The Olivar Suites

“An Exceptional Stay at The Olivar Suites”

My stay started off a little rocky. My transportation from the airport was scheduled for the wrong day, and I ended up waiting over 30 minutes for a smoky-smelling, noisy van to finally pick me up, although the team graciously waived the cost once they realized what happened. I'd also paid for an e… more

My stay started off a little rocky. My transportation from the airport was scheduled for the wrong day, and I ended up waiting over 30 minutes for a smoky-smelling, noisy van to finally pick me up, although the team graciously waived the cost once they realized what happened. I'd also paid for an extra night hoping to secure an early arrival with my 8am flight, but after the taxi delay, and being placed in my first allocated sea view room facing a boat dock with rentals, I requested to move and ended up being relocated around 12:30pm. This wasn't quite the value I'd hoped for after paying for that early check-in. The rest of the stay turned things around completely, so much so that I extended my stay with five additional nights. I stayed in the Riviera Suite, and I woke up every morning to a sea view I loved. The privacy of the room, and the light that shined throughout the day on the private terrace was complete peace. I will note that the Riviera Suites back up against a road with taverns and a lounge that plays music into the night and early morning (2a) so if you are a light sleeper, bring ear plugs. Also, there are markets on this street within 3 minutes walk if you need food, souvenirs, travel supplies, etc. The beach was also spacious and well-appointed with plenty of loungers, and the sea stayed calm the entire stay except for one storm. What made the difference was the team. Traditional Greek hospitality is alive and well here, and most of the staff are local to the area. Everyone works hard, yet it is their warmth that was felt first and foremost. While I appreciated the entire 250+ team that works in front and behind the scenes, I do want to acknowledge a few team members who I encountered or spoke with often: Olga in Housekeeping - while she mistakenly entered my room the first day, she was a star, and ensured my suite was the tidiest and most immaculate. Christiana in Guest Relations - she checked on me often and I appreciated that generosity and care. Eleni in the Restaurant - I loved walking into breakfast and seeing her beautiful smile and curly hair. (Curly heads unite!) Konstantinos and Katerina at the front desk - consistently helpful Angela, Front of House Manager, and Irena, Assistant Front of House Manager - much appreciated for their care. Breakfast deserves its own mention. I alternated between scrambled tofu (without the bread croutons) and oatmeal with strawberries, and they even had half avocados out on the buffet. This is something I've never seen offered freely at a hotel breakfast before, as usually avocado is a paid add-on elsewhere. Their mango-oat smoothie was sweet, filling, and vegan. Everything was fresh, and if you wanted extra fruit or a takeaway box, they gave it graciously, and never stingy the way I've experienced at other properties. I understand food costs, but guests are often paying above value in most hotels these days, and Olivar goes above and beyond to ensure you are receiving value for your stay. I also appreciated the healthy treats in the suite's mini bar. One more detail I loved: on two mornings, a live musician played alongside the breakfast music. Such a nice touch, and it elevated the whole experience. The grounds are landscaped beautifully, and if you like to walk for exercise, walking the grounds is a nice experience. Some of their trees are hundreds of years old, and the aroma of nature fills the paths. As someone who researches hospitality closely for my own work, I notice details most guests might not: the consistency across every department, the local roots of the team, and genuine care in the small things. The rocky start aside, The Olivar Suites earned the extra nights I stayed, and I have the utmost gratitude for the team. Thank you, Olivar!

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“Our favourite Greek hotel!”

Our second visit to the Olivar Suites and after returning a few days ago, we have just booked again for 2027! For us, this hotel has everything - great beachfront location, superb rooms, beautifully landscaped gardens and most of all, staff that go out of their way to ensure you are made to feel we… more

Our second visit to the Olivar Suites and after returning a few days ago, we have just booked again for 2027! For us, this hotel has everything - great beachfront location, superb rooms, beautifully landscaped gardens and most of all, staff that go out of their way to ensure you are made to feel welcome, valued and cared for. It is located in a quiet village setting so no raucous nightlife but plenty of lovely family run tavernas and some small bars. We were on a B+B board basis and made use of the many excellent tavernas that are within a short walking distance of the hotel. Breakfasts cater for all dietary requirements and tastes - there is a cooked breakfast menu as well as a buffet with continental options, salads, Greek pastries, cereals and the Greek yoghurt, fresh fruits and honey were amazing. The sun beds on the beach are premium quality and extremely comfortable. The staff provide complimentary beach towels, water and glasses, cooling towels, sunglasses cleaning wipes and slices of melon. A top tip is to buy some beach shoes as the seashore is pebbly as you get in. We stayed in a Junior Suite with pool this year and we were really happy with our room. It was well equipped and having the pool was very welcome after a day on the beach. Rest assured that the pools and garden feel private and are not overlooked and are immaculate. The highlight for us are the evenings at the Oli Bar which overlooks the beach. We sat in super comfortable chairs, looking out to sea across to mainland Greece and watching the boats travel up and down the strait. The bar staff are friendly and attentive and do like it when you try out your Greek! (Although our attempts were not always accurate - but we had a go and we gave the staff a giggle!) Our experience of good hotels is that there is always a compromise - too far out from the tavernas, no beach etc - but the Olivar Suites has everything you need. If you book this place, you will not be disappointed! We saw guests we remembered from last year - that is a good sign!

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“Fantastic stay”

We had a superb family holiday at the Olivar Suites. The whole experience was great - we had two units with private pools which were a treat. The main pool area and beach front is lovely and spacious. The breakfast is phenomenal - really one of the best European style breakfasts we’ve ever had. … more

We had a superb family holiday at the Olivar Suites. The whole experience was great - we had two units with private pools which were a treat. The main pool area and beach front is lovely and spacious. The breakfast is phenomenal - really one of the best European style breakfasts we’ve ever had. We found staff to be excellent- helpful, friendly, professional. A special mention to Christiana who we interacted with before our arrival to book restaurants and a boat trip. The hotel is in easy walking distance to lots of restaurants or around 35 mins from Corfu town. Really excellent option and we’re certainly likely to return,

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“Not amazing..”

I didn’t find the place as blissful as others. I thought it lacked soul, it could have been anywhere in the world and didn’t feel that Greek to me. It was a poor weather week in May so I guess the learning for me would be don’t book somewhere with a private pool instead of a view because it will … more

I didn’t find the place as blissful as others. I thought it lacked soul, it could have been anywhere in the world and didn’t feel that Greek to me. It was a poor weather week in May so I guess the learning for me would be don’t book somewhere with a private pool instead of a view because it will be too cold to have a dip. Also it’s only as relaxing as your neighbours allow it to be, so with some noisy kids adjacent it lacked peace. The live saxophone at breakfast wasn’t to our liking either. We only stayed B&B so didn’t really experience a great deal of the service everyone raves about, but everyone that we came across seemed lovely. The town isn’t very appealing but has some good tavernas. What really surprised me was a lack of evidence of being eco friendly. There is an option to reduce the cleaning programme on the ‘Suitepad’. We got there eventually but it wasn’t easy. There’s no ‘keep your towel if you want’ notices, the sheets are usually changed daily and there’s no in-room recycling, just bins dotted around the site. Seems to me that Corfu needs all the help it can get in this department and in my view the Olivar didn’t seem to be trying hard enough, which alarmed me. I gave it 4 stars because, despite my moaning, some aspects are very good but I wouldn’t return.

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