An honest guide to this celebrated family resort in Greece
A fly and flop family hotel that is not all primary colours, questionable hygiene and food *not* to write home about is on my perennial wish list. Domes of Corfu goes a long way to meeting my exacting needs let me tell you! A family hotel that blends real style with family-friendly assets to love. Oh and the private crystal clear water beach with sunsets to die for is thrown in for free. Let’s dive in…
At a Glance
How to get there: The best way to reach Domes of Corfu is via a flight to Corfu airport and then taking a 30-40 minute transfer. The hotel offers a shuttle service to Corfu old town so I would recommend a transfer over hiring a car as it was around 80 EUR for a return journey.
When to go: Shoulder season is the charm here – a May stay would serve warm, mid 20s temperatures without the fierce heat of a July and August Corviat Summer. We stayed during the May half term and the weather was absolutely spot on. Sunbathing weather every day without being too anxious that it was too hot for our son.
Length of stay: You could easily fly and flop for a week here and be very happy. With the wide range of kids club activities, fitness classes, three restaurants and Greek BBQ night there’s plenty to keep it fresh for a week long stay. Any longer than that and for our taste we would have probably got a bit bored and wanted to mix it up a bit with some exploring outside of the hotel shuttle to Corfu Old Town.
The Room
We had a Patio Junior Suite, which was a king bed with a single day bed and we had our own private patio (with no view to speak of). The room, as was the vibe of the rest of the hotel, was contemporary and stylish but in my opinion could have been improved with a couple of tweaks. Despite helpful touches such as under the bed case storage, the room felt lacking in storage for family accommodation – which, lets face it will be largely families staying for a week who come with *stuff*! We managed ok, but I couldn’t help but think with one more child it would have felt tight. The other thing, which is small but impactful, is that you couldn’t stream or cast to the TV. It’s been a while since we haven’t been able to do that and you do notice it in terms of facilitating a quiet hour after being in the pool and sea all day.
The hotel offers a wide range of rooms from two bed family suites, interconnecting doubles and suites like ours. Some rooms have swim up pools along the front and many have beautiful sea views. If your budget can stretch I would really recommend a balcony sea view room, not least to catch the amazing sunsets in the evening.
The Food
The hotel revolves around a large central buffet restaurant which offers ample choice for breakfast and dinner and is the restaurant that is included in the half board package. There are three other restaurants: Spianada, a seafront brasserie that serves the lunch menu and is the location for the weekly Greek BBQ night, Meze Mediterranean Taverna and Yaosai, an Asian fusion spot.
The buffet food was as you would expect – a good range of options with a kids hub that made sure every taste was catered too. We particularly enjoyed the traditional Greek dinners which were always the most delicious thing on offer. Breakfast was similar – everything was fresh and we were never found wanting, although it was good to mix it up a couple of times.
We tried the Yaosai Asian restaurant and did not hold back on ordering. We adored our sushi, bao, teriyaki and crispy duck and with the half board discount of 15 EUR per adult and 7 EUR per child, we only spent 100 EUR. What I loved about Domes of Corfu is eating and drinking off plan was in no way a rip off. Lunch cost us about 12 EUR each per day for example.
One of the most stand out things was the hotels gelateria! Many a visit was made here during our 5 day stay….
Ultimately, I felt that with 10-15% more staff and a booking app that was representative of real availability would have made everything feel so much smoother on the dining front. To ensure you have the best experience, my recommendation would be to email the hotel ahead of time to book your meals if you wish to eat in Yaosai, Meze or attend the Greek BBQ night.
Some room categories come with Haute Living benefits which permits you access to the Haute Living Lounge allowing you access to snacks and beverages at no extra cost from morning until night.
Amenities
The Domes of Corfu was reasonably well stacked with family friendly amenities both for kids and parents. There was a free kids club for ages 4-12 which had a full programme of daily activities, paid childcare and babysitting for younger ages. They had a large, safe family pool, splash pad, fully shaded wading pool for babies and toddlers and an adults only pool. In addition the hotel beach had clear, warm and shallow waters.
There was also a light entertainment programme running in the evenings, including a children’s entertainer that came to dinner one evening, live singers and cinema nights.
One of the stand out things we experienced here was the Greek BBQ night with traditional music, dancing where guests were included and taught the moves and of course some plate smashing!! My five year old couldn’t believe his luck when they gave him his own plate to chuck into the mix!!
Overall
One thing I will say is that we got an insanely good deal through the BA January sale for the Domes of Corfu – £2000 for flights, accommodation and half board for the three of us in May Half Term. We had an incredibly relaxing holiday and long happy sunshine days so, particularly for the price, we could not complain at all. All we saw were families having a fabulous time so my honest review is merely to support anyone to optimise their experience at the Domes of Corfu, or to be really confident about what they are going to get once they arrive!
That Holiday Mum x
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