I thought it would be lovely to read everyone's Arillas history. Hope y'all join in.
Jen and me bought a cheapie allocate on arrival holiday. Lorna, the rep (put your stuff away Goerge) made us feel great. But she didn't have to try. I said on day two "Have I died and gone to heaven?" 10 years later I am the same.
my Arillas CV-
Places stayed:
Elena studios
Alekos Sgouros
Kaloudis
Anna Studios
Elena Stella
Brouklis
Places eaten?
Nearly everywhere.
Graziella garlic prawns are No 1
Favourite place?
Thalassa.
Favourite people? None. We hate them all. Believe that and you'll believe anything.
Phil
I will indeed join in Phil, just gathering all my thoughts and memories.
Places stayed - May 2007, May 2009, May 2010 - all three times at Kaloudis Village. (we missed 2008 as our youngest daughter got married)
Sept/Oct 2010 will be at Horizon Hotel, Arillas
Favourite places to eat: Love most of them, although have a few favourites - Brouklis, Horizon, Thalassa, Kostas and Portofino
Favourite people: so far almost everyone we've met!
Reason for change of location: none whatsoever!
Janis x
We have been in Arillas in the autumn of 2006, 2008 and 2009, on package tours, staying at the Horizon. We have always been treated as old friends, even on that first visit!
Staying so near the sea is fascinating, and often at night I wake up just to go out on the balcony to see and hear the sea in its many different moods. The rooms are well isolated, so the sound never disturbs one's sleep.
Unfortunately, there are no tours from Finland to Arillas anymore, though there are tours to other resorts. We two will certainly return anyway, but new Finnish visitors to Corfu are unlikely to find Arillas.
Each time we promise ourselves to try out new restaurants, but somehow we mostly find ourselves returning to the same two or three, feeling so at home.
Emeralddragons
I'm going to make a few notes before I post Phil....great idea this thread! Didn't realise that you had been visiting Arillas for 10 years...same as us!!!
Places we have stayed,2009,2010,kaloudis.2011 kaloudis again,each and everyone of them have become like family to us. Enjoyed meals at.grazilla ,portafino,sea breeze,marina,horizon,helens,kostas.But i do have a soft spot for splish splash.great food fantastic people what more could you ask for.
We have stayed at:-
Kaloudis (twice)
Marina Apts
Tria Adelphia
Bakery
Irene Villas
Charisis
MARINAKI - LOADS of times and the only place from now on!
First discovered Arillas like you Phil, via Accom on arrival. Needless to say it made quite an impression :-)
Apologies for some repetition here : We visited San Stefanos in 2001 for a week with our girls and their (and our) friend Maria. She had never travelled abroad before and we chose Corfu as both Nigel and I had visited in our younger days and had adored it. Indeed if things had turned out differently I could well now be married to Alekos a great guy from Doukades!
Maria had a blast...really enjoyed everything about the island. We travelled a lot, as far as Messonghi and to other places also.
14 days after our return, Maria died....unexplainable sudden adolescent death syndrome....we were all devastated.
The following year we really needed a holiday....my dad had died suddenly 2 weeks after Maria, so off we went to our local Travel Agent for a late booking.
We were offered Corfu and thought hmmm not sure about that, but perhaps it's meant to be.
Arillas they suggested. Well neither of us had heard of it despite being VERY familiar with the island we thought! We decided to go for it. Accommodation was at Vavillas.
We arrived at three in the morning having spent 3 hours in a coach dropping off and thought oh my God what have we done? We had 2 teenage girls and all we could hear was a lonesome cockerel and all that we could see was miles of farm land!
NEXT MORNING wow....we were in heaven!
We have been back every year apart from 2004 when we went to Portugal saying every day....you've guessed it!!!! WISH THAT WE WERE IN ARILLAS!
ANYWAY....places to eat: Brouklis....our most favourite.........great hosting and delicious food
Vavillas......love the fact that Thomas shows you his dad's early morning catch in the kitchen!
Thalassa
Effie's don't be put off by the daunting stairs!
Sea Breeze and Mirage.......relaxing lunches
Ah, Gaye what a heart rending story! Its like Arillas was your fate xx
I remember Maria's story Gaye - still sends a shiver down my spine. But I am so pleased she had that wonderful Corfu holiday first......
We first came to arillas in 1998 on our honeymoon and have made an annual visit since. We booked our first visit just a couple of days before the wedding and travelled the day after we were married. It cost £179 each for two weeks! we have stayed at Makris (twice), Tria adelphia (four times), Nikos (once), Kaloudis (three times including once in Roula's private apartments and once in the lovenest)- I must be missing somewhere though as that's only 10!
Here goes mine:
Guest in Arillas:
1992 - Weekly day off day trip destination during summer season (escape from Corfu town)
1993 - Weekly day off day trip destination during summer season (escape from Corfu town)
2007 - Tropicana
2008 - Brouklis
2009 - Brouklis
Favourite tavernas in Arillas:
Armourada
Brouklis
Thalassa
And the rest...
Erja, where were you between 1993 and 2007?
