Gouvia Hotels and Apartments A - Z

Corcyra Beach Hotel - Gouvia

Operator and Date: Thomson Holidays May 2007

Opinion submitted in July 2007 by : Patrick Cleary- Corby (55,50,16,15,13,9)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Review:

Originally booked into a 2 bedroom apartment but none were available hotel management and rep very helpful and we were put into adjoining family rooms which were spacious and comfortable.

The hotel itself is beautifully laid out although not suitable for people with mobility problems. Excellent pool area.

We were on all inclusive which is recommended as prices for drinks and food are quite high.

We were there for two weeks and found the food selection to be of a high standard at all meals with plenty of selection.

The staff were all very freindly and helpful and with lots of management presence the hotel and all the public areas were kept in pristine condition.

The entertainment was average but if you have young children the "animation" team were very enthusiastic and kept the children entertained.

All in all an excellent hotel well worth the money.

The only downside was that the island of Corfu has very little to offer and the only excursion I would recommend is the Corfu Town evening trip and the waterworld trip although I would imagine long queues in the height of the season.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Corcyra Beach Hotel - Gouvia

Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays Direct) Thomson Holidays sept 2006

Opinion submitted in October 2006 by : mr and mrs hughes

Resort Rating: Good

Accommodation Rating: Good

My/Our Holiday Review:

Good all round hotel for going round corfu and very good for going to corfu town and water park.only down side was the hotel entertainment was rubbish and the Bungalows were down a steep slope and it rained when we were there which made it very slipery for older people.Also food was good but we have had better and sum of it was cold.The person who worked very hard was the Thomson Holidays rep they should give her more help and she is very helpfull.Gouvia is a little resort but is a very lovely resort not to much.Only about three or four good pubs.We would go back to this resort but may go back to this hotel but would look at others options first. Also this hotel needs same updating.

And one last thing corfu we will be back one day as its one of the best islands and friendly ones we have been to thank you for a very good holiday

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Corcyra Beach Hotel - Gouvia

Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays Direct) Thomson Holidays Aug 2006

Opinion submitted in October 2006 by : David Stephanie Becky

Resort Rating: Average

Accommodation Rating: Below Average

My/Our Holiday Review:

We were on 1/2 board for 2 weeks at this so called 4 T hotel. The staff were very friendly and the maid service was very good.Our room was very large with fantastic views of the bay.

The air conditioning was hopeless, not only in our room but in the hotel itself.

The restaurants air con was just as bad hence the flies were everywere and for a buffet style restaurant the flies loved it. Just setting at a table, if you could find one, was not at all relaxing and the food was awful we had to eat out quite a lot of the time.

We have always traveled with Thomson Holidays s but this hotel is one or the worst we have ever been in. Its not a 4 T hotel more like a bad 3 T. Corfu is a lovely island and we may go back again someday but not in this hotel or with Thomson Holidays .

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Corcyra Beach Hotel - Gouvia

Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays Direct) Thomson Holidays -Aug 2006

Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : Dave - Steph- Becky - Essex 56, 52, 15

Resort Rating: Good

Accommodation Rating: Average

My/Our Holiday Review:

We read all the reports regarding this hotel on holidays uncovered before we arrived there,but kept an open mind.

The hotel is very spread out and would not suite the less mobile, has a lot of steps in parts and steep slopes, but all the gardens were nicely kept.

This hotel is rated as a 4T by Thomson Holidays . (one reason why we booked it) and in our opinion only just about a 3T would be near the mark.

We had a very large family room and sea view which was fantastic.However the air conditioning was not up to much and was noisy at night, had a nice mini fridge that was very good.However, the bathroom had a small drain in the middle of the floor that stank to high heaven. As for the rest of the hotel the air con did not seem up to much either. The staff though were very helpful and friendly.

We were on half board basis, and the buffet style restaurant was very busy and chaotic not a very comfortable experiance.It was very much like a holiday camp.

Choice of food was basic , was nothing special. We ate out quite a lot of the time. We often noticed other people from our hotel in the various restaurants.

Lots of places to eat out and drink near by.

We have been with Thomson Holidays holidays for many years and stayed in much better 3 T hotels then this one.

Would not recommend this hotel to anybody.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Corcyra Beach Hotel - Gouvia

Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays Direct) Thompson - August 2006

Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : John Wallace - Newport ( 59, 50, 12 )

Resort Rating: Average

Accommodation Rating: Below Average

My/Our Holiday Review:

After reading some mixed reviews about this hotel complex before I went, and after reading the positive Thompson reviews, I decided to take a chance.

Let me say straight away that the staff were very friendly, helpful and hard working, and that the bed changing service was very good. The lagoon pool, although small, (more about that later), and the main pool are fine. The beach is small and narrow, though there are plenty of sunloungers available. Food is good, and there is plenty of it.

So what is the problem?

This hotel has outgrown its facilities. There are over 800 units on site and the dining areas cannot cope, especially at breakfast time. It's more like a cattle service station than a dining room. You have to grab a table, if you can find one, ( the staff try to direct you to the tables outside the main dining area, where the temperature was over 80 degrees )and then wait for one of the very overworked staff to clear your table from the previous occupants. At breakfast the table and table mats were wiped down so that any food was brushed on to the floor. The same cloth was used from table to table, so you can imagine the state of it, although perhaps it is better not to! The air-conditioning was poor throughout the main hotel and especially in the main dining areas. We spent most of the time swatting flies off our meals. Talk about relaxed dining, forget it!!

We opted for a studio apartment as we had a teenager with us. At first sight all was well, though the partition was made of glass and the heat was magnified througout the room. Unfortunately the air-conditioning only works in the main room, so the partition had to be left open so my lad did not suffocate. The whole object of the exercise, complete with the extra associated costs, had been defeated The bathroom was a disgrace. Its bad enough that you have to dispose of your toilet paper in a third world manner, and it is bad enough that there was no bidet, but the cracked tiles and missing grouting was inexcusable. The toilet drain used to access blocked toilets was situated in the bathroom. The top could be freely moved exposing the user to all sorts of nasty objects. The bath was not grouted to the wall, and ants used it as a freeway most evenings.

I have never made a complaint in all my years of travelling with Thompson's, but this time I approached a rep and asked her to look at the state of the bathroom. This she did. I was told that this was typical standards as far as Greek people were concerned. She even went as far as to tell me that she had lowered her own standards over the last four years so that she did not notice these problems any more. What a patronising thing to say about the people of Greece. If there is a problem with acceptable levels of hygiene, then we need reps to speak out not lower their standards. In fairness to the hotel management by the time I returned to my room that afternoon the surfaces had been grouted. I didn't have the heart to tell them that the flexible filler that they had used wouldn't last 5 minutes. The drain remained loose throughout our stay. If you were using the toilet you just kept your foot on it.

Back to the lagoon pool. The lagoon pool was good, but be prepared to queue for 30 minutes first thing in the morning to get in there. It is far too small for the number of guests, and that is the main problem throughout for this hotel.

When this hotel is off peak, I imagine that things are much better. But at peak times it is barely 3 star.

So is this a 4 star hotel? No way!!

Would I return? Not in a million years!!!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Corcyra Beach Hotel - Gouvia

Operator and Date: Broadway Travel - Aug 2006

Opinion submitted in August 2006 by :

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Review:

Do not book to stay at this hotel through an internet travel company (i.e. not Thomson Holidays s, First Choice etc.) We arrived on 5th Aug to be told that the hotel had over booked ands they had no room available for us. Arguments and demands fgound no solution and we were forced to move to a hotel in Dassia for the first four nights of our 11 night holiday.

The hotel was Half Board and we had paid to stay All Inclusive. We soon discovered that we were not the only ones affected. One family had arrived at 8a.m. and made to wait until midday only to be told that they were to be moved to another hotel. Obviously when you have no tour representative in the resort it is much easier for the hotel to do this although Thomson Holidays s guests were not unaffected and some had been moved for one night to a nearby hotel in the previous two weeks.

That aside (!) this is an excellent hotel. Well laid out, clean and well maintained. We had a beach front bungalow (well worth paying the extra for) and we could not have wished for a better view. The food is superb (we were all inclusive) plenty of choice each day: breakfast and evening meal were in the dining area, lunch by the pool. Only grumble was that it didnt stay hot for long although admitedly this must be difficult. In terms of drinks there is a help yourself beer pump and soft drinks machine for AI guests (good for kids and Dads alike!) and all other drinks can be found at the bar. The staff were generally very friendly, we had a couple of rainy days and they dealt with the restaurant overflow very well and without complaint.

We didnt stay to watch the entertainment as teenage children preferred to go into the resort on a night time but it did not appear to be up to much. Entertainments team were of mixed nationalities and shows were typical : Mr and Mrs election, magician, cabaret etc. Also the entertainment is on a weekly cycle so beware of this if you are staying two weeks.

The beach as a previous review pointed out is man-made and therefore not the best. The sand finishes at a small wall and there are pool steps in to the sea. There are lots of water sports going on though. Our daughter went water skiing and loved it.

Gouvia itself is a lovely resort, plenty of bars and restaurants; lively but not too much so. There is a marina and try the Aries Taverna for authentic Greek dancing and plate smashing!

We weould definitely recommend this hotel for families. All in all a very enjoyable holiday...once we were given a room there.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Corcyra Beach Hotel - Gouvia

Operator and Date: first choice Aug 2006

Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : dawn hull 43,37,12,9

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Review:

We were recommended this hotel by friends and were not disappointed. We stayed in a bungalow which had 2 bathrooms great with 2 kids and views overlooking the sea.

The food was great and varied and we never needed to eat out.

The lagoon pool was the best it was never crowded but you did need to queue from about 9.30am to get a sun lounger.

