TRAVEL REVIEW: CORFU, GREECE

Back in May 2022 we booked a trip to Corfu. It came at the end of a pretty tough time in our lives and we were so desperately in need of an escape, and this trip was everything we needed as a family, and so much more.

I’d never been to Greece. And being totally honest, I don’t think I even knew that Corfu was a Greek island! But we went rogue, and booked it based on the fact that there was guaranteed sunshine (it was 30degrees and sunny each day) and the flight was 3 hours 20 mins direct from London.

Our non-negotiables when looking for holidays are:

1. A suite so the kids are connected and close but in a different room (for our sanity and theirs!)
2. A sea view (I’m obsessed with the sea, as soon as I see it, it brings me so much calm and does wonders for my soul.)
3. Culture & character (we’ve never been into staying in more “man-made” style places. We are grateful that we are fortunate enough to travel, so it’s important to us to teach our kids how diverse our world is, and immerse ourselves in different cultures as much as we can when on holidays.)
4. A kids club. They love them, and we love the peace that comes alongside them!

We stayed at the Angsana hotel, in Benitses. It’s a 20 minute drive from Corfu airport.

THE HOTEL: At the time we went it was fairly new, so it was immaculate with a couple of teething issues. The views were out of this world. Straight ahead the eternity pool looked like it fell into the sea, and to the right there were luscious hills.

POOLS: There is one large pool, plus a shady baby pool. Half of the large pool is super shallow so you can lay on the sun loungers while the kids play in the pool and you don’t need to stress about them. Or if like me, you don’t cope well with heat, you can sit in the pool with a book. The pool is surrounded by plenty of cabanas and day beds, sun loungers & umbrellas. There is also a small beach nearby. The hotel runs a free shuttle which only takes a few minutes, and there is a little beach café & water sports.

ROOM: We stayed in a sea view suite. One bedroom, one lounge (with a big sofa bed) and a big bathroom with an amazing bathtub and separate shower. I highly recommend you booking a sea view, especially if you have small kids who like to wake early. The sunrise over the sea was spectacular.

KIDS CLUB: The kids club was great. My kids were 4 & 6 at the time and children can stay unsupervised from age 4. It’s pretty small but Amielia who ran it at the time is brilliant and my kids were very happy spending a few hours in their each day.

FOOD: We ate most lunches in the hotel, and each time the food was delicious, although the service at times was pretty slow. We had a couple of dinners in the hotel, but would recommend eating out in local restaurants over that when possible. We got the free shuttle down to the local town of Benitses for dinner, and our best meal was in Oi Oraies. The food was incredible, fresh & delicious, and so reasonably priced. The highlight was feta wrapped in pastry and then dipped in honey!

MUST SEE: Corfu old town is a must. We got a small boat from near the hotel, right into a pier in the old town then wandered for hours through cobbled streets. There were lots of quaint little shops, beautiful buildings with so much character and restaurants galore. Its a UNESCO World Heritage Site and well worth visiting if you are nearby.

If you are looking for an easy escape then I highly recommend Corfu. We would absolutely go back (and stay here!) as it’s so good knowing it’s a short flight for guaranteed sunshine between May and September.