Grecotel Costa Botanica, Corfu: The Family Holiday We Didn’t Want to End

I took my family to Corfu this August — me, my wife, and our 12-year-old — and landed on Grecotel Costa Botanica after way too much research on my part. I’ve stayed at Grecotel resorts before and know they tend to nail the “properly luxurious, without the properly luxurious price tag” thing, so it felt like a safe bet. It also just so happened to tick every box for our particular family: nice scenery for my wife, a beach and pools for me, and a waterpark plus a decent chance of meeting other kids for our daughter.

Turns out we picked well. Costa Botanica is low-rise, spread out through botanical gardens with a lovely relaxed feel for a hotel packed with so many facilities.

 

The staff are the real headline act..

I’ll be honest, I go into most “5-star” resorts expecting the staff to be fine — competent, a bit formal, gone by the time you’ve said thank you. Not here. Check-in happened on a comfy sofa with a homemade lemonade, rather than more formally at the counter – a lovely start to our stay.  And it didn’t stop there — bar staff, waiters, cleaners, gardeners, all of them smiling, all of them helpful, all of them with fantastic English. It sounds like a small thing until you’re on holiday and it means every “excuse me, where’s the—” turns into a pleasant chat instead of a chore. There are lots of staff, so you never have to wait in line to find someone to ask advise, or for help and it is always done with a smile.

 

 The grounds and the island itself..

The gardens are very nice — colourful, well-kept, and spaced out enough that the resort never feels crammed. Mountains behind, a lovely bay and beach in front, hotel sandwiched in the middle. Corfu itself surprised me too — much greener and hillier than I’d pictured. Definitely one of the better-looking Greek islands, and the resort makes the most of it.

It’s built more like a little Greek village than a hotel — low buildings, winding paths, a main square that comes alive at night with music and people milling about. Comfy chairs, drinks on tap, and enough atmosphere that we ended up there most evenings without really planning to.

 

The waterpark (verdict: genuinely great)..

This is one of the best hotel waterparks we’ve been to. I had a go on the fastest slide purely for the thrill of it; my wife preferred the lazy river. Our daughter, unsurprisingly, spent hours there and would have stayed longer if we’d let her. It al felt very safe and well maintained and we were happy to let our little one go on her own or with her friends while we sat at the main pool sipping cocktails. You could spend all day here, as there is also a large pool and a cafe where you can get crepes, ice creams, slushies and cakes. There is also a great little splash park if you have smaller kids.

 

Other fun facilities & activities..

The hotel has plenty of other fun things to do beyond the pools and beach. The tennis courts are excellent, and we watched some of the one-on-one coaching sessions taking place, which looked great — courts themselves are free to use, though coaching comes at an extra cost. There’s also a floodlit paddle court, which, for some reason, costs €25 per hour — a bit odd, as we felt this should really be included. Down on the beach, there’s a good range of watersports, with kayaks and paddleboards available to take out, plus jet ski hire for €50. The hotel also has its own little farm/zoo, where you can say hello to the friendly donkeys, goats and horses (and the slightly less friendly deer, geese and ducks). You can even book horse-riding trips along the beach — something we’d planned to do but sadly ran out of time for.

 

Drinks: actually premium, not “all-inclusive premium”..

For an all-inclusive, this was a proper step up — real brands, double measures, cocktails that didn’t taste like an apology. Poolside service at the main pool meant you were rarely without a drink, and we never once queued at any of the bars, even though it was peak school holidays. The table service was also really quick and attentive in the main square for evening drinks. We worked our way through a fair number of cocktails and came home with a couple of new favourites. We didn’t get a chance to visit the ‘Wine Library’ where you can do wine tasting with the hotels own sommeliers but its a great option for any wine lovers out there. I believe they have a huge selection of wines and it is all included in the cost of your holiday.

 

Food, and specifically the a la carte restaurants..

The main buffet — the Mediterranean spread — is solid: good variety, something for the kids, fresh at every meal. I mostly gravitated to the grill in the square for rotisserie chicken, steak, pork chops, that sort of thing. Unlike a lot of all-inclusive hotels it never felt too busy and the outside seating area was lovely.

But the a la carte restaurants are where it really shines, and you’ll want to book these on the Grecotel app before you even land in Corfu:

Asiana was our favourite by a distance — great Asian food and a Banoffee Pie that we’re still talking about weeks later.
Nonna’s has you cooking your own prawns on a hot stone at the table, which is more fun than it sounds, especially with the sun going down over the beach in front of you.
Restuarant Botanica the resort’s **fine-dining spot** was a proper grown-up night out — elegant, well-lit, attentive service, refined Mediterranean food that looked like it belonged in a magazine. Fair warning if your kids are fussy eaters (ours are) — this one’s more for the adults.

 

Pools that are actually warm..

Small thing, but a big deal: every pool was a genuinely nice temperature. We’ve stayed places before where the pool is borderline unusable from cold, and there was none of that here. Main pool has the energy and the table service; the quieter pool is more relaxed with self-serve drinks, and it’s no real walk to switch between the two.

