The Domes group is responsible for some superb family-friendly resorts across Greece — including this one on Glyfada beach, an isolated bay on the west coast of Corfu. This terracotta addition, all courtyards and arches, occupies a private slice of beach and has all the usual family-friendly accoutrements: a kids’ club (and mini playground attached); a giant pool with shaded separate kids’ area (complete with pool toys); and buffet restaurants with a kids’ corner, alongside more adult-pleasing options such as Corfiot joint Frourio and the Nkaleri lobby bar. It’s an incredibly easy-going resort, where cypress trees and bougainvillea give it an only-in-Greece look. It’s made even easier by the fact that kids stay free up to age 12. If you have small children, this is holiday heaven — if you don’t, then this probably isn’t the resort for you.
Overall score 8/10
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Rooms and suites
Score 7/10
Rooms are split across “retreats” and “suites”, with views of either the sea, mountains or gardens, and run from the smallest “Inland Retreat” suitable for couples to the largest “Horizon Junior Suite” at 28 sq m. We stayed in a Tropical Retreat — and while it had an extra bed for my preschooler and a desk, the room was narrow, with little space for our suitcases and pushchair. Despite the size, the retreats are extremely stylish, with matte terracotta walls, black metal shelving, rattan armchairs and breezy dove-grey curtains, along with ikat-print cushions on the bed, which lend them a relaxed Mediterranean feel.
Common across all Domes properties are the club suites, called Haute Living, which include access to an all-day lounge that serves salads and breads at lunchtime and snacks such as cake and baklava — as well as a number of wines, beer and spirits. These suites are bigger — they start at 27 sq m and can fit a family — and some have swim-up pools. You can upgrade to Haute Living even if you’re in a regular room, and for access to the lounge it’s well worth it.
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Food and drink
Score 7/10
The Agora buffet restaurant, which takes its name (and inspiration) from the Greek word for meeting place, is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and spills out into an elegant courtyard studded with palm trees and ceramic pots. While the inner courtyard is lit by strings of romantic fairy lights at night, the prized tables are those out on the terrace overlooking the beach and pool. Agora has a decent buffet, with pizza, pasta and plenty of Greek options, as well as salad stations and desserts, and a dedicated area for children. Note that if you’re on a half-board option (which is the main meal plan here) that drinks — even soft ones — are not included.
À la carte restaurants run from the outdoor Mediterranean Topos, which has a plum position away from the resort overlooking the sea (my personal favourite and laid-back enough for children); and dark, brooding Italian Frourio, which is much more suited to couples. For the adults, there’s the cheerful Ammos beach bar (close to the all-day ice cream stall) and the blowsy Nkaleri lounge, where in peak season there’s live music and cocktails.
What else is there?
Score 9/10
The hotel centres on the main pool, which is a large L-shaped pond surrounded by sun loungers with a separate (shaded) area for smaller kids, complete with pool toys; note it can get noisy. The adult-only concession is the small pool just by the dinky Soma spa and gym “pavillion”. There are plenty of sun loungers around the pool and on the grassy incline towards the resort, so expect none of the dawn sunbed bagging action common at other Greek resorts. And if you don’t fancy the pool, there’s blue flag-rated Glyfada beach right in front of the hotel.
Domes takes its Greek heritage seriously, and organises all manner of workshops for guests throughout peak season. There are Corfu walking tours, ceramic workshops and olive oil and wine tastings — plus watersports for those wanting something more active (at extra cost). The Kiepos kids’ club accepts all children — from toddlers to teenagers — into the wooden, Montessori-style space, and multilingual staff organise everything from arts and crafts to gardening at the in-house veg patch. There’s a large outdoor space too, with space to kick balls around, as well as an attached playground with a slide. In peak season, there’s often outdoor cinema showings for kids.
Where is it?
Score 8/10
Most resorts in Corfu are clustered on the east coast, near Corfu Town and the airport. Domes of Corfu is across the island on the west coast, and it’s about a 30-minute drive from both the town and the airport — although affordably doable in an Uber, which will take you through remote cypress tree-studded roads and mountain villas before descending down a zig-zag track towards the sea.
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Price room-only doubles from £146
Restaurant mains from £10
Family-friendly Y
Dog-friendly Y (accepts dogs up to 6kg for a charge)
Accessible Y
Cathy Adams was a guest of Domes of Corfu (domesresorts.com/domesofcorfu)