The only downside was that we had to vacate the room at midday but were not flying until 2.50am the next morning no coutesy room available and not able to keep our room on as the hotel was full but all in all a good holiday had by all.

Take a walk into gouvia and see elvis seeing is believing.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Corcyra Beach Hotel - Gouvia

Operator and Date: (Olympic Direct) Olympic - August 2006

Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : 42, 41, 15, 13

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Review:

Have just returned from two weeks at the Corcyra Beach - we had a fantastic time. Don't be put off by the reports of building work - we didn't see any workman at all!!

We stayed in a garden bungalow and although the room could do with a bit of a facelift the location was excellent. We were just a few steps from the beach and the beautiful surrounding cove. Apparently the garden bungalows are nearly 20 years old and are next in line for refurbishment.

The beach is man made and could probably do with some more sand, but overall the atmosphere on the beach is wonderful. Very peaceful, no need to fight for a sunbed and a lovely little beach bar serving drinks and snacks open until 6pm.

There is also a great watersports centre right on the beach, we tried everything, including parascending, ringos, boat trips etc. The kids loved it all!!

There are two other pools the smaller of the two is where all the activities are held during the day. There is a pool bar and buffet style lunches are also served here.

The Lagoon pool is much bigger and quieter although it still got busy at times. This was probably the kids favourite. Also had a pool bar and lunch facilities. This pool does not open until 10am so no problem getting a sun bed until about 11am.

We stayed on an all inclusive option, the food was of good quality, although after a fortnight it became a little repetitive. The only draw back with the all inclusive option is that you have a different drinks menu to everyone else. You can only have locally produced drinks and no fancy cocktails!! Also the local wine leaves a lot to be desireded. However, the kids loved the all day icecreams and unlimited drinks and snacks!! Other all inclusive advantages were free pedloes, canoes and sun beds on the beach.

The village of Gouvia is small and friendly with plently of bars and restuarants. Our daughters favourite was the internet bar just outside the hotel - we ended up there evey night so she could keep in touch with the gossip back home!!

Our son preferred the local night club whispers where all the teenagers seemed to hang out till the early hours of the morning! We were assured by all the locals that Gouvia was a very safe place to be, it is definately a family resort and has a very friendly feel.

The people of Corfu are one of the friendliest we have every met - nothing is too much trouble.

One of the highlights was our visit to Corfu town - what a beautiful place so much atmosphere and wonderful buildings - I would like to go back and spend more time there.

Overall we had a fantastic holiday, one of the best we have had for many years. If the hotel were just to make a few minor changes it would be absolutely perfect.

We would definately go back to Corfu - a very green, pretty and friendly island.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Corcyra Beach Hotel - Gouvia

Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays Direct) Thomson Holidays - July 28 - Aug 11 2006

Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : Malcolm and Denise 35, 30, 7, 2 and 8 months

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Good

My/Our Holiday Review:

We went here for 2 weeks and are just back Friday 11th Aug. We were there at peak time. It was mobbed.

Went with Thomson Holidays s - never saw the rep. We were basically abandoned at reception. She was very unhelpful and DONT hire car from her as more expensive than sixty - who are based in the hotel. The hotel were more than helpful - taxis, information, maintenance of the room - go direct to reception. The Italian with the long hair was great. The entertainment and kids clubs all run by the hotel as well. THE BEST REPS LOOKED THE FIRST CHOICE REPS. THEY WERE ABOUT A LOT AND HELPFUL.

We thoroughly enjoyed it here and so did the kids. Had a room in the main hotel. Was acceptable but there are much bigger and better rooms. Was cleaned daily and towels and beds changed daily. We were Half Board.

Mix of nationalities so, is great. Is a very large hotel accomodating over 2000 people. Constant supply of buses coming and leaving. 2 pool areas. One at the front and other down by the beach. It was a rat race for a sunbed. The lagoon pool opens at 10 and they queued from 9am to get the best sunbeds!!! Left their towels on the beds and would leave. By 10.30am there was no chance of a sunbed. Lots of locals and families of staff use it as well even though they are not allowed. The back gate at the lagoon pool is opened for deliveries and staff etc and we used it to go to the shops - get in that way and put your beach towel down before the rest of them do. Beach not as bad but fills quickly and there is only a tiny area with about 10 beds that goes directly into the sea. The rest has a small wall drop and not suitable for small children.

Lovely beach at Dassia next door(taxi journey away) and also at Glyfada if you can go as its at the other side of island. This is opposite Italy with golden sands. Most of the sands around Gouvia and Dassia are stoney. A taxi driver quoted us 50 euros there and back but if you "get to know one" and use him personally for the holiday then you would be likely to get deals with him.

Warning - road signs and roads are horrendous if you hire a car and corfu town very busy to drive in. Coastguards were directing the traffic.

The kids were well catered for but the entertainment is slightly poor. Also maybe less suitable for teenagers as not much to do for them.

Restaurant good. Just pick a table and help yourself, Lots of choices - big hot plate sections, salad sections, sweets section, ice cream and the kids can get it themselves. But, they do run out of ideas and the sweets are repetitive. Get in early if you have kids as it gets very busy and can be people pushing and hovering over you to get to the food. Breakfast nice, croissants, jam, eggs, bacon but the sausages are hot dog style and not nice. They dont use cows milk here but you can buy it in the shops. Waiters and waitresses all lovely and very helpful. Lots of very greedy people with huge plates of food making up for the money spent on All Incl.

Would also point out that the dress code( no shorts or short sleeved shorts at dinner) was ignored and people arrived for dinner in their football tops and shorts. They looked a mess. Apparently 2 yrs ago, you would not have got in dressed like that but now its different.

Found Dimitris shop - go right at the entrance was good. Cheaper than Costas, cleaner and much nicer than Costas and freindlier staff. Shops and restaurants right at the door step. Try these yourself but the one slightly down the hill with the chairs outside does all the plate smashing and dancing at the weekend. Fabulous and a great atmosphere.

There is a Bureau de Change at the bottom of the main Gouvia street at the childrens soft play cafe. There is an English lady in here and she is full off useful help.

Take a taxi to Corfu town. About 10 Euros each way, 15-20 mins drive. Dont let them rip you off. Well worth it. Also took taxi to Aqualand and he offered to pick us up when we wanted. So he came back at 3pm. The rep trip does not come back until 6pm - not suitable for us as too late. Cost us about 50 euros to get in. We paid for 2 adults and our 7 yr old. The other 2 went free. Was about same distance as Corfu town but into middle of island. Our 7 yr old loved it. There was smaller pools for the 2 yr old but restricted slides obviously.

Paxos and other island boat trips look fab but we didnt do them.

Lovely views from hotel. Few people had been before and returned that we met. They had commented on it being down hill as now offered All Inclusive - no doubt to cater for the masses but we enjoyed it. Would definetly return to Corfu and would definetly reccomend the Louis Chain of hotels. NOTE , YOU CAN BOOK DIRECT WITH THE HOTEL. WHY NOT TRY IT.

JUST ONE THING - DONT TAKE ONE OF THESE TRAVELLERS CHEQUE CARDS AS THEY ARE NOT UP TO DATE IN CORFU. JUST take the normal euros, cash and travellers cheques. They do take VISA, maestro and electron at the banks.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Corcyra Beach Hotel - Gouvia

Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays Direct) Thomson Holidays june 2006

Opinion submitted in July 2006 by : jan handley lancashire 48

Resort Rating: Average

Accommodation Rating: Average

My/Our Holiday Review:

Having stayed at this hotel in june 2006 I must say I was dissapointed.

They were building a new apartment block right next to the lagoon swimming pool which we were not informed of. The workmen were there from early in the morning until after midnight. Also the lagoon swimming pool was not finished. For a 4 star hotel I think the room needed a face lift as we found it shabby. Don't get a room where we did right next to the cleaners storeroom if you don't want to be wakened each morning at 7.00am to the clattering of mop buckets etc. The food was average. All in all very dissapointed with Thomson Holidays .

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Corcyra Beach Hotel - Gouvia

Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays Direct) Thomson Holidays june 2006

Opinion submitted in June 2006 by : lincolnshire 31,31,4,7,

Resort Rating: Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Review:

We have just returned from a really good 2 week holiday at this hotel. I was very worried before going as I had read about the building work.

We arrived on tues 13th and could not see where the building work was going on. It took a day before we saw the area and was clear they were just finishing off, painting etc. In fact the new block had guests in it by friday!!

We stayed on a bed and breakfast basis and the breakfast did not dissapoint. All the usual hot stuff plus an aray of fruits meats cereals and salads. I cant comment on the evening menu as we never ate in there at night, but I didn't hear any negative comments from other guests. We did sample the lunchtime menu, which was quite nice with salads, steaks, chicken rice etc, it was quite expensive and there was no option to chose a smaller plate and pay less for the kids. Also no chance of burger and chips!!

Both the pools were nice, we favoured the lagoon as it was more accessable for our kids who are just beyond the paddling pool stage offered at the main pool.

We stayed in a bungalow which was really lovely, only complaint was a very noisy fridge which I had to quieten down by wedging a book in the side of it. The air conditioning was very effective and the maids did a thorough clean every day except sun.

The evening entertainment consisted of a mini disco, same songs every night for 2 weeks, and a mixture of hotel led bingo , quiz etc, and booked artists. We thought the entertainment was poor for a hotel of this grade and size.

