Pink Palace
The backpacker hostel above Agios Gordios beach on Corfu. Founded by Dr. George around 1985, it grew from a restaurant on the sand into a pink complex on the hillside that Let's Go was sending travellers to by 1990, with the ouzo circle, the plate smashing, the cliff jump and the toga night. Built from the hostel's own archive, its Instagram, and the free photographic record of the Corfiot coast around it.
A chronological documentary of 1,107 moments on Loreline.
Curated by Olivier · last updated 2026-08-25
Eras
- Old Corfu, The island before any of this. Admiralty coastal surveys, engravings, early photographs and postcards of Corfu from the 1780s to the mid twentieth century.
- Staff, Dr. George, who founded the place around 1985 and still performs at the ouzo circle, and the crew who run it each season.
- Guests, The travellers themselves. Photo dumps, reunions, arrivals and the friendships that are the reason most people describe the place the way they do.
- Ouzo and Plates, The pink-dyed ouzo shot handed to arrivals, the ouzo circle on the dining hall floor, the Greek dancers and the plates broken over guests' heads. First-hand press described all of it as already customary in 1990.
- Nightclub, The Palladium and the themed nights: paint, foam, glow sticks, blackout and 2000s parties, and the dance floor they all end on.
- Corfu, The island around the hostel: Agios Gordios village, the west coast beaches, Corfu Town and the wider Ionian.
- Bar and Food, The reception bar, the beach bar, the restaurant and the dining hall that serves breakfast and a three course dinner.
- Beach, Agios Gordios beach below the hostel, the bay, the sand and the sunsets the west coast of Corfu is known for.
- Boat Trips, The booze cruise and the boat excursions along the coast, on the activity list by 2005 and still running.
- Quad Safari, The quad and ATV safari inland through Corfiot villages, a fixed Pink Palace product line since at least 2005.
- Pool, The pool, the jacuzzi and the sunbeds, where the daytime happens between the beach and the night.
- Rooms, The pink buildings on the hillside and the rooms inside them. The rooms were painted pink from the beginning, which is where the name comes from.
- Cliff Jumping, The cliff jump, documented at the Pink Palace as early as 1990 and now part of the boat excursion.
- Photoshoots, The pink photoshoot people come here to do, shot against the walls and the buildings by the hostel's own photographers.
- Guest Vlogs, Travellers filming their own stay, from early backpacker camcorder footage to full day-by-day series of a month at the Palace.
- Toga Parties, The pink toga night, the venue's signature. Guests collect a toga at reception and the party runs into the Palladium.
- Kayaks, Kayaking, paddleboarding and the kayak safari along the shoreline and out to the rocks.
- Murals, The painted walls. Visiting muralists and the paint and rock-painting workshops the hostel runs.
…and 1,107 more moments. Full text archive: /loreline-text/pink-palace.md
