AP, I don't remember which part of town I stayed in. Those days unlike now I used to stay in 4 and 5 star hotels. I stayed in a hotel with a very beautiful room with balcony that up to today I remember. It was looking over to the most beautiful blue sea. I rented a car and travelled up the hills and through the island. The scenaries were breathtaking, the forests mixed with cypresses and olive trees with view of a clear water sea. I would stop at beaches and go swimming whenever I felt like it and the beaches were not crowded. My hotel was walking distance to some shops and those columns in series which are famous in Corfu(forgotten their name). I am female and was travelling alone and was out till midnight. Did not come across any drunks. It is interesting that we have two totally different impressions or maybe from 99 to 2001 things changed.

AP probably stayed somewhere between Benitses and Kavos . Avoid those package tourism areas (as long as you are not drunk). On the contrary the old town, the north and the east coasts are awesome .

... sorry not east but WEST coast (Paleokastritsa, Ermones, Lakones ...)

I believe it was Benitses. I was with a friend & her family, so I wasn't dfriving. But when her father did drive across the island, to Agios Georgios beach, it was beautiful. A day boat trip to Albania, it was fascinating. See this old post by me:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34495991

Great suggestions, thank you