Scorching sunlight bathing you in a warm glow that cleanses the stresses of everyday life. crystalline water shimmering in shades of aqua and sapphire, beckoning you in when you need to cool down. A fit, tanned waiter delivering tall, fruity cocktails and delicious food with a cheeky grin. And a white, sandy sore stretching to fish-strewn coves on one side, and the promise of watersports and boundless fun on the other. This was the vision that drove me to book a week at the Golden Mare resort, just off Barbati beach in Corfu. And that vision became a glorious reality, with one critical exception.

The sand.

Pack Your Swim Shoes!

If there’s one thing I wish I’d known and understood before booking a holiday to Corfu, it is that – despite appearance in all the stunning photographs available on Google and the travel blogs, Barbati beach has nothing resembling sand, white or otherwise. Stones, yes. Millions of them, in various shapes, sizes, and degrees of pointy unpleasantness for your feet. But no sand.

There is not, in fact, a single sandy beach to be found anywhere in the northern part of Corfu, and particularly the north eastern part, which is where Barbati beach lies.

It’s my own fault; I was seduced by the photographs on multi[ple ‘best beaches in Corfu’ blogs, and fell headfirst into a daydream of lounging on a daybed curtained with gossamer drapes beside an infinity pool. I didn’t look more closely at the beach photography or, I’ll admit, bother to check precisely what kind of beach Barbati was. It looked amazing, it had everything I wanted, and it was right next to the hotel with the pool photos that made me feel like I was already there,

It wasn’t until we arrived that I realised we should have gone to the west of the island to find sandy beaches.

Disappointing, to be sure, but once I bought myself a pair of swim shoes to navigate my way from the sun loungers to the ocean I was free to enjoy Barbati beach in all its splendour. And it is (despite the pebbles and absence of sand) spectacular. We spent two days on Barbati beach during our stay on Corfu, and it’s not difficult to see why it tops the lists for best beaches on the island.

Barbati Beach Corfu Bahia Mare

Relaxing Days At Bahia Mare

The first day was accidental. We went for a wander, figured we’d check out the beach, then kinda fell in love with it and didn’t leave. We had no towels, nothing to speak of with us, but were fortuitously wearing swim gear under our clothes and the sun was scorching hot so it wasn’t really an issue. We rented a pair of loungers from Bahia Mare, soaked up some sun while being waited on by a handsome local guy, followed by a bubbly local gal. When the sun got too hot, we swam in water so clear you could see straight to the bottom, even when out to a fair depth. 

There are a few different bars and restaurants along the beach, and we did check out the others, but it was Bahia Mare that caught our attention. Neat lines of twin loungers, each with their own parasol and a tiny table march along the front, right at the edge of the water. For a few Euros you can rent a pair of precariously balanced loungers on the sloping section of the stony shore. And for a few Euros extra you can rent more comfortable ones on the flat section of the beach so you don’t spend the entire day trying not to slide off your lounger.

We did the latter, and I didn’t regret it for a second. It was €25 for the pair of loungers for the day, and worth every cent. They were comfortable even without the aid of towels, and after a nice cooling swim the sun dried us right off without even needing them.

Bahia Mare also boasts a beautiful bar that’s been built around a gnarled tree, its thick trunk and huge branches twining up into the air, with bottles, glasses and other supplies perched on shelves built around the natural structure of the tree. A bar ringing the whole tree allows you to go up and order from every angle, but honestly the service there was so good we never needed to; someone was always on hand asking if we needed anything and bringing it to us. 

Swimming, Snorkelling, And Sneaky Fish

I spent quite a bit of time that day swimming around the rocky coves at the end of Barbati beach and enjoying the fish, trying no to be too irked that I’d neglected to bring my snorkelling gear. 

One word of advice about the fish; they bite.

No joke.

I was fortunate enough to evade them, but multiple people I got chatting to while we were there told me the same thing; the little ones bite. Affectionately referred to as Corfu Piranha, they’re actually small, silvery little devils with black stripes – fairly sure they were some type of seabream but I’m no expert! The small swimmers are notorious for taking chunks out of unwary swimmers.

