LA MER Homes rents holiday villas to rent in Corfu concentrated along the northern coast, around Acharavi, Agios Spyridon, Old Perithia and Barbati, with houses sleeping anywhere from six guests up to fifteen. Every one has a private pool and garden, a full kitchen and parking, and the drive up from the airport takes roughly forty minutes on good roads.
The north of the island suits a villa holiday better than most people expect, because it has the sand. Acharavi and Almyros run for kilometers in a shallow, gently shelving stretch that children can walk out into safely, which is a different proposition from the pebble coves of the north-east coast around Barbati and Nissaki, lovely as those are for swimming off a rock and looking across the strait toward Albania. Agios Spyridon, a few minutes west of Kassiopi, is quieter again, with a small beach and a freshwater lagoon behind it. Inland, Old Perithia sits half-abandoned on the slopes of Mount Pantokrator and has become one of the better lunch stops on the island, while Makrades and Lakones look down over Paleokastritsa from the west.
Individual houses put you closer than a map suggests. Villa Aurora Blue stands 30 meters from San Spyridon Beach, Villa Serenissima 100 meters from Almyros, Beach Villa Blue 80 meters above the rock and pebble shore at Barbati, and Beachfront Villa Seasun has its own access to the water with St Spyridon Second Beach 300 meters away. Villa Dominante sits 1.5 kilometers back from Acharavi Beach and Villa Cocona 3 kilometers from Almyros. Corfu Town, with its Venetian fortresses and arcaded streets, is about an hour south; Rome2Rio puts the airport at roughly 35.6 kilometers and 40 minutes from Acharavi.
Pools here are unusually good. Villa Serenissima has two, a 21 meter outdoor stretch and a small indoor one that can be warmed on request at no extra cost, while Villa Dominante offers heating included in its rental price alongside a heated jacuzzi and a shallow section for toddlers. Villa Cocona and Villa Acropolitana both run to 10 by 5 meters with hydro-massage corners, and Villa Sunset at Peritheia has a 10.5 meter infinity edge. Rates cover the house, wifi, air conditioning, kitchen, parking and linen, with cleaning schedules and extras set out on each listing. Compare islands in our Cyprus or Greece guide, search by dates, or read how to book direct without a platform commission.
Acharavi makes an easy base for a first visit. Its main street carries supermarkets, bakeries, pharmacies and a long row of tavernas, the beachfront runs for a good stretch without becoming a strip, and Roda, Sidari and Kassiopi are each a short hop along the coast for a change of scene. Olive groves and cypress cover the slopes behind, so the views from the hillside houses stay green rather than parched even in August, which is not true of every Greek island. Guests who want more isolation take the Peritheia or Makrades properties and drive down for supplies twice a week.
The north, almost entirely. Seven are in and around Acharavi, two at Agios Spyridon near Kassiopi, one at Peritheia inland and one at Barbati on the north-east coast, plus a hillside house at Makrades above Paleokastritsa. Nothing in this collection sits in the south of the island or in Corfu Town itself, which we would rather state than leave you to find out on arrival.
Corfu International Airport lies just south of Corfu Town, roughly 35.6 kilometers and about 40 minutes from Acharavi by road, with Agios Spyridon and Peritheia a few minutes further. Barbati is closer, around half an hour. The coastal road north is straightforward driving, though the final approaches to the hillside properties involve some narrow lanes.
Yes, for almost every address. Acharavi has shops, tavernas and a long beachfront within walking distance of the village itself, but the houses sit back from it, and Agios Spyridon, Peritheia and Makrades are firmly car territory. Each property has parking for two or three vehicles. Book early for July and August when the island runs short.
Villa Aurora Blue is 30 meters from San Spyridon Beach and Villa Serenissima 100 meters from Almyros, both sandy. Beach Villa Blue stands 80 meters above Barbati, which is rock and pebble rather than sand, so bring swim shoes. Beachfront Villa Seasun has direct access with St Spyridon Second Beach 300 meters along, and Villa Dominante is 1.5 kilometers from Acharavi Beach.
Every one. Sizes run from a 6 by 4 meter pool at Beach Villa Blue up to Villa Serenissima's 21 by 4 meter outdoor pool, with infinity edges at Villa Waterlily and Villa Sunset and hydro-massage corners at Villa Cocona and Villa Acropolitana. Several have shallow sections for small children, and a few add an outdoor jacuzzi.
On several properties, yes, and the arrangements differ more than usual. Villa Dominante lists heating on request included in the rental price, and Villa Serenissima's indoor pool can be warmed on request at no additional charge. Villa Sunset and Beachfront Villa Seasun offer it for a fee, with a week's notice needed at Villa Sunset. Ask us to confirm for your dates.
Beachfront Villa Seasun, with seven bedrooms sleeping fifteen, a brick-built barbecue and outdoor dining for fourteen, is the largest we have anywhere. Villa Serenissima takes ten across five en-suite bedrooms and adds a gym, an outdoor kitchen and an indoor bar. For a group wanting two houses side by side, several Acharavi addresses are within a short walk of each other.
It is the strongest part of the island for them. Acharavi and Almyros have long sandy beaches that shelve slowly, the village is flat and easy with a pushchair, and several houses have shallow pool sections, children's play space, cots and high chairs on request. Villa Dominante's separate toddler section and Beachfront Villa Seasun's children's pool area are both worth a look.
Old Perithia, a stone village on Mount Pantokrator largely left to itself for decades, makes an excellent long lunch. Paleokastritsa's bays and the viewpoint at Lakones are an easy afternoon from the west-coast house. Corfu Town's fortresses, arcades and museums fill a full day. Boat trips run from Kassiopi and Agios Stefanos, and the mountain road gives walking with serious views.
Corfu is greener, hillier and more Italianate, with short distances and a distinctly different feel from island to island in the Ionian. Cyprus runs warmer later in the year and has the easier shoulder season. Since we rent in both, our Cyprus or Greece guide sets out the trade-offs without picking a side.
May, June, September and early October give warm days, warm sea and far fewer people than the school holidays. July and August are hot and busy. April and late October are pleasant, though a couple of pools here run seasonally from April to November, so check the listing. Winter in Corfu is green and wet, which is why the island looks the way it does.
The house, its pool, wifi, air conditioning, kitchen, parking and bed linen. Cleaning and linen schedules vary by property, from weekly changes through to daily tidying, and each listing states its own. Extras such as cots, high chairs, pool towels and heating are itemized before you confirm, and booking direct means no commission is added afterward.