We would definately go back here again and hopefully by then they will have sorted out the poor entertainment.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Corcyra Beach Hotel - Gouvia

Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays Direct) Thomson Holidays - June 2006

Opinion submitted in June 2006 by : Ann - Rotherham (47,33,5 )

Resort Rating: Average

Accommodation Rating: Below Average

My/Our Holiday Review:

I was really looking forward to staying at this hotel,it seemed to have everything we required for a family holiday - something to suit everyone.However,my husband and I were very disappointed.We are not the type of people who complain about everything,we always make the most of what we have.This hotel is rated as 4T by Thomson Holidays (A class by the hotel chain).I do not agree,it does not compare to the hotel we stayed in last year in Rhodes which was 3T.

GOOD POINTS FIRST:

The building works were completed by the end of our first week(16th June)and a large group of Russians moved in to the new buliding shortly after.

Our room was lovely,one of the best we have stayed in.It was in the Nausicaa building on the 3rd floor with a lovely sea view (paid extra for this).The balcony was enormous.Room cleaned every day with fresh towels provided daily.However BAD POINT- room was never dusted,large dustballs resided under the beds and a layer of dust permanantly covered the furniture.This probably contributed to my husband's worsening hay fever,asthma and now a chest infection.

The restaurant is very spacious and you can either sit indoors or outdoors on a very nice terrace.Breakfast choice is excellent,every taste catered for.Lunch is served in the restaurant by the pool and has lots of choice.Dinner was a little disappointing. Some nights the food was lovely and some nights I could only eat from the salad bar.There is a separate childrens buffet bar but my 5 yr old prefered the main menu.

The lagoon area is very nice,especially for kids and people who want peace and quiet with no acivities.There is a bar and restaurant here.

The main pool is 1.4M at the shallow end and 2.8M at the deep end - not ideal for young children.There is a small ,shallow kids pool next to the big pool.There is also a jacuzzi (see bad points).

There was always plenty of sunbeds available up to about 11am so reservation was not necessary.

The Thomson Holidays rep Alex was lovely,very friendly and helpful.

BAD POINTS:

ENTERTAINMENT

It is a totally new team for this year.They are from Holland and Hungary and seem to be employed by different companies to work for the hotel.They are very young and inexperienced and this showed.They were very dis-organized and sometimes the activities did not take place.My husband did this job for a few years and he ended up helping and advising them.The nightime entertainment is on a weekly rota so we had to endure the same shows the second week of our holiday.Every other place we have been to since our son was born has had a fortnightly rota.

The two Dutch girls Tessa and Mara were the best two and listened to our advice, especially the childrens game where they threw forks into the kids pool and the children had to search for them.This game is now performed using spoons!!

FACILITIES

The state of the football pitch,volleyball area,mini golf and childrens play area are in desparate need of maintenance or replacing.The terraces down the side of the football pitch are dirty and littered with rubbish and broken glass.The jacuzzi is lovely and clean in the morning but by the afternoon,the water becomes very murky.It was not cleaned at all while we were there and there was a nice layer of brown scum growing round the sides.

The main steps down to the pool/beach are made of crazy paving and became quite slippy when the grass was watered near to the path.

The sunbeds are in desparate need of replacement. They are old,worn out and many were broken.I saw 2 people hurt themselves by laying on sunbeds that were totally unsafe.

BEACH/SEA

There is no natural beach here,it is all man made.A lot of sand seems to have worn away.The beach ends in wall with steps down to the sea. The sea is quite shallow with lots of fish swimming around. However by the afternoon,there was a layer of oil floating on top of the water from the boats used by the watersports centre.

TO SUMMARISE:

We did enjoy our holiday.The bad points were a concern but did not spoil anything.

I cannot fault Thomson Holidays as a holiday company but I think they need to re-examine this hotel from a health and safety point of view.

In my opinion,the hotel has concentrated too much on expanding its buildings in order to accomodate more guests instead of updating the facilities around the hotel grounds.Would you expect a 4* hotel to advertise "large screen available for all world cup football matches" only to find a bed sheet hung up with the matches projected onto it.I rest my case.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Corcyra Beach Hotel - Gouvia

Operator and Date: First Choice - June 2006

Opinion submitted in June 2006 by : Martin, Karen from Bham, 47,48

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Review:

Returned yesterday from a week's stay at Corcyra Beach on AI basis, booked 4 weeks previously.

Firstly, please do not be put off by previous reports about the building work at the complex - it is now finished, and the completed apartments look really nice

When we booked the only type of room available was a bungalow with garden view and terrace which is what we expected. Instead we had been put in the large block, a tiny double bedroom with a view of a tree, and a tiny balcony with room (just) for 2 chairs and small table. Not very impressed and then found the air con wouldnt work. The porter let reception know the problems and hey presto, within 5 minutes they were on the phone offering us a suite in the main block - this consisted of 2 large rooms with enough beds to sleep 6, and a huge balcony with views over the sea and gardens - very nice indeed. (ask for room 686 if you can!)

The food choice was very good at breakfast and dinner, with lunch outdoors at the pool restaurants and snacks in between - you could not go hungry even if you are a fussy eater.

The evening entertainment was typical animation team fare although there was a magician one night and a couple of singers another - entertainment is very family orientated, but Gouvia resort is right on the doorstep where there are plenty of bars and restaurants if you're getting stir crazy.

We went to the Lagoon pool area every day which doesn't open till 10.00 so there was never a problem with sunbeds, even though the hotel was supposed to have been full.

Cosmopolitan clientele at the hotel with a lot of Dutch, German and French guests as well as a lot of English - good for the football banter! Everything is in english, and the bar and reception staff expect everyone to converse with them in english.

All in all, an excellent week's relaxing holidays and wish now we had booked for 2 weeks. Would definitely return and would recommend hotel to anybody

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Corcyra Beach Hotel - Gouvia

Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays Direct) Thomson Holidays June 2006

Opinion submitted in June 2006 by : Family - Wales (46,31,5)

Resort Rating: Good

Accommodation Rating: Good

My/Our Holiday Review:

Just a word of warning, if you are travelling to Corcyra Beach hotel very shortly there is building work going on within 100 yards of the hotel. If your accomadation is at the back of the building then you will probably here building noise.

We where dissapointment that we were not informed by Thomson Holidays of the building work. They are building a new block of apartments which is right by the lagoon pool. So when you are relaxing by that lovely pool you will hear plently of building work noise going on.

For 3 nights they decided to close the entertainment down by the bottom pool.

We had enjoyed this area for the previous 4 nights and was dissappointed that it was closed for rest of our holiday. It is a great area where the entertainment is held, also the childrens disco is run with bar area and lots of space for the kids to play.

Overall, when this bulding work has finished I am sure the Corcyra Beach is a very pleasent and fun place to stay. We paid extra for a sea view and our view was fantastic and well work the extra. Our room was ok and quite spacious but for a 4 star I do think it could do with a face lift.

There is a great park area and mini golf section (payable at reception 4 euros 50), the beaches are small but one of them quite nice for sand castles.

Our son did not join in with the kids club as he was having fun by the pool with us but is seemed well organised and very geered up to the younger ones.

Gouvia its self is big enough for walks and plenty of restaurants and bars to choose from.

I am sure that without the building work that we experienced that you will enjoy this hotel. Don`t be put off as we enjoyed our stay and out son had lots of fun.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Corcyra Beach Hotel - Gouvia

Operator and Date: First Choice - 2006

Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : Alison Mark & Erin - Blackpool (42, 36, 6)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Review:

Had a great week at this hotel. One week is not enough.

The views across the bay are lovely. Our room was in the new block opposite the lagoon pool. Brand new fittings and furniture and a lovely bath room. This was our first time all inclusive, and the food was great. Lots of choices for different tastes. The bar staff round the pool were friendly and appreciated a tip now and again (as it's all inclusive they don't get many tips). The resort of Gouvia is good for a night out and a meal in a taverna if you want a change from the hotel. We hired a car and visited Corfu town and the aqua park -this is a fantastic day out for kids.

Were getting married in Corfu next year and definately want to return to this hotel.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Corcyra Beach Hotel - Gouvia

Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays Direct) Thomson Holidays - Aug 2005

Opinion submitted in June 2006 by : Anne Donald - Uxbridge (47, 44, 17, 16, 10)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Review:

This is the second year running we have stayed at the Corcyra Beach as we were so impressed with it. Our room was very spacious with a huge balcony overlooking the gardens & sea. It was kept spotless by the maids, as was all of the hotel and grounds. The staff were very friendly and very helpful - in fact, the barman at the pool bar remembered us from the year before!

The food in the restaurant was excellent with a huge choice which was varied daily. Even my fussy kids found something they liked! Likewise, the poolside restaurant was also extremely good and they even had a small bar on the beach serving very good toasties.

The animation team put loads of effort into their shows and their enthusiasm got people off of their sunbeds to join in the daytime activities.

Gouvia has a main street full of bars (the Irish Bar is worth a visit!) and restaurants and a couple of clubs. It is a far more family-oriented than, say, Kavos and seemed quite safe - we were more than happy for our girls to go out in the evenings without us.

One trip worth making is on Captain Theo's boat along the North Eastern coastline. Great fun and the kids loved it!!

All in all, I would thoroughly recommend both the hotel and the resort.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Corcyra Beach Hotel - Gouvia

Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays Direct) Thomson Holidays august 2005

Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : Jason Howell (38/34/15/13/6.

