Corfu Greece with small children

[lopape]

Hi all, we've narrowed Corfu Greece for the summer holiday. We've never been and we have 2 small children (under 4).

I'm trying to see which part of the island we should choose.

Our ideal situation would be somewhere with:

• nice sandy beaches and water suitable for small children
• close to a lot of restaurants

I saw some resorts online that looked really good but they seem to be quite isolated and we prefer to eat outside the hotel if possible.

Anyone who has been can you please recommend an area? Or let me know which parts should we stay away from?
Thanks 😊

We're open to other Greek islands as well if you think there's some amazing ones for families

I love Corfu, it's a beautiful island and probably one of my favourite Greek islands. It is, though, a mosquito heaven because it's quite a 'wet' island, lots of greenery, quite a bit of rain in the lead up to Summer and say September/October onwards. It does make the island look beautiful and less 'sparse' than some of the islands but it does mean the mosquito situation can often be quite a lot.

All of the islands are family friendly I think (well maybe not Mykonos, too popular with the young trendy crowd, rather than families).

I’d suggest either Arillas, Agios Georgios or Agios Gordios (very confusing, I know!)
Arillas has a quiet feel, a sheltered sandy beach and shallow water. There are enough tavernas to eat somewhere different every night.
Agios Georgios is also fairly quiet, but better for watersports and entertainment. Agios Georgios is villa central, so if it’s a hotel you’re after, start looking in Arillas.
Agios Gordios has a long sandy beach (some parts are shingly). There’s a good choice of tavernas but it’s not overly rowdy, but don’t get too close to the Pink Palace. The centre of the resort is flat and easily walkable although much of the accommodation (mainly apartments with just a few hotels) is on the slopes. It’s not too isolated and there’s plenty of amenities and apartments.

We stayed near Roda a couple of years ago, we really liked it there. Not as busy as it’s neighbour sidari, but plenty of places to eat and some shops etc.

We’re off to Corfu again this year and staying in St George’s south. I don’t think the south is as picturesque as the north, but we’re looking forward to hopefully seeing the flamingos on lake Korisson. It may well be a good resort for small kids. It has a large sandy beach with shallow water and a little train that goes the length of the resort. The reviews say there are good places to eat. I can’t say what it’s really like though as we haven’t been yet.

As above though I would definitely stock up on mozzie repellent before you go. We were unprepared first time and I ended up at the doctors with infected bites and a swollen ankle. Hasn’t put me off though. It’s a lovely island, with such friendly welcoming locals and so much beautiful scenery, but this time I’ll be taking lots of spray!

Thanks everyone! Great info about mosquitoes, wouldn't have thought of that! I'm going to research all the areas you wrote about and hopefully find something good.

Is it easy to rent a car and drive around to the different parts?

We stayed in Kassiopi a couple of years ago. That was lovely but probably a bit small for a young family. Worth a visit though if on the island. Roda was just along the coast, we visited a few times and would be perfect for you I think. It’s between Siidari (very rowdy and commercial) and Kassiopi.

The island is very small so easy to hire a car and drive around. The only place slightly hard to navigate was Corfu Town. I wouldn’t drive there out of choice as there is loads of buses and boat trips to get there but we drove from the airport as we were staying in a villa.

We stayed in Messonghi with our very small DC and had a wonderful time!

@Fivemoreminutes1

I’d suggest either Arillas, Agios Georgios or Agios Gordios (very confusing, I know!) Arillas has a quiet feel, a sheltered sandy beach and shallow water. There are enough tavernas to eat somewhere different every night. Agios Georgios is also fairly quiet, but better for watersports and entertainment. Agios Georgios is villa central, so if it’s a hotel you’re after, start looking in Arillas. Agios Gordios has a long sandy beach (some parts are shingly). There’s a good choice of tavernas but it’s not overly rowdy, but don’t get too close to the Pink Palace. The centre of the resort is flat and easily walkable although much of the accommodation (mainly apartments with just a few hotels) is on the slopes. It’s not too isolated and there’s plenty of amenities and apartments.

I went to Agios Gordios in September. It's a truly beautiful resort and we had a great time (four middle aged women 😅) but it is quite isolated (SW coast) and a fair distance from Corfu Town, about 40 minutes on the bus. Tons of lovely restaurants but yes, much of the accommodation is situated on very steep hills which might not be ideal with young children.