THE TELEGRAPH: Gardens of Corfu

02 May 2022

Since antiquity, from Homer’s Odyssey across the centuries to the Durrell family’s stay on the island in the 1930s,

writers, poets, artists, gardeners, travellers, statesmen and royalty have all been bewitched by the magical beauty of Corfu. With its lush vegetation, wildflowers and silver olive groves, punctuated by cypresses and stunning views of the Ionian Sea, it is sometimes known as ‘the Garden Isle’.

Visit author Rachel Weaving's private terraced garden at Villa Zetouna
Explore Corfu Town with a walking tour
Enjoy wine tasting at the Theotoky Estate Vineyard
Visit a private garden designed by Thomas Doxiadis
Special invitation to the Rothschild Estate
Stay in the glamorous, five-star Domes Miramare Hotel

Corfu is indeed one of the most garden-friendly of the Greek islands – the greenest of those in the Aegean and with a higher annual rainfall than London. And because of its varied past, British, French, Venetian and Greek influences in architecture, agriculture and gardening are all clear to see. This tour focuses on the work of a new wave of contemporary garden designers who are sensitive to the Mediterranean style and use many native plants as well as those adapted to tolerate the hotter dry summers.We will see English-born Jennifer Gay’s work at Rou and Kassiopia, and offer a chance to visit the Rothschild Estate, where a host of designers have taken a part in creating a magical haven. We have chosen the five-star Domes Miramare hotel, a former Onassis villa stretching alongside the private beach where family, jet setters, politicians and billionaires were entertained in lavish style, sunbathing under the Corfiot sun. The tradition continues and all reserved rooms are super-comfortable and offer views of the Ionian Sea.

Day 1:
We depart London Heathrow on a morning flight to Ioannis Kapodistrias Corfu Airport. We then travel by coach along the coast to the Domes Miramare Corfu Luxury Collection Resort, where we have time to settle in before dining together in the hotel restaurant.
Day 2:
Rachel Weaving’s book Gardens of Corfu has done much to promote the magic of Corfiot gardens. We are invited by Rachel to view her own small terraced garden at Villa Zetouna, with its views across the infinity pool to the arid mountains of Albania. Close by we discover Lemon Tree House with abundant cottage-style planting on the lower slopes of Mount Pantokrator, the highest mountain on the island. Rou was a deserted village before it was discovered by Dominic Skinner, the architect, who with the help of Jennifer Gay has transformed it into an exquisite garden with holiday homes entwined. After a delicious lunch, we travel to see more of Jennifer’s work at the Kassiopia Estate overlooking the Corfu Straits. Here, two contrasting gardens have been created: one wild and open to the elements; the other south-facing and sheltered. Both utilise a strong palette of native species and reflect a deep understanding of the Mediterranean flora. We return to the Domes Miramare before dining together in the hotel restaurant.
Day 3:
We start the day with a leisurely walking tour of Corfu Town (Kerkyra), which includes the Old Fortress, the Durrell Gardens, Saint Spyridon Church and a chance to taste some local specialities. We then drive to Ropa Valley to the Theotoky Estate Vineyard, one of the oldest wineries on the island, where we are invited to participate in a tasting of their best wines along with a light lunch. In the afternoon we will enjoy a visit to a private garden designed by Thomas Doxiadis and a typical 18th-century Corfu manor, former home of Ioannis Kapodistrias, who in 1828 became the first elected Governor of Greece. We return to the Domes Miramare before dining together in the hotel restaurant.
Day 4:
By special invitation, we visit The Rothschild Estate, comprised of the two beautiful peninsulas of Strongilo and Kanonas. Nurtured by three generations of the family, it skilfully embraces the wild landscape with intense planting in courtyards, potager and around the beautiful pools. The infinity pool on the site of a former quarry was designed by Spanish architect Javier Barba and is edged with tightly clipped rosemary. We are then invited to a Corfiot summer lunch at St George’s Bay Country Club overlooking the Ionian Sea, before returning to the hotel and later dining together.
Day 5:
After a leisurely breakfast, we return to Corfu Airport for our return flight to London Heathrow.

Return flights with British Airways from London Heathrow to Corfu
Private coach transfers and excursions
Four nights’ bed and breakfast in the five-star Hotel Domes Miramare, Corfu with evening meals and local wine included
Three lunches
Guided visits to sites listed in the programme
Services of the Tour Leader and Hosts
Detailed programme and garden notes
All entrance fees, taxes and gratuities for coach drivers and waiters

Helen Yemm

Helen Yemm is probably best-known for her weekly THORNY PROBLEMS page that has been a fixture for nearly twenty years in the Saturday’s Daily Telegraph. In ‘real life’ she is a hands-on, self-taught, keen-as-mustard gardener and lecturer with a garden in East Sussex that she occasionally opens for small groups.

Helen is a sometime television presenter (GARDENING FROM SCRATCH and GARDENING WEEK for BBC-2) and is the author of several gardening books (the latest being GARDENING IN PYJAMAS). She is also a regular feature writer for THE ENGLISH GARDEN magazine. However, hosting garden tours is, she says, the icing on the cake – she gets enormous pleasure from discovering gardens in the company of others who share her passion.

Kirsty Fergusson

Kirsty exchanged a career in academia (she is a PhD specialising in French philosopher-novelists) for a life in gardening. Trained at Capel Manor, she was head gardener at Mapperton in Dorset during the early nineties, where a series of fortunate encounters opened the door to garden writing. As well as writing a weekly column for The Express, for many years she was a frequent contributor to Gardens Illustrated, House and Garden, Country Life, The Times, The Telegraph and The Independent. In 2003 she moved to SW France, where she continues to explore the possibilities of her own (very forgiving) garden - when not travelling, writing or leading tours.

Fly from London Heathrow

Return flights from London Heathrow are included in our package on our specific arrival and departure dates plus one item of checked in luggage, per person.

Transfers will also be included on our specific arrival and departure dates to take you to your holiday destination. If you choose to arrive or depart on a different day, there may be an additional supplement charged to cover your transfer costs.

Overview

Being yourself is the ultimate luxury. Especially when you’re experiencing it in a serene, relaxed and elegant adults-only resort! Domes Miramare Corfu is the new, fascinating chapter in the story of one of modern Greece’s most iconic buildings, designed by Charalambos Sfaellos and once owned by the Onassis family. After the recent multimillion pound renovation, Domes Miramare Corfu is true to the spirit of authentic hospitality and luxury experiences of the Domes Resorts family. It is an elegant seafront oasis with 113 bedrooms, suites and villas, for those who seek a luxurious getaway from the ordinary. Renovated with refined natural materials and decorated with contemporary art pieces, Domes Miramare Corfu is a legendary amalgamation of opulent style and design, set in an authentic Mediterranean landscape!