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Review:

This was our fifth all inc holiday and the first to corfu, we were not disapointed fantastic hotel spotlesly clean with freindly and helpfull staff, good choice of bar drinks tidy snacks and the best food ive ever had in a hotel. 2 tidy pools the larger being the lagoon in the front of the hotel or the smaller one by the beach which we preffered, bit of a walk down to it, all steps which wouldnt suit everyone. not the best beach but it is man made and has a fantastic water sports centre.good entertainment not the best ive seen but they do try.a good resort very clean and tidy with a good selection of bars and shops.for 8 euros we went by taxi to the aqua park which saved us about 40 euros on the Thomson Holidays excursion price, the park itself is exellent well worth the day out. the Thomson Holidays rep was very good and very helfull.

i would definitly go back and would recommed the hotel to anyone.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Corcyra Beach Hotel - Gouvia

Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays Direct) Thomson Holidays - August 2004

Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : John Williams - 50, 48, 17, 15

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Review:

On arriving a the hotel we were very impressed with the reception and bar area. Everywhere was very clean and spacious. We stayed on bed and breakfast board in one of the many bungalows. The bungalow itself was very spacious, clean and contained everything that was required for a b&b stay. The bathroom was suprisingly large, with a powerful shower. The rooms were cleaned monday - saturday, the quality provided by the maid service was excellent. The other members of staff were exceptionally friendly and helpful, especially the reception staff, Angelika and Nikos.

FOOD! As we were only eating breakfast within the hotel, we were very pleased to see such a vast array of choice. There was never a shortage of any of the items, there was even complementary champagne available every morning if you desired.

The pool area at the hotel was fairly small, yet very clean. The 'lagoon' at the front of the hotel was far quieter and much larger. The sun beds were free to guests staying at the hotel. There was never a shortage of sun beds at the 'lagoon' or by the main hotel pool.

EATING OUT! as we ate out every evening, we found our favourite restaurants.

1. Romeo's became our favourite. The food was excellent, the waiter service was fantastic and the friendliness of the restaurant was very welcoming and comfortable. We higly recommend eating here.

2. La Bonita was a beautiful resturant with suprisingly low prices, yet the food quality and variety was fantastic with a quick and friendly service.

3. Bella Mama which is directly opposite the hotel is also very nice. The atmosphere is slightly less intimate as the resturant is 'well packed', however the food is delicious. Be warned that the pizzas are overloaded with cheese to a point at which they are OTT and not enjoyable.

GOUVIA is a fairly large resort. However the is limited options for older children/young adults. There is one bar/club (Whispers) and 1 or 2 bars. The best place for 'going out' is Kavos on the very south of the island, and it is not at all practical to get to as it is at least 2 1/2 hours away.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Corcyra Beach Hotel - Gouvia

Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays Direct) Thompsons - 2004 / 5

Opinion submitted in Mar 2005 by : Olivia Ancell - North Berwick age 10

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Review:

The reception is amazing and makes a very good first impression.

The reception is great and the two receptionists Angelika and Nikos are very helpful and friendly. They both speak great English.

The studios are great with spacious bathrooms and high power shower and comfy double bed and two singles in a seperate room which has slides to separate the rooms. The balcony has great views and the kitchen is basic and good.

The pool is good but sometimes has lots of bugs in it making it a wee bit unpleasant but if you complain they will get nets out and work the filters more which we did. The lagoon is good for younger children and the deepest dept is 1 metre 40 cm. Sunbeds are easy to get but best go down to reserve some sunbeds before breakfast. The pools deepest is about 3 and a half metres.

The entertainment is great with the Animation team doing at least 3 tournaments a day which include bulls, table tennis and made up games like lilo jumping and diving for spoons and lots more which children love and the adults enjoy too.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Elizabeth Hotel - Gouvia

Operator and Date: Booked Direct - August 2006

Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : Gail Debling - Ramsgate - (54, 54)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Review:

HOTEL

We have just returned from Gouvia, Corfu. A resort we have been visiting every year since 1990. We have stayed in various accommodation in the resort, but the Elizabeth Hotel, a family run hotel, is by far the best for friendliness, facilities, and value for money. Hotel basic but very clean. Each room has is air conditioned with a fridge, telephone and tv. A very large pool, free sunbeds and parasols on the surrounding grassy area.

Dimitris and his family welcome you with open arms - literally! Very good value for accommodation and food provided.

RESORT

Gouvia Resort is not the biggest, but the friendliness of the locals is second to none.

EATING OUT

Bella Mama (Tartufo), S.O.S (with it's special garlic mayonnaise butter), Filippa's and Kariatides are probably the best places to eat, although Muses and Aries have both received very good reports from fellow visitors.

ENTERTAINMENT

Silver Nights Cafe Bar always provides a warm welcome, if you are a sports lover you will not be disappointed as 2 large TV's and an extra large screen often have 3 different things on at the same time!!

Alternatively, take a leisurely stroll to the next village of Kontokali (takes about 30 mins) and pay a visit to Stavros in BJ's Bar. Stavros stays open till the last customer leaves - usually about 4 or 5 in the morning. English music and another warm welcome.

Gouvia has been our main holiday choice for the last 16 years, and I can honestly say I can't imagine not going back there.

There is plenty of water sports available, and a trip to Corfu town on the bus costs 1 euro.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Eva Maria - Gouvia

Operator and Date: Aug 2006

Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : George 38 Georgina-Rea 12

Resort Rating: Poor

Accommodation Rating: Poor

My/Our Holiday Review:

Sold as a three star all inclusive Hotel 10 mins walk from the Beach.

This hotel only warrants a 1 Star Rating, the rooms are small and crampt, the bedding is old and tired, the wash / shower facilities are awfull with no shower curtains and cracked tiling with jagged edges (dangerouse).

Air conditioning is an extra however all remotes work all rooms (so just borrow someone elses remote). The Hotel is on the corner of a very busy and noisy road that can make it difficult to sleep well. The pool is small, and is in open view to the local buses. All inlusive meals were poor and you will end up eating out, the inluded drinks were available but only in limited quantity and variety. Do not go to this hotel unless the rate you pay is very cheap.

On the plus side the beach was clean, although 15-20 mins away, the local town had enough facilities, and in the end we had an enjoyable week laughing with the other guests about our misfortune.

"Dont Bother"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hotel Gouvia - Gouvia

Operator and Date: independant sept 2006

Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : lyn dicks Worcestershire (62, 64 )

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Below Average

My/Our Holiday Review:

Hotel Gouvia is the most basic Hotel we have ever stayed at (and we have been to many of the greek islands)although the standard of the room, as far as being clean was good, the downside was the room they call a bathroom it was so tiny...how they put a full sized sink a shower & a loo, in a space as big as a cupboard we will never know.This Hotel needs to be updated to the 21st century,the swimming pool was a good size & cleaned every day.It is a 1 to 2 star not a 3 star as advertised,& don't bother with the breakfast if you are british it caters for the rest of europe.Will just have to mention the Owner... who never aknowledged you(grumpy).

Resort is good with plenty of eating places & bars, go to Melodies in the centre, a lively music bar & don't miss the Elvis show there.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hotel Gouvia - Gouvia

Operator and Date: (Libra Discounts) Libra 2005

Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : dave allen telford 62.5

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Good

My/Our Holiday Review:

this was a very good holiday. staff were more than helpfull and you ajusted to the greek way (laid back and 30 years behind the times) just ask and they will do their best for you. if you have a room facing the main road on saturdays and sunday nights the night spot up the road can be heard but just. it is very basic but enjoy. mid floor front block (ie No 114 above the resterant) the balcony is large and a sun spot in the mornings only for tanning. you can eat a meal every night and not visit the same restarant twice.

the marina just up from the beach is large and open to the public, walk (its a long one) to the end and return by the road and visit the beer bucket english pub or spitz resterant (a must)if you want a snack on leaving the hotel turn left and right opposite the beach road is a toastie / ice cream bar and it is cheap. if you do not like the breakfast go to market gouvia and buy his fruit and make it work.

I and my family will go back and stay at this hotel as we did enjoy it and the people were great, just before leaving go to the people that helped and served you and say good bye.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Govino Bay Apartments - Gouvia

Operator and Date: First Choice July 2006

Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : Helen & Chris and 14, 13,11.

Resort Rating: Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Review:

Have just returned from two weeks at Govino Bay. We found the apartment spacious {we are a family of 5),well equipped,air conditioned, very clean: maid service excellent, linen changed every other day towels every day but disappointed in no balcony.

The pool is very pleasant but previous comments about the "lifeguard" still stand. No problems with sunbeds and plenty of them. The beach at Gouvia is poor about 6 feet of pebbles down to some quite murkey water. There are many places to eat in Gouvia and we had some excellent food drink and entertainment Verginas, Filippas, Aries and Bella Mamma stand out. Excellent fish restaurant at the marina. Daphnes (close to entrance of complex) will do anything on their menu as a takeaway which we found good after spending 2 long days at Aqualand {mum and dad too tired to get changed to go out to eat}. Aqualand definitely worth a visit. We hired a car from Hermes, (excellent rates)which was a must toured all round the island and visited some lovely beaches on the west coast Paleocastritsa, Glyfada, Arillas and Aghios Georgios.

Did the cruise to Paxos and Antipaxos great day out. You can go to Paxos by sea plane from the marina but need to book in advance we were unable to get a flight. Corfu town definitely worth a visit in the evening as is Pontikonissi. Our eldest son and girlfriend came out for a week staying at the Gouvia Hotel they enjoyed themselves but found the night life a bit too quiet!

We had been to Corfu in our pre children days and it has changed a lot but we still had a great time and would go again in the future.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Govino Bay Apartments - Gouvia

Operator and Date: First Choice-July 2006

Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : Anne, Steve, Rachael, Jan, Steve & Jamie (51,48,16,48,48,16)Kent

Resort Rating: Good

Accommodation Rating: Good

My/Our Holiday Review:

We returned this weekend having had a really good holiday.

I must admit that after having read other reports about these apartments I was really doubtful about our choice. On entering our apartment I was pleasantly surprised, spacious and clean.As always more storage space would be nice but we have found the same problem when staying at a 5 star place so no real problem.

