Grecotel LUXME Daphnila Bay — Hotel in Municipality of Central Corfu and Diapontia Islands

Just returned 20th June. Hotel lovely, food excellent and lots of al a carte to book into & choose from. The food in these restaurants is amazing and well worth visiting - top tip, book in advance of your arrival (think you can do it up to 7 days in advance), i was fortunate to do this and got the restaurants i wanted. The service in these restaurants was exceptional. ||There is a shop on site and all the bars / restaurants I'd say cater for most, entertainment ok, nothing to exciting but acceptable. ||Pools / Beach - Its my feeling that this hotel lacks pools, it has 1 main pool and 2 additional pools, 1 being a kids pool and 3rd a sheltered pool mainly used by kids and small. The sunbeds around pool are very comfy although there are not that many, waiter service around pool is a lovely extra perk, initially upon arrival as long as i was at pool for 9.30 i got bed ok however as week progressed i couldn't get any beds, later in afternoon there was the odd bed free, heat crazy at pool area no breeze therefore i went to beach daily which was lovely, lots of beds on grass area just back from beach & lots shelter, on the beach good selection beds, however only approx 8 umbrellas for shelter and one morning i'd a walk on beach at 8am and there was no beds free, as week went on it became very busy and people reserving beds .. just the usual. |You can get the water taxi to the neighbouring hotels, tried several times but it was always full, takes 8 people, runs every hour so be there earlier if you want to use it. Heard few people saying they also tried but couldn't get on - wasn't just me. ||Rooms - this hotel is built into a big cliff and from main hotel to beach its downhill and return uphill, this uphill in a very hot day is challenging, the staff drive up & down every 10/15 mins sometimes more and collect people who are coming up the hill, again excellent service. |Upon arrival my room was not great, i was very disappointed, had paid good price for this holiday and was gutted. I expressed my disappointment and was moved following day to a much better room. I had a garden bungalow both times, only thing i would say is the lower down you go to the beach area the less view you have. I had thought "garden view" actually meant a garden view, it doesn't, my view on both occasions (first room worse) was off the rooms in front and if i'm honest resembled an army camp. I would say if this hotel revamped their rooms it might be well outside of my budget as rest hotel amazing. ||Corfu town - hotel runs shuttle bus which i used 5pm - 8pm, i also used public transport bus to & from the town, easy enough to use cost 2.50E one way. Town beautiful and well worth visiting. ||Booked boat trip via Tui rep at hotel. Stood waiting on bus at hotel gate as advised, bus arrived 35 mins late, told me my name wasn't on his list and i was to wait on 2nd bus, explained to driver i was going to same place as people beside me who've just boarded bus (there also was quite few empty seats on bus), driver was dismissive waving his hand at me telling me to wait for 2nd bus, i accepted this as he seemed adamant therefore I waited further 45 mins, eventually decided to leave as no bus arrived. ||Spoke to Tui rep at hotel who immediately rang her team to explore what had happened, she was advised i was a "no show" and told i hadn't come on time therefore i couldn't get refund off trip 115E, I was able to give names of other people boarding the bus standing in queue with me and eventually Tui rep agreed to refund. I asked how i complain as I'd waited all week for this specific trip which now I'll miss as I'm going home, never mind the waiting around for the late bus and time spent with Tui rep trying to resolve, i was told that i couldn't complain as i hadn't booked my holiday with Tui, i'd only booked trip at the hotel via Tui rep (I'd booked package with Easyjet), now home I'll contact Tui directly, no refund arrived yet but hopefully it'll come soon. ||- Would i return to this hotel - No, rooms put me off and some people maybe don't worry re rooms and if that's you then great worth staying at. |- Would i recommend hotel - Yes, couples / families / solo |- if you've walking diffs this could be a bit of a challenge for you|maybe don't go height season either as I'd worry re space around pool / beach.|- restaurants amazing - remember to book ASAP|- put some photos attached, cant upload them all as...

