Canal D'Amour - French for "Channel of Love" (Sidari, Corfu)

Usually I'm not one to visit the same place twice, let alone three times, but I found myself back in Sidari again this summer. There's something about the village of Sidari that makes it feel like a home away from home. It's a lively resort based on the north coast with one main strip of restaurants, bars and a shops. A short walk away from the main area, you can find Canal D'Amour which is home to some unusual rock formations and stunning views. There are several legends about Canal D'Amour and falling in love if you swim through the tunnel. My boyfriends family have visited time and time again over the years and have built good friendships with a number of locals who welcome them back with open arms each year, so a few years ago we decided to pick Sidari as the destination for our first ever holiday together and we've returned several times since.

Accommodation is typical 'Greek style' and fairly basic, but we don't mind as it's only a base for us to freshen up and rest our heads at night. You get what you pay for. In the last few years we've stayed at Socrates apartments, The Alkion and Christos apartments (also know as Canal D'Amour apartments) and all have been fine. The Alkion is located at the end of the strip so it's perfect if you want to be close to the main action. They also do the best Strawberry Daiquiri's. Socrates and Christos are further out towards Canal D'Amour and both have great sea views.

Christos Apartments

View from Socrates Apartments

Pool area at The Alkion

One of my favourite things about Sidari is that there are so many good restaurants offering a massive variety of foods. The staff tend to be really friendly and eager to help. We've still not gotten round to eating everywhere but these are some of my favourites!

Konaki Greek Taverna - This is a friendly family-run restaurant serving traditional Greek dishes. The staff here really make it. I love the fresh bread that they serve you for starter with oil and balsamic! The chicken souvlaki is always my first choice. The chicken is moist and served with fresh, homemade chips.

Cactus Jacks - Not only are the breakfasts fab, the main courses are always massive! This place is situated just off of the main strip which means some visitors might not even know it's there. If you're looking for a bit of tex mex or something with a bit of spice then this is the place for you to come - there's a good selection of fajitas and burritos! The Mexican themed decor is also really unique and fun.

China Town - I'm really picky about my Chinese, so I didn't expect this place to impress me much the first time we visited. It looks quite grand from the outside and the decor throughout is red and authentic. There's a very cute water feature near the front which is all lit up and definitely entices people in from the street. The food portions are generous and served on attractive platters with hand-cut vegetable flowers. Every time we've visited we've had eyes bigger than our bellies. Crispy duck covered in fresh hoisin sauce and wrapped in warm pancake rolls - YUM!

Madison Bar and Diner - Pleasantly surprised! This year is the first time we've visited and I wish that we'd come before. I guess we'd always overlooked Madison's in the past. There's a cool American diner theme throughout and the seats fill up quickly in time for the evening entertainment. There's a nice outside area at the back on the beach too. We visited on an Elvis night which was funny, the staff obviously put a lot of effort in. I am also a bit of a cocktail fanatic and there's a really good menu in here - Jam Jar Strawberry Daiquiri's were my favourite! The gooey fudge brownies are rich and chocolaty, so I wouldn't really need my arm twisting to return here...

B.E.D - The menu here really does spoil the consumer as there's a massive choice of food to pick from whether you want a meaty dish or pasta. We liked to sit outside on the beach and enjoy the sunset. Meals are served with sides such as chips, jacket potato, rice or salad. I loved the ribs and fajitas which were served on a sizzle platter! They also serve smoking cocktails which are cool. There's entertainment and quizzes each night and it gets quite busy.

 

 

There's a good choice of pancakes, waffles and homemade ice cream along the main strip too. I had some strawberry sorbet the first year we visited and it was out of this world. This year I had a Kinder Bueno crepe which was made from scratch right in front of me, very tasty!

 

Quads are fairly cheap to hire and the boys had great fun razzing around the villages and seeing more of the local area. Corfu is a very pretty island.

There's quite a bit to do in Corfu (including the main town) but definitely have a look into your options and book with the local shops as opposed to a UK tour operator so you don't get ripped off. There's a beach in Sidari with lots of water sports and most places will give you free sun-loungers if you eat/drink there earlier in the day.

Every year we hire a pedalo in the afternoon whilst it's breezy to get a bit closer up to the cliffs and coves.

To be honest we're pretty lazy and spend most of the time sunbathing and/or eating, but we have ventured to Aqualand twice where there's a good choice of comfy sun-loungers, slides and a wave pool. The food isn't too overpriced.

If you don't fancy the journey to Aqualand then Sidari also has it's very own water park. It's a bit smaller but ideal for youngsters. The beds are comfy and the waffles are great!! We also had some pizza here which was pretty good.

We have chosen to visit Sidari the last few years as it doesn't break the bank so we can afford to visit other destinations too. We go for a bit of sunshine and to spend some quality time together. I've read mixed reviews online but overall I think it's great value for money and a holiday is what you make of it. Many people return year on year which speaks for itself. The area is clean and there's a good choice of things to do, eat and see. Maybe we'll return again one day! :)