A DIY tennis holiday in Corfu turned into a nightmare when Rachel Dixon and her boyfriend arrived at their cheap aparthotel to find it was a building site. The pool contained rubble instead of water, the tennis rackets had broken strings, and their coach disappeared after one lesson. Despite the setbacks, they salvaged the trip with kumquat spritzes and a yoga class.
A Building Site Disguised as a Holiday
The couple booked a no-frills aparthotel in Corfu for a budget tennis trip in March. But upon arrival, they discovered 20 workers digging, knocking down walls, and painting. The pool, shown in pictures, was empty and filled with rubble. There were no other guests.
After a tense conversation with reception and a failed search for alternative accommodation, they decided to stay. They were moved to a quieter room with a terrace overlooking a pond. The noise was manageable, and their first tennis lesson with a fantastic coach left them optimistic.
Disasters Mount
The next morning, a terrible smell from a builder's bonfire filled the air. Worse, their coach called in sick with a fever and never returned. They tried to play using the hotel's equipment: rackets with broken strings and balls that wouldn't bounce. Rain forced them to give up.
A planned boat trip to a wooded island was impossible because the jetty was deserted and the booking office boarded up in March. A fancy family-run restaurant they'd researched was also closed. They ended up at a souvlaki shop.
Bright Spots: Yoga and Kumquats
The one thing that went right was a yoga class. The studio near the hotel had two classes during their stay, and the owner was an excellent teacher. They followed along easily even though the lesson was in Greek.
The other highlight was discovering kumquats. Corfu is famous for them, and sipping bright orange kumquat spritzes in a sunny square finally made it feel like a holiday—if not a tennis one.
