Writing retreats in Corfu, in the Durrells’ island

Few islands have been written about as lovingly as Corfu. Lawrence Durrell described it in Prospero’s Cell, and his brother Gerald in My Family and Other Animals; Gerald Durrell was among the guests at San Stefano Estate. Today writing groups take the whole house for a week of quiet work.

Places to write

• The library, with its day bed, for reading and writing indoors
• The saloni, running the full width of the house, for group sessions and readings
• The dining room, which seats ten, for workshops around one table
• The balcony, the gardens and shaded seating by the infinity pool

The quiet

The estate stands on its own above Benitses, among five acres of olive, orange and lemon groves, and it is let to one group at a time. Mountain trails start at the gate for walks between sessions: about three hours there and back to Gastouri and the Achilleion, or four to the hill village of Agii Deka.

The house’s own stories

Built in 1782, the house has received Empress Elisabeth of Austria and Kaiser Wilhelm II, hosted Vivien Leigh, and was the main set for Villa Belmar in The Marble Hall Murders. Its history is told on The Story and Durrell at San Stefano Estate.

For your group

The house sleeps up to twelve in five bedrooms, with more rooms at the family’s converted olive press in Benitses. A local cook can be arranged, and Corfu Old Town is twenty minutes away. Send us your dates and we will reply within 24 hours.