Grecotel Costa Botanica

The hotel has beautiful infrastructure and impressive public areas, and places like the water park are definitely a major attraction. However, there is a significant disconnect between the luxurious exterior, the common areas, and the actual guest rooms. I strongly believe the hotel needs to pay closer attention to its negative reviews, because many of the issues mentioned by previous guests appear to still be happening. Unfortunately, it seems that some of the same problems continue to be overlooked.

The explanation that this is a “non-conventional 5-star hotel” does not feel convincing to me. A hotel is either meeting the standards it advertises or it is not. Calling it “non-conventional” seems more like an excuse to justify shortcomings while still using the appeal of a 5-star hotel to attract guests. As a result, guests like myself can arrive with certain expectations based on the advertising and website and leave feeling disappointed.

We were moved to a different room, but unfortunately, neither room was an improvement. In the end, I chose the second one simply because it had a closet and a double bed. Neither room looked like the rooms presented in the hotel's advertising or on its website. There is a clear difference between the image being promoted and the reality experienced by the guest.

The buffet restaurant was good during the first few days, but after that, the lack of variety became very noticeable. The food selection was essentially the same every day, making the menu feel repetitive. The staff welcoming guests at the restaurant were sometimes attentive and friendly, but on other occasions they simply ignored us. When concerns were raised, some responses felt unnecessarily defensive and even aggressive, despite being delivered in a polite tone.

The evening shows were a mixed experience. Some were genuinely very good, but the mosquito problem seriously affected the enjoyment. There were also some shows that felt quite poor in comparison and seemed clearly designed primarily for children. The mosquito situation, in particular, needs to be addressed urgently. There were so many mosquitoes that it became difficult to relax and enjoy the outdoor entertainment.

The excursions were another disappointment. The boat trip to the Old Town was unexpected and interesting in concept, but I found the journey to get there far too long compared with the very short amount of time actually spent in the Old Town. The experience felt unbalanced.

We also booked an excursion to visit small villages, but the experience was not properly explained to us beforehand. In fact, I wanted to cancel it, but the representative who sold us the excursion told me that “people were dying to go there,” that it was not simply about the beach, and that I would have to pay a penalty if I cancelled. We ultimately went, and unfortunately, the experience turned out to be as disappointing as I had expected. I believe guests should receive a clear and accurate explanation of what an excursion includes before being pressured to keep the booking.

The spa was by far the highlight of our stay. The spa staff were extremely kind and professional, and the service was a 10/10. The spa facilities were also the only part of the property that, in my personal experience, truly matched what I would expect from a 5-star hotel.

Finally, the mosquito problem cannot be overstated. It was one of the worst aspects of the stay. The rooms did not have mosquito nets or other adequate protection, and despite using the mosquito repellent provided by the hotel, my skin was covered in bites. I even returned to Luxembourg concerned about the possibility of having contracted a mosquito-borne illness. I cannot say that I contracted anything, but the extent of the bites was alarming and made me feel genuinely uncomfortable. The hotel should consider much more effective pest control and fumigation, as well as providing better protection for guests, particularly in the rooms and outdoor areas.

Overall: The property has enormous potential. The architecture, water park, spa, and some of the entertainment are genuinely impressive. However, the experience does not consistently match the luxury image presented in the hotel's advertising. I sincerely hope management takes the negative reviews seriously and addresses these recurring issues rather than explaining them away as part of being a “non-conventional 5-star hotel.” Guests deserve transparency, consistency, and a level of service that matches the expectations created by the hotel itself.

We returned yesterday from a four-night stay, booked very last minute, and this was our first visit to Corfu. In terms of European all-inclusive resorts, this is genuinely one of the best we’ve stayed at.

The biggest highlight was the staff. Everyone was incredibly friendly and attentive from start to finish. Service around the pool was excellent, with drinks available to order directly from your sunbed.

The hotel is beautifully laid out, with several restaurants surrounding a central courtyard which really comes alive in the evening. There are two main pool areas, a beach bar and direct access to the beach. There were also plenty of sunbeds, so no early-morning battles to get one!

