Roda Beach Resort & Spa All-Inclusive

“Ambitious Hotel”

We have stayed at Roda Beach Resort & Spa between 17/10/2023-23/10/2023 as a family of 6, aged 20-75. Having arrived at Corfu Airport we were met by Corfu Sunrise car hire representative who has taken all of us (including luggage) to their office where the pre-booked vehicle was supplied to us. The… more

We have stayed at Roda Beach Resort & Spa between 17/10/2023-23/10/2023 as a family of 6, aged 20-75. Having arrived at Corfu Airport we were met by Corfu Sunrise car hire representative who has taken all of us (including luggage) to their office where the pre-booked vehicle was supplied to us. The staff were efficient and professional when completing the paperwork and showing the car, explaining how to operate various features and giving general tips about driving in Corfu. The whole process took no more than 20min and we were out driving to our hotel. The journey from the Airport to the Hotel took approximately 1 hour with absolutely wonderful scenery along the way. We were greeted by very friendly and professional hotel reception staff who checked-in, collected tourist tax (10EU/night per room) and provided a leaflet with hotel’s information and map. Throughout our stay, we found the reception staff relatively helpful at resolving our requests, ranging from providing general information about Greece to organising repairs in the room. The hotel has a bellboy who has taken all our bags into our rooms; however, it would be great if he could provide brief introduction to the hotel and show how to operate Air-Conditioning, telephone, etc. We had to figure everything out ourselves which has taken some time as the hotel is very dated and uses old technology. We have booked 2 Family Rooms which were opposite each other, both looked dated but very clean. It is worth noting that you are only given 1 physical key per room which is not ideal for a room of 4 people. The Family Room for 4 people had a beautiful sea view and consisted of 1 double bed made from 2 single beds (gap in-between) and 2 separate single beds. This room was perceived as if it was aimed for 2 people because we were only provided with 2 pairs of slippers, 2 bath robes, 2 chairs and limited number of clothe hangers. The room for 2 people was perfect for two people with great amount of storage options, though the toilet push button did not press and instead had to be held in order to flush the toilet. This issue was raised with the reception, but the engineer did not repair anything during our stay. Each room had mini fridge which was initially stocked with 2 bottles of still water. Each subsequent morning one water bottle was placed outside the room. A kettle, 2 mugs, coffee, tea, milk and sugar were also provided. There was also free safe (locked using a physical key as oppose to code), TV, loud Air-Conditioning, balcony and free Wi-Fi. The internet connection throughout the hotel is very poor, although you may hire a portable modem for 50EU deposit (cash only) cash from the reception to improve the situation. The room also had hair drier, handwash, shower gel and hair shampoo, duvet and extra pillows. It is advised to bring extension leads because the rooms have limited amount of power sockets, which are inconveniently placed. The rooms are cleaned daily and the bathroom towels are changed on request. The large hotel grounds are gorgeous and well looked-after, but not ideal for people with mobility issues. Hotel has a souvenir & jewellery shop as well as a mini market. Vehicles can be hired in the hotel (8:30-11:00 & 18:00-20:30) just after Reception. There are limited amount of small lifts, fitting at most 5 people and floors do not have numbers if using stairs, making it difficult navigating around the hotel. The toilets placed around the hotel, particularly by the beach are dirty and lack toilet paper. The visitor car park is rather small for the number of guests the hotel can accommodate, making it problematic locating a spot for a people carrier. We would also advise hotel staff removing the smelly outdoor plant causing the “sewage” smell nearby. The private sandy beach is cleaned each morning and is situated 5min from the main building with a vast amount of clean sun loungers and umbrellas, enough for everyone. There was no need to reserve beach sun loungers early in the morning as there were always a few empty available throughout the day. The umbrellas cannot be repositioned nor closed which made it difficult sunbathing. It would also be great if tables could be added by the loungers so that the drinks can be placed somewhere. The beach towels can be exchanged each day at the Towel Corner, however poor timings by the staff made it tough replacing a used towel. This is because limited amount of towels were made available at random times during the day and were gone almost instantly. The leisure activities include 2 tennis courts, table tennis, darts, beach volley, mini golf, archery, boggia courts, spa and billiard. There is also an outdoor gym with limited equipment and no mats. The water park and kids’ waterslides operate 10:30-17:00 each day. Entertainment runs 6 days a week throughout the day, welcoming everyone to join yoga, beach volleyball, darts, aqua fit, archery, football and tabata. The evening entertainment begins with kids disco at 20:45-21:30. It is then followed by different daily shows (21:30-22:30) in the amphitheatre run by the animation team in English to entertain the guests after the dinner. These include: dance mania, white party night, fire show, party band, music quiz, retro disco party, 3 tenor live music, free casino, karaoke night and Greek dancing show. Although it is very engaging, it is clearly noticeable that performances are not completed by professionals which is reflected in the lack of energy and uncoordinated movements. The only highlight was the African dancing which was very lively and exciting to watch, all other performances were sadly boring and not entertaining. We were told that the team is understaffed due to it being end of season, however, this should not be visible to the paying guests trying to enjoy their hard-earned holiday and more effort should have been put by the hotel. The hotel has 1 buffet serving variety of dishes in the Main Building. Finding