We have just returned as a family of five plus a grandparent from another wonderful weeks holiday at Kontokali Bay - our fifth visit in the last 6 years - and it would appear we are certainly not alone in coming back - the Kontokali Bayhotel seems to thrive on repeat visitors - one family we spoke to have been twice a year for the last 14 years! - some we heard of had been visiting for over 20 years. This is testimony to the efforts that the management and staff put in to welcoming guests and delivering a first class service. Compare the other reviews and the way in which Alex the general manager is grateful for praise and gives an apology or explanation if things haven't quite gone right

In terms of location we find it ideal - usually booking direct with the hotel (Elpida in reservations is always most helpful either on the phone or in emails) we jump in a taxi from the airport at around 15 minutes and 20 euros later you arrive at the Kontokali Bay. It is true that there is not much in terms of local character and greek life in the immediate vicinity, but Corfu town is a 3 euro return trip away and the bus stop is only a few hundred metres from the hotel entrance - and with free parking and car hire facilities it seems a good base for touring Corfu island.

Kontokali Bay hotel welcomes children of all ages and although there can be a lot of children at times I would not let this put you off if you are not travelling with kids as they appear to be generally of the well behaved variety.
There is no piped music and forced aerobics around the pool, but there is plenty for kids to do - volleyball, table tennis, tennis, games room, internet terminal - as well as a small supervised mini - club in the gardens. The hotel is not part of a big chain and is closed for 5 months of the year - it seems that they make good use of the closed periods to make sure that the property is well maintained, improvements such as the recently built spa, harbour side a'la carte lunchtime restaurant and room upgrades seem to have taken place each time we visit. Although it is true that the 1970's architecture is not wonderfully attractive, and some of the rooms are approaching the time when an upgrade will be due soon, but the established and well tended landscaping, and high standard of cleanliness throughout the hotel more than make up for this.

With young children (our youngest was only 8 weeks old when she first visited) we have previously opted for the bungalow rooms. These are separate from the main hotel building set in established gardens, some with views across the lawn to the beach. These are ideal for families with children who want the convenience of a hotel but with some informal open space to play on rather than a balcony, The "bungalows" are effectively standard hotel rooms in small blocks - although some have been enlarged and upgraded with private plunge pools and separate living areas. However, this time we opted for the main hotel building - the only disadvantage to this was that it was slightly noisier - particularly as doors had a tendency to slam shut in the wind if the balcony door was also open.

We opted for a bay view room - with views across to Gouvia Marina - in some ways given that you might spend all day looking out to sea from the beach, the marina view was more interesting. There is a good range of room availablity including suites and family rooms - the hotel website has some good photographs and a rate card for price comparison. The standard room is adequate in size - we used the sofa bed in each of the rooms as a childs bed - if only two adults were sharing the room would probably appear more spacious. the balcony was a good size with tow chairs, a table and a drying rack.

The staff and management culture are strong points of the hotel - many of the staff seem familiar from our first visit and all seem to work well as a team and take a pride in giving a good service. As stated above the whole hotel is very clean, no sticky tables or grubby corners - tables are cleared promptly at all meals and in the bars.
We are greeted like old friends by Vasilli the maitre d'hotel and Kostas his deputy who were always on hand at mealtimes to ensure the staff were working as they should and guests were looked after. The room was cleaned well with fresh towels and sheets keeping the room feeling fresh. A complimentary bottle of wine, water and fruit basket was left in the room.

The food is a good standard with freshly prepared buffet breakfasts kept well stocked throughout the service. Lots of fresh fruit, pastries, yoghurt, cereal, cheeses and meats as well as the normal cooked fare allowed you to eat a variety at breakfast time. Lunchtime is in the seafront taverna with a good selection of grilled meats and fish, backed up by giros, and other more traditional greek dishes, salads and fresh fruit. Whilst service was open for a good few hours all dishes were refreshed regularly. If on full board the evening meal could be switched for lunch. If you only have a small appetite at lunchtime you can have a small salad with feta and bread for under 5 euros or ask for half portions

Our youngest daughter has some food allergies and Vasilli was always on hand to ensure that she had a special meal prepared if there was nothing suitable on the buffet. Nice touches from the senior members of the staff, like a plate of fresh fruit or ice creams for the kids makes you feel valued as a guest.
The evening meal on half board is again a buffet with an extensive salad bar, soup and a good variety of meat and fish dishes. Vegetarians are catered for better each time we visit, although it is not always clear what is vegetarian and what is not - some simple "V" labelling would be useful. Lots of fresh fruit and ice cream for desserts

For a change an upgrade to the a la carte dining outside beneath the gazebo with views over the pool and out to sea is a worthwhile experience - al fresco dining with food of a high standard and attentive service.
For relaxing in the sun there is a great variety of locations ranging from around the sea water pool at the upper level or beneath the trees on the terrace, on one of the two beaches, on the lawns in front of the bungalows or on the boardwalk fronting the taverna or around the harbour. The pool and beach areas were always clean and litter free.

The 2 beaches never got overcrowded, and sunbeds were always available. the beach runs into the sea at a shallow angle and you can walk out a good 15 metres without getting out of your depth. One of the beaches has a floating pontoon that you can swim out to and sunbathe. The blue flag beach is accessible to the public who come especially at the weekend, but this wasn't a problem to us. There is a variety of water sport but it is a bit expensive. We always opt to take out a motor boat
from the harbour for half a day for around 100 euros for 4 hours including fuel - highly recommended. Leave some room after breakfast for the doughnut man with his trays of warm vanilla, chocolate or plain doughnuts - you will hear him coming!

Finally the spa - adults only - provides a break from the beach. This is free to all guests and includes a fully equipped gym, sauna, steam room and large jacuzzi area with water massage - as well as an indoor pool - there are treatments available if you have 90 euros spare for a facial or 500 euros for a 3 or 4 day course of treatments! Overall for a relaxing stress free holiday I can think of very few places better to spend a holiday and we will certainly be going back.
If there was one thing I could change - it would be for Kontokali Bay hotel to stay open a week longer in October to capture the English half term school holidays so we could slip in a quick trip before winter sets in.

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