We stayed here from the 14th September to the 25th Sept (11 nights). Neither of us really knew what to expect but we were just looking forward to getting some sun and enjoying a long-awaited holiday. From the moment we arrived the staff were absolutely amazing. It is very unusual but I can't find fault with one single member of the team - they were amazing - Konstantina was particularly helpful and kind to us. The whole hotel runs like a very well-oiled machine.||||I'll continue with the good points later on in the review but, for the interests of people who want to cut to the chase, I'll lay down a few "watchouts". Please be aware that any review is very subjective and none of these issues caused us a problem (hence the 5 star review) but some of these may be an issue to you so it's only fair that you're aware.||||1) The hotel is not wheelchair friendly or really suitable for those who struggle to get about. There are some stone steps up and down to the pool bar and it's also quite a steep hill to the beach (albeit with a golf cart that shuttles people up and down the hill).||2) I would also say that there wouldn't be much to do for kids in the age bracket of 8 to 15. We travelled as a couple but we have (now grown-up) children and ours would have probably been a bit bored if we'd taken them here at that age.||3) If you're a late riser (like us) it can get a bit noisy in the mornings with the cleaners coming around the corridors. It wasn't a major problem as we put in ear plugs but worth bringing ear plugs out with you if you like to sleep in.||||If you are okay with those things then I would confidently say you'll have a brilliant time at this hotel. The food is amazing and is varied enough to keep you interested even in the main buffet restaurant (which can typically get a bit "samey" if you eat in there too often). All the food we had was beautifully prepared and fresh and we really enjoyed seeing what was on offer every day. ||||The waiting staff at the pool bar and pool area ensured that you always had a drink if you wanted one and the whole hotel was very well staffed. Again, another issue I've had before on all-inclusive holidays is that it's very difficult to get a drink but not here. The waiting staff work tirelessly to ensure everyone gets what they want whenever they want it.||||The poolside beds are very comfy. They aren't the basic sun loungers. They are spongy and really nice to lie on. We also had no trouble getting a bed by the pool any of the days we were there (and, as I said, we are late risers too). Not sure if it was because we went quite late in the season or not but it certainly wasn't an issue. And, at the beach, there were loads of free beds.||||The rooms are quite basic and the hotel does look a little "tired" in places. This is of no consequence to us as long as it's clean (and it was) but I did see it mentioned in other reviews so it's worth pointing out. ||||The views from the pool bar, and around the hotel in general, are great. There's a brilliant water sports jetty down on the beach called Corfu Ski and we went parasailing. It's a family run business and they were incredibly friendly so I would recommend to try that if you fancy something different.||||The hotel also has a speedboat shuttle which runs on the half-hour from the beach jetty to their sister hotels. So you are welcome to visit the other hotels for a change of scenery. We did this and really enjoyed the ride on the boat and the beach at the Imperial. Worth noting though that you have to pay for drinks/food at the other hotels so it isn't part of your all-inclusive package.||||I honestly can't fault this hotel and the points I've raised have been real nit-picking stuff just to try and balance the review. You will absolutely love this hotel. We are in our 50s and I class this holiday in my top 3 holidays of all time. It is also one of the few places I would come back to and that's simply down to the excellent staff.||||Thank you to all the amazing staff, in particular Konstantina who really helped turn a great holiday into an...

A really great hotel,only a few things could make it better. I will explain:

Staff

The staff are consistently friendly and helpful from arrival through to departure.

Highlights include our lovely concierge who was there on arrival and often around in reception to help for queries, the older gents at the beach and pool bars, and then many younger staff who you can see put in a real shift every day.

There is just one bad point. The wait for drinks in the buffet restaurant in the main hotel area can be very long. The staff do their best however during busy times are over-stretched. You can arrive for breakfast for example and wait for 10-15 mins before anyone asks if you like a coffee or water. My thought is - why not make some self-service options for coffee and water?

There are often wasps when at the buffet restaurant.

As many others say, Maria on the Greek restaurant is an example of how to do customer service. She maybe has the luxury of not being too over-worked though.

Food and drinks

Amazing. Basically everything is included except food to the room. You want two ice cold Heineken? No problem. Premium gin and tonic? No problem.

The restaurants, including the buffet restaurants, have an extensive wine list including Italian and French wines. Try the wine tasting in the main lobby to find your favourites and seem like a pro when you order! My tip is the Italian Manifesto.

The coffee is the only let down. It is poor and too bitter espresso made from old bean-to-cup machines with cheap beans. Even in the italian al la catte the coffee was from the same machines. If you love coffee, you will be disappointed here. The Greek coffee is ok and would be my recommendation.

Amll la carte restaurants are good. I suggest Greek restaurant for lunch overlooking the sea and Italian for breakfast. Fine dining was amazing even including many bottles of prosecco doc.

One bad point. It suggests you can visit al la carte in the sister restaurants. We logged on to do this within 3 hrs of arrival however they were all booked up. This was a huge disappointment for us.

Amenities

Great. Beach is good, pedalos included, sea is tranquil most days. Basic tv area for watching football.

Wifi is poor. My average speeds were less than 1mb. I did feed this back.

The WhatsApp concierge is great. Staff are always responsive and friendly.

The gym is functional however is very small and in need of modernisation. Equipment is from 1990s.

The spa includes free use of steam and sauna which can be nice after the gym. Extra charge for indoor pool or jacuzzi though. Not sure wjy as always empty.

Entertainment

This is poor. Old man on his electric keyboard. Probably entertaining in the 1990s. Reminds me of a terrible Eurovision entry.

We didn't use any aqua classes or other facilities but all looks great.

Rooms

These are good. It is worth paying extra for a sea view. The refurbished showers in some rooms are lovely however bathroom storage is very limited. Just one small table.

Aircon is very good. No iron provided, told to pay for this to be done. My suggestion -a communal iron facility?

Maids work so hard around the site. They will typically visit twice a day. Always spotless everywhere.

The mini bar which is included in all inclusive isn't always stocked up. On two days of five I had to ask for this. When prompted it was duly stocked up within an hour though to be fair.

Other

Taxi was 30 euro on way there and 20 euro on way back from Airport. I recommend agreeing up-front.

There are extra water sports e.g. jet ski and these cost about 50 euro to 60 euro extra for I think 20 minutes.

A cosmopolitan mix of nationalities. The hotel does an amazing job of catering for all tastes.

Many families and kids are mostly well behaved. The cinema night held in an outdoor theatre looked like so much fun for kids and probably adults too. Popcorn included!

So a great hotel. Just a few areas where it could be made better. For me - coffee, Wi-Fi, mini bar restocked everyday, iron provided and better...