a table for 6 people was very challenging during peak times, but the tables were cleaned swiftly. The buffet is open 07:00-10:30 for Breakfast, 12:30-14:30 for Lunch and 18:30-21:30 for Dinner. The poor restaurant layout leads to lengthy queues because all hot dishes are available in one location as oppose to spreading them out into smaller sections, allowing more access. You were expected to join the queue at the start in order to quickly grab a piece of meat towards the end. The buffet staff should either break the queues so that anyone can grab something they want without having to wait or arrange alike foods together. For example; meat & fish in one section, rice & potatoes in second section, vegetables in third section and snacks in fourth section. The food was replenished fast, but some dishes were only available in limited amount, therefore it is best to get there early to try the best dishes as they wouldn’t be available again. Each dish was clearly labelled with name and necessary allergen information. The hotel provided diverse dishes during lunch and dinner to cater for everyone’s needs and we have always found something to eat, however, the taste was not always convincing. The hotel had meat, fish, vegetables, chips, rice, salads and desserts. Sadly, the meats are almost all over-cooked, the chips are drenched in oil, pasta dishes are tasteless and salads are covered in excess mayonnaise. On the other hand, the vegetable dishes were all amazing and hotel offered a good selection of varied deserts, including a broad selection of fruits. There were only 2-3 Greek dishes each day which is not ideal for a hotel situated in Greece, we would appreciate more Greek food options. Breakfast was same everyday with limited options. The self-service vending machines varied each day as sometimes too much water or too little concentrate was added which resulted in bland drinks. The Creperie & Gelateria is open 10:30-24:00, offering fresh crepes with various filling as well as a broad selection of ice cream. You can also grab deserts here. The Beach Crepa Station is open daily 11:00-17:30 and offers crepes and limited selection of ice cream. Each station is always operated by one person which causes long queues and there are countless flies around due to sweet food. It would also be great if pancake filling options could be written on a board so that people know exactly what to order instead of each person having to ask what is available, affecting the waiting time. The Greek, Italian & Asian A’la Carte Restaurants operate 12:30-16:30 throughout the day offering pizza, meat, chicken, rice, vegetables, fruits and deserts. Additionally, they can also be booked as a dining experience between 18:30-21:15 at the reception. The À la carte-restaurants can be visited one time per stay and must be booked as soon as possible as waiting time is extensive even towards the end of the season. We have really enjoyed that the restaurants are overlooking the beach, perfect for relaxing and admiring the view. We were fortunate to visit Greek restaurant on last day of our stay where we found the food to be of an average standard. On your way to the beach, you will also find Soulvaki Corner serving chicken/pork gyros & chips between 11:30-17:30. It would be appreciable if the gyro’s meat was not put on the rotisserie early in the morning, leaving it unattended until opening because there were many flies around the meat, causing hygiene problems. There are 5 bars in total. The Luna bar is open 10:00-01:00, Nisi & Ilios bars 10:00-17:30, Gogo bar 10:00-02:00 and Theatre bar 17:00-02:00. Please note that AI operates between 07:00-24:00, you are required to pay for drinks outside these hours. Each bar had a good choice of alcoholic drinks and very tasty local beer. On the other hand, there was poor selection of non-alcoholic drinks and cocktails. The available cocktails did not taste good and there was no option to order virgin version of alcoholic cocktails. The plastic cups at the bars were not washed, only rinsed which does raise some hygienic concerns. Hot chocolate & coffee machines placed in bars made diluted drinks which tasted awful. You are encouraged to visit Kostas in the Luna Bar in order to try one of the best coffees in Corfu, he surely knows the secret to making an outstanding brew! The hotel is located 15min by foot from Roda Town with plenty of shops and restaurants which serve all types of common food. The closest ATM is also situated in this town. There are plenty of things to do and see in Corfu, you can either book excursions or rent a vehicle in order to visit them yourself. We have discovered that excursions are expensive in the hotel, so we advise you to book them outside, plenty nearby. Please note that when visiting North-East part of Corfu, your phone may automatically connect to Albania’s network and you will be charged extra. Overall, we strongly believe this hotel does not deserve 5 stars at present, such service quality is seen at 4-star hotels in Greece. Roda Beach Resort & Spa has spectacular views, sandy beach and greatly designed landscape with most staff being polite and hospitable, speaking little English. In order to improve, we would recommend renovating the rooms, upgrading entire Wi-Fi, hiring professional entertainers, offering better drinks and changing chef who would significantly rework the menu and invest into better quality ingredients to avoid health issues. Our holiday was unfortunately ruined because 4 of 6 family members had food poisoning on day three. Upon speaking to the other hotel guests, it was discovered that many others had similar health problems which raises many questions for the hotel’s management. The reception staff are aware of this issue, but are not acting on it. The hotel check-in is at 14:00 and check-out is at 11:00. When departing from the Corfu Airport, avoid buying still water at the first Duty Free shop as it costs significantly more than the other alternatives further down the airport. We have discovered Starbucks to offer the cheapest still water. Sadly, we are unable to recommend this hotel due to issues outlined above and would advise all travellers to research alternative hotels for their stay in Corfu as the island is absolutely stunning. We wish you a remarkable holiday!

