We was supposed to travel to Corfu in 2021 but it was cancelled because of the pandemic and this time round we got to go! It was a lot of waiting around at the airport but the flight was fine, we had a smooth take off and landing with minimal turbulence.
Sadie had a big panic attack on the flight before take off, as she has a fear of flying but the important thing is that we got to Greece safely. We arrived at Corfu airport and had to pay 110 euros for a private transfer to Messonghi beach hotel resort. When we arrived at midnight they had no food prepared for us but gave us the number for a takeaway, the food that came was like a frozen pizza with microwave fries. As the all inclusive was no longer included past 11pm, the reception staff gave us drink vouchers.
Our trip to Greece (Video)
In the room, it was so hot that I couldn’t sleep even with the air conditioning unit on. It seemed to be a breeding ground for mosquitos that bit me several times. After a few nights, the air conditioning unit started leaking water and gave up all together and would no longer turn on.
There was a strong smell of sewage around the resort and in all of the toilets. The drinks (every drink) comes from a machine and has a stale smell which I got fed up with. For real coffee, hot chocolate and anything that doesn’t come from a machine is a paid extra which is not what you would have expected from an all inclusive holiday.
My son who has regular tantrums has been the same as usual on this holiday despite the constant availability of food, drinks, swimming pool and entertainment. A lot of time was spent in the hotel room trying to get him to calm down.
There was a lot to do at the resort, swimming pools were amazing with low chlorine, my eyes were not sore on the whole trip. There is an on sight park, many pools, a beach, two hotel restaurants, local restaurants, arcade playroom, gym, sauna, and more.
We even had the chance to go clubbing in the local club, never in England would you be able to take your children clubbing, the music was great, drinks were served, we only stayed for around 20 minnutes as the children were tired and the music was too loud for them.
Things to do nearby
There are travel agents by the bus station with information and leaflets about local attractions such as the blue lagoon, boat trips and aqua park for families. These were slightly pricey and ran long hours from 8.45am till 5.30pm.
A local olive shop called Nysus is not too far from the hotel, I wanted to buy everything but didn’t have much room in my suitcase. They sold real greek olive oil, olive pastes, olive furniture, handmade plates, kumquat marmalade and more.
There are lots of shops and restaurants near the hotel if you fancy a change from the all inclusive, lots of authentic greek foods, we tried baked feta, real greek salad, fried feta, and gyros (it was a lot cheaper than England!)
The trees that surrounded us made the resort a paradise, they included: Olive trees, pomegranate, fig trees and more. The weather was hot at around 34-36 degrees most days. Be prepared to buy water as the hotel does not provide it, you can stock up at a supermarket or it is 1 euro per bottle at the bar. Drinking the tap water in Greece will give you a stomach ache and is not recommended.
Sun loungers were a problem as every morning people staying at the hotel would reserve them with a towel and that meant that other people missed out on relaxing in the sun. One time I got a bit fed up and took someones towel off to put my own on, and after a few days I decided to go and collect all the single sun loungers and put them together for our family.
The children both learnt to swim, and the lifeguard Panagiotis was incredible with the kids; he wanted to teach them swimming techniques, was lovely, spoke great English and even taught the kids a few greek words.
Food was available pretty much all day: breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack time. At first the food was enjoyable with a large selection of dishes to choose from. The food did start to get a bit repetitive with the same dishes (rice, chips, pork curry, chicken thighs, puddings, etc) - there was a few changes every night and so I ate those new dishes but avoided fish as I didn’t want to get food poisoning.
Breakfast was the best, I loved having beans, scrambled egg, toast and these cute ginger cinnamon biscuits. Fresh fruit was available most mealtimes, the nectarines were so ripe, figs were delightful and watermelon was so fresh. Ice cream was available all day every day and it was so tasty, the flavours were banana, strawberry, vanilla and chocolate.
The kitchen staff constantly cleaned plates, changed table cloths, and gave out hand sanitiser due to a bug going around.
More on that, one night Sadie was up all night being sick (potential food poisoning), the next day she rested all day, and Olivia had a belly ache, the next day ted got sick and refused to eat for a few days. There were tons of people being sick in and around the hotel.
After telling the staff, they assured us that it was a viral bug known as ’Noro virus’ that was going around, but we think otherwise. There are onsite doctors but they want to see your insurance documents before helping you. It was sad leaving the hotel to go home as we enjoyed our stay but on the last night there was thunder and rain which made leaving a bit easier.
Corfu old town
We went to the old town in Corfu which is a street full of shops and markets with gift items and a ton of different restaurants with street foods to try. We had authentic Greek chicken gyros that was made up of flatbread, shredded chicken, tzatziki, red onion, tomato, garlic sauce and French fries. It was €3.50 and tasted amazing! (The best kebab ever!)
We found a lidl that we just had to have a look around, the stuff was cheap, authentic and we were in our element!
I brought some snacks to taste and a miniature bottle of ouzo (the classic Greek liquor) that is similar to sambuca. From Messonghi beach resort, you can catch a local bus which will cost you €2.20 and takes about one hour.
Would you recommend people stay at this resort?
Instead of recommending the hotel or not, I would prefer to highlight the pros and cons of this hotel so that you can make an informed decision. As every person will have different requirements.
PROS
- The mini disco entertainment is great for kids
- Reception and cleaners are very helpful
- Great adult entertainment with singing, dancing, karaoke and fun games.
- Plenty to do around the resort: Stunning beach, park, swimming pools and so much more.
CONS
- The food is repetitive, not authentic, and potentially made people ill.
- The walls are thin and you can hear other people being loud.
- No allocated smoking areas which is not nice for non-smokers and families.
- Extra charges for Wifi, pool tables, pool slide, boat rides, real coffee and fresh juice.
