The big guns of the British package firms have been trained on SIDARI for some years. What beauty it once had, and this was clearly substantial, has long been blown out of the water. The once pretty Sidari village square is now lost in a hectic maze of happy hour bars, grubby pubs and trinket shops - we are firmly in the cheap and tacky end of the market here.

There are three beaches in Sidari. The first near the old fishing harbour in the east is full of rotting seaweed and sewage outlet pipes. The central one is a long sweeping bay of dirty grey sand with sunbeds and usual watersports, even a bouncy castle. Avoid the smelly stream of green soup sewage that cuts through the middle of it. To the west of Sidari is the Canal d'Amour area where sandstone cliffs have been eroded into spectacular formations and small sandy coves that get impossibly overcrowded. The canal area suffers from smelly drains though the Sidari beach area has a blue flag. Watch out for the dangerous paths along lethal cliffs paths that often collapse, not a place to let the children wander..

The Sidari's main road is narrow and restaurants and bars lining it offer a diet of bingo, East Enders, Yorkshire pud, pie and chips and TV football - about as Greek as Margate. There are so many Brits here it's hard to believe you are abroad. The nights are enlivened with karaoke and pestering bar touts. Stray dogs and cats are the usual problem despite an annual winter cull. It may just be the inadequate sewers but Sidari is notorious for its mosquitoes

More Sidari information: Sidari map - Sidari pictures - Sidari (official website) -