Facing the Ionian Sea on the north-east coast of Corfu, Almyros Beach Resort & Spa is an attractive family holiday getaway buzzing with daily activities.
Under the expert guidance of friendly and energetic general manager, Dimitris Moraitis, 48, the diversity of indoor and outdoor options for both children and adults alike is impressive, including a private, soft sand beach complete with lounge chairs and umbrellas.
Name the sport and its likely it’s catered for at this popular hotel, from football and tennis to gym workouts and volleyball, not to mention swimming, either in its freshwater pools or the azure blue sea, a mere 50 meters away. The hotel even hosts its own fitness classes every day including aqua training.
Children will spend endless hours at a special outdoor playground featuring waterslides, playing table tennis or cavorting in their own shallow pool.
That’s just the day-time activities. In the evenings, Moraitis, a native of Corfu, and his staff host lively, fun-filled quizzes and musical events including karaoke nights.
For those seeking more restful indulgences, there’s the Pasithea Spa and Wellness center, named after the Greek Goddess of relaxation, which features three treatment rooms, a hammam, sauna and beauty parlor.
The hotel opened just over three years ago, is part of the V Hotels Group with whom Dimitris has worked for more than five years. It has 180 rooms and suites, set among lush gardens filled with exotic flowers such as Mexican pitunia and Indian feathers and a variety of herbs including lavender, myrtle and rosemary, as well as swaying palm and lemon trees.
Each room has a private balcony with views over the sea, the swimming pool or the garden. Our high-ceilinged room, 114, on the first floor was spacious with modern décor, and a balcony, complete with twin chairs and a low table, overlooking both the pool area and the sea beyond. Furnishings included a large-screen TV, a comfortable armchair and settee and a coffee table.
Dining at Almyros is either buffet or à la carte. The former takes place in a glass-enclosed, ground-floor restaurant with a large terrace facing the pool and sea. Here separate designated areas feature a wide selection of hot main dishes, salads and desserts. During our stay, menu items ranged from pasta dishes and grilled meats such as lamb, beef and pork to chickpea burgers, mushroom pie and assorted fish and seafood.
A more intimate upstairs restaurant offers an à la carte menu where we sampled sea bream, octopus, squid with saganaki and rib-eye steak. The hotel has three separate bars – one beside the buffet area, one upstairs in a room with a balcony overlooking the sea and the other close to the outdoor swimming pools.
V Group has purchased 41 acres attached to the hotel and plans to develop villas with private pools, restaurants, bars, and to double the size of the rooms.
Local Greek life is not far away from the hotel, with the small town of Acharavi less than three kilometers from the hotel, with its 7-kilometer pebble beach and a string of tavernas, local stores, cafes and restaurants. It also has a small folklore museum.
A fifteen-minute drive from the hotel along a winding country road is ‘Bee Happy,’ where you can watch a queen bee lay her eggs (a whopping 2,000 per day) and drones, or worker bees, flying back and forth collecting pollen from nearby flowers. You can also buy delicious varieties of honey, from oak and orange blossom to wild forest.
