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Corfu has bed-and-breakfast hotels in renovated Venetian town houses, sleek resorts with children's programs and spas, and, outside Corfu town, simple rooms and studio apartments that can be rented out on the spot. The explosion of tourism in recent years has led to prepaid, low-price package tours, and the largest hotels often cater to groups. The availability of charter flights from the United Kingdom and other European cities means there's a steady flow of tourists from spring through fall. These masses can get rowdy and overwhelm otherwise pleasant surroundings, mainly in towns along the island's southeast and northwest coast. Budget accommodation is scarce, though rooms can sometimes be found in towns and villages. Many British companies offer villas and apartments for rent—some luxurious, others more basic—by the week or month. Corfu is popular from Easter (when the island is crammed with Greek tourists) through September, and reservations are strongly recommended during that period. Many hotels and restaurants are closed from the end of October to Easter.
Tucked beside Corfu Town’s elegant Liston promenade, this apart-hotel offers a charming boutique stay in the city’s historic heart. Its colorful, characterful suites balance a homely feel with sophisticated design features, and all have fully kitted-out kitchenettes. At your fingertips is the ability to go café-hopping along the promenade, with all the sights in mere footsteps reach.
Few hotels in Corfu are so superbly positioned to take in its natural splendor the way the Akrotiri is, which lords it over a paradisaical little peninsula. Covered with trees, lapped by turquoise waters, and crowned by this sumptuously modern hotel, this gorgeous spot allows you to escape to nature in the utmost luxury. Upstairs, balconies in the chic, pastel-decorated guest rooms overlook dreamy views of grottoes, blue bays, the Agia Triada Beach, and the Alipa marina. Downstairs, a restaurant, bar, array of pools, and vast stone terraces all vie for your attention. A private elevator takes you nearly down to the beach where there is also a pool and a snack bar.
There are far grander places to stay on Corfu but few with as much quiet, unpretentious charm as Casa Lucia, where the stone buildings of an old olive press have been converted into guest cottages and smaller studios. Every one of them has its own kitchen and a little terrace overlooking the tranquil garden, filled with hibiscus, olive trees, and bougainvillea. Cottages have two to five beds and are great for families; studios sleep only two. The decor in all the units is simple and cozy. Lots of folks come back year after year. Tai chi and yoga sessions are held out in the garden by the pool. Though there's no breakfast, the management leaves a larder in the room of bread, fruit, milk, and tea and coffee for arriving guests.
This elegant, recently renovated two-story Venetian town house, centrally located, has been used as a hotel since the 1800s and remains one of the loveliest small hotels in town. The elegant lobby, with its marble floors, wood-paneled ceiling, and large, impressive light fixtures, is furnished with sleek, modern sofas and smart coffee tables. The high-ceiling guest rooms are small but have been furnished with simple, contemporary furniture. A buffet breakfast is served in the pretty gardens at the side and back of the hotel. There are no views, but it's wonderfully quiet and just a short walk from the esplanade.
To stay in this family house is to experience the lifestyle of Corfu's Venetian aristocracy. The terra-cotta-color mansion, set on a rock overlooking the sea, was built by the owner's ancestors in 1782. It has been passed down through members of the Manesis dynasty ever since—its double life as a family home can be spotted here and there. Replete with antique portraits, furniture, decorative items, and books, all belonging to generations of the family, it imparts a veritable history lesson. It's no surprise to discover that the house was the setting for an episode of popular TV series The Durrells of Corfu. The accommodation, with its five bedrooms, spacious and elegant salons, and enormous kitchen with many original features, has been upgraded to cater for visitors in comfort, whilst retaining its traditional layout and character.
