Cruising from Kassiopi; Corfu Magazine - Spring/Summer 2010
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Cruising from Kassiopi
by Bob Law
My family and I have been holidaying in Kassiopi for the last 8 years, and in my opinion one could not choose a better resort. For us the main reason is that there are so many local boat trips. Our holiday wouldn’t be complete without our usual quota of boat trips, which we book as soon as we arrive. Some of these trips, booked through Cosmic Travel, we take year after year, and never grow tired of them.
Setting off from Kassiopi harbour on board the Christina, for the Two Island Cruise, with Captain Costas at the wheel pointing out the places of interest along the way, and Nikos at the bar offering us coffee, beer or ouzo (depending how bright/delicate we look that morning) makes us feel as if we’ve come home. We sail down to Vidos Island opposite Corfu Town where we spend an hour enjoying the peace of this beautiful wildlife sanctuary. We usually stroll round the island, then repair to the café and take in the views across to Town. When we set sail again it’s down the coast to Mouse Island, where we swim from the boat and then enjoy the buffet lunch on board. After sunbathing on the deck, we stop at Nissaki (for coffee & apple cake – a must!), and after that maybe another swim before we return to Kassiopi, VERY relaxed.
Corfu Town is a wonderful cosmopolitan city with shops, bars
and restaurants as well as many places of historical interest.
Going by boat the views are fantastic and you get 4 hours in
Town. The advantage of booking at Cosmic is that you are
given an 8-page leaflet which guides you round the Town past
all the places of interest. As a family we are divided as to
whether it is better to go on the day cruise or evening cruise,
but you’ll know which is my preference when I say the return
sail beneath the stars is magical.
The Beach B.B.Q. is still on our list despite the fact that our kids have grown up. A refreshing swim on the way, there is an attempt (usually successful) to dive for champagne that the Captain throws overboard, then on to sandy Kalamaki Beach, where we stake our claim to sunbeds while the crew prepares our lunch. B.B.Q.’d chicken, burgers, salad and so on fills our plates, followed by delicious ice cream. There is no need to join in with the games that follow, but we still do! The ouzo game (not telling, you’ll have to find out for yourselves!), rounders and basketball (in the sea as it’s really shallow here) with the captain and his mate leading the way, make it a perfect day.
The East Coast Cruise is another favorite of ours leaving Kassiopi at a very respectable 10:30. Vera from Cosmic is there to see us onto whichever boat it is that day – Christina, Andreas, Erinoula or SpyrosK, and we chill out enjoying the commentary by the Captain, stopping at Kouloura, Nissaki, Blue Caves & St. Stefanos for refreshments.
Two other relaxing trips are evening ones. The Moonlight
Serenade on the Christina leaves the harbour with two
excellent musicians serenading us with Greek music
and after a short sail we disembark at Nikos Beach
Taverna. The musicians take their places and are usually
joined by a friend or two, to serenade us with a mixture
of Greek and English songs for the rest of the evening
while we enjoy the panoramic views with a meal. The
hysterical journey back along the jetty, prior to
sailing home under the stars, rounds the evening
off nicely.
The Sunset Cruise foes to St. Stefanos where there is a great choice of restaurants and tavernas. Dining on the waterfront, trying to spot a celebrity, and one of Christos’s cocktails on the return sail (they come in pink, green & blue but don’t appear to have names!) is the perfect way to spend a Saturday evening.
As somebody once wrote “Give a man a fish and he will eat well for a day. Give a man a fishing rod and he’ll sit on a boat and drink beer all day” or something like that. So it is with Captain Socrates’s Fishing Trip. Another relaxing day or evening on the Erinoula, the catch may not be great, but the fishing stories are huge. We love the idea of the stop at a seaside taverna after, where they cook our catch.
All the trips provide a fantastic opportunity to see the Island from a different perspective, don’t just sit on the beach all day, the boat trips make the holiday complete. For us Kassiopi wouldn’t have been as enjoyable without Vera, Mike & Joanna at Cosmic and Costas, Nikos, Andreas, Chritos & Socrates on the boats. The service these people provide is second to none and when we see them again it is like being reunited with old and trusted friends.
Corfu Airport Code: CFU
