Ilena

“A must visit!! The most beautiful little hidden gem in Acharavi.”

The location was lovely - a 10 min walk (uphill) from the main strip of Acharavi - about an hour from Corfu centre. It was almost silent during the day which meant it was perfect to relax and unwind completely. This means there was not at all an overload of tourists and felt very charming and local… more

The location was lovely - a 10 min walk (uphill) from the main strip of Acharavi - about an hour from Corfu centre. It was almost silent during the day which meant it was perfect to relax and unwind completely. This means there was not at all an overload of tourists and felt very charming and local, it also means it was very safe at night and felt very homely. Every member of staff at the hotel was incredible. A specific shoutout to Zeta who basically acted as our personal travel agent and went above and beyond for us every day. She booked our trips, made our dinner reservations and gave us personal recommendations for places to see and have dinner. One of the trips we wanted was sold out one day so she spent 3 hours calling local companies looking for another solution (which she found!). Truly amazing. Every member of staff knew us and asked how we were getting on, which is due to the village style feel of the hotel which means they get to know everyone on a personal level. The pool itself was amazing and always had multiple sinners available (no sunbed wars!). Cleanliness was excellent. There were multiple stray cats in the area who some guests feed which means the cats get confident and walk into the hotel at times - if you are not ok with this, the staff get rid of them asap but we are cat lovers and found the resident cat “Oliver” to be very friendly. We emailed beforehand explaining we had gotten married recently so they upgraded our room which meant we also had a hot tub which we used every day after dinner. There are lots of little taverna’s in Acharavi centre and great places for drinks, especially if you are willing to walk an extra 20 mins to the beach for some beach views which was very worth it. Overall we had a wonderful experience and genuinely could not rate Lena Mare more highly. We will certainly recommend it to every we know.

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“Promising but needs attention to detail”

Lena Mare was offered through a flight/hotel package on the front end of my three-week trip around Corfu and Paxos. It is located in the Roda/Acharavi region on the northern coast of Corfu. A one-hour drive from the airport, this region was remote, but pleasant, filled with scenic views and a less… more

Lena Mare was offered through a flight/hotel package on the front end of my three-week trip around Corfu and Paxos. It is located in the Roda/Acharavi region on the northern coast of Corfu. A one-hour drive from the airport, this region was remote, but pleasant, filled with scenic views and a less hectic feel: more locals and annual visitors coming to enjoy the island away from the crowded areas around Old Corfu Town and the southeastern coast. Perched on a hilltop above Roda, I was able to travel from the hotel by foot into town within 10 minutes to access shops, restaurants, and some of the local charm of the area. The beach and boardwalk are slightly further and a bit of a haul with beach bags and towels, but still a reasonable 15-20 minute walk providing access to many more options in terms of food and drink. One of the factors attracting me to the property was the advertisement of a gym. This is a necessity for an active person like me to help regulate the body after 26 hours of travel from the United States. Unfortunately, the "gym" was quite deflating - a tiny room with a multi-purpose machine, one bench, a few weights, and one cardio piece. While better than nothing, during one morning I attempted to utilize it with two other female hotel guests, and we could barely move around one another. To call it "small" is generous, and it was very under-equipped, so I had to rely on daily walks/jogging in the sweltering heat for my cardio exercise. Prior to check-in via email, I was given the opportunity to "upgrade" to a honeymoon suite. Attracted to this offer due to the promise of a jacuzzi with sea views, I agreed to a fee for the upgrade and upon arrival, I was pleased with the size of the room (much larger than I needed!) and functionality of the kitchen and bathroom, but disappointed to note the jacuzzi was really a tub of cold, bubbling water with limited sea views and a lot of scuzzy local homes perched next door looking in. My dreams of enjoying the hot tub were dashed as it was a) not hot, and b) not private. It felt like a waste of money. I dined in the restaurant on my first evening on property, finding the food fresh and healthful (Greek salad and chicken), but pricey compared to local restaurants in town. The morning breakfast was adequate but lacked options and information for those of us with Celiac disease needing clarity about gluten free foods and allergens. The highlight of the property is the beautiful pool area: absolute perfection with clean sunbeds, abundant towels, calm music, and great bartending service. Conversely, the extreme disappointment of my experience was with the "spa" booking I arranged through the hotel's traveling massage company. It was the worst massage I've ever had - basically a young girl dumping oil on me for 40 minutes in a random dark room with tealight candles chucked on a countertop. She clearly had no training about the human body, no fulfillment of my "deep tissue" request, and no interest in what she was doing as she was distracted, cut the massage 15 shorts, and was on her phone with Airpods in the whole time. It cost me $85 Euros: a joke. I offered critical feedback upon check out and was told by the front desk staff they, too, were very disappointed with the service and received complaints from other guests. I was shocked with this admission that they would keep exposing guests to incredibly subpar service. I wrote an email to the front desk and the spa service sharing my feedback, and it was ignored. Very disappointing customer service and a total rip-off. In general, my hope for my stay at Lena Mare was to acclimate my body and spirit to Corfu after long travels in preparation for my 21 days abroad. Unfortunately, with the limited gym facility, pathetic spa experience, misleading room upgrade, and lack of food options, my stay felt like more work than relaxation. While the staff were very kind and friendly, I'm not sure they were genuinely interested in some of the elements that could make a guest's stay more impactful.

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“Very relaxing and lovely chilled vibe”

This hotel definitely grew on us after a wobbly start. Our first impressions weren't so good and initially we were worried about where we'd booked. But by the end we appreciated some of the hotels qualities. Let's get the less good stuff out of the way first - the town the hotel is in isn't the ni… more

This hotel definitely grew on us after a wobbly start. Our first impressions weren't so good and initially we were worried about where we'd booked. But by the end we appreciated some of the hotels qualities. Let's get the less good stuff out of the way first - the town the hotel is in isn't the nicest and the beach was really disappointing. It's a fairly long way too from the airport and costs €75 for a scenic windy roads transfer in a taxi. The hotel itself is about 10-15 min walk in land, amongst a very quiet residential area and 5 min walk from the main road with the restaurants and shops. The hotel is split into 2 parts - divided by a quiet road. There is the newer bit one side and the older bit the other. The newer bit is really lovely - the pool area is SO chilled and quiet. The ambiance is tranquil. We had a senior suite with sea view room in the old bit - it was ok. It needs some updating and the bathroom is TINY! the bedroom is quiet but it overlooked a half built house or something like that. Not a pretty view! The bed was pretty big and comfy and the air con was fairly good. The rooms were clean. The sunset views were lovely! The bits we really came to like were: - the restaurant/bar staff are really good. They are a small team so you get to know them.. the overall hotel manager man was really good - he seemed really on it. The let down were the reception staff - just not a very friendly vibe for front of house. Shame as the rest are great. - the new pool area is really nice. It could do with more sun loungers in the sun and overall but we always got on just about. - the food was great. Breakfast was a bit repetitive after a week but the area you eat in is so nice. We went half board and loved the evening food but again be aware the same small (but nice!) menu every night. - it was quite a stylish hotel and the vibe was calm and the people it attracts seemed chilled and relaxed which was good. Overall it's definitely the best hotel in the town but it's not super glitzy so if you're used to 5* all inclusive you might be disappointed but it's a solid choice for sure. We paid around £1800 UK pounds in June for a couple half board which was reasonable value just about. Finally it does have a small gym - very small! But it's not busy so it's useable Needs some more weights (max is 15kg!) Last thing - if you like cats this place is great! There alot and we enjoyed their company. They are no issue at all.

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