Restia Suites, Corfu - May 2014

After a relaxing week away, I'm back and ready to get blogging! Luke and I went away to celebrate our honeymoon/first wedding anniversary, and with a lot of help from generous friends and family, we were able to book a week's stay in a VIP suite at Restia Suites in Corfu. Restia Suites is a 5 star hotel situated in Acharavi, a quiet resort on the northern side of the island. 

We booked taxi transfers to and from the airport which made a massive difference to our journeys each way. The coach transfers took 2 and a half hours, whereas our taxi took only 45 minutes! Upon our arrival at the hotel, we were greeted by the owner and his lovely dog, and offered champagne and cool towels. After filling in some forms, we were taken to our rooms and shown how everything worked. The room itself was amazing. As we'd booked a VIP suite, we had our own private garden with a pool and sunloungers, as well as a huge jacuzzi bath and a steam room/shower.

We stayed at Restia on a half board basis, which meant we were supplied with breakfast and a three course meal in the evening. The breakfast buffet was enormous and included a full english, greek yoghurt, cereal, fresh fruit, and pastries. The evening meals were a little bit restrictive, with there being a set menu for the week we stayed. There are two restaurants at Restia, the main one is available at any time, but the other smaller restaurant requires booking as it can only seat 6 couples at a time. We ate at both while we stayed, and the food was fantastic. They also had a couple of specials nights, Thursday was Greek BBQ night which we really enjoyed. Lots of kebabs and burgers! For lunch, we walked along the beach to visit some of the small cafes in Acharavi that are positioned along the seafront. These are plentiful, and often provide vast menus with a mix of both traditional Greek and English meals.

The beaches around Acharavi tend to alternate between sandy and pebbly, and the walk from the hotel took us about half an hour to get to the nearest cafe. The surrounding landscape is absolutely gorgeous though, with a lot of lush greenery and mountains. The hotel provided some sunbeds out on the beach, but we didn't see many people using them during our stay. The main pool seemed to be more popular, especially as it was located right next to the hotel bar! 

 We had a couple of spa treatments during our stay, which really helped us settle into the relaxing atmosphere at Restia. We enjoyed a massage with aromatherapy oils and an Indian head massage, and both of these left me nearly asleep in the spa! The staff at Restia were always incredibly attentive and helpful, especially the waiting, cleaning and main reception staff! Nothing was ever too much for them to help with and our stay wouldn't have been the same without them. We both absolutely loved visiting Restia and Corfu, and we're already talking about saving up to go back! 

You can find out more information about Restia Suites at their website here, or via the Thomson website here.

I just wanted to add, I've not been reimbursed or asked to write this, Restia just genuinely is THAT good! 

Where are you off to on your holidays this year?