We arrived in the early hours so next morning took a real look around. Plenty of sun loungers available even late on in the morning, yet again everywhere was really clean. supermarket on site small but adequate and prices reasonable. No inflatables allowed in pool which is understandable as there would be no room left to swim, there was not any time when the pool was really packed. We spent most of our time down on the beach as there were a few umbrellas if you needed to be in the shade for a while. Water was not the nicest, lots of weed and a bit muddy on the bottom but we tended to use it to lay on lilos in although a lot of people were swimming and we no heard mention of any illnesses about.

Gouvia itself was great. Loads of places to eat, our favourites were Romeos(fantastic steaks), 9 Muses, Bella Mamas and the hotel/restaurant opp Verginas. Favourite bars were Whispers,Morfes,Silver Knight. Our 2 teenagers were not impressed with the clubs so there could have been a bit more for them to do. Last but not least we have to mention Daphne,s next door but one to the apartments, lovely people always prepared to put themselves out for you, and good food at a reasonable price for those on a budget.Also 2 pool tables and an air hockey table.

We had a lovely holiday and would go back again but would also like to try some of the other Greek Islands.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Govino Bay Apartments - Gouvia

Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays Direct) Thomson Holidays August 2005

Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : David & Julie East Yorks

Resort Rating: Average

Accommodation Rating: Below Average

My/Our Holiday Review:

I have seen some people rate these apartments as very good, on the strength of these recommendations we booked. We have been to Corfu for the last 4 years and normally stay in San Stefanos, this year we had a change of resort.

Well what a change the apartment was dirty, smelly and generally in a poor state of repair. The apartments are currently for sale, this to me speaks volumes.

We striped the beds after a night of thinking the room was stuffy, we wish we never had the beds were stained.

Our towels were changed three times in the first week and twice in the second, not what we paid for. The toilet bin (containing used toilet paper) was emptied infrequently, so infrequent that we consciously broke the golden rule and started flushing it down the toilet because of the smell.

The life guard is a joke, we took several pictures of her spending the day on the phone out of line of site of the kids.

The resort is expensive and not as friendly on the whole as other resorts we have visited.

One of the nicest places to eat is the little Taverna that sells Giros.

It's a resort we will not visit again.

Certainly not worth the money.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Govino Bay Apartments - Gouvia

Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays Direct) Thomson Holidays s August 2005

Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : Julie east yorkshire

Resort Rating: Average

Accommodation Rating: Poor

My/Our Holiday Review:

After reading many reviews about the Govino Bay apartments on this website I thought we had a fair idea on what to expect.

I think we can give a honest review, yes the apartments are spaced all over the complex, and we where in the apartments opposite the bar the furthest away from the main gate and onto the main road into the resort unless you are told of the short cut. Other people told us this not the rep.

The beach is not a beach it's a bay and very tiny and I wonder about the water quality.

When we arrived there is no reception area, the security guard just takes your cases loaded onto a truck and told to follow it round to your apartments not very good if you aren't steady on your feet

We where informed that there was a microwave none in our apartment basic utensils got that right not even a wooden spoon !!!! fridge was full of rust.

Told we would have maid service everyday except Sunday we hardly got any maid service not very hygienic when you cant put the loo paper down the loo and when the maids did come in all they did was make your bed and change the towels when they felt like it.

The apartment we stayed on was in split levels with the bedrooms downstairs the maids open the windows let in the ants and the mozzies but don't clean under the beds!!!

Upstairs again full of ants and when we moved the sofa beds found glass, ants used tissues etc. The rooms might have had a lick of paint but they where still mucky and smelly the drains stank and they have classed it as a three star I would rate it a two star and that is generous.

The bar staff very friendly, but the life guard she's another matter sits on a bar stool all day with her mobile glued to her ears and all her friends around her but if you dare put a lilo then she straight of her stool same goes for a ball or anything else.

Rep all he wanted to do is sell you trips and told us he did not spend much time here as he had the big hotel to look after in Corfu.

The file full of useful information they give you in your apartment was last updated 2001 that was until we corrected it

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Govino Bay Apartments - Gouvia

Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays Direct) Thomson Holidays - August 2005

Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : Lesley Irvine - Lanarkshire (49,44,41,31,16,14,14,6)

Resort Rating: Good

Accommodation Rating: Good

My/Our Holiday Review:

Govino Bay Apartments are clean and spacious. The surroundings are pleasant - very green and well kept gardens. The cleaning staff are very friendly and always available. Site shop is as cheap as any other local supermarket. Good to know as the nearest one is across very busy road.

The pool bar/restuarant is run by very friendly staff (mainly Evie) but the food is poor. We ate breakfast there only once. The smell from the kitchen was off-putting. Is everything cooked in same pot? Swimming Pool is a good size but best fun can only be had when 'Lifeguard' finishes her shift! We spent most days sunbathing in surrounding gardens - quieter and shaded in parts.

The Village of Gouvia (5 mins walk) provides various tavernas, eateries and bars. Our favourite places to eat were Molfettas and Aries. Both provide typical Greek entertainment - the only other entertainment laid on was an Elvis tribute singer who rocked the house at Melodies once a week. Govino Bay Apartments has no entertainment unless you are of an age to attend the Kids Club (well done to the girls for an excellent service to young children).

Can't forget to mention Hackers. If you've got teenagers it's the only internet cafe/bar avail. Thanks to all the staff there for an unforgetable time. You're the best.

Now to the beach - what beach? Take a trip to Paleokastritsa if you want to spend a day on a beautiful sandy shore. Seek out quieter beach off main strip.

Loved holiday. Liked Govino Bay. Look forward to visiting other Greek Islands - you can't beat the friendliness of the locals.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Govino Bay Apartments - Gouvia

Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - 2005

Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : P Layzell - Essex

Resort Rating: Good

Accommodation Rating: Average

My/Our Holiday Review:

First package holiday for some time so booked early choosing Govino Bay from the FC brochure based upon their holiday rating system.

The location for the family was good as the children had a choice of pool or beach but little else to do.

The bay on which the complex is built around was not ideal as the beach was as with many places in Greece a glorified ashtray. The water was calm and in parts up to 10 or 12 ft. The water was always murky unlike the glorious turquoise pictures you see. Just a few feet into the bay the bottom is mud and sand. The infamous pipes that you can see leading into the bay from the apartments grounds have masses of weed around them suggesting outflow of something other than drainage water!

Many of the holidaymakers took to fishing in the bay and crude rods /lines can be purchased from the onsite shop which at first glance seem unlikely to do the trick but I can tell you they work having pulled out some 30 fish over the 2 weeks.

As for Gouvia we found a short cut through the adjacent property grounds, which brings you out at the top of Gouvia's main through road. The short cut takes about 5 - 8 mins.

Once there we found plenty of friendly Tavernas and bars with some providing evening entertainment.

No evening entertainment activities back at the apartment other than a deserted pool bar, which made going out a must. Having said that the most 5 of us spent on an evening meal was 70 euros which included starter / main / icecream / wine and soft drinks for all!

The resort pitches itself at the family market and those seeking a relaxed quiet holiday although one or two bars do cater for the younger market with drinking and shenanigans into the we hours. We did see two or three 18 to 30 type groups of youngsters gathered in a group of about 100 pacing up the main road chanting and boozing but this was by no means typical of the resort.

Our apartment was kept clean and despite the usual pain of paying top dollar for having a family of 5 that does not fit into the conventional 2 or 4 bedroom accommodation the spacious apartment was better than expected. We can only criticize the lack of a balcony & some furniture / door damage. Worst of all was the dirty sofas that were supposed to double up as beds but were filthy and had cigarette burns in them.

The pool lifeguard lives up to her reputation of being strict about the pool activities which in fairness is a good thing as some people do tend to get a little carried away and over boisterous if left unchecked. So well done her. Also for the diehard volleyball or rubber ring enthusiasts who's holiday is not complete without having to whack the living daylights out of a blow up ball or try to throw themselves onto an inflatable piece of plastic. she does desert the pool around 18.00 hours when all hell lets loose!

The blue and white sun bed use is not the issue it is made out to be and frankly can be moved by anyone without challenge to any part of the grounds including the beach.

Overall a relaxing holiday but had we not hired a car for 3 days and explored the north and glorious beaches of the west of Corfu I think we would have been ready to come home a little earlier.

I think better value and quality of accommodation can be had by pulling your own package together.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Govino Bay Apartments - Gouvia

Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays Direct) Thomson Holidays - October 2004

Opinion submitted in Oct 2004 by : Janet Burke - Manchester (39, 31, 11, 10, 8)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Review:

We arrived on the 8th october to glorious sunshine. Our luggage came off the carousel fairly quickly and the tranfser only took around 20 minutes.

We weren't allowed in the office near the gates of the complex and were abruptly told to wait outside. A friendly greek man arrived with a black Mitsubishi pick up and loaded all the cases on the back of it and told us to follow him. He pointed us to our apartment and unloaded our cases.

We stayed in the 1 bedroom apartment that sleeps up to 6 people. There was a twin bedroom with 2 single beds (we missed our double bed!) then there was 2 more twin beds up on another level above the living area. Then the 2 sofas in the living area converted to beds too.

The kitchen had a toaster, kettle, full size fridge freezer and a full size cooker with oven grill etc. The apartment also had an iron with an ironing board.

I did feel that the apartments were not of the 4 star standard that was stated in the Skytours brochure but they were kept very clean by the excellent maid service. The maid came in every day but sunday to clean and she did a fab job. We did have ants but as our apartment was upstars we didn't have too many.

