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| Better value in North West Corfu |
Pirate's Cove - a spectacular beach near Afionas in North West Corfu
Whenever a positive article appears about Corfu in the UK quality press, you
can almost guarantee that it will focus on the North East Coast. Otherwise
known as ‘Kensington-on-Sea’, the strip of coastline between Barbati and
Kassiopi has become synonymous with exclusive villas - and even more
exclusive clientele. Charles and Camilla, Prince William, the Kents, Harold
Pinter and Lady Antonia Fraser and George Best have been regular or
occasional visitors.
But it could just as easily have been the north west of the island that
gained fame as its ‘riviera’, if others had followed in the wake of one of
Corfu’s first titled settlers.
It was in the 1960s that Lord and Lady Glenconner built Villa Rovinia in a
beachfront location just south of Paleokastritsa, a process described by
their daughter Emma Tennant in her lovely book ‘A House in Corfu’ .
Last year Lady Glenconner sold Rovinia, and bought a smaller property
in a nearby village (from Luvcorfu Properties). Like others that know and love it, she
and her daughter remain faithful to North West Corfu.
The first indication that interest in North West Corfu is growing came
recently, in the Home section of the Sunday Times of 22 May 2005. An article
by Emma Tennant celebrated her mother’s move to the new house, and went on
to describe a number of properties in the area, from a tiny one-up one-down
in Skripero at 12,000 euros to a luxury beachfront villa in Arillas at
560,000 euros.
While demand has put pressure on property prices along the North East Coast,
and even in the hill villages of the region, in the less-hyped North West
prices remain substantially lower. Where in NE Corfu would you find a large
architect-designed villa right on the beach for 230,000 euros? In inland
Skripero, less than 15 minutes drive to the beach on both sides of the
island, a fully renovated village house with two bedrooms, courtyard and
great country view is going for just 90,000 euros. In Makrades, a huge old
stone house with sea view is for renovation at 55,000 euros.
Having been one of the last or Corfu’s regions to develop touristically, the
North West retains much of the character of couple of decades ago. Villages
are traditional, roads quiet, resorts low-key and beaches undeveloped. And,
long after the North East has sunk into shade, the light leaves the Sunset
Coast last, as the westering sun tips over the edge of the world.
To view properties in North West Corfu, click here
To view properties in West Corfu, click here
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