Food was very good, with a main buffet plus Asian, Greek, Italian and fine-dining restaurants. The fine dining was particularly good and definitely worth booking.

Our room was modern with a small terrace and a mini fridge which was restocked daily. Items like an iron are brought for reception quickly if requested.

One downside is that the speciality restaurants need to be reserved and they book up extremely quickly. Despite trying to book, we only managed to get into two during our four-night stay, which was disappointing.

We also did the complimentary wine tasting with Georgia, the hotel’s sommelier, which was excellent and something we’d definitely recommend.

The spa was lovely too. Treatments are quite expensive, but we thoroughly enjoyed ours and felt it was worth it.

A couple of other things to be aware of: there were quite a lot of wasps and mosquitoes, although the hotel does provide mosquito spray in the rooms and around the restaurants. The hotel is also around an hour from Corfu Airport. We paid extra for a private taxi transfer and would definitely recommend doing the same, particularly for a shorter stay.

Overall, we had a fantastic time. Great food, lovely surroundings, excellent facilities and genuinely brilliant staff. There are a couple of things that could be improved, particularly the restaurant booking system, but they certainly wouldn’t stop us returning.

Our stay at Costa Botanica in Corfu was absolutely wonderful from beginning to end. We had such a beautiful holiday, and we returned home with very special memories. The hotel itself is fantastic, but what truly made our stay unforgettable was the warmth, kindness and genuine hospitality of the people working there. From the moment we arrived, we felt very welcome. Mrs. Eva, the General Manager, received us with such warmth and kindness and made sure we felt comfortable from the very beginning. She also helped us arrange reservations for all the restaurants, and throughout our stay she surprised us with thoughtful details that we truly appreciated. Thank you, Eva, for making us feel so special. Our room was very comfortable, spotlessly clean and had a spectacular view of the sea. Waking up to that view every morning was simply beautiful. The beach is fantastic, the swimming pools and gardens are lovely, and there are so many different areas to enjoy that you can easily spend your whole holiday at the resort without getting bored. We also loved the Spa, where we were able to completely relax and enjoy a fantastic massage. It was exactly what we needed during our holiday. A very special thank you goes to Mr. Stamatis for his incredible kindness and to Maria Scorda for her attention, warmth and all the thoughtful details during our stay. We would also like to thank Maria, Paulina, Spiros Ferentinos, Efi, Ioanna, Katerina and Amalia from Front Office for always being so friendly and helpful, as well as Spiros and Tasos the grooms. At the Fine Dining restaurant, Matina Pappa made our experience even more special with her wonderful service. One of the highlights of our holiday was the fantastic wine tasting with Georgia. We absolutely loved it! She made the experience interesting, enjoyable and memorable. We would definitely recommend the wine tasting to other guests — it was amazing. Breakfast was another pleasure every morning. Thank you to Maria (the sweet girl with blonde tips of hair, specified because not sure how many maria’s are working here) for the great service and especially to Suzana from the kitchen, who remembered exactly how I like my eggs and prepared them perfectly for me. Those small personal touches make such a difference. Thank you also to Jenny for her lovely recommendations about places to visit in Corfu. We really appreciated her advice and enjoyed discovering the island. Our thanks also go to Angeliki, Chara and Veronica for their wonderful service, and a particularly special mention for Isaac, who always seemed to know exactly what we wanted. He had our drinks ready just the way we like them, often before we even had to ask! That kind of attention made us smile every time and made us feel truly looked after. And finally, a very heartfelt thank you to Mrs. Eva from Housekeeping. Our room was always immaculate, but even more importantly, she treated us with such kindness and warmth. She helped make the hotel feel not just like a place where we were staying, but like a home away from home. The facilities, the beautiful surroundings, the beach, pools, restaurants, Spa and views all made our holiday wonderful, but the real heart of Costa Botanica is its people. The kindness and personal attention we received made us feel almost like part of a family. To the entire team: THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts for making our holiday so special. We arrived as guests and left with wonderful memories and great affection for so many of you. Costa Botanica is absolutely a place worth returning to — and we sincerely hope we will be back! ❤️ With love and gratitude from the Netherlands,

Cristina, Peter & Megan Bull