Right in the heart of Corfu's historic center and just a minute's walk away from the Liston, this aristocratic town house–turned-hotel was built in 1823, and has its Venetian style still well-preserved. The hotel retains, for example, such elements as the original checkerboard tile floor, the walled garden, and the original staircase while adding the personalization you'd expect from a boutique hotel. Rooms are decorated in soft, warm colors, with walls adorned with old prints and paintings, and antiques accenting the cozy lounge and breakfast room. Each of the rooms—seven in the main house and two in an annex—are artistically appointed and equipped with some nice up-to-date facilities. Plus, the garden proves to be a haven of peace right in the center of the city. Though the hotel does not serve any meals except breakfast, there are a number of excellent restaurants a short walk away.
Three generations of the same family have owned and managed Zefiros, the longest-established hotel in Paleokastritsa. The love shows: everything is kept beautifully up to the minute, with light and airy public areas and bedrooms decorated in sunny pastel blues and grays.
This beachside resort, made up of low-rise buildings and bungalows cascading down a hillside, is now one of the most luxurious on Corfu's west coast. It's built on a series of terraces amid extensive natural woodland of pine, cypress, and eucalyptus. Accommodations range from standard but very spacious rooms to standalone villas with terraces and private pools—all villas having their own pool. The decor is sleekly contemporary, colored in earthy tones and washed with plenty of natural light. There's lots of sporting and entertainment activities, and the resort has its own state-of-the-art spa with indoor pool and wellness treatments; the Corfu's Golf Club is a short walk away. Guests can reach the beach by way of a funicular down the steep hillside.
This hotel occupies a landmark 18th-century building with a wonderful location equidistant to the Liston and the sea; it's one of the few hotels here to remain open year-round. Guest rooms have nice bathrooms and simple but comfortable furnishings. If you want a breathtaking view of the Old Fortress and the sea, ask for a room on the fourth or fifth floor, with a number ending in 1, 2, or 3. The highlight is the roof garden, where you have one of the most glorious views in town over the esplanade toward the Old Fortress and Garitsa.
Gazing out over Paleokastritsa's central bay, the venerable Apollon is one of the village's more venerable properties: not by any means grand, but certainly cozy enough for a longish stay. Rooms in the original wing look out over the bay, but those in the newer annex overlook a busy car park.
Poised on the edge of the Liston, overlooking the green space of the spianada (esplanade), the Arcadion is a rarity in Corfu Town: a full-service hotel that stays open all year. It's perhaps not one for a long vacation, but if you're looking for creature comforts right in the heart of things, it's good value. Rooms are minimal and functional, without fuss or frills—which you'll love or hate.
This hotel-bungalow complex opened its doors in 1971 with a clean, modern look on a smallish sandy beach—today, it's a sprawling and well-equipped holiday resort. All the guest rooms and bungalows have balconies, but the least expensive have garden rather than sea views. Family rooms have a bay view and come with larger bathrooms. The grounds here are lovely, with splashes of red bougainvillea and big cypress trees next to the two beaches—one lined with an extravaganza of tiki-style umbrellas. A spa offers all kinds of pampering treatments, from facials and pedicures to massages.
With the history and heritage of the Mon Repos Estate writ large around Corfu Town, it's only fitting to bag a stay on its doorstep, allowing you to explore its hidden nooks as you please. Though this hotel has little to do with the estate it takes its name after, it does allow daily strolls in among the greenery of the estate, located right on Garitsa Bay with breathtaking ocean views. Adults-only, its rooms, decorated with art and antiques, have views of either the sea or the fortress. There's a small beach just footsteps away, and it has an on-site bistro where live music plays daily. You can arrange tours here, too.
Some say this small boutique property can feel a bit elitist; it certainly emphasizes its aristocratic Corfiot heritage tradition in the setting of an old family mansion—the house was built for the family of current owner Nikos Velianitis and is lovingly set amid 50 acres of olive and cypress trees. In addition to the main house, which has the dining room and "presidential suite," bungalows and studios have been created in former olive press buildings, stables, and warehouses. All of them are richly decorated with family heirlooms from England and Russia. All have large verandas overlooking the gardens or meadows; and all have kitchens.
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