I made a list of things we needed to buy in the supermarket, which is something I really enjoy about going on holiday. Buying Toilet Duck and pot-scourers are normally among life's dullest chores, but when you're abroad it's more interesting.

Before going shopping in Kalami, five minutes’ walk down the hill, we popped into the first taverna we came to and ordered a lunch of Greek salad, tsatsiki, fresh fish and a carafe of local white wine. People sat around in swimsuits and shorts. The atmosphere was one of complete relaxation. After the shopping, the walk back up the hill was a bit of a killer, but a jump in the pool soon made us feel better.

The view from our villa was glorious, one of the sights being the famous White House, where the author Lawrence Durrell lived. It's now a taverna serving great fresh fish and local dishes. We went there for dinner and it really was excellent. Apart from breakfast, which was usually a bacon sandwich for Steve and toast and cereal for me and Rosie, we ate out most lunchtimes and evenings. The village beach has three tavernas, which are all very good but also quite pricey. Meals for the three of us, with wine for two, ranged from £33 to £46.

In fact, Corfu is quite an expensive holiday destination, although food, drinks and souvenirs are all high quality. Apparently it's a little less expensive further south.

We hired a car — one of those exceedingly ugly frog-like Fiat Multiplas — and had a day in Corfu's lovely old main town, which the Greeks call Kerkira. In some parts it feels more like Italy than Greece. The architecture is Venetian, with many beautiful buildings, narrow streets and quiet, shaded courtyards.

Corfu has been ruled by the Romans, the Venetians, the French and the British, and over the centuries the islanders have taken little bits of these cultures — it's the only place in Greece where cricket is played by local teams — while holding onto their own.

We also hired a boat for a day. Costing £26, it was small enough to handle easily but big enough to be comfortable. You can pootle around the coast quite safely, although you're always under the watchful eye of the Greek coastguards, who don't want you straying into Albanian waters.

We dropped anchor at deserted bays along the north coast to swim and snorkel. The friendly waiters at all the tavernas in Agni will help you tie up your boat, but our favourite was the Taverna Nikolas, the friendliest we visited.

This charming, authentic Greek taverna serves terrific grub, and gives each customer a tiny bottle of ouzo as a souvenir, along with a brochure about the history of the Katsaros family, which has owned