Something like Thessaloniki - London - Japan - London - Finland - London
I was living from two suitcases for few years at the time :)
Our Arillas CV is....
2004 - Leonidas
2005 - Leonidas
2007 - Dionyssos
2009 - Kaloudis
2010 - Dionyssos
Hope to add many more in the coming years.
Yammas, Paul and Heather
I've averaged at least once a year since 1988 (I think), altho' hubby came at least 3 times prior to that( - slept on the beach on one occasion).
So here goes -
Sophia and Dimitris place (near to Portofino) x 4
Yannis appartment opposite his supermarket x 4
Brouklis x 1
Rainbow x 1
Elena Stella x 4
Tria Adelfia x 8 (?)
Nikos Appts x 1
a.n.other x 1
Leonidas x 1
(there may be others and I apologise to the owners for any omissions , but the grey cells aren't what they used to be - I blame the metaxa)
I have absolutely no idea in what order, or in which year, other than I know my first stay was at the Brouklis and the second at the Rainbow.
If I remember correctly, the Rainbow had the only pool in Arillas at the time and if you weren't staying there, you had to pay to use it!
Angie
Angie m, how an earth did you find out about Arillas back then and about Brouklis as well?
It all started in I think "93" and there have been gaps the longest was about 5yr shame I know but we wanted to take daughter to different places as you do but I cant remember what years they were
so...
Kaloudis x 4
Mathraki x 2
Thetis x 2
Makris x 1
Horizon will be x 2 in oct yippee
we started coming back on our own in 2006 but had to miss last year, infact we didnt go any where
Ang
Quote from: Jo Wissett on July 07, 2010, 08:45:28 PM
Angie m, how an earth did you find out about Arillas back then and about Brouklis as well?
- pure chance, Jo!
(Apologies to those who have heard this story before)
Steve had been to Arillas before but just whilst visiting the general area and couldn't remermber what it was called. Then, when he met me , he suggested an 'adventure' holiday - i.e. to drive thru Europe ( - nothing booked - ) , culminating in Corfu. Great idea except we had the car stolen in Brindisi whilst waiting for the ferry!! So, undaunted, we carried on to Corfu and on arrival , got into a taxi and said to the driver "take us somewhere nice and quiet on the west coast". About an hour later (the main road down into Arillas was no more than a track then) we were deposited outside the Brouklis where a charming young man (aged about 11/12? years old) called Dimitris greeted us. As they say, the rest is history!
Great story Angie m...well apart from having your car stolen.
Eileen.xxx
Quote from: Eileen on July 08, 2010, 02:20:21 PM
...well apart from having your car stolen.
The thing is, if the car
hadn't been stolen, we probably would have ended up somewhere else and may never have discovered Arillas - now
that would have been a disaster!! lol!!
'Every cloud ...' and all that. lol.
Angie
Thats a great story Angie, it was fate! :)
Sharon x
June 2005 kaloudis
June 2006 kaloudis
June, sept, oct 2007 kaloudis...greedy year :)
June, sept 2008 kaloudis
June,oct 2009 kaloudis
June 2010 kaludis
Do i need a change....naaaaaaaahhhhh
riggers.
Fourteen times since 1998, twelve at the Marina before air conditioning and after and once each at Bardis Sun apartments and Bardis Sun Hotel. Food good everywhere. Who wants anything else? Back to Marina in August. Only 36 sleeps!
Sept. 07 Kokinos
May 08 Bardis Sun Studios
June 09 Bardis Sun Studios
Oct. 09 Kaloudis
June 10 Bardis Sun Studios
All fantastic holidays...
lynn xx
Marina - 1999
Arilla Inn Apartments 2000
Portofino = twice a year for to many years to mention
Makris - 2008
Rainbow - twice - 2009
Marina - 2010
Favourite eating places - Portofino, Marina and Bouklis
Favourite Bar - Coconut, have never been in Malibu
Favourite People - EVERYONE old friends and special new friends
I'm loving this. It can't be doing the local economy any harm. I hope all of you who have posted are re-living those enjoyable times you have had there, like Jen and me are.
Well we're back in town next week. Arillas batten down the hatches, here we come.....
lmao Phil
Oooh, Phil, I can really feel your excitement now - all the best to you and Jen - have a wonderful, wonderful time!
Janis x
Arillas Bay (now Seabreeze) once
Horizon three times
Kaloudis once
Bardis Sun Apartments Four times
Eleni villa apartments once
Perry & Jimmys Three times
Marina in Sept 2010
All very nice and clean, If I had to pick one for comfort and space it would be Eleni.
If I had to pick one for Friendlyness it would have to be Bardis. Horizon for view,and Jimmy & Perrys for peacefulness. Yes I know ive left one out. Viv
Leonidas June 2007
Tria Adelphia Sept 2007
Mathraki May 2008
Akti Sept 2008
Akti June 2009
Marina Hotel Sept 2009
Had a fantastic stay in all of them but favourite up to now is the Marina. Mainly because of the view we woke up to and the double bed ;)
Sharon x