Summertime Village

The place was quiet and not busy, which suited us, and the pool was deep and clean. The weather was great in October, around 27 degrees. It’s a two-star hotel, cheap as chips, and the whole place needs a makeover. Rooms are basic but functional and clean. The shower curtain doesn’t fit the tray, so water gets everywhere; we put towels down. The maids came daily and changed towels except on Sunday. Food was edible, with limited choice, but you won’t go hungry. Self-service drinks were basic and had wasps around them, so be careful. Staff were friendly, though the evening bar staff weren’t. There was no entertainment, and the same songs played every night. The location is great, with lots of nearby shops, bars, and restaurants, and eating out costs a bit less than in England. You can use the pools and bars at neighboring hotels, and we spent a lot of time at Amadeus a few doors down. The island is very run down. All in all, a nice holiday!

Sidari itself was the best part for me: the beach is two minutes away, with loads to do there, plus shops, restaurants, and places to arrange activities right beside it. You don’t need a car or to travel far to have fun. I had a great time outside the hotel and would recommend Sidari, just not this place. The hotel was awful, the worst ever, and the rooms were gross and badly in need of a makeover. There was no privacy, just two or three beds together in one room. Maids came every day to clean and change towels, but let themselves in with a key without knocking. They were nice, but the lack of manners bothered us. The bathrooms smelled really strange and sickening, and had lots of flies. Lunch and dinner were disgusting, and I eventually got fed up and stopped eating. Breakfast was good, just a normal English breakfast that’s hard to get wrong. The drinks machines outside were covered in wasps, which put us off, and there were wasps everywhere, a real frustration especially for kids. Staff would help get a drink, but the wasps were still annoying.

I wouldn’t return, and will try blue gardens in Roda next time. The pool was clean and nice, but too small, with too few sunbeds. The reception woman was rude and clearly not interested in good customer service. We had to pay extra for air-conditioning, and there was no lighting on the walk back to the apartment at night, which scared my daughter. The apartment was terrible, stuck in the 1960s, and next to an overgrown jungle up the road from the complex. Food quality was poor and choices were limited. If you like cold, fatty pork and chicken wings, book now! We ate out every day at a local pizzeria, where the food put the hotel’s to shame and the service was much friendlier.

Sidari is one of the nicest areas in Corfu, with local restaurants that are good and fairly priced, plus reasonable transport to other towns. The hotel is in a nice location, but as the week went on I realized how poor the stay was. The food was okay, with very little variety and no range of desserts. The drinks were a joke, almost no choice, all self-service, with wasps swarming around and a hygiene concern. Some nozzles looked dirty. We had several power cuts this week, and everything stopped, even the water. The shower leaked badly and soaked the whole bathroom. It’s a shame, because it wouldn’t take much to make the hotel lovely. I won’t use it or recommend it.