Fleeing the colder weather in London, we made a late summer visit to Corfu to check out The Mar-Bella collection's adult-only suites hotel. If you fancy getting some last-minute sun too, here's what to expect...
What's Nido by Mar-Bella Collection?
The view of Nido from the sea (you can also spot it from the plane on the way in).
Put simply, it's a suites-only hotel, with every room facing an incredible open-sea view, boasting great food, and only 30 minutes from Corfu Town.
While the name "Mar-Bella" might make you think about Spain, this is in fact a boutique hotel group that originally started back in the late 1960s. It first launched in Corfu, and that original hotel has now grown to an impressive all-inclusive resort.
In the past decade or so, the group has been expanding with a group of adult-only openings. We took a look at Elix on the mainland last year, and now we were back in Corfu to check out Nido for a bit of late-summer sun.
Where is it?
This is what you could be looking out at all day long.
The hotel is south of Corfu Town, about a 30-minute drive from both the town and the airport. It's in a bay on the south-east coast of Corfu alongside two more hotels by the same group. So you'll find this next door to the original (and huge) Mar-Bella, as well as their newest luxury hotel, Avali.
If you're not into exploring and just want to relax at a lovely hotel, this is a great spot. There are good restaurants nearby, plenty of shops only a five-minute walk from the hotel and a small beachfront, with part of that reserved for hotel guests. If you do want to check out the island it's also very easy to get into Corfu Town (a taxi or a direct 60-minute bus ride), but there's plenty to do here within easy strolling distance.
What's the food like?
The outdoor dining area at Apaggio.
In the hotel, you'll find two restaurants along with a pool bar. We'll take their impressive main restaurant Apaggio first. Assuming the weather is behaving, which it was for most of our trip, this is on the roof of one of the buildings at the front of the property, and boasts an uninterrupted view of the sea. Up here, you'll find a gorgeous-looking, relaxed space where they're cooking up a menu of traditional food with a contemporary twist.
This was a truly great meal, one of the best we've ever had in Corfu, and if you're staying at Nido is not to be missed. We've seen it recommended as among the best restaurants on the island and we'd have to agree. Classic Greek dishes are presented with panache, while still keeping portion sizes up to decent levels. Even if you're not a hotel resident, we'd recommend booking a table here (it's only open in the evening).
Here's a taste of what we had:
Calamari with bottarga, roasted pumpkin tartare, rocket mayonnaise, lemon (€24)
Lamb chops with smoked aubergine, feta cheese, garlic aioli, tomato confit, mint (€35)
Open pistachio baklava - pistachio ice cream, caramelised filo pastry, salted pistachio praline (€14)
Then there's also San Giovanni, the main buffet restaurant. We're very partial to a good hotel buffet, particularly one with the lovely (covered) terrace space that you'll find here, with those stunning views across the bay. Here, you'll have a different focus every night. We dined here twice, one evening was a pan-Asian night, and the other featured a focus on Italian food.
The buffet itself is a cut above many other hotel buffets we've tried, particularly on Italian night (due to the island's history - it was a protectorate of Venice for many years - there's a lot of Italian influence on the food in Corfu).
A small selection of what's on offer at the buffet - we might have returned to that huge chunk of roast pork more than a few times...
Then there's Aquavit, beside the pool and the most popular place for lunch. That has a menu of salads, "light bites", something of a misnomer given the portion sizes, and their signature dishes. Yes, there is a (very good) club sandwich on there which we, of course, had, but it should be noted that the portions are enormous.
Pork gyros at Aquavit with French fries, tzatziki, roasted tomato, onion, pita bread (€23) - a massive plate with a huge pile of potato wedges just out of shot.
Finally, there's the main bar in the beautiful lobby area. There, you'll find a collection of extremely well-made cocktails, either straight classics or classics with a signature twist from the hotel. Unlike many a resort hotel bar we've been to, this was always welcomingly busy.
Cocktails at the bar (which was a cosy place to perch), included their signature Nido Martini - vodka infused with Corfiot butter, orange liqueur, kumquat cream, lime, vanilla syrup (€16)
Actually, there's one more thing... There's a small chapel on the hotel grounds, and on two days a week, they open a small kiosk which makes Turkish coffee the traditional way in hot sand. This is a lovely little place, and if you're visiting, a must.
Turkish coffee outside the small chapel - make time to visit this.
What about the pool?
There, is of course, a sizeable pool - an infinity affair facing the bay, and the hotel also has a reserved space on the beach with sunbeds and a call button for service.
The gorgeous-looking infinity pool.
You can get drinks service on the beach from the hotel, but there's also an unaffiliated beach bar down there with ice-cold beers.
What are the rooms like?
Nido is an all-suite affair, with all of the rooms like a mini apartment, dotted just off a road that winds up into a pretty steep hill. There are multiple golf buggies on hand to ferry people to the upper suites, and even though you think you won't be lazy enough to order one, we can assure you that you'll 100% be making good use of those.
Many of the suites also have whirlpools or small swim-up pools outside and, because they're all built into the hill, every single room (and terrace) has a pretty spectacular view of the sea. We got upgraded to the Grand Terrace Deluxe suite with a whirlpool, right at the very top of the property.
The deluxe suite with whirlpool and fantastic views to wake up to every morning.
Places to go
Nido shares a jetty with the main Mar-Bella hotel next door and they offer a number of sea experiences, from catamaran cruises to Paxos and a couple of sunset cruises to watch the sun setting behind Corfu.
There's also a small watersports club right beside the beach area for Nido, where you can also hire your own boats. We took the latter option, with a day trip to Paxos and Antipaxos, which is highly recommended. You'll speed on over to the islands (about a 30-40 minute trip) and spend the day swimming in caves, relaxing on hidden beaches and having a meal in the main town centre of Paxos.
Inside the caves of Paxos
The hotel can also organise trips into the centre of Corfu Town, from gourmet tours around the town (we went on one of those, which is highly recommended) or olive oil tastings. The latter is in a lovely space hidden above the shops and run by one of Corfu's biggest olive oil producers, The Governor.
Olive oil tasting at The Governor
We didn't get much of a chance to try any new bars in Corfu this time around, but we would recommend having a quick glass at the absolutely lovely Choes wine bar, which does a deep dive into family vineyards and also has a wine tasting room.
Overall thoughts
If you're looking for somewhere for late summer sunshine - or are already planning next year's holiday, then we can give a definite thumbs-up to Nido. It's a grown-up, stylish retreat that makes the best of its setting. We spent most of the five nights we stayed here slightly mesmerised by that view. We appreciated the focus on Corfiot food and drink and thought their signature restaurant was a standout dining experience. But, on reflection, what really sets this hotel apart is its staff. From the golf buggy chauffeurs to the General Manager everyone we met was universally lovely. It's an easy recommendation from us.
More about Nido, Mar-Bella Collection
Where is it? Corfu, Ag. Ioannis Peristeron 490 84, Greece
Room prices: Rooms start at €273 a night, upgrading to half-board adds on the breakfast buffet and dinner.
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @marbellacollectiongreece
Hot Dinners stayed at Nido for five nights, two of those were as guests of the hotel.
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