From the white-stone floor of the lobby, so polished you want to dig out your ice skates, to the glass-sided, air-conditioned funicular that runs up the hillside to the separate bungalow accommodation, Rodostamo is a hotel with the sleekest of edges. In truth, there’s been little time for the sheen to wear off because this is one of Corfu’s newcomers, built in 2018. Sitting seven miles north of Corfu Town, it’s a convenient springboard for exploring different parts of the island, but there’s more than enough to keep you where you are: splendid coastal views, excellent wining and dining, a sizeable pool, and live entertainment many evenings of the week.
Overall Score 8/10
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Rooms and suites
Score 8/10
At the end of a long and winding drive, the main hotel building is an attractive, contemporary take on a traditional villa, with whitewashed walls and tiled roof. There are close to 90 standard rooms here, ranged across two floors — some with a restricted view of the bay and others looking towards the verdant forest to the rear — as well as separate, medium-sized suites with small dipping pools. Most characterful, however, are the 16 bungalows and five villas that daub the hillside above. You can reach them by climbing steps (a lot of them, particularly for those staying on the sixth terraced level), getting a ride in one of the hotel buggies, or taking the little space-age funicular carriage.
While the hotel is for guests over 12, the larger bungalows and villas suit families with older children. The bungalows (which sleep three to five guests) are in keeping with the rest of the property: modern and stylish, with white-tiled floors, splashes of turquoise in the furnishings, a pair of smart TVs and — the pièce de résistance — a balcony hot-tub with jaw-slackening bay views. Bathrooms are simple but elegantly styled, with stone-coloured walls and surfaces, bowl-shaped sinks and walk-in showers. They also have solar stations that heat the running water. The cream of the crop is Number 5, with two ensuite bedrooms, a spacious lounge, private pool, and the best views of the lot. Note this is the countryside and you might hear the occasional cockerel crowing on the hillside — there’s not much the hotel management can do about that.
Food and drink
Score 8/10
Yiasemi (which means “jasmine”) — the hotel’s buffet restaurant — is a bright space with chequered flooring and colourful chairs, and altogether a refreshing spot for a Mediterranean dinner or a breakfast featuring hot and cold stations of omelettes, crêpes and waffles, fruits, salads, various breads and cold meats. For lunch (and dinner too) you can opt for one of the two à la carte restaurants. The first, Avalle Bistro, stands just outside the resort main gates and specialises in Greek cuisine.
The other is RR (Rodostamo Restaurant), an informal, open-sided (and very reasonably priced) restaurant near the pool; as well as snacky lunch options (club sandwiches, burgers, salads and the like) there are excellent, imaginative dishes such as zucchini carpaccio with shrimp and anchovy salad or skioufikta pasta with beef fillets and porcini mushrooms. Beyond that, there are three bars — and the service everywhere is top-notch.
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What else is there?
Score 8/10
The main, L-shaped pool is surrounded by olive trees and has oodles of space for some proper lengths, should you want to do them, or for poolside lazing should that be the bigger priority. The well-equipped, alfresco gym (which also has a second, smaller pool) is very different from the usual cramped hotel fitness room, and relieves just a little of the pain of a workout simply by being out in the fresh air. Alongside is a low-lit spa with a hot tub, sauna and various treatment rooms where you can be massaged and moisturised. Where entertainment is concerned, there are regular music nights by the pool, from traditional Greek instrumental performances to cheesy pop classics.
Where is it?
Score 8/10
The hotel is in a quiet, hillside spot on the east coast, around 25 minutes by taxi from the airport. The views of the bay are spectacular, but note that the shoreline here is muddy and rocky, and not suitable for swimming (although the hotel is in the process of constructing a platform that might make this possible in future). The nearest swimming beach is under two miles away; the hotel provides a free daily shuttle service there. Aside from a local taverna, there’s nothing much to draw you out on foot into the immediate vicinity of the hotel, but there are bars and restaurants in Gouvia Marina just a short drive around the bay.
Price B&B doubles from £100
Restaurant mains from £14
Family-friendly N
Accessible N
Adrian Phillips was a guest of Rodostamo (rodostamo.gr)