The pool was lovely if a little cold. The lifeguard was very poor. She sat at the bar all day in her jeans and chunky boots!!! she was sat either texting on her mobile or applying her make-up. She didn't allow lilos in the pool but she did let peole use the super sized rubber rings and beach balls. In our 2nd week a 4yr old boy waering arm bands (luckily) fell into the deep end (2.80M) and a fellow holiday maker jumped into to get him out, not surprisngly that the lifeguard was oblivous to this.

The Kidzone ran by the Thompson children's reps was excellent, our children all loved it, especially chocolate night!!!

The beach was sand and shingle but pebbley when you tried to paddle. It was quite cloudy with lots of seaweed and fish not really a place to swim but great for fishing. You could see a couple of pipes poking out from under the sand as they lead into the sea but contrarely to popular belief they are NOT sweage pipes but run from the roads to drain rain away.

Gouvia is a great place with nice bars and restaurants but its not really for people who like to go clubbing etc. I'd say its more for those who want to relax and chill out.

We ate out alot at Daphne's which is next to the entrance to the complex, the prices are reasonable and the family that run it are very friendly.

Bella Mamas is another lovely place to eat with reasonable prices, try the chicken souvlaki its lovely.

Our favourite bar was Morfe's down in the centre of Gouvia, the young lad behind the bar looked like Frodo Baggins from Lord of the Rings and gave us free shots of red vodka with shots of fruit juice for the children, go into the back room and sit on their comfy cream leather sofas, it was brilliant.

The Ghandi Indian Restaurant is just totally heaven, the food is fantastic, if you like a good curry then you have to give it a go.

As we went in october we were told to expect a couple of rain showers as october is the start of corfu's raint season, we stayed for 2 weeks and had 3 - 4 days of very heavy rain and thunder, but when that sun shone it was high 70's, just hot enough for me.

The Thomson Holidays rep - Jimmy was all Thomson Holidays 'Highlights', these excurions cost so much money and you can nearly always do the same things yourself for a fraction of the cost. He was on site most of the time if you needed him but we never did really.

The beach around the corner at the Louis Corcyra Hotel is alot better for swimming in that the bay, all holiday makers with Thomaon can use the facilties of the corcyra hotel and these include the pool, kidzone, beach and hotel bars.

We took the bus into Corfu town but I was looking for bargains and it was quite expensive with lots of designer shops.

There are lots of little supermarkets in Gouvia centre but walk through Gouvia and go the the Deillas supermarket its much cheaper, bottles of Stella Artois cost only 0,59 euro cents and they hace 330ml cans of lager for jusy 0,28 euro cents. Alot cheaper than the smaller supermarkets in Gouvia.

All in all it was a fantastic holiday and I was really upset to be coming home. I wanted the whole family to do a 'Shirley Valentine' but my husband just didn't take me seriously :'(

I have been home now 4 days and i've got withdrawl symptoms, I've been told that you either love or hate the greek islands and I have fallen deeply inlove with Gouvia and Corfu.

I would definately go back and stay at the Govino Bay apartments.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Govino Bay Apartments - Gouvia

Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays Direct) Thomson Holidays - Sept 2004

Opinion submitted in Oct 2004 by : Helen Fox - Bridlington 38, 30,13,11,9

Resort Rating: Average

Accommodation Rating: Average

My/Our Holiday Review:

Try not to go at the end of September beginning of Oct as most of the restaurants and bars start closing down. Also Oct is there rainy season we were lucky with the weather.

The beds around the pool are only for Thomson Holidays customers and if you use the blue beds on the grass you have to pay for them they are only for first choice customers. And they are not allowed to use the pool. The kids club reps were fantastic and the rep himself was a great. Hired a car and visited some nice beaches.

Would not go to Corfu again not much to do for a fortnight. The appartments had plenty of ants and the cleaners changed your towels and bedding regular but never cleaned the window cill in the bathroom loads of dead ants.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Govino Bay Apartments - Gouvia

Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice Aug 2004

Opinion submitted in Nov 2004 by : Les 47 Terri 47 Thomas 12

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Review:

This was a first class resort.Rooms great and clean,maids very friendly as were all the staff except the pool attendant, who was a real jobs worth.Plenty of sun beds and the bay which was about 50 yds away from the pool was lovely too.Bit murky but it is not tidal,we swam there with no problems,great for kids as water is shallow and easy to watch them.the road that runs past the resort is noisy virtually 24/7,and the greeks seem to use their horns all the time,but saying that it did not detract from our holiday at all.Lots of kids for friends and pool bar is good value for money.

All round as far as we could say our holiday was a 9 out of 10.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Govino Bay Apartments - Gouvia

Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice- August 2004

Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : Aileen Leslie- London (47, 47, 17)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion:

We have just returned from 2 lovely weeks at the Govino Bay appartments and this was our third year in succession- our total party consisted of 18 ppl ranging from 61 to 13 years! Everything was wonderful as usual and our appartment for three ppl could have slept six people. It was kept scrupulously clean, the towels smelled clean and fresh and the maids very friendly.

Yannis and Evi run the pool bar and are lovely people. Katerina is the pool lifeguard who has much to contend with-her rules are fair although some might disagree-and the banning of lilos and diving serve only to keep the pool environment safe for everyone. Blue sunbeds were introduced last year and are free whilst the white ones cost a couple of euros to hire. Shade can be found under the palm trees that are scattered about the grounds, not too far from the pool. We never swim in the bay by the appartments but a short walk around the bay provides cleaner water.

Our favourite restaurant has to be Moukas (next to Image Boutique in the town)and the owner and staff have become good friends over the years. Melodies bar provides lovely Guinness and Nic serves an amazing cocktail with all the skills of Tom Cruise! Molfetta's Bar is lovely for cocktails, too with a really nice environment and music each night-often the same CD played repeatedly! Daphne's Restaurant which is situated next to the appartments serves a lovely breakfast.

Hiring a boat from the jetty by Corcyra Beach is a must and we found some little coves close to Nissaki where we swam and snorkelled in crystal-clear water. Car hire from Hermes next door to Govino Bay was reasonable so we saw lots of the island.

No doubt we'll go back to Govino next year as we love the place so much!!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Govino Bay Apartments - Gouvia

Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice july 2004

Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : David Baker - Bridgend (49,45,16,11,45,47,15,11)

Resort Rating: Average

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion:

apartments very clean and spacious,tv alhough was in greek.Our apartment was near the main road which was very noisy.The beach is very poor by the apartments and not nice to swim in.

It was 45 degrees by the pool.

Daphne's bar next to the apartment serve a nice pint of becks lager (250 euro) and shows latest fims fo the kids at 3.30 every day, also has sky tv here.

The food was nice and on average a main meal was about 7 euros.Best place to eat was Bella Mamas,Melinas(proper bacon and sausage)and Molfettas, best restaraunt for greek entertainment was Aries. The nightlife is not for single people, but we had a great time every night in Melodies bar,Nickos and Julie (from Halifax) Minas (owner) really looked after us and were really friendly,often we stayed there till 3-4 in the morning,and played great music..

A nice pint of strongbow in here was 4 euros.We alo had our best breakfast in this place.

There was also good enterainment at Molfettas with greek dancing.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Govino Bay Apartments - Gouvia

Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays Direct) Thomson Holidays - July 2004

Opinion submitted in July 2004 by : Nick Tucker (49,43,16,14)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Review:

Arriving here was a bit of a surprise. Having got off our coach we found no reception! After a few minutes a friendly Greek arrived in a pickup truck and told us to load our cases on the back and follow him!

The complex is spread over a large area and the buildings are well spaced out. It only appeared that there were about 40-50 people there all the time, although we were told that it was full, we certainly felt an air of spaciousness and quiet.

The apartment was spacious, very clean, with fridge freezer, toaster, kettle, iron and board, full size cooker and grill, with a welcome pack of orange juice, water, tea bags and coffee which we thought was a nice touch. Maid service was excellent and the apartment left spotless every day. Our air conditioning broke down twice, but both times was fixed within the hour by the efficient, helpful staff. A problem with ants was quickly resolved too.

Food at the poolside bar was fairly good and cheap although the drinks were expensive. A full English breakfast with tea, orange juice and toast was only ?3.50.

Plenty of sunbeds available, you can even get one at lunchtime if you have a lie-in. We used the First Choice ones which were more comfortable, worth the extra ?2.50 a day, and we were able to lie in the gardens which have plenty of shade under the trees. The lagoon's water is cloudy and not terribly appealing for bathing, although my investigations showed that the only pipes leading into the water were from land drains rather than sewers.

A bustling, albeit rather untidy little resort, with lots of friendly locals. We tried a variety of restaurants and found Bella Mama, opposite the entrance to Louis Corcyra Beach to be our firm favourite. A very warm welcome, and the friendly owner even prepared a special dish for us on our last night. Our younger members of the party thoroughly enjoyed Whisper's music bar/night club in the town. There does seem to be a cartel running between the restaurants and bars, and little difference in price between any of them.

Forget the Thomson Holidays 'Highlights', too expensive. Our highlight was a boat trip up to the north on Dimitri's boat, which goes from the jetty of the Corcyra Beach Hotel next door. e15 each for an afternoon of breathtaking scenery, and ouzo, wine, lemonade and sweets thrown in, together with a stop off for a snack at an excellent taverna at Nassaki, followed by a swim in beautiful clean water.

If you're after taking some cheap booze home with you, don't buy it in the resort, it's about 30% cheaper in neighbouring towns/villages, which we discovered when we hired a car for the day. Driving is a bit of a frantic experience, the main roads are not of a terribly good standard, the side roads, particularly in the mountainous north are truly frightening and not for the faint of heart!

