Art Hotel Debono

We arrived at the hotel having spent a week on a cruise with TUI, we were dropped off by coach at the bottom of the steep drive and had to push our suitcases up to the hotel entrance, this was after having to dodge the traffic whilst unloading the suitcases and crossing the road, the same happened when being collected for out return journey to the airport, this is literally an accident waiting to happen and completely unnecessary as the hotel has a perfectly accessible drive that the coaches could use and manoeuvre easily, TUI are obviously aware of this practice as they instruct you to wait at the bottom of the drive to be collected so this to me is a blatant disregard for the safety of its customers. The check in was friendly and efficient and we were escorted to our room, be aware there is a tourist tax to be paid to the hotel who collect on behalf of the government, whatever that money is spent on, it’s not litter picking as there are lots of discarded plastic laying around the paths and verges (not in the hotel) which given the hot sun presents a fire risk Our room, like the rest of the hotel is tastefully and elegantly decorated and spotlessly clean. The air conditioning worked well, there is good WiFi , a decent size safe, TV, kettle, fridge and even a coffee machine, the bathroom had a full size bath with an overhead shower and separate handset Meals are served in the restaurant which has both an indoor air conditioned section and an outdoor covered section, we were on a half board basis which included breakfast and evening meal (buffet style ) and this is where I had my big problem of what to choose to eat as there was such a great choice every day, and always hot although I did notice that at breakfast the bacon wasn’t as warm as it could have been. I very much appreciated that the draught beers served at meal times and from the pool bar where ice cold, even the glasses were cooled, something I delighted in taken advantage of ! All the staff throughout the hotel worked hard and were always friendly and helpful which went a long way to making our weeks stay so enjoyable Finally, a little mention about Gouvia, It’s been suggested in other reviews that the place is run down and not worth visiting, it may be a bit raw and not as pristine as some other resorts but it has lots of good places to eat and drink , a few shops and mini marts and although it had a pebble beach rather than sand, the water is clear and shallow and safe for children, there is also several little water slides for the children to play on and we took advantage of the self drive boat hire and spent a very pleasant half day sailing around the island and visiting the picturesque coves, only wish we had opted for the full day. Give it a try.

Location doesn’t look good at first but it’s actually ok. Atmosphere is lovely and relaxing and calm, just what we needed. The rooms are gorgeous, clean and comfortable. Food would be one of the things I would complain about. Breakfast was excellent but dinner was not great. We had dinner in the hotel three times and the food was cold. You can tell the staff are trying but not quite hard enough. The food goes into to the food terrine cold and then re heated, but sometimes it was still cold when you served yourself. The staff are really friendly and helpful and work hard. I do wish the cats were looked after better. I would love the staff to put a charity tin for the cats to be feed and taken to the vets to be looked after and castreted so they could not have anymore kittens. We would definitely come back for a short visit

Its a loverly hotel, rooms spacious and modern. The hotel is is always very clean . All the Staff are very friendly and helpful. They cannot do enough to help you . Food is of good quality and very tasty with a good choice. If we had to be picky. On the very rare occasion the odd dish was look warm. ( In a 10 night stay only twice). Facilities very good, Gardens large . There are plenty of sun beds, always available. We only sunbathed 3 times as we prefer to go walking during day and exploring. Our maid Irini was fantastic, so professional and helpful, nothing was any inconvenience. We enjoyed our stay.

