I booked this for my 16 year old daughter and myself as a last minute deal. I had asked for anywhere hot. They came up with Corfu and the Eriva Apartments. I quickly read the reviews, had a few concerns about the owners from one or two reviews I had read, but decided to go for it anyway.

On arrival at the ungodly hour of 6am, one of the owners showed us to our room. We had no conversation really, we were too tired for any of that and also it was quite clear that he spoke very little English. Despite having read the reviews on the sparsness of Greek accommodation, being a first-timer staying in Greece, I was still a little shocked by the basicness of the apartment and especially the kitchen. A two-ringed hob, kettle, sandwich toaster and fridge was not my usual perception of self-catering! We fell into our very clean and comfortable beds (I was pleasantly surprised by the comfort of the beds having read in other reviews that they were rock hard. Yes, they were solid, but comfortably so).

The next morning I went in search of the nearest supermarket. The lady behind the pool bar gave me directions. It was only a 6 minute, very pleasant walk away, and the walk gave me time to plan my 2-hob, one sandwich toaster menus! As it happens, there is quite a lot you can come up with, so by the time I had returned laden with my shopping, the sparse kitchen worries had paled into insignificance! On checking the kitchen in the cold light of day, it was apparent that everything was either brand new or in pristine condition, which made it even better.

Our days were spent either on the beach ( 6 Euros for 2 sunbeds and a parasol). The beach just outside the hotel is stony, but is beautiful sand at the waters edge and actually in the sea. If you prefer a sandy beach, turn left on the beach and take the 15-20 minute walk into Roda, where there is a sandy beach, but the sunloungers we got there were 7 Euros for two and a parasol. Or we spent time at the pool at the Eriva Apartments, where quite typically, the ignorant brigade were putting towels out early morning and not turning up until mid afternoon. We always managed to find 2 beds together though.

In the evenings we went out to eat, either in Acharavi - 6 minute walk, or along the beach into Roda, where there are restaurants the whole stretch. Everywhere we ate we had great friendly service and the prices weren't too steep. We payed around 20 Euros each night for one course and a couple of drinks each. The shops are open in the evenings as well, so we tended to do a bit of shopping in the evenings too. We would then return to the Eriva Apartments to the pool bar, where we would be served by William, the evening barman, who was loved by everyone, due to his friendliness, sense of humour and great memory for everyone's drinks. William speaks perfect English and helped me have a conversation with one of the owners. From what I could gather, the apartments are owned by several brothers and their wives work there too. I found them all very helpful and friendly. We managed to do something strange to the lock on our front door and couldn't lock or unlock it. One of the brothers left what he was doiing and immediately came to sort it out for us, going into the apartment next door to climb over the balconies and open it from the inside. We had a good laugh about it and after that, he always greeted us with a smile and a laugh.

Because we hadn't properly checked in, there were a couple of things we didn't know about, for example, how the air con worked and how to use the safety deposit box. I went into reception and had it explained to me. I agree with previous writers that this information could have been displayed inside the room, along with notification that the first toilet roll is complementary and you have to buy the rest, to avoid your running into trouble(!), but this may all have been explained on a proper check-in and quite honestly, it doesn't take too much to go and ask at reception!

We didn't feel the need for the air con. We kept our patio doors open all night (being on the 1st floor, this wasn't a problem). We noticed that people left car windows open with car keys in the ignition, so felt it was safe to do this.

Our towels and bedding were changed once during the week. This was perfectly adequate, after all, you wouldn't change them everyday at home, would you? The apartment was cleaned and bins emptied everyday, apart from one day. Not sure if that was an oversight or because we were in bed when the maids came round, but it wasn't an issue.

Overall, we found the Greek people, including the owners of the Eriva Apartments to be very friendly, jovial, trusting and trustworthy people. It was a refreshing change to go abroad and not be hassled and followed around by stall holders, just to be offered help and advice if you needed it. Something I found very special about the Eriva was the family feel to the place. The Eriva family had family members there day and night, including grandchildren and extended families, rather than making you feel excluded, it made you feel part of a large Greek family.

We spent the whole week within walking distance of the Eriva as we just wanted that kind of holiday. We managed to get to Hydropolis, the water park in Archaravi, which was a small park costing us 30Euros for the day. We didn't really find that value for money for us, but would have been for families with younger children. There were other trips on offer, such as a day trip to Albania, Corfu highlight tour, trip to Aqualand, Corfu's biggest water park and trips to Corfu town, but we feel our week was well-spent staying close to the Eriva.

I probably wont go back to the Eriva, simply because I like to try different places, but I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone. Acharavi is not the liveliest place, so I think groups of teenagers/20 somethings should stay clear, but it is a great family place and as a good a base as any for exploring the island.