Grecotel Eva Palace

We have just returned from eight nights at Eva Palace, for the second time this summer after first visiting the hotel in July. We had such a wonderful time, we had re-booked within a week of being home and are looking to re-book again for May next year.

The hotel is located on the beautiful and peaceful Kommeno peninsula and the views are simply stunning. From the moment you enter the hotel, you are greeted with an air of calm, understated luxury and as you walk through the lobby your eyes are drawn to the fantastic lobby bar, and beyond that you have panoramic views of the sea.

We stayed in a junior suite on the 6th floor, with perhaps the best views in the whole hotel. The room was spacious, with a four-poster bed, living area and open bathroom with a large bathtub, as well as a large balcony. The room was always kept clean and the mini-bar restocked daily with waters, soft drinks, wine and beer.

The grounds are immaculate and constantly tended to, with many beautiful species of plants and trees. There are a number of steps particularly between the main hotel building and the pool and beach, so would not be suitable for somebody with significant walking difficulties, however there are plenty of hand rails which means it should be manageable for most.

The pool and beach areas are kept spotlessly clean and you can order food and drinks directly to your lounger from your phone using the Grecotel app. Both areas are very relaxing and the loungers are of good quality.

We stayed on an All-inclusive basis both times and the food in the restaurants was very good, with a wide range of choices. We only ate at the buffet once over the two times we stayed, and the food was good but I can’t comment on the variety day-by-day.

The hotel is beginning to look tired in some places, particularly this last time, but we were there at the very end of the season. There had been a number of reviews mentioning this, as well as comments being made whilst we were there. As a result, and a testament to the staff taking on board feedback, the owner and CEO of Grecotel visited the hotel twice whilst we were there and I was told that they are planning on spending a lot of time and money whilst the hotel is closed to address these issues.

For me however, and what really sets this hotel apart and keeps us coming back, is the staff. Everybody works with a smile (even at the end of a long and tiring season), and nothing is too much trouble. Whilst every person we interacted with was great, I have to give a special mention to some team members in particular.

Firstly Ghelena in guest services, who has the most infectious smile and works tirelessly to provide exceptional service to every single guest.

Harry at the pool bar, who despite on one occasion accidentally poured a whole round of drinks over himself, never stopped smiling.

Then there is Maria, who manages the lobby bar, and is the shining star of the whole hotel. Staff and guests alike (including us) return because of her alone. She is simply wonderful and so well suited to hospitality. She has been with Grecotel for many years and it is easy to see why. She is a credit to the brand and goes out of her way to make guests and staff happy. If I was operating a hospitality business, I would want Maria at its heart. She leads a fantastic team at the lobby bar including Sylvia, Sotiris and George, who make spending time at the bar an absolute pleasure (and that’s before they even start making any drinks). We’ve had so many laughs and Maria even recommended (and booked) two local restaurants for us.

We had a great holiday and cannot wait to return next year. It truly feels like home the moment you walk through the door.

Thank you to everyone at Grecotel Eva Palace, and see you next year!

