What People are saying

Everything you need to know for your holiday in Corfu

Sophie Kon 31/08/2017 12:25

Everything you need to know about your all inclusive trip to mayor la grotta verde hotel - agios gordios

Myself and my husband have just arrived back from the beautiful Corfu after a 10 day break in this lovely hotel.

The grounds of the hotel are beautiful the views are incredible and the sunset, is truly magical. There are ALOT of hills and stairs when walking to and from your room to the pool/beach so I WOULDNT recommend this hotel for anyone with mobility issues or laziness ha! You can get a buggy service to take you around the hotel but you still need to walk up
Some stairs and hills around the hotel that the buggy doesn't have access too, and there can be a wait on the buggies too.

The pools were lovely, clean and yes cold haha! But once you are in they were fine. Really nice pool area and beach area with some beautiful settings. We never really struggled for a lounger either which was good!

Our upgraded suite was beautiful we stayed in room 6103 and we had our very own balcony holding a plunge pool. This was so so so amazing and it really caught the sun after 2pm for a nice sun trap. The beds were comfy and clean and the air con really worked! To be honest I woke up freezing a couple nights and had to turn it off! You get a safe and a fridge and the maid cleans it everyday and changes your bed. Not to the extent of other hotels, she doesn't pick up after you or clean the balcony but fresh towels and bedding and a clean floor is all you need really. A fresh bottle of water is left in your room everyday too.

The spa - the spa area isn't great it's not picturesque and tranquil. You wouldn't really hang around after your treatments but the treatments themselves and the treatment rooms were gorgeous. We had a double room and enjoyed a back, neck shoulder and scalp massage along with a facial and it was fabulous. The scalp massage was poor, it wasn't very massage like and she didn't really get into my scalp but everything else was amazing and I really enjoyed myself. I think we paid around €100 for the treatment so very similar to the U.K. Pound at the time around £90.00. Which I think with the actual spa environment and the treatment maybe I would've paid about £60 for. But still defo worth your visit.

Excursions

I would highly recommend hiring a speed boat and skipper at the hotel reception. We did this for a full day on the Saturday and it was incredible! We brought our own drinks and food on the boat and our fabulous skipper Nicos took us all over to many hidden treasures & caves we could jump off the boat and dive into. It was just all and all an incredible day. We really felt the island of Corfu come alive this day. It was around €355 this includes petroleum etc but when there is 4-6 of you on board it works out okay and TOTALLY worth it!

Corfu town - is beautiful a lot the same repetitive shops but there is some hidden treasures. You can get nice fake bags and purses and sunglasses really good prices. Some lovely restaurants and tavernas and just overall very beautiful.

Sea breeze restaurant on a Sunday! This is right next to our hotel on the beach front and it was amazing! The food was fantastic and the staff were amazing! So full of life and happiness they even do accommodation and if the staff at the restaurant are anything to go by I'd definitely be there to stay over! BRILLIANT night

FOOD & DRINK

The buffet restaurant was nice, there was different foods and variety and different changes daily too. The live cooking station was just ok, it wasn't done to your particular wish like I've experienced in over hotels I.E our friend was only able to eat poached eggs due to dietary requirements but then buffet restaurant egg stations at breakfast told her that she can not have poached eggs unless she booked at La Perla for breakfast (but she was unable to as this was fully booked the days she tried to get in)
They have the standard buffet food like spag bol and chips etc on always and the food was nice, especially the beef. Never tasted beef so soft especially just in a buffet it was really really gorgeous.
The restaurant manager (Kostos) was amazing, so cheerful smiling always and really welcoming he always gave us lovely service and did special things for us i.e. Free bottle of prosecco and a birthday cake on my husbands birthday.

There are 3 main restaurants which you can book in to 3 times for a 1 week stay, 4 times for a 10 night stay and I think maybe 5-6 times for 2 weeks.

You have the La Perla - Italian, Ocean View - French and a Greek (I forget the name of this one)

The Greek was gorgeous, right by the poolside and the staff were very nice. You could dine here unlimited times for lunch when booked at reservations and then once for your evening meal. The food was really good. Very tasty, fresh and a great choice. I really really loved it here.

The Italian - what a joke. Service was horrendous, slow and a lot of rude workers. The food was just okay, it really wasn't particularly Italian or special at all so I would really just AVOID this as your choice as you can get nice Italian styled food at the buffet.

The French was AMAZING! By far the best food although the Greek did come close! The staff were nice, but the food was amazing there was a really good selection and I even asked for seconds! Defo recommend the mussels and duck!

HOWEVER... the hotels system for booking these restaurants is a joke! Not the amazing lady working at reservations Anastasia she was so nice! She tried her upmost best to get us booked in.. but the system does not make sense at all! It's almost like they don't want you to dine there.. whether it's because it's more expensive for them or what I have no idea! But when you pay £2.5K for a holiday.. you expect to get what your entitled to and we didn't.