After reading the last review I must say a couple of things that he said were true like the one towel rail outside in the balcony but TBH that is easily sorted by having another one put on the wall on the other side . Yes if some one has walking problems this would not be that suitable because where the hotel is situated. If you are walking into the town of Gouvia it's a 20 minute walk and you have to be very careful walking in the main road then you have to cross the busy dual carriageway. But you have traffic lights and you just have to press the button and cross when it turns red. Just be careful then you will be fine. Yes the hotel is more suited for the older humans rather than younger generation as it hasn't got a lot of entertainment. Regarding the couple who was making the porno film you get this whatever hotel you go to I'm afraid, and you will always get some people that are disrespectful and don't think about their neighbours and it's not the hotels fault. We thought the hotel was excellent and it was so clean , everywhere was clean from the pool, the pool bar , sunbeds,toilets, restaurant, lounge, reception, our rooms. The staff who did the cleaning a big thank you . All did an exceptional job. Our room was in the main block room 108 it was on the ground floor we loved it as it was big and spacious lovely bathroom with a very good shower. We had sun in the morning and the thing I liked is after being in the sun all day our room was in the shade so it lost the heat of the day. I must say we didn't need any Aircon for our 10 day stay there. Different if you had a room where the sun shines In the afternoon so it suited us fine. The restaurant we thought was exceptional. Breakfast you had so much to choose from . I'm not going to name all as I would be writing a book. Dinner was excellent as well, so many different dishes to choose from. We stayed for 10 days and I can honestly say the food was not repeated once. My wife had the seafood piala one night and she loved it . I love soup and we had a different soup every day. I must admit it was the best buffet style food I have ever had. My tip would be to have your dinner at 18.30 when all the food is first put out as it was always nice and hot. But the staff are always replacing the food. A big thank you to all the chefs you all did a wonderful job with lovely food cooked to perfection. Thank you to all the waiters and waitresses who always served with a smile. One young waiter was very nice and friendly who loved his music and was in a band . Never give up on your dream keep going. We had a great holiday and as you can read we loved this hotel . I do understand that we are all different and what we liked other people may not like but we would definitely recommend this hotel. But do your homework before you book as if you have mobility problems it's not for you as the taxis are expensive 30 euros each way to get into Corfu town. I personally would not go back to Corfu only because of the airport problems and waiting and queuing and delays but that's just me. But we had a fantastic time at this hotel.

The reason why my brother and I chose this hotel, was down to the reviews we had seen on Tripadvisor....and that turned out to be a big mistake and an overall big disappointment! Don't always believe what others (whoever they might be) write. But, first of all I would like to mention the positive aspects of the hotel - the cleanliness throughout the hotel, the pool area, including the pool bar, the breakfasts and especially the excellent and friendly service offered by Chrissanthi and the other lady who worked in the dining room (sorry, I can't remember her name). And there was also a wonderful view from the junior suite balcony...one of the best I have seen on my worldwide travels. But now to the negative aspects.... The hotel calls itself "boutique art hotel"...well, the reality did not live up to the expectations. It prides itself on service and being a hotel for adults. Well, it was "populated" mostly (80%) by pensioners and with regard to that fact, the hotel doesn't really cater for pensioners because there is a lack of handrails everywhere, especially leading up the main steps to the hotel lobby. The hotel is built on a hill, which is rather steep and again not really good for older people to get around. There is a lift in the main building, but that is it...if you have booked a suite or "bungalow" outside the main building, then good luck with the steep hill. And the word "bungalow" (which we booked) is totally misleading. The bungalows are appartment blocks on 4 large rooms with balcony and steep steps to access the rooms on the first floor...so once again, not really good for older people with knee and joint problems. The evening meals were an absolute disappointment...rather a disaster, as to choice and taste! The desserts were, however, a saving grace. The music in the dining area is pretty awful, unless of course, if you like 40's and 50's style Hollywood crooner tracks...then you'll love it!! The pool bar was the absolute opposite...cool music and great service. One of big issues in the junior suite was the lack of towel rails if you are two people with bath and hand towels...it's difficult to dry them, but Karmela at the reception desk didn't want to hear this and came out with the standard.."no one has complained before" comment :-( ...actually the overall friendliness and understanding at the hotel reception, from the 2 ladies, was pretty much not "4-star". One evening, my brother and I had to put up with late night "porno live" on the nextdoor balcony and this was met with laughter as the one lady at reception decided to tell the cleaning staff of what my brother had related. No change of room was offered....so in our estimation, this hotel does not live up to its 4-star rating and neither I, nor my brother can recommend it..