A long weekend jaunt away – just what the soul needed
As promised a review on travel in the new normal. Its from a good friend who has been living in London and popped down to Corfu, Greece for a long weekend. Enjoy….
As a Canadian, living in London, there are so many advantages, not least of which has been the accessibility of travel. Popping over to the continent is made so easy with City Airport, Heathrow and Gatwick less than 40 minutes away. Weekend excursions to France, Spain, Germany, Portugal all very affordable, often less than a bus trip from Montreal to Toronto! This lockdown has been challenging, and in my 21 years in the UK has resulted in the longest feet to the ground dry spell ever! I was getting cagey!
When it was announced that Greece was no-longer on the hot list (meaning no quarantine on return), we decided to book a last-minute trip to Corfu. Of course, with all the recent news we had some concerns, but the London forecast for the long weekend (coldest in recorded history) coupled with a deep visceral yearning for sun, we decided to take our chances.
The 30-minute taxi ride (masks on) to Gatwick airport was painless. The airport was empty making social distancing easy and the breeze with which we passed through security make it actually enjoyable. Once inside, we were able to meander through the shops with everyone keeping at least two metres apart. Not knowing if food and drink were going to be available, we picked up the customary water and snacks along with some toiletries as we were travelling with hand luggage only and there were very strict guidelines about weight and liquids.
The flight was segregated by travelling companions so if you were only two people travelling the third seat was left free making the flight rather roomy. Again, everyone was respectful of their distance and if they forgot a simple request to give more room was always granted embarrassingly but quickly.
On arrival at Corfu international, there was lots of room for roaming making navigating the airport easy. Everyone was in a mask appearing normal. From there, we rented a car, so the van picked us up to take us to the car rental agency and again, the van was only on a per family basis, driver and passengers fully masked up. Once we were in the car, masks off, aircon on, we easily found our way to the resort, Sentido Apollo Palace.
Only staff members were in masks but in general guests kept respectful distances…Sadly, it was not as advertised… five star it was not! Though it had three swimming pools, a spa, two restaurants and a bar, the quality was more two stars. The rooms were per functionary and although we had paid for half board our first meal made us realise, we would be eating off the resort more than on.
Rules and regulations at the hotel
So, we decided that each morning we would load up a cooler and discover new beaches and villages to spend the day. Afterall, we were there for the sea, sand and sun. We found some lovely little villages, sandy beaches, azure water and quaint tavernas with authentic Greek food. Bliss!
On returning from one of our excursions, we found a quaint Taverna at the end of a jetty serving fresh fish, family recipe moussaka and Greek salad all perfectly paired with a crisp sparkling wine.
On our third day we rented a boat, tour inlets and discovered a lovely little restaurant that we had to moor the boat as the shoreline was shallow and walk in with our belongings over our head. The vista was stunning, the food great and the cocktails thirst-quenching. Back on board, we slowly made our way back to harbour, stopping the boat occasionally for a refreshing dip in the relentless 33-degree sun. Such a blissful day, without any concerns of social distancing at all.
So now as I sit in 18-degree, rain spattered cloudy London, I am so thankful we decided to make the trip. Every precaution was taken, masks were worn where necessary, distances were kept, sanitizer used, and we have returned refreshed and relaxed ready to face the next leg of this bizarre journey the pandemic has put us on.
Photo and article credit – Deb Wood
