suit type shoes from the local shop before going for a swin. The water changes from flat mirror to quite large breakers fairly quickly so you do need to keep an eye on it for little ones. That said, it is quite shallow for a way out so it shouldn't be too dangerous

There are plenty of sunbeds (price range 2 - 4 Euros each). The best we found were the wooden ones with a sponge pad in front of The Veggra bar. These were by far the most comfortable and we paid 8 Euros for 3 beds, and umbrella and a table. Downside is there are a very limited number of these so get there early.

If you want a hire car then there are plenty of places to choose from we used Castaway travel on a recommendation who were very helpful. But, they are just an agent for Inter who are a few doors up so it might be worth taking those few extra steps. We got a car (Group B) which had seen better days, but did the job at 30 Euros per day. Wasn't particularly cheap, but it suited us.

If sandy beach and very lively nightlife is what your looking for, then go to Sidari (or if you absolutely no taste then Kavos).

If however, you don't mind the pebble beach and want quality accommodation and a good base for a holiday, then Acharavi is it. And if you choose Acharavi, then choose Matoula and you wont be disappointed on either score.