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“Ignore the bad reviews and book it!!”

We were a little dubious about booking this hotel from reading the negative reviews. Having stayed for 6 nights we all had a brilliant time. There is so much to do, lots of pools (we were in room 966 so had a private pool which was such a treat and the kids loved it) There is also a bar (Ilios ba… more

We were a little dubious about booking this hotel from reading the negative reviews. Having stayed for 6 nights we all had a brilliant time. There is so much to do, lots of pools (we were in room 966 so had a private pool which was such a treat and the kids loved it) There is also a bar (Ilios bar) serving drinks and burgers/fries in the middle of this block so you really don't have to move far at all if you don't want to. . Thank you to Danai and Kamal for your friendly service all week. I hope you enjoy your time off. Danai made the best Greek frappe coffee!!! Special thanks to Vanina (i hope i got your name right) who did a brilliant yoga class every morning, aqua fit, then pilates or tababta in the afternoon. Kept me active between the lounging, reading and eating. So friendly and happy and told me a lot about the area and hotel. I hope you have a well deserved rest too Vanina. My son loved football with Bobby in the afternoons. We also played tennis, boules, table tennis and hired a pedal boat from the beach. The buffet has a huge selection, if people say there is lack of choice they are clearly choosing the same thing every night. Crepes, ice cream and gyros by the pool delicious too. We never had to wait at the buffet. Drinks in restaurant are self service. The cocktail choice isn't amazing but its what you would expect at an all inclusive resort. Wine and beer both very drinkable. great selection of tea, coffee and soft drinks (not flat) Our room was huge and clean, i understand some of the rooms are quite dated but this wasn't the case in 900 area. There is going to be a huge refurbishment as the hotel is under new ownership so this is being addressed in the older rooms. There was entertainment every night which was great, greek dancing, african acrobats, music quiz, fire show, dj night and karaoke. There is a bus that comes right to the reception to Corfu old town which takes about an hour. We found all the reception team very helpful and not rude at all as some comments say? Great shop on site but there is a slightly cheaper one just along the beach. Spa is wonderful but very expensive, more than you would pay at home for treatments. They do give you a discount the more things you book. I didn't book in the end because of the price but Nicola was very helpful at the desk. We would certainly stay here again if visiting Corfu. I must say that on our last day my husband did become very unwell and then me when we got home. It felt like a Norovirus illness very intense and horrid for 24 hours. I don't believe this to be food poisoning as we all ate something different. There has been an outbreak on other Greek islands so it seems it has made its way to Corfu. With people in close proximity on a resort like this it is unfortunately inevitable that it will spread. Such a shame but it would not put us off returning to this lovely hotel.