This was our first visit to Corfu so the wasps were a bit of a surprise but we soon learned to ignore them. The hotel stands regally in the centre of the peninsula between the two sister hotels, the main building has a colonial look with many rooms, suites & villas also situated in the shady terraced gardens. Our room was on the third floor, the same level as the entrance lobby, reception area & the lobby bar. We booked 14 nights in a superior panoramic room with sea view. There was a welcome bottle of wine & 2 cakes on arrival plus 2 bottles of water every day. Complimentary pump action body & hand wash, shampoo, conditioner & small bottles of very nice body lotion which would be better in pump action as can be difficult to get out after the first use. The views were amazing, looking out across the bay to the Imperial hotel & the open sea beyond with the Albanian mountains in the distance. We watched some beautiful sunrises over the mountains every morning. Corfu Town could be seen to the right & cruise ships sailed past to & from the docking points most days. Several yachts, some quite large & luxurious would more up in the bay. The room had a large balcony with 2 comfortable chairs & a table, large bed with lamp tables either side, a traditional arm chair & foot stool, side table & chair with a distressed framed mirror over, a long table with coffee machine, kettle, mugs, spoons, bottled water, sugar & coffee capsules etc. The double mirrored wardrobe had shelving & adequate hanging space with coat hangers. The safe was on the floor in here which was difficult to access & would be better higher up, especially for those of us who are over 65! Bathroom has 2 wash basins, toilet, bin, wheeled trolley with hairdryer & space to put your wash bags. The shower is a hand held, none adjustable head, over the bath with an adjustable height bar. A shower screen comes out almost half way down the bath. There are no hand grab rails. The water pressure is fantastic so be careful as it can end up all over the floor until you get used to adjusting things! The couple of maintenance issues we had were very quickly dealt with after reporting to reception. Most of the staff are extremely friendly & helpful, everywhere is kept spotlessly clean & our housekeeper was fantastic. The pool area is wonderful, lots of adjustable sun beds with mattresses & umbrellas, pool bar with sun bed service, toilets, 2 pools, children's club & mini market. Free apples or plumbs were given out around the pool & on the beach around midday. Main buffet restaurant had lovely food & the salad was always fresh. I agree the hot food was not as hot as we would like but you learn to look first then get a hot plate & hope nobody dithers too much in front of you! Always plenty of choice, fish, lamb, beef, pork & veg plus a pasta cooking station, pizza, chips or wedges, traditional Greek dishes, soup, vegetarian etc. desserts are mostly mousse type or cake & fruit, ice cream & sorbet station too. We always came away full & happy. 2 a la carte restaurants are situated next the pool. There are a lot of rustic steps down to the pool & beach so can be challenging for those with mobility difficulties. People with walking sticks appeared to manage. The beach has 2 main areas, in front of the beach bar are rattan effect adjustable sun beds with adequate mattresses, the second beach section has white plastic adjustable beds with no mattress. All have straw umbrellas & beach service, accessible by using the QR code. Steam chairs, deck chairs & other sun beds are available on individual decking areas at different levels around the bar area above the jetty. A speed boat complementary taxi service is available throughout the day to the sister hotels where you can use the facilities, but food & drink is chargeable. They only allow 8 people on board at any time, but you can walk back from either hotel in minutes. Down the road from the Imperial then turn right out their gate & there is a gate into Eva Palace. To walk to Daphnila hotel you can take the track up from Eva Palace beach after the boat hire, it winds it's way right & comes out on the beach at their jetty. All well worth the journey! Complementary mini bus service to Corfu town 3 times per day needs to be booked in advance. The beach is narrow & quiet, think compacted building sand rather than golden & there are some stones/boulders at one end but the water is reasonably clear, warm & you can see the fish. If you want a walk, there are a few Tavernas & a mini market just a few minutes up the road going right out of reception, you can walk down to other beaches & on to Dassia if you want a longer trek. About 30 minutes to the main road & a blue city bus stop or keep going for an hour into Dassia. Left out the hotel takes you down to the little church over the water (20 mins) keep going around the bay to get to hotel cafe's or cafe at the top of the hill, just past the garden centre. There is a blue city bus stop on the main road here too. 2 shops further on going left from the cafe. We carried on down the main road to Gouvia marina but unless you like boats there is not much here. A nice park area with sun beds. Some shops & cafe's if you cut through from the marina. It took us a few days to acclimatise as we like to walk & could not at first find anywhere, just explore! This hotel would benefit from a room make over & is more 4 star because of that but over all offers fantastic views, super friendly staff, a complementary speedboat taxi & mini bus to Corfu town, great food, quiet beach & lovely pool area. We would definitely stay here again if we come back to Corfu. Note to management; Please vary the sandwiches & add fruit, cake & juice to the food box delivered to guests arriving too late at night after the restaurant has closed. Organise the coffee better at breakfast, only one help yourself machine & only one making Latte etc. Also hit & miss if a waiter asks if you would like a coffee!

After a week at the Eva palace, I’d say it was a lovely experience! The hotel is beautifully built on a hillside, tucked away in a quiet spot, far from the hustle and bustle of the main roads. The beach area is lovely, very quiet and relaxing.

The pool area is absolutely fantastic—it’s the best I’ve ever seen and they offer sunbed service for drinks and food, just like the beach bar. The staff were all amazing and they even offer free bus shuttles to Corfu three times a day.

The rooms are very spacious, with a safe and fridge, and even a plug-in mosquito killer. I would recommend staying on a higher floor for the amazing views of the coast.

The only downside is the food. At best, it was warm, even when it was brought out fresh from the kitchen. However, this did improve during the week, and the choice was a bit repetitive.

Jet2 rates it a 5-star hotel, but I’d give it a 4-star rating, mainly because of the quality of the food. Everything else was 5-star.