Because we loved the French so much we wanted to book to go here again for our 4th and final meal stay as we were entitled too. We tried to book it 2 days ahead for a day we could get in either the next day anytime what so ever as we really wanted to go back. The reason we didn't try to book it earlier was because we just dined there 2 days earlier and had the Italian to try next so we wanted to choose our favorite of the 3 to go back to. Anataisia really tried her best to get us in she showed us her screen to prove it was what they call 'fully booked' at every time slot. She was gutted we couldn't get in and you could tell she felt bad she was so so nice she's a credit to that hotel.

I asked her if on the night anyone doesn't show up or cancels to let us know which she was more than happy to do. We hadn't heard back so we though ah yeah it's probably really busy. We have to walk past the French to get to the buffet so we decided to go past and have a look to see if on the off chance we could get in. Bare in mind this restaurant states is shuts at 10.30pm.. we went at 9pm..

We walked to the restaurant doors and seen there was only 2 people sat inside the restaurant and their was at least 20 tables free inside the restaurant and then a whole outdoor section too...Why were we unable to book in when there is clearly space.. we decided to ask the waiter at the door we explained we were told it's booked up and we were coming to check if there was any cancellations to see if we could dine here.

He said no I'm sorry we are fully booked we can not do this for you tonight.. our friend then said "looks like you're fully booked tonight I see?" and pointed to all the empty available tables. The waiter then went on to say it is not about the service but the kitchen that makes the bookings up.. when our friends looked other into the kitchen they could see they were turning things off and clearing away. This is not fair, nor acceptable when you've paid £2.5K to stay at a hotel and your entitlement to your meal.

The restaurant states it's open until 10.30pm so why would the kitchen be closing and refusing guests at 9pm? I was so upset about this as I loved it so much and I'd of happily paid to eat there. I wonder now whether if we just asked to eat and pay and not mention that we were on the all inclusive maybe they would've had us in. I was so disappointed by this book in system and how it works. I really think you should be allowed to eat at the restaurants and buffet every night of your stay. And you should have he right to attend a restaurant without reservations if it is quiet.

You also could only book reservations 3 days in advance. And by the time this came around all the restaurants were already "fully booked" not once did I ever see any of this restaurants full. I was really upset and gutted to have missed out on a lovely meal. I think the hotel needs to change the system so you can eat there more and open up for availability for bookings or take it off the all inclusive program completely. I even asked at reservations when she said the French was full if we could pre order and get room service and pay for the room service tray charge.. she said it wasn't allowed. I don't think this is acceptable due to us have already paying our money to stay there and having that included. We have now missed out on something we have paid for.

So saying that I strongly recommend when you arrive at your hotel you book your reservations there and then. Then the next day keep booking for your next days so you don't miss out.

The drinks on all inclusive to be honest aren't the best. You can get your standard vodka rum etc etc but the cocktails were rubbish. None were frozen, fresh and refreshing they were all juice based and not very nice. I get the idea that the hotel has a lot of weird rules that just do not make sense. For example I wanted a pina colada but it wasn't available on all inclusive... but i could get a virgin colada (mocktail) and ask for rum in it no problem..

The same with the iced coffee. That's not available on all inclusive. But you can ask for a coffee with cold milk and ice.. no problem.

In the buffet restaurant you couldn't get gin or sparkling wine (which was gorgeous by the way) as an option, but if you go out the restaurant you can.. it was all very odd and silly. And it's little things like this which really do make an impact on repeat custom and people's reviews.

I only drink white wine but I didn't like the all inclusive one it tasted like tobacco! However.. the sparkling wine was lovely, and the pool bar workers work hard and you can always get your water bottle refilled for free which is great! There is free ice cream all day by the pool
Which is fab too!

Entertainment

The hotel had a different act on every night mainly live singers, which were quite good but it got a bit boring and repetitive. For your entertainment I'd recommend going out to the Agios Gordios strip! The lemon tree was fab and funky! Glow in the dark menus lovely drinks and fabulously friendly staff we went here every night! Definitely try a Dr Peppers beer cocktail!

Madison Garden was beautiful. By far the cleanest of the bars and the BEST Mojitos in all of Corfu! Our waiter 'Zoet' from Holland was amazing. He had an infectious smile and work ethic and really wanted to make sure we got the best of the best for our cocktails.

Robins nest - cute and quirky small and fun, great prices for drinks and is the mam of the guys who run the lemon tree. What I love about robins nest is the walls are filled with stones and pebbles painted on by all the customers who have been there. You pick a pebble and take it with you, let the waiter/waitress no and they bring you out paint and paintbrushes and then after they've been done they take them to dry and they'll eventually after a month or so end up cermented to the walls of the bar for all to see. This was a gorgeous touch.