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“Theft and vomiting was a downside...”

Such a mixed bag to write about for our Roda Beach Resort holiday. Location- The setting of the resort is lovely, right on the sea front which is lovely. It is about a 15 minute walk into roda town. The roads though are very very narrow and we didn't feel comfortable walking it with a toddler. You… more

Such a mixed bag to write about for our Roda Beach Resort holiday. Location- The setting of the resort is lovely, right on the sea front which is lovely. It is about a 15 minute walk into roda town. The roads though are very very narrow and we didn't feel comfortable walking it with a toddler. You can also walk along the sea front which again isn't really suitable with a toddler and buggy although a taxi was only about €6 which was fine. Roda is quite a small village more so than town I would say but it is nice for a change. Room- Our room was very big and spacious. We were in room 975 which was over the rooms with private pools. It was up an outdoor flights of stairs which wasn't great with a toddler and a buggy. There was ants everywhere in the room when we arrived which we had to get spray from in the onsite shop to get rid of. On day 3/4 after a bad thunderstorm a room two doors down seemed to get water damage so we had 3 days of work being done there which included banging and hammering and all sorts from morning until evening. Staff- The reception staff weren't the friendliest quite dismissive really, as were the bar staff. The restaurant staff on the other hand deserve medals for the work they do. Every waiter/waitress and chef there were constantly running around, they were amazing. Even making time to play with our toddler. Also the entertainment staff, I can't remember their names, but they were all lovely. The highlight was the photography staff, we took up on the photoshoot with them. The photoshoot was free and you can they buy the prints or albums. But my god, they were amazing. Mihcela ended up being out photographer and my toddler was having none of it at the start, she was great with her, 10 minutes later my daughter was being carried by her loved her. Ragnar then joined us too and was just as amazing. I couldn't recommend them more of I tried. Got amazing pictures too that I will cherish always. Honestly they make me give this the 3 starts because they are 10/10. Food- The food was good for all inclusive. As you would expect but plenty of options, although a bit repetitive. Always loads of fresh bread though. Good options for my picky plain eater daughter too, pasta, pizza etc. Creperie open from 10- midnight serving crepes and ice cream, this was great. Drinks not great, fizzy drinks served in plastic cups. Cocktail options weren't great. Had to pay for aperol/sex on the beach etc. We went to the Chinese restaurant in site on our 5th evening. Not great I wouldn't recommend. It's just fried rice really and don't do any sauce etc . Day 6 my partner was violently ill and in bed vomitting. On the day we were leaving I started to feel ill. Which hit on the way to the airport. Followed by my 3 year old also. All vomiting on the plane home along with the bus and car home and into the next day. It was horrific. Somehow due to the vomitting and everything else we managed to leave my purse and my partner's wallet in the room. Which I didn't notice until the day after we got home (thanks to the vomitting and Google pay). By the time I could cancel my cards or even email to hotel, my card had been used in Corfu. I emailed the manager and was told housekeeping said they weren't in the room when they cleaned it. We do unfortunately know they were left there so I feel it's just not what you expect from a five star hotel. Reading the reviews since we came home it's clear there was some bug in the hotel while we were there. My daughter didn't eat any of the same food we did which was why we had ruled out food poisoning but I'm still not sure what it was. We were swarmed with wasps while here. Couldn't eat outside due to our daughter's fear of them and couldn't use any sunbeds near bins as they all swarmed them. There are a couple of cats going around the hotel which are all very friendly, as well as a puppy. Our daughter was also delighted to see 2 peacocks and a hedgehog during our stay. Pools were freezing. Although kind of expected in October. The on site shop is very handy but is extortionate in prices. €3.70 can of red bull.€3.50 for a fruit shoot. €4.50 for them pez sweets that pop up. We paid €45 for a blow up ring and boat. Very very expensive. Only cheap thing in it was cigarettes. If it hadn't been for the vomitting and then the theft of our purses we would have considered returning, mind there isn't much to do other than pool and sea. The water sports at the beach, it says some things are free for guests. They are not. We used them a handful of times and had to pay each time.

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