For us, with teenagers, this was ideal. We were able to relax in lovely surroundings, whilst the youngsters found plenty to do at the neighbouring complex at Corcyra Beach. We are already planning to return next year!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Govino Bay Apartments - Gouvia

Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays Direct) Thomson Holidays - June 2004

Opinion submitted in July 2004 by : Debbie, Paul and Conor - Shrewsbury (40,34 & 8)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Review:

After having read some of the reviews on this web site we arrived at Govino Bay very anxious. However upon entering the complex I was able to breath a sigh of relief. The apartment we were given was very clean & had a full size cooker and fridge/freezer. The air conditioning was a god send.

Again, upon going down to the pool I (not my husband!) was very anxious - again this evaporated when I saw the pool, which although is smaller than it looks in the brochure was great! We never had to worry about finding a sun bed and the only complaint I would have would be the fact that lilo's are not allowed in the pool and if the lifeguard spots you - she wastes no time in telling you. Although she was always very friendly when doing it! People did have parasols around the pool and nothing was ever said about this and if you want shade then you only have to sit under the trees next to the pool - although watch out for the ants!

The actual bay itself was fine - I never saw raw sewage when we walked along the beach!!

The rep Jimmy from Thomson Holidays s was excellent and any problems which we had were dealt with immediately. Also the reps at the Kids Club, Julie Emma and Sarah were excellent and my son thoroughly enjoyed himsel.

We would recommend Melodies Bar - the staff there are second to none - we spent many a happy hour in there watching Euro 2004! My son aged 8 thought it was ace although this was only because of Nico the bar man who is absolutely brilliant with children. We would also recommend Melinas restaurant which is just up from Meoldies - the owner there was superb and nothing was too much trouble. Another place where we ate and drank (!) on a regular basis was Daphnes which is on the right just as you come out of the apartments - again nothing was too much trouble for them.

The only thing we did not like were the ants in the apartment although I am sure if we had complained they to would have been dealt with.

Overall we rated this holiday as excellent and we made some great friends over there - so much so that it seems we are going on holiday with them next year!!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Govino Bay Apartments - Gouvia

Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays Direct) Thomson Holidays May/June 2004

Opinion submitted in July 2004 by : Eryl Brain Swansea 47,44,70,12

Resort Rating: Good

Accommodation Rating: Below Average

My/Our Holiday Review:

In all the years I've travelled abroad with Thomson Holidays , I've never been so disapointed with their standard of accommodation. I'd asked for an apartment without a spiral staircase as my 70 year old Mum has arthritis and I knew she would not be able to cope with getting up and down them. Not to be I'm afaid. Thomson Holidays rep told us basically "tough-but I'll fill in a complaints form " Still haven't had a reply from Thomson Holidays .

The resort itself and the staff who work there were great, The Greek night is a must ! We really enjoyed it. Go to Aries restaurant in the town as the food is great and you'll get spontaneous greek dancing. Hire a car from the town.Don't have one with the Rep it's really expensive.

Do not swim in Gouvia bay as there are several sewage outlets there. go to nearby cleaner beaches.

All in all we enjoyed Corfu and would certainly go there again. We would not however ever go back to those appartments again. They need painting and general overhall asap !

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Govino Bay Apartments - Gouvia

Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice- May 2004

Opinion submitted in June 2004 by : Hawden Family - South Yorkshire (36,32,9,6)

Resort Rating: Average

Accommodation Rating: Average

My/Our Holiday Review:

Arrived in Corfu on May 3rd 2004.

This was the first week of the season and it showed ,there was very little open.

The weather was poor the first week with 5 days of heavy rain.

Govino Bay appartments were clean inside and of a average standard which was a little dissapointing in view of the rating of 3,star plus from first choice and 4 star from Thompson sky tours.

The brochures show large colourfull apartments dont be decieved thay are a little grubby from the outsides.

The Gardens are lush and well maintained, their is a good swimming pool but the pool has strict rules with regards to using balls and inflatables which detracts from the kids enjoyment.

The scenery is wonderfull and when it was warm this was a brilliant place to stay.

The beach could do with a good rake to get rid of rubbish and make it more appealing. The sea has several sewige pipes leading into it. We would not recommend swimming in it. Numerous things were spotted floating in it when we hired a pedalow. The sea could actually be a lake has this was the impression it gave us.

Their is good facities in the Hotel next door the Louis corcira beach.

Gouvia has a good handfull of bars and restaurants and food from most of them is of a decent standard.

The resort doesnt have enough entertainment for the kids.

In summary the Govino bay appts gardens are the highlight of the hotel.

This is a relaxing resort if the weather is nice.

They should do a little more for families with children ,if they did it would be a top family resort.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hotel Louis Corcyra Beach - Gouvia

Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook - Oct 2006

Opinion submitted in December 2006 by : O'Reilly - Kent (37, 35, 8, 7)

Resort Rating: Poor

Accommodation Rating: Below Average

My/Our Holiday Review:

PLEASE BE AWARE IF YOU ARE THINKING OF BOOKING THIS HOLIDAY:

Sadly, we were staying at this hotel when the two British children tragically died from carbon monoxide poisoning from the faulty boiler unit attached to their bungalow.

We feel very fortunate to walk away from this holiday with our lives. We have all been deeply traumatised by what has happened during this holiday and our youngest son is still suffering from nightmares.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hotel Louis Corcyra Beach - Gouvia

Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays Direct) Thomson Holidays - June 2006

Opinion submitted in July 2006 by : Kevin McKeever- Falkirk (31, 30, 7, 4)

Resort Rating: Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Review:

If you are due to go to Louis Corcyra Beach hotel, and have read some of the bad reports about building work, there's no need to worry. We were in the same boat before we went on 23/6, but all building work has been completed, and tastefully so. There are people already occupying these rooms.

The reception area at the hotel is impressive, and during our stay, all the lounge furniture was replaced by really stylish brand new furniture.

We paid extra for a sea view, and ended up in the Nausicaas building. The room was of a high standard, and had a huge balcony, with the most impressive view I have seen.

Our air conditioning wasn't working properly, and ended up being moved to another room 2 floors up where the view was even better. There were 2 other families we spoke to who had had exactly the same problem, so if the air con unit feels more like a fan than air con, you know its not working.

Went to the usual welcome meeting, where emphasis is on booking the Thomson Holidays 's tours. They are overpriced and not worth the money. Thomson Holidays 's rep Alex was pleasant enough, and had been in Corfu for 4 years. Unfortunately she wasn't able to answer basic questions we had about All inclusive which we had paid for. We weren't sure of where we could get snacks, at what times, and what types of drinks were included, and for the kids whether it was just the ice cream that was free or whether it was ice lollies too. We ended up working it out ourselves.

There are 2 pools at the complex- a main pool with children's pool right next to a snack bar and pool bar. If you're all inclusive there's a greater selection of snacks at this, than at the lagoon pool. The lagoon pool is fantastic- massive pool and ideal for kids.

At the end of our first week, I guess as part of the hotel's refurbishment efforts, all the sun loungers from both pools were removed and replaced by more upmarket stylish loungers. Unfortunately, there weren't as many put back in their place, which meant that by our second week when the hotel was much busier, a queue started at the lagoon pool about 9:40, and by 10am when the gates opened, you could have approx 80-100 people in the queue, and was just totally ridiculous. When the gate opened, you had people running to get loungers, and I just couldn't be bothered with that. There were people who complained towards the end of our holiday, as they couldn't get a lounger anywhere, and this led to the management putting out more they were keeping in reserve.

The food I cannot complain about- some people did moan that they were getting fed up with it, but there was plenty of selection for both adults and children. I thought the food was really good.

In line with the extra bedrooms that have been built, this has led to the pools being busier, the bars being busier, and the restaurant on our second week was becoming like a circus. They have however built a small second restaurant which looked ready to open which should ease this problem. The Brits were in the minority at the hotel, and indeed Scots were a rarety, but there were plenty of ignorant Europeans who frequently skipped you in the queue in the restaurant. There were numerous nationalities at the hotel- Russians, Austrians, dutch, germans, Brits, Italians. The restaurant was run by a gentleman who I used to call the Gestapo- He strutted about the restaurant like Louis Versace with his linen trousers shirt and tie on. I felt sorry for the staff, who were frequently given a hard time by him, and were run off their feet. I was given a telling off for wearing shorts at night time by him, even though it was 47 degrees. I was told to make sure I had trousers the following night, so I took an instant dislike to him.

At the lagoon pool, there is a nice decking area where you can have your lunch at the snack bar. There is also a nice outdoor area at the restaurant where you can eat your main dinner.

Parts of the ground are in need of repair- the crazy golf for example was a disgrace which I felt a bit annoyed we had to pay for considering the state of the place.

Some of the hotel staff were really nice, but others were a bit of a nightmare and rude. They have a strange system at the pool bar for example at night, where there are about 4 people behind the bar, but only 1 or 2 of them serving. There is a cashier who, regardless of how busy the bar is, and even if you ask her, won't serve you- she is there just to take the cash- totally senseless way to run a business.

We were a bit disappointed with the beach which is a shingle beach and the sea was really murky and had a lot of plant life on the seabed and crabs, so not ideal for swimming in.

The resort itself compared with other greek resorts we have been to was a bit disappointing. There were bars and restaurants and a small selection of shops, but we expected the marina to have bars, shops and some nightlife, but there was nothing at the marina, and is a dark walk in the night, with poor lighting.

We booked a trip ourselves called Corfu at night, which was 11 E per adult and 4E per child, and this was excellent- You can get this down at the watersports on the beach. This took us to Corfu town and was really nice to wander round with lots of history. There's more touts trying to get you into their restaurant in corfu town, whereas you don't experience this in Gouvia. We also went to the Aquapark when we were there, which is a brilliant day out. To get a taxi to Corfu town it was 13 E, and from the hotel to Aqualand was 15E.

