Hotel Nissaki Beach

I read a lot of negative reviews the night before we arrived which made me a bit concerned, but I was worried for nothing. We were greeted straight away with a member of staff collecting our bags and taking them to our room for us. Another member of staff welcomed us with a glass of lemonade as we went up to reception. There was a €7 per night for the room tourism tax we had to pay on arrival which totalled to €49 for the week. The hotel was clean and we always saw someone cleaning the hand rails on the stairs or the floors. Our room was cleaned everyday as well and we were given fresh towels. The staff in the restaurant were quick to ask us for our drink order as soon as we sat down at our table. There was always a member of staff on hand at the bars around the hotel as well so service was very quick and efficient. I even got a free 2 minute massage while sitting near the beach. A lot of the negative reviews I saw mentioned a horrible smell which luckily we did not experience no matter where we went in or around the outside of the hotel. The free shuttle bus service into Corfu was a great feature as well as it allowed us to explore more of the island. There was little in terms of entertainment, but that was mentioned in the description of the holiday before booking so I was aware of that. Our room had a smart tv though, so we were more than happy to just watch a movie on Netflix and chill with a drink from the bar at night time. The TV only seems to connect easily to a Samsung phone though, so iPhone users might struggle. We booked a sea view balcony room and the view was stunning! We were situated right in the centre on the third floor so I feel like we got one of the best locations. I have included a photo of the view from our balcony. My one issue with the hotel is the tiny elevators. Every time we went to get into one it was already full with just 3 people in it, so we ended up taking the stairs everyday because it was quicker. I’m not sure if they would be suitable for anyone who requires a wheelchair or mobility scooter as they were very small and always occupied. The location of the hotel itself is quite far away from any shops or tourist locations, so it is recommended to hire a car or scooter, but if you are looking for a nice, relaxing holiday of just chilling by the pool or beach then this hotel is fine. The beach is a pebble one though, so a lot of people, myself included, wore aqua shoes as the pebbles do sink as you try to get into the sea making it very unsteady as you walk. I also recommend buying a snorkel as there are lots of fish to see. Don’t buy one in town though, because ours set us back €40! Buy online before you go on holiday. The hotel is adult-only, but I did see a few families walk into the grounds from along the beach. Most seemed to just walk through to get the the path on the other side which leads to Agni beach while one man turned up with two children and tried to order from the pool bar, but was turned away. The

This hotel looks impressive on the website, but the photo’s are staged. The hotel is based at the bottom of the mountain and looks very picturesque, but it also means that if you want to get out and about then a very good pair of trainers is needed. The beach is a pebble beach which is directly accessed from the hotel. Food The hotel has 1 main restaurant used for breakfast, lunch and dinner all served buffet style. The is ample selection of to tempt every tastebud and the food is hot and replenished before something runs out. There is also 2 al-a carte restaurants, one serving Italian cuisine and the other serving Mediterranean- both of which you need to book WELL in advance as they have limited seating and are only available in 4 slots from 7pm onwards. Drinks There is 2 bars - lobby bar near reception and pool bar - both serving a wide selection of beers, spirits and soft drinks. We stayed in a junior sea view suite, which although doesn’t resemble a suite, is larger than a double with small balcony. They also have Bali Beds for hire at 20€ a day, and if you want a sunbed on the beach, there is also a charge for this as although the beach is right at the hotel, it is classed as a public beach. Negatives 1. Mini bar was not stocked when we arrived and took 4 attempts from contacting reception and hotel manager to get it stocked. 2. The hotel is quite large and only has 2 lifts (1 of which was not working for 2 days) 3. 1st thing in the morning (till mid morning and occasionally throughout the day) there is a foul sewerage smell towards the bottom part of the hotel 4. There sometimes can be lengthy queues at the lobby bar as the staff are not fast in serving. If your not as fit as you used to be, or shall we say getting on in years, make sure to request a room in the main part (floors 1-5) of the hotel, as rooms 1000+ are located outside of the main hotel and it’s all uphill if you want to go to reception or the restaurant. The hotel is part way through a refurb, and could do with a few more bits doing (exterior painted, rough edging around pool and pool steps seeing too). This hotel could be a gem for Corfu.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with this hotel!! Okay, it may have opened prematurely after the refurb but it is absolutely fine now! We booked a double room with sea view - we also requested a high floor and quiet room. They took the high floor literally and gave us a twin room with sea view on the fifth floor (room 521), unfortunately this is directly below the lobby bar and was not quiet. We went to reception the following morning and they instantly moved us to a room that a) was a double and b) was not underneath the bar. As a note (as we were unaware of this) the floors run as follows: 9 8 7 6 H (restaurant) 0 (reception and lobby bar) 5 (includes gym) 4 3 (complimentary showers) 2 1 (spa and pool/beach entrance) I do not blame the hotel for the mix up with the twin vs double room - when travelling as a same sex couple it is often assumed that we incorrectly booked a double, and therefore we get given twin rooms a lot. I am unsure whether hotels assume we are friends/roommates/sisters. The hotel is spotlessly clean. It has numerous bars that are well stocked and staff that could not be more helpful. There is no waiter service but this was not a problem for us! We spent the majority of our time at the quiet pool. Sunbeds here are easier to procure and the infinity pool is lovely! Other reviews talk of a “sewage” smell by the pool - I can confirm that this issue is now fixed as we didn’t smell anything untoward at either pool. Entertainment is always available, along with numerous activities in the day. There is a free bus into Corfu town that the hotel provides everyday however you do need to book in advance. We had a slight issue with one of our excursions and Tom (the lead Tui rep) was amazing at rectifying the situation. Sure, some of the finishings are rushed and there may be an odd stain on a carpet however this did not impact our stay in anyway. We went on three excursions during our stay. The adults only catamaran was amazing and I highly recommend this! Aqualand was also great, however I would suggest booking your own transfers there and back. We ate at the buffet restaurant everyday. There are multiple options available, however as a vegetarian I found that the options were usually : salad, potato’s, grilled vegetables, rice and pizza. This is fine, but it does get repetitive. My partner is not a veggie and loved all of the food!! The buffet restaurant does get quite busy at certain times but in our experience there are always spaces available, often they are recently cleared so cutlery isn’t always available straight away but the waiting staff are pretty quick at sorting this. Staff are working flat out and you may also have to wait a minute or two for your drink - but again this was never a major issue. The two alacante restaurants on site are very popular and so I would recommend booking sooner rather than later. You can book via the atlantica app or via the console at reception. We ate

Friendly welcoming from the staff. Our swim up room is lovely! There is a slight old smell coming from the aircon which we was told it will be looked at today. The floors was slightly dirty too and they’re sending housekeeping to sort this. Overall the room is very spacious, lovely walk in shower, bathroom & double wardrobe. Unreal views from our room as well as by the pool. Own private hotel beach too which is very peaceful. Some building works going on but does not affect the hotel. Variety of food for breakfast however not many snacks available during the day. We can see this hotel is trying to rectify the teething problems so it’s a shame to see as the hotel has great potential!

A work in progress, sadly we paid well for a holiday and have so far waited hours for a room, other new arrivals have waited 3 hours....the facilities pool side are under construction, sure will be lovely when finished in a few months.... construction noises hardly make for a peaceful stay Avoid for the time being