We decided to plan girls’ trip and after some persuasion settled on a small Greek Island at a lovely hotel. 6 days to explore and of course lounge by the pool sampling the cocktail menu and street food. The perfect balance. The Greek Island of Corfu is full of narrow cobbled streets, clear sparkling blue waters, and clifftop picturesque views that you accidentally stumble upon that don’t feel real to the eye. This happened several times on my trip and was potentially one of my favourite things too, the everyday beauty of the island.

A half-hour taxi drive to Old Corfu Town in Kerkyra which holds a lot of charm and architecture in between its small paved side streets. Visit old fortresses and castles, antique bric-a-brac shops, souvenir stores for matching bracelets, markets and gelato stools on its burning hot days to keep you going. Small little local cafes for your iced lattes under sheltered umbrellas, there’s many to choose from. Its beautifully coloured buildings in terracotta tones and curved front doors and patterned windows make the ancient town rich with history and gave a timeless beauty during its busy days. It is truly an old town worth wandering through.

A boat trip – was not a hard decision and also the highlight of the holiday. A16 bus route from Gouvia to Paleokastrites, you’re handed a torn-off classic bus ticket with Greek typography and get to sit and watch the hilly scenery in awe on the drive, especially the end destination. Exploring the town of Paleokastrites prior to our scheduled boat trip, we braved climbing the cliff towards the monastery which is surrounded by water and hot sand. It is full of history and graceful curved architecture, with wild trees, branches and fluorescent pink flowers blooming for perfect added effect, I definitely do recommend if you can handle climbing in the strong heat. There’s a lovely jewellery shop mid-way to keep you going, bear in mind it is cash only. Our private boat tour through the caves/coves with a mixture of pebble and sand beaches, and crystal clear waters was simply stunning. Little hidden bays around most corners that the locals’ favourite, the only way to get to is via boat or wander through the trees on a narrow track path. The surrounding white limestone cliffs and wild swimming in the bright blue-green ocean will be an engraved happy memory with my friends. La Grotta Bar is a bar located within the rocks of a cliff nearby and a great location if you want some cocktails and local food with a bay view, attempt the cliff jumping or diving board for a thrill or dance by the ocean to the loud music in the evenings. A true Mamma Mia moment awaiting…

We fancied exploring nearby towns and chose to hire bikes from our hotel and cycled through the back streets of Gouvia (main roads are quite scary especially when you’re on the other side of the road). Beach hopping from pebbled bays to sandy beaches and marinas, dipping our toes in the water each time to cool down and attempting to skim stones. We walked around the yachts and boats bobbing atop the water with the mountains in every direction in the scorching sun. This area has several local cafés with blue views to pitstop at for lunch to calmly watch the world go by. Take a water bottle if you decide to cycle in the balmy heat!

Our hotel was a beauty in itself, surrounded by the realm of boho-styled interior which was perfectly placed, indoor dark green planters, woven benches and warm neutral tones throughout. An inspiration paired with the outdoor scenery. After exploring the views it had to offer to the mountains and trees; we unfortunately had the luxury view of the car park from our balcony. We experienced a wholesome evening of fine dining at Campiello, the courtyard restaurant within the hotel – glasses of wine constantly topped up, table lit setting with the sunset, our prettiest outfits and true Greek salads. All agreed the best meal we’ve had. True laidback vibes offered to soak up the golden rays or shade after a while on the loungers with a book. Our trio chose to continue serenity and gave a sound healing session a try, relaxing to different vibrations under the shady palm trees. As a first-timer, I can say that this does feel very peaceful, especially in the green sanctuaries and humid warm air. Would you give it a go? You can always follow it up by a passionfruit cocktail for added bliss.

After always wanting to explore a Greek island and wander through the bright white walls of old historical towns, swim in sparkling clear waters beside forest green palm trees with pink bougainvillea. I got to live out this dream with my friends and cannot recommend Corfu enough. It is effortlessly pretty! It has a balance of liveliness, history, endless beaches and secret picturesque views to be stumbled upon. Scorchingly hot but beautifully bearable during August time, an opportunity for that lush golden tan or red burns if you’re like me. Do take factor 50 with you!

Have I swayed you to book a trip to Corfu? I’m now reminiscing this girls’ trip.