The entertainment at the hotel was abysmal- the worst I've experienced before- it is a new entertainment team this year I believe, and was really poor.

Some really positive points for the hotel and resort, and things that weren't so good. However the things that weren't so good weren't enough to stop us having a brilliant holiday. We had a great time, it was our first to Corfu. Having been to Zante before, I wouldn't go back to Corfu in a hurry- parts of it were unfinished and a bit of a dump. We're going to Rhodes in October, so will see how that compares.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hotel Louis Corcyra Beach - Gouvia

Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays Direct) Thomson Holidays - June 2006

Opinion submitted in June 2006 by : kent (34, 34, 11, 8, 5)

Resort Rating: Poor

Accommodation Rating: Poor

My/Our Holiday Review:

I was dissapointed with the hotel and Thomson Holidays . We were not informed of any construction work prior to our holiday. Arriving late on Tuesday we were unaware of the work going on until the following morning. The lagoon pool is directly opposite the hotel building work, the noise of diggers, concrete breakers, grinders etc went on all day and into the evening!!!

We also found that the bathroom ceiling leaked when it rained leaving a residue of dirt/debris over the bath. This was sealed with sealant to stop the rain coming through the ceiling.

The condition of the room left much to be desired. The fridge kept us up most of the first night as it constantly rattled- not cut out on the thermostat, so we turned the fridge off at night!!! The bathroom had mould on the sealant around the sink and the ceiling. All the draws had a strong smell of damp wood.

The resort has a lot of steps and sloping pathways, which we were aware of prior to going. Most of the main paths are new, but the older paths were found to be hazardous when wet or poorly maitained. The mini golf and volley ball court were in poor condition, such that they were not used. The pool and beach has only one lifeguard who spends much of his time in a hut half way between the pool and beach.

There were cats & a dog which seemed to roam around the resort, especially through the open eating areas.

We did enjoy Corfu and there is a beautiful beach at Pelekas well worth visiting and Corfu town was a very enjoyable day out.

If you go on a B&B basis, you are able to upgrade to all inclusive. Current daily rate is 30 Euros per adult and 15 Euros per child. It must be done for a minimum of 4 days.

I hope that Thomson Holidays and Hotel Louis Corcyra Beach take note as we would not give a 4 star or 4T rating to this hotel as there is much to be desired...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hotel Louis Corcyra Beach - Gouvia

Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook - May 2006

Opinion submitted in May 2006 by :

Resort Rating: Poor

Accommodation Rating: Poor

My/Our Holiday Review:

My partner and I booked this holiday way back in December.

48hours before we left Direct line called to say Thomas Cook had just rang them to let them know that there was building work going on next to the hotel!

We contacted a legal adviser who informed us that Thomas Cook are always doing this to people and making out that they only just found out! Apparently they are fined £3000 everytime but still continue to do this!

The operater said we could cancel and go another time, BUT that WE would have to pay an AMENDMENT FEE!

She informed us that it was only at the footing stage and if when we got there and it was unacceptable we would be moved!

When the coach pulled up outside the reception area we were greeted with (on the left hand side) a huge building site 3 storeys high and the noise was unbelievable! The Lagoon area was in this building site so that was out of the equasion as far as our holiday was concerned!There were concrete machines, angle grinders, huge lorries coming up and down the driveway to the hotel.

I cannot express how bad the initial visual impact of this is!(and the noise is quite unbearable).

We waited in the reception area and were taken to a bungalow that was down a steep hill with lots of steps!

This bungalow was very shabby and it stank of bleach! the cupboards when you opened them gave out a powerful smell of rotten wood!

Needless to say we could not use these to keep our clothes in as they would have ended up smelling as well! So we kived out of our suitcases for the 7 days that cost us £860 for the 7 days we booked!!!!!

The cupboard that the fridge was in was all rotting from the water that had been leaking out of the fridge for god knows how long!

We went up to reception the next morning at 10 oclock to see the Thomas Cook Rep!

We told her about all this and she said that she would get back to us at 12-00pm.

When she came back to us she said we could move to aHotel down the road but WE would have to pay another 200 Euros because it only did All Inclusive and we were half board as we did not want to be tied to the hotel all day!

We said that we should not be made to pay this and surely the Louis Group had another alternative.

She then said she was sorry but that is all her company was prepared to do as they felt the buiding work and the noise was minimal!!!!AND that all her other guests were happy!!!!

I was just crushed and fed up and said what about the awful smelly bungalow she said she would get back to us!

She did not come back instead we had a knock on the bungalow door and it was a very surly greek woman with a subserviant cleaning lady!

She said what is wrong the room and I showed her the shabby bathroom and told her the whole place smelt!

She left the cleaning lady there to clean.

The room needed gutting not just cleaning!My partner went up to get the complaints forms from the Thomas Cook Rep and sai we were not happy and we need those forms to fill out.

I wrote a 4 page complaint of their Shabby holiday and shabby treatment of us!

The rest of the holiday did not go well after this as you can imagine!

We hated the food which was tinned vegetables and just rubbish!

The hotel should not have a 4 star rating and Thomas Cook should not be sending people to this hotel charging this sort of money!By the way my dates of my holiday were 5/5/06 to 12/5/06.

We have jus come back!

Not Recommended

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hotel Louis Corcyra Beach - Gouvia

Operator and Date: Neckerman - october 2005

Opinion submitted in Nov 2005 by : Nathalie Haan - Volendam (28, 32)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Good

My/Our Holiday Review:

Nice resort, especially the bungalows in the garden. Had one (bungalow 112) with view on the beach. Bungalow was very clean. Two swimming pools, especially the lagoon was very nice. Dinner was good, enough variety. People from the hotel are very friendly. Every day an entertainment team organise things for children and in the evenening for adults.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hotel Louis Corcyra Beach - Gouvia

Operator and Date: independent - May till september 2005

Opinion submitted in Jan 2006 by : Julie,22

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Review:

I guess i'm a bit biased, but i worked as an animator in this hotel all summer and had the best summer of my life. We worked so hard, very long hours from nine in the morning until 12 every night, with rehearsals most lunchtimes, but we all got on great and most guests seem to enjoy our company! We worked really hard during the day with aerobics, watergym,volleyball and boccia for the guests. It was a struggle getting adults involved, but eventually most people got the message that it was for everyone, not just children!!

hope u all enjoyed your holidays!

Corcyra beach is in a beautiful location at the sea, and in the middle of a great resort. It is worthwhile going to the old town of Corfu for some culture, as well as visiting Issos beach near Moraitika - the most beautiful beach in the Island. The staff are great at the hotel - especially Pavlos at the pool bar - and it is worthwhile joining in the activities every day - you will meet some great people, and if you are lucky, get a night out to Whispers or Treetops with the animation team!!

have a great holiday!!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hotel Louis Corcyra Beach - Gouvia

Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays Direct) Thomson Holidays - August 2005

Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : Linda Sharpstone - Luton (46,45,16,11)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Good

My/Our Holiday Review:

First impressions were not good!

We arrived at the hotel after a long journey, looking forward to get settled. We had booked two family rooms with sea view. We arrived at the hotel reception and were asked to take a seat. There was only one porter who took people to their rooms and came back for the next party. After 1 hour, the receptionist called out our name. He then proceeded to inform us that they did not have two rooms but because we were a family, they had made the assumption that we wanted to stay together and therefore had put us all into one room.

The room is divided by sliding doors but only has one bathroom. This was totally unacceptable, this was not what we had booked and after going back to reception, seeing the Rep and having a long painful discussion with the hotel Manager, another room suddenly became available! However, this was not a sea view room and it was not adjacent with ours. The children went into this room for four days until the one next door to us became vacant. We were then compensated for that period of time accordingly. This was not a good way to start off the holiday and we found out from other families afterwards that this had happened to them as well. This is clearly a scam that the hotel run and if they can get away with it they will! Don't take no for an answer and stick to your guns!

Putting the disasterous start behind us, we started to enjoy our holiday. The rooms we were in were in a block of family rooms but there are also rooms in the main hotel block and rooms scattered in the grounds, some near the sea, some further away. The setting is just wonderful, with a small bay, very clean and considering we were there at the height of the season, the beach was reasonably quiet. We stayed on a fully inclusive basis which was ideal for us with two growing boys. The food was excellent, plenty of choice and they refill regularly. The only slight criticism was that the deserts were all more or less the same each and every day.

The entertainment is the normal second rate, "entertain yourself" evenings but if you enjoy that type of thing, then all well and good.

The rooms are big but very basic, tiled floors, no comfortable chair or two seater. The bathroom was very large but a bit tired. The shower was on the side wall and kept turning so we had to push some paper into the bracket to keep it in one place!

There is a small town with cafes, bars and shops within a few minutes walk from the hotel.

Overall, the location was lovely, the hotel was good and we had a great holiday.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hotel Louis Corcyra Beach - Gouvia

Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays Direct) Thomson Holidays - August 05

Opinion submitted in Aug 2005 by : Conway - Notts - 31, 36

Resort Rating: Good

Accommodation Rating: Good

My/Our Holiday Review:

Review of the Louis Corcyra Beach Hotel - Gouvia, Corfu

Having now been to several Louis hotels, I have written this review trying to be impartial and not comparing too much with the other hotels.

Pool area

Kept clean, plenty of sun beds which all functioned well. The main pool started at 1.4m depth but quickly increased to almost 3m, so be careful with children and if you're a non-swimmer. All-inclusive drinks available at the pool bar.

Lagoon area

Beautiful area, opened at 10 (gate closed) and closed at 6, people queued to get in, not necessary as in the afternoon plenty of beds seemed to become free. All-inclusive drinks available over here. The