Secret Garden House

The hosts were great and tried to sort out every problem, and the house itself is charming, with lovely people renting it out. The property is spacious, with lots of sun and shade, a cosy outdoor area, and a fantastic pool. There’s room for small children to run around, the whole place is fenced and feels safe, and the pool and other toys they provided were much appreciated. Still, for the price I expected more, and I wouldn’t have booked it if I’d known about the problems. Sadly, I won’t be coming back. We stayed for 12 nights with our family and had mixed feelings. The villa wasn’t properly cleaned at first, so they had to come back and clean again. The downstairs bathroom smelled strongly of mold and damp. After we washed clothes and a handyman/plumber visited, it improved a lot, but the overall damp feeling stayed, and our clothes felt damp too. Maybe that’s common across Corfu, but after travelling through all the Ionian islands, we hadn’t experienced anything like it. All four beds were rock hard, so we didn’t get good sleep. There was construction at neighbouring properties on four of our 12 days, and the noise was unbearable. The owners couldn’t control that, but normal traffic and even people walking past were also loud. The house is less than a metre from the road, so it often sounded like everything was happening inside.

Inside the house is beautiful, with lots of lovely old art pieces, and it stays quite cool, which is ideal on hot summer days. The owner is responsive and helpful. Outside, there’s a huge garden with plants and trees around the pool. The beach is about a 10-minute walk, and there are plenty of restaurants and supermarkets nearby.

It’s tucked away from the main road and made for a great holiday in a clean, well-kept apartment that the owner clearly takes pride in. The cleaners and bar staff were friendly, helpful and spoke good English. The beach, restaurants, cafes and supermarket are about a 5-10 minute walk away. Use the back entrance, since walking along the main road can feel a bit hair-raising. My wife and I didn’t sleep well because the beds were too hard, which is why I’ve given it four stars instead of five. There can also be some road noise when restaurant staff head home, though that’s beyond the owner’s control. Remember to bring a few basics, like washing-up liquid, tea towels and dishcloths for cleaning up your snacks.

The room was nice and had a kitchen and fridge, and there was parking too. But over our five-day stay, they didn’t replace the towels or sheets.