Grecotel LUXME Costa Botanica

“Wonderful, but: Tea?”

We’ve been to this resort twice and we’re booked in for our third trip in July. This place is fabulous! It has the unique combination of yoga and art classes for adults, but with water slide silliness for kids (and adults). The setting will take your breath away. Costa Botanica is as beautiful … more

We’ve been to this resort twice and we’re booked in for our third trip in July. This place is fabulous! It has the unique combination of yoga and art classes for adults, but with water slide silliness for kids (and adults). The setting will take your breath away. Costa Botanica is as beautiful as its website suggests. It sits in the cup of deep green, volcanic mountains with lush pastures leading down to a clean, largely undeveloped beach. You can walk and not see anybody or anything if you wish. The place is utterly serene. The staff work so hard it’s incredible. Their energy levels are amazing. They’re always polite and helpful even when it gets a bit busy. The food and the wine are resolutely excellent. Yes it gets a bit buggy, but that’s the price you pay for it being so verdant. Now, I’m going to talk about something very close to my cold, damp British heart: tea. Greek and Corfiot food and drink are second to none. However, first thing in the morning I would like a cup of tea. This is particularly true after having enjoyed quite a lot of the gorgeous Greek food and drink the night before. Tea bags are available, but they’re fairly weak and getting a teapot to put it in, requires a level of strategic planning I am just not capable of at that time of day. Also, black tea needs to be made by boiling water being poured immediately onto the leaves. Not hot water, boiling water. Otherwise you end up with a limpid, miserable brew which does your otherwise heavenly resort a cruel disservice. So, if many, many more teapots could be provided and if boiling water be used to fill them, that would be very much appreciated. My apologies for being a complete and utter British stereotype.

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“An excellent hotel for relaxing on the beach and not thinking about anything.”

A good hotel, we took the all-inclusive option. We didn't have to worry about anything, the food was varied and everything was quite tasty and filling. Private beach with a cool bar and ice cream. The sand isn't cleaned of debris, but there wasn't any noticeable dirt. When we checked in, we were … more

A good hotel, we took the all-inclusive option. We didn't have to worry about anything, the food was varied and everything was quite tasty and filling. Private beach with a cool bar and ice cream. The sand isn't cleaned of debris, but there wasn't any noticeable dirt. When we checked in, we were given the wrong room, which we had booked, “Botanica with a private balcony.” The sheets were dirty, and we waited a very long time for the staff to replace the bedding. It was dirty, damp, and uncomfortable. The next day, they kindly offered us three room options (I am attaching a photo of the one we chose), and we were very happy with it. - At sunset, you'll be mercilessly eaten alive by mosquitoes and gnats, so bring spray with you, otherwise you simply won't survive. - There is a good seafood restaurant. - Many activities for dinner, magicians, dancing, music - You can leave the hotel to go for a walk, but there is not much to see, but it is better than nothing. There are many rental cars nearby.

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“Fantastic Family Fun”

Just back from a brilliant autumn half-term trip to Costa Botanica. Two adults and one child (9yrs), and we had a fantastic time. The aqua-park is awesome - that alone would have kept our daughter entertained for the entire week (as well as me, thanks to the brilliant music playlist provided by Din… more

Just back from a brilliant autumn half-term trip to Costa Botanica. Two adults and one child (9yrs), and we had a fantastic time. The aqua-park is awesome - that alone would have kept our daughter entertained for the entire week (as well as me, thanks to the brilliant music playlist provided by Dina!). The donkeys, goats, deer, geese etc provided much amusement throughout the stay, too. Maria in the kids club was great with the kids and is sorely missed now we're home! Food: overall really very good indeed. The main buffet was spot on, really good variety and high quality throughout the week for all meals. I noticed that the people who were moaning about queues were also exactly the same people who stand up as soon as the flight landed then moaned that they'd been standing up too long- probably not a coincidence! If you simply go a little earlier or later you can easily work around it. I think we queued for around 10-15 minutes for the entire week in total! The gym was a highlight for the adults. Very well equipped (including a full size boxing ring and bags!), spotless, and more good music for working out. You can also find some amazing running routes in the hills in the area. Tennis courts pretty much immaculate - book your slot early to avoid missing out. Special thanks to Christos and Spyros on the front desk for looking after us so well, Georgia the sommelier for her great tasting class, Maria in kids club and Dina at the aquapark (as well as the free-roaming cats who provided much entertainment!!) - Final mention: yes, there are mosquitos. But you can avoid that ruining your holiday by simply not letting it ruin your holiday! Pack some repellent and bite cream and crack on.

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