MIKES BAR! Wahoo! You HAVE to go to mikes! Yes it's very quiet inside as in not a lot of people visiting unless it's a Tuesday (Beatles night) or Saturday (comedy and live Music night) but honestly the place was SO FUN!! We went again every night and mike and Michelle are just AMAZING! They are sooo down to earth and fun, with such kind hearts. Mike makes a fabulous Long Island ice tea and mango daquiri! They're very accommodating so much so when mike found out I missed out on my only chance to smash a Greek plate he went into the back brought me one out and said here you go smash it! It was fantastic!! He let me sing on the karaoke and dance all night long. A really great bar so PLEASE do not walk in to walk out if there is nobody there! After all the only company you need to have fun and have a party is yourself the person your holidaying with and mike and Michelle!

Credit where credit is due!
We have met some amazing staff during our stay and I could not thank them all enough for their service, friendliness and welcoming approach so I'd just like to write about them here. They're a credit to the hotel, and really made us feel at home.

The first man on the list is the amazing PANOS at the Beach bar - panagiwtis (panayotis) panos kotsarinis was super friendly from the moment we seen him. He was the first and only member of staff that had a permanent smile on his face and was so happy and excited to be at work doing his job. He was kind and compassionate hard working and funny. Panos really made an impact to our stay so much so we wanted to have a drink with him outside of the hotel! I really can't thank him enough for his service and for how much he really lights up a dull day. Massive credit to him. He was fantastic!

- Buffet Restaurant manager - kostos - I touched on kostos above in the buffet section, he was super fantastic. So very welcoming and really friendly and kind. A real gentleman and hard worker. He looked so kind to his team and seemed to manage and direct the buffet team fantastically. Everyone was smiling and laughing with him, and he wasn't afraid to get his hands stuck in. Shifting tables and clearing up not just delegating to his team. I really respect kostos for his work ethic and friendless. Fantastic.
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- Entertainment bar - Fotis at the entertainment bar was brill. He has a dry sense of humor and doesn't talk much when he's busy which is totally understandable but when he could chat he was really nice. Recommend us some lovely restaurants in Corfu town to dine at and showed us all about his fishing and telling us about the beautiful island. He's a true grafter and really works hard he makes a great cocktail. Thank you fotis!

- Buggy driver - TOM!
- Awww tom!!! I can't say anything other than TOM yeyyy (we said this every time we seen him haha) !! He made us smile sooo much! He was sooooooo sooo sooo nice and really funny too. He helped buggy us up and down all them hills and we had great laughs with him in and out the hotel! Tom was a true gent and a hard worker. A beautiful smile and a beautiful soul.

Guest relations manager - Dawn.
During our stay we had to speak to dawn a few times for help and Enquiries. And I can not tell you enough about how brilliant she is at her job. She really does care about the hotel, the staff and the team and you really can see how much she's do for them. Not only that she upgraded our hotel rooms on arrival for special occasion and I was so thankful for this. I've never been upgraded before so it was a real treat, she left us a bottle of wine in our room one night as a thank you for helping out with a guest, which was unnecessary but very much appreciated. She works very hard. And was very honest. I really respect her and her work ethic. I think she will read trip advisor and all guest comments etc to really try to consistently improve the hotel. You can tell it has her heart. Thanks for everything Dawn.

Anastasia - food resversations
I briefly mentioned Anastasia in the restaurant reservations above. I can't tell you how much of a beautiful girl she is. She really cares about the guests and keeping them happy. One night myself and my husband had a poor experience in the Italian with the slow service. We mentioned it to Anastasia just incase any guest complained and she was so upset at the thought we were having a poor dining experience. She begged us to let her bring us back down the restaurant to sort it out so we can enjoy our meal, although we didn't want to due to embarrassment of having to walk out in the first place we did as she was really concerned and wanted us to be happy. I'm pleased she did as afterwards we did enjoy our meal and the service was improved.
- Anastasia your job mustn't be easy with the rules on booking reservations but you really make it a lot better for the guests. I can imagine people would complain about the system a lot but you just have such a calming and welcoming and helpful presence about you that is very unique. A beautiful person inside and out and great at what you do. Keep it up your fab!

Rebekah - Thomson's Rep.
Honest and reliable Rebekah helped with any Enquiries and emailed me back so fast and helpfully. She was bubbly and friendly and a real hard worker. You can tell she is experienced in her field and is very professional. Thank you Rebekah for being great with us during our stay and helping us out with all the excursions!

