HB Hotel Benitsa

The owner was so helpful, even arranging a car rental through Corfu plus just five minutes down the road and letting us check out after 11 since our flight wasn't until 15:40. We had a great stay. The room had everything we needed, including air conditioning, a clean bathroom, a mini fridge, and a roomy balcony with a drying rack. There were even two cold bottles of water waiting for us, which was just what we needed when we arrived. They cleaned the room every two days. We'd definitely come back.

Benitses turned out to be a lovely, inexpensive seaside town, and this was a handy place to use as a base, especially out of season. We were there in mid-August, though, and our room was on the second floor. There didn't seem to be a lift, so it was quite a climb. I did come home a few kilos lighter after less than a week, at least. The room was simple but had a wardrobe, a decent-sized mini fridge, a desk, chair, luggage bench, and a balcony with a drying rail, plastic table, and chairs. The air conditioning worked well through 40-degree heat and helped us keep our sanity. The bed was quite firm and came with just one pillow, which wasn't very comfortable, though oddly it seemed to help my usual back pain. The shower sometimes clogged and drained slowly. I suppose that's common with sewage and drains on the Greek islands, as we ran into the same thing at the second hotel we booked in the north. We hardly saw anyone at reception until near the end, but the gentleman there was friendly and asked how our stay was going. If you're happy to explore and want a place to base yourself, HB could work well. If you want an all-inclusive stay and don't plan to leave the hotel, it's probably not for you.

Our host at HB Benitses, mr. Thanasis, made things easy and helped us with umbrellas, free parking at the hotel, and suggestions for places to visit. We had a cute little room with a really comfortable mattress. The hotel is right beside the local bus stop, where the bus starts in Benitses and runs all the way to Corfu town (Kerkyra). I'd definitely recommend HB Benitses for a budget-friendly holiday in Corfu.

I'm not sure why this place has only one star. It was good value for the price. The rooms are a little small, but the staff are friendly and clean them every two days. The owner was especially kind and quickly helped us find a car rental at a good price.