BENITSES

Benitses, a very old and proud-of-its-traditions village, is one of the most original holiday resorts of Corfu,  Greece. It is situated 12 kilometres south from the town and 9 kilometres from the international airport Loannis Kapodistrias. It is one of the most traditional Corfiot villages with unique natural beauty and has long been a very popular and well known tourist destination.

It has a strange and strong attraction over the visitors that is not easy to describe in words. Perhaps it is the lush vegetation on the surrounding mountains, the notorious nightlife of the recent past, the beautiful history of the place, or the famous first guests and residents of the 50s. It has kept its natural beauty intact despite the intense activity and large touristic development that started in the 1960s. The resort and town is about three quarters of a mile long, with mainly small restaurants, bars and tourist type shops. It has hotels of every category, apartments, villas and rooms, which offer excellent facilities for the visitors. In the Benitses restaurants and tavernas you can taste from traditional Greek cuisine, to pizzas, pasta, and even Chinese food.  Its low key but pleasant  nightlife is centred round the many bars.

The new yacht harbour (Marina) has berths for hundreds of private boats, as well as the local pleasure craft.  The beaches with their crystal clear water are very clean and  well maintained for the visitors’ enjoyment. They are a mix of shingle and sand, where sunbeds can be rented, and water sports enjoyed. Some of the sights and places worth visiting in Benitses  and the surrounding area, are the Sea Museum, the ruins of the Roman villa with remnants of thermal baths, and he Achilleion Palace in Gastouri.

Benitses, which had a reputation for its liveliness, has returned to a sleepy fishing village with numerous tavernas and restaurants, and a speedboat you can hire further down towards Messonghi. There are a variety of options for the visitor´s accomodation: several small hotels, a couple of large hotels, houses, apartments and luxury villas.

There are numerous shops of any kind, gift shops, jewelry shops, several supermarkets and others where you will find anything you might need. There are several cash machines on the main road of Benitses and you are also able to exchange money or cash traveller’ cheques in most of the tourist shops there.