Despite this potential danger I was barely out of the water that first day we were down there. Periodically I returned to the lounger to enjoy a cooling cocktail or some chilled water, but for the most part I was to be found splashing up and down the shore, chasing fish and chatting to other swimmers, several of whom were English and had been visiting Corfu for years. They gave me a lot of great tips on where to go and what to see, as well as what the deal was with the local buses and which towns were the best to visit. 

Barbati Beach, Corfu

Renting A Boat For The Day

We enjoyed Barbati beach so much that we returned to it for another of our precious days in the sun. That day, we rented a boat right off the beach, and drove it down the coast to take in the spectacular island of Corfu from the water. Originally, the plan was to rent a couple of jet skis but we realised on consideration that it would result in Simon disappearing at breakneck speed while I very slowly putted about in a circle and tried not to fall off. 

Also, we’d just watched Bait (a relatively entertaining shark movie) just before we went away, the plot of which revolved around a jet ski crash leaving several people stranded in open water with a man-eating shark.

On balance we concluded it would be better to get a boat. This was, hands down, the best thing we could have done. It was SO much fun! I chickened out of driving the boat, partly because I was convinced I’d break it but mostly because Simon was quite sure I’d crash it and kill us both.

He may well have been correct about that, but we’ll never know now, and I like to think I’m actually a much better driver than he gives me credit for; this isn’t difficult, given he refuses to allow me to drive his hybrid at all, due to the belief i wouldn’t be able to start it, let alone anything else.

It has a start/stop button.

But about the boat….he may well have been right. I have to say I enjoyed the passenger experience immensely, it gave me a chance to get some great footage and play with the new GoPro I’d bought before we went. I didn’t have to worry about driving, I just enjoyed the ride. The views were stunning, and when we’d driven out as far as we could before we had to turn back, we dropped anchor and just floated for a while in the calming waters, wondering what it would be like to own one of the posh yachts that occasionally passed, and trying to figure out which of the towns we could see were ones we’d visited.

It was a simple way to spend a few hours, but gods was it glorious. 

When we got back to the beach we returned to Bahia Mare for some food. We had eaten there on the first day and it was absolutely delicious, so it was a no-brainer to go back for more. That first day I had a club sandwich and fries, which may well have been the best club sandwich I’d ever tasted. We’d been on loungers that day, but on the day of our boat ride we opted for a table and a more substantial meal and several pina coladas. 

Once that had nicely digested we returned to the ocean for a swim. This time, I’d brought my snorkelling gear. Alas, I’d spent some much time recording on the boat, the battery on my GoPro was dead by the time I got to the fish.

To be honest, this was something of a blessing; I was able to enjoy the experience instead of focusing on filming it. Sometimes, the desire to capture the experience ruins the enjoyment of the moment. 

The Best Thing About Barbati Beach

At some point I’m sure I’ll return to Corfu and do a more thorough exploration of the various beaches on the island. I’ll then be able to write my own ‘best beaches of Corfu’ post. But for now, I’m confident in saying that Barbati beach is well worth the hype. Once you get over the fact there’s no white sand and an awful lot of stones, and as long as you’re wary of the fact that both said stones and the small white fish to be found in the water are likely to bite you, its a stunning beach. 

It was October when we visited, and we returned to a cold English Autumn and a long, dark winter. I spent a great deal of time during the months before spring fantasising about being back on Barbati beach, soaking up some Vitamin D on a lounger, sipping an expertly prepared cocktail from Bahia Mare, and waiting for the sun’s rays to dry the ocean water still glistening on my skin after the latest swim.

Barbati beach is one of those places you can find contentment, even peace, regardless of how tumultuous, complicated and downright traumatic life is proving to be at the time. This particular holiday ended up taking place in the worst week possible. 

Reality faded into the background on that beach. If I had a choice, I’d be back there right now.