My ULTIMATE Corfu Guide: The secret side locals work hard to hide from you

A compilation of my best secret spots, from beaches to family-run tavernas - only for you.

Kalimera from a sun-drenched Athens,

Following the Corfu retreat I hosted last week, I wanted to share my ultimate guide to secret Corfu with you. I don’t tend to share these places in the magazines I write for because I don’t want tourists to descend to the spots closest to my heart en masse. Please keep my spots a secret between me and you, the reason they’re special is because they’re not on ‘the map’. If you must share on social media, I would ask that you avoid location tagging!

Below, I’m sharing where to go for an undisturbed beach day in which you’ll likely be the only ones on the beach, where to hike for stunning views and which parts of the island you should visit for a real off the beaten track experience of my home, along with my favourite local spots for an authentic eating experience. This is where I hang out when I’m in Corfu, away from the crowds and tourist-traps of the main coastal road that rings around the island.

Shoulder season (now!) and spring is really the best time to visit the island. For anyone who’s heading there or has it on their list, the below guide is for you.

Before all that, a little debrief on the retreat…

The past two weeks have been intense to say the least. After a summer of non-stop travel across the Mediterranean to research my new book of recipes from matriarchs, I headed back to my island of Corfu. Rounding off my summer, I was lucky enough to host guests in a beautiful Venetian manor home in the hills, feeding them the produce and finest local cuisine my island has to offer.

Between hiking to secret beaches, making Greek coffee with my Yiayia and learning to weave as Greek women have for thousands of years, I also hosted a particularly special dinner this week in which we all paid tribute to the matriarchs that came before us.

After a writing workshop which inspired poetry and odes to our grandmothers, we all cooked up dishes that we have inherited from them. We then shared those dishes in a candlelit dinner, interspersed with poetry readings that told us more about the woman behind each dish. It was incredibly moving and I loved being able to prompt memories, flavours and scents that have been buried for years.

I host these retreats every year and each one feels incredibly unique, partly owing to the diverse guests I host from all over the world and partly because I mix up the activities and locations that we explore each time round. If you’d like to join a retreat next year, I send updates and special discounts in this email, so stay tuned for 2025 date announcements coming up.

The reason I began hosting these retreats is because I am always asked to share my Corfu recommendations and I adore my island so much that I tend to want to take people by the hand and show it to them myself, rather than send over a list of suggestions.

Visiting Corfu with a local / using local tips is essential. It’s a big island and unfortunately, the coastline has been built up and marred by mass tourism. There’s so much to treasure on the island that can’t be found without insider knowledge and this is what excites me the most about the retreats that I host.

Here’s my ultimate guide to secret Corfu - the island I try and share with my friends: still beautiful, rugged and wild in all its green glory….