 

The beach bar and the beach itself..

The beach bar is one of the best spots on site — relaxed, breezy, brilliant for sunset drinks with the Greek mainland going hazy in the distance. Sometimes there’s a dance show or a party, but mostly it’s just a chilled drink by the sea, which is honestly all you need. Again it’s premium brands and cocktails and they don’t skimp on the measures. there isn’t table service here but we rarely had to queue for long for a drink.

The beach itself is sandy but has some stones as you go in at the western end — not sure there’s an easy fix for that. Walk a couple of hundred yards past the beach bar toward the eastern end, though, and it opens into wide, empty, properly sandy beach.

 

Rooms and terrace life..

Book a ground-floor room overlooking the gardens if you can — morning coffee out there, surrounded by greenery, was one of my favourite small moments of the trip. If you’re after evening sundowners, ask for a room that gets evening sun, as some terraces are quite shaded by that point in the day.  And if you want quiet, avoid anything right on the main square — it’s lovely, but it doesn’t exactly wind down early. When I go back to Costa Botanica I would probably check out the rooms in the Summer Houses around the quiet pool. I think that area is the nicest in the resort, Quiet and relaxed but right by the pool and a short walk to the beach, main pool and waterpark.

The room we had was clean and very spacious but was lacking a bit in character, especially for a 5 star hotel. Could do with some extra little design touches.

The beds are super comfy though and the bathroom was pretty sleek with a wonderful rainfall shower. They restock the minibar each morning with beers and soft drinks and coffee pods. English channels on the large tv were useful, even if we don’t really watch much tv on holiday and the wifi was pretty fast. To be honest, the super comfy bed, amazing shower and wonderful sunny terrace overlooking the gardens more than made up for a slight lack of style and character in the decor.

 

A little local flavour..

A short walk gets you to Arachavi, a proper little town with bars, shops and normal life going on. Good to have on your doorstep. Just don’t expect whitewashed postcard villages right outside the gate — you’ll need a hire car for that and that’s easy enough, as they have someone each day from a local car hire company in reception. Plus they deliver your car to the hotel on the day you want it. One other thing I need to mention is the local boat hire. We had an amazing day on our very own motor boat that we hired from nearby Roda. Definitely worth considering for a unique and fun family day out.

 

What we really loved..

The setting – A charming, village-like layout surrounded by gardens and calm walkways, sandwiched between the mountains and a lovely beach.

The relaxed atmosphere – Even in peak season, and for a fairly large hotel, it never felt too busy or hectic, and we rarely queued for anything.

The staff – Absolutely amazing. Plenty of them on hand, all super helpful and friendly, and they really made you feel special. Bar and waiter service was pretty slick too.

The food and drink – Premium brands and never stingy with the measures. Great food with lots of variety, and we really loved Asiana. There was always something to eat, at all times of day or night — proper all-inclusive.

The waterpark and pools – The waterpark is great fun for all the family, more like a proper waterpark than a typical hotel one. The other pools are really lovely too, each with a different vibe, and the water’s a great temperature.

The beach and beach bar – Apart from a few stones on the shoreline, the beach was stunning, and the beach bar was a great spot to chill and watch the sun go down with a cocktail.

The price – Grecotel is a premium brand, and Costa Botanica is a 5-star hotel, but we thought it was incredible value compared to other all-inclusive offerings in Greece. For what’s included, and the quality of the hotel and service, it’s truly great value.

What I’d actually change

Not much — nothing that ruined the trip, just a few honest, nit-picky notes, as it was genuinely hard to find real issues:

• Rooms are a bit plain for a 5-star — clean and spacious, sure, but a design refresh wouldn’t hurt. Bathrooms are great, though!
• Lunch by the pool/grill gets a little repetitive after several days — more rotation would help.
• Beach sun loungers aren’t as comfy as the ones by the pool, and a bit of waiter service down there would go a long way.
• No IPAs at the bar. The cocktails and premium bottled beers were great, but a couple of decent IPAs would round out the drinks menu nicely.

 

So, would we go back?

Yes, without much hesitation. It’s rare to find a 5-star all-inclusive that actually delivers on the “5-star” part without spending a small fortune — the drinks, the a la carte food, the waterpark, the space, the warm pools — without you feeling nickel-and-dimed the whole time. My daughter was entertained enough that we actually got to relax, which is really the whole point of a family holiday.

 

If you are looking for super high end, premium luxury, maybe Ikos resorts are more your thing. If want comfortable luxury, great facilities, lovely beach, good food, premium drinks all wrapped in a friendly smile for less than half the price of Ikos, you can’t go far wrong with Grecotel Botanica

The gripes are small. The good stuff is not. We’re already eyeing up which other Grecotel resort to try next year.

 

If you are travelling as a couple or a group without kids you might want to check out one of the other Grecotel resorts in Corfu, as Costa Botanica is very much geared towards families. I would maybe look at the beautiful Grecotel Eva Palace. Ideal for couples looking for a stunning location and some luxury pampering.

If you want any tips advice or information about Grecotel Costa Botanica or Corfu holidays – Just ask Paul