Andrei and Alina - photographers. Awww these two were adorable I wish they were a couple! They were very sweet and kind and took lovely pictures. You could get a photo shoot for free but the cost of the photos were quite expensive like €9 for one, and they take about 300 or something so it's very hard to narrow it down to a budget! We spent around €55 on photos more than we wanted to but you can't put a price on memories. Andrea was fantastic. Very kind and caring and a great photographer. Not pushy or forceful or a salesmans. Just a guy who loves to take good pictures. Brilliant man.

Overall we would return, we have never been back to the same hotel twice as we like to experience different places and islands but I wouldn't say no to going back here. We personally had a lovely time, and really appreciated efforts made by them to make our stay memorable and lovely.

Thanks again for a lovely time. A beautiful island, beautiful hotel just maybe work on the cocktail menu and the accessibility for guests to dine in the beautiful restaurants.

Sophie and Callum Nixon xxx

Beautiful place

Charham92on 30/08/2017 15:43

Just got back from an amazing weeks stay at the Mayor Grotta Verde.
We had a great time, food is delicious, staff are very friendly, beach is gorgeous and the pool area is just what you need to cool down and enjoy some chilled music. The aqua gym was great fun to watch in the afternoons.

We loved the fact that the entertainment team would bring watermelon and cold towels to your sun beds in the afternoon to cool you down.

The golf buggies are a great idea to get you around the resort as it can be very hilly.

Overall we had a great stay and would love to return!

Kherete Mayor La Grotta Verde! X

Almost Good......

imps1208on 29/08/2017 18:10

If I could give it 3 and a half I would......I just found the hotel very inconsistent.
Some staff were very good, the guy that runs the beach bar was amazing, great host and never flustered, worked the queues brilliantly. The two older guys on the rooftop terrace were a great double act, they should be on TV!!!
The Greek restaurant was very good, Italian was as well. I was a little disappointed by the French but nothing too bad.
The buffet restaurant was typically predictable pasta station, pizza every lunchtime, salad bar and then the usual meat options very mundane but you expect that from these all inclusive a restaurants. We actually went down the beach to another restaurant to eat on the last night as were bored of the buffet restaurant. It was amazing by the way Thalassa restaurant 100% recommend it.
I don't think I would return to this hotel, the rooms were nice not very clean but everything is white so I empathise with the the housekeeping teams but the dust in the bathrooms was poor, considering I hear this hotel will be 5star from Next year they have some work to do.
Getting to the beach would be a struggle for non mobile people but the sunsets from. This hotel are to die for......amazing.

Fantastic hotel

RDLaneon 29/08/2017 15:13

We stayed here for 2 weeks in August. We booked direct - very easy and all email queries were answered really quickly.

Hotel - clean, bright, and modern adults only hotel in a great location. It is a short walk either by road or along the beach into the village where you will find souvenir shops, supermarkets, restaurants and bars.

Rooms - we had a suite in the main building. Lovely room. Large and bright with perfect views over the bay. Bed was really comfy. Tea, coffee (Nespresso machine) and fridge. Large bathroom - shower had plenty of power. Rooms cleaned every day and bed linen changed regularly.

Air conditioning - individually controlled and worked perfect down to 16 degrees.

Restaurants - Perla - fantastic place for breakfast. Staff were really friendly and efficient. Buffet breakfast served in a lovely space with a fantastic view of the bay. Ocean view just perfect. Food of the highest quality and again wonderful views. Andronika - main restaurant - buffet style. Huge choice of food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Calypso bar was excellent with a good selection of drinks. Lovely to have a cocktail and watch the sunset each evening.

All in all a fantastic hotel. We were made to feel very welcome from the minute we arrived until the minute we left.

We would definitely recommend this hotel and can't wait to go back.

Thank you to everyone who works at Mayor La Grotta Verde Grand Resort.

Summer 60th Holiday

Caroline Fon 29/08/2017 11:39

We stayed here as a family of four adults for a week in early August, it was my husbands 60th birthday and we wanted a nice hotel to spend it in. We booked a bungalow and a twin room, but unfortunately when we checked in and got to our rooms they were two doubles, as our son and daughter are 26 and 24, not ideal!! Think this was Thomson's fault as opposed to hotel though. Got sorted out pretty promptly to our bungalow and twin room but wish we hadn't bothered as bungalow was a far cry from the double room allocated at first. However the hotel itself is really lovely, very hilly, but we knew that before we went. Lovely setting, spectacular sunset every night. Never a rush for sun beds which were very comfortable, if you didn't want poolside. Staff were all lovely, very friendly and always helpful, food good in buffet restaurant, better in the themed restaurants which you could use once each during your stay, recommend Greek one, but all good.
All in all a very enjoyable lazy stay, too hot to move far but we won't complain about that coming from a rainy Scotland.