EliteVoyage CEO Petr Udavský and Travel Designer Matous Grund both enjoyed their holidays in Corfu last month.
Although the season has ended on the Greek islands, they have important feedback and recommendations for summer 2024.
Matty had a couple’s holiday at the new Ikos Odisia and Ikos Dassia, two very surprising all-inclusive resorts. Petr holidayed with his young family at Grecotel Imperial Corfu.
Surprising Corfu
Petr: I’ve visited many Greek islands and Corfu is special to me because it’s so green. I like the feeling that there are a lot of places to discover – the island is much larger than trending islands like Mykonos, Zakynthos, or Santorini.
Matty: Another advantage is the direct flights from June to September, around two hours from Prague to Corfu. There are good flight options from most major European cities in summer.
Petr: Travelling to Corfu takes a similar amount of time as when I go to my cottage in the Czech mountains!
Matty: I recommend spending a day exploring the interior of the island. Ikos includes one-day rental of a Tesla as part of their all inclusive.
Petr: Don’t miss a visit to Corfu’s capital city, especially the historic old town. It’s a nice place to explore.
Matty: Agree! Ikos has two restaurants in Corfu town, so you can explore the town day or night and still have a restaurant dinner included.
Petr: Overall I was very impressed with Corfu. The coastline is simply spectacular – crystal clear water, green hills and hidden bays. I highly recommend a half-day or full-day cruise on a yacht!
The Ikos All-Inclusive Concept
Matty: I’ve never been to an all-inclusive in Europe, but Ikos was fantastic. It’s a premium concept all-inclusive that really surprised me.
The dining is excellent and it’s all a la carte, at different restaurants around the resort. So you can choose Greek, Italian, Asian, Mediterranean, French and local cuisine.
Each restaurant has a vegan menu and can do things gluten free. The a la carte restaurants require reservations and it’s best to make them before your holiday, because they are booked out many days in advance.
I liked the different Greek cuisines but was happy that Ikos all-inclusive didn’t mean cheap local drinks. I don’t want ouzo, I want Champagne. It’s included and there was a good selection too.
Both resorts also offered excellent international and local wines, plus internationally branded spirits, which were also replenished daily in our minibar too.
Beach service is included. Room service is included. Non-motorised water sports are included. All the sports facilities, coffees, ice creams, sauna, pool bar and more. The only chargeable items are spa treatments, babysitting service and motor sports.
You really get a lot at Ikos and there’s a fun atmosphere, because all the guests are enjoying all the inclusions.
Comparing Ikos Dassia & Ikos Odisia
When compared from afar, Ikos Dassia and Ikos Odisia are very similar. They have the same all-inclusive, same restaurants with similar menus, similar facilities and same minimum stay of five nights.
I discovered that Ikos Dassia and Ikos Odisia share the same beach but look and feel like different properties.
Ikos Odisia opened this summer and sprawls across a much larger area. It’s an eco-style resort and is best suited to younger guests.
Ikos Dassia is older and has a better location around the beach. Rooms and suites are in two high multi-story buildings and the layout is more suited to older guests.
I preferred Ikos Odisia. It is newly built and each hotel building has a maximum of ten rooms and two floors. The rooms are light and spacious, each with either a balcony or private garden.
The rooms in Dassia are much smaller, only around 25 square metres. I had a sea view and that was nice, but overall I preferred Odisia. The entire resort feels more spacious and there are no plastics anywhere.
Ikos Dassia was renovated from an older hotel, six years ago, and it’s a lot of concrete. But it’s right on the beach, whereas the furthest rooms at Odisia are a 15-minute walk to the sand (you can book a buggy if you don’t want to walk).
Both resorts have Deluxe Collection suites. These are the most premium accommodations and have additional benefits, like an exclusive beach area, pool area and concierge. Plus an enhanced drinks menu and options for dining on the beach.
Unfortunately I couldn’t inspect the suites, because both resorts were almost at full capacity. This is a strong indication of their popularity and quality.
My recommendation is not to combine Odisia and Dassia. Pick one – when you use the inclusions it’s really worth your holidays.
Grecotel Imperial Corfu
Petr: Grecotel Corfu Imperial is in a beautiful location. The hotel is surrounded by green hills and sprawls around a bay with a lot of yachts.
I didn’t feel like I was in Greece, it felt more like Italy or the French Riviera. The location and coastline is spectacular.
It has its own pier and water sports centre, so yachts and speedboats can easily dock – perfect for doing day trips on the water!
Another trip I recommend is Danilia Village, a replica of a 1930s Corfiot village that’s featured in many movies, including James Bond For Your Eyes Only.
Don’t miss the restaurant in the village, which serves local wine and culinary specialities, in a sharing style.
This is a big hotel and there were 800 other guests during our stay. However, because it’s spread across such a large area, it never felt crowded.
Imperial Corfu is a comfortable hotel in a stunning location. It can be a good choice for certain clients but room choice is very important..
Our friends were accommodated in the main building. Most of the rooms here have been renovated and are of a good standard.
The majority of the seafront villas have also been renovated, or are completely new additions. Some of these are superb.
We stayed in the rock villas on the other side of the peninsula. A refurbishment of these villas has been planned, but until this is complete, I recommend choosing another room category.
I recommend villas and suites that are part of the Corfu Imperial Famous Class. They are the best accommodations and enjoy a private beach, plus some complimentary extras.
Our friends didn’t have famous class so we spent most of our time on the resort’s main beach. It’s a perfect sandy beach for kids. The water is calm and incredibly clear too.
The resort has a third beach and two pools, plus a huge array of different facilities. We dined at the buffet in the main restaurant – after a day in the sun, it’s the best option with our young kids. So I can’t report on the resort’s fine dining restaurants.
Compared to the Ikos resorts, I had a feeling that Corfu Imperial has been here for many years. There are huge trees everywhere providing shade.
My impression was that most guests are repeat visitors to the hotel, a good indication of consistently good quality and service.
I’m happy to give you personal advice before you book Corfu Imperial, so you can sure if the hotel is a good choice for you.
2024 in Corfu
The team at EliteVoyage is travelling as often as they can. Sometimes these are purely work trips, inspecting lots of different hotels and new destinations.
Often it’s just for holidays. We simply love to travel and we travel every opportunity we can.
Although the season is over in Corfu, we always want to share what we have discovered, so you can make a more informed decision about your next holiday.
And of course, to really get the most from your holiday it’s best to have personal advice. That’s why we’re here.
