GOLDEN MARE BARBATI HOTEL

Just had a week here and we were absolutely gutted to be leaving! The staff are lovely and can't do enough to help you. The buffet restaurant is really good, the food is lovely. We stayed in one of the villas and it was beautiful, the balcony faced out to the bay and the views were absolutely stunning 😍 there's a nice little shop there that sells souvenirs and essentials. The only downsides we found was that it was on a really steep hill, which can't be helped, but there was a lot of steps and no railings to hold onto, which we had to be really cautious with, especially at night, and the pool was like an ice bath 😂😂 but once you got used to it, it was alright. Overall, we loved it there and would 100% come back 😊 a week was definitely not enough!!

We've just come back from 8 nights at Golden Mare and very much recommend it! The room was lovely, well decorated, comfy beds, clean bathroom, kettle and a big bottle of water provided, a mini fridge to keep snacks and drinks in, lovely balcony and a very good air conditioning unit. It was also very spacious and the floors were mopped, bins emptied and bed made every day. There is a really handy button system on the door, and you can set this to either do not disturb or make up room. A wardrobe and hair dryer is also provided, as well as clean towels every day if needed. There are some rooms in the main building, but we had a garden view room which was in one of the separate apartment buildings, which have around 4 rooms each. The scenery is stunning with all the white apartment buildings against the lovely mountain / hill behind. The main lobby and pool / bar / restaurant area is absolutely stunning, always clean too. The bar staff are so lovely, there were two main bar staff that we saw every day. Unfortunately we didn't catch their names but there was a young man and a young woman who we adored. They were very kind, funny, and the man even got involved in playing pool with us at times. Both of them also remembered which drinks we had and towards the end of the holiday we didn't even have to say a word at the bar. Two blue aliens with vodka! The rooftop bar isn't included in the all inclusive package, but it's €10 for a cocktail and they are amazing! The rooftop bar itself is absolutely gorgeous and feels very luxurious and calm. There is a pool table, table tennis table, lots of tables for playing cards and board games too. By the pool there are sun loungers, tables and chairs and round the corner there are also bean bag loungers and comfier outdoor seating by the games room. They also had the football on the big TV at some points. The food was brilliant, something different every night but some of the same stuff so you always have something you know you'll eat. The desserts are lovely too. Some traditional greek foods as well as things everyone will enjoy including kids, like chips, spag bol, salad. Breakfast is pretty much the same every day but there are loads of options, hot and cold. The croissants were my favourite, very soft, warm and buttery. It's a short walk down to Barbati beach, but there's some hills, so they do offer free regular transport to and from the beach which has a nice cocktail bar / restaurant, sun loungers and two boat hires (I highly recommend Spiros! Less than a hundred euro for the day). There's also a shop on site at the hotel, but a small supermarket is also walking distance, just after the strip of restaurants, bars, and gift shops, and an ATM but it does charge you. The entertainment each night was brilliant! A traditional greek dancing night where everyone gets involved, a disco band who were amazing, a keyboard and singer duo, and a man called Kirkmy who plays keyboard and sings beautifully some English songs which we didn't expect to have heard! There's a bus to and from Corfu Old Town which we also recommend, but the bus never turned up for us, so we spent €100 on a return trip taxi but they were also fabulous and very comfy, helpful / informative on what to do in Corfu Old Town. There's a couple of very small things stopping me from giving this 5 stars, and they're quite subjective to us personally as a couple. The tea / coffee / water wasn't replenished at all during our stay, so after our first day we didn't have any until we bought more from the shop on site, you can also buy 6 bottles of water from the on site shop for €2. You have to pay for the pool table. This is pretty standard I guess, but we loved playing so ended up spending a lot of money there. It only accepts €2 coins so take plenty! The bedding wasn't changed while we were there, just made up to look nice, which is okay but we would've liked clean sheets at least once. We did have some very small stains on our sheets too when we got there. There's also only one small bar with one member of staff on at a time. They did close early at one point as they ran out of cups / glasses but if you already had a glass they still served you. The staff on the bar are brilliant but it does get very busy at peak times. In conclusion, we would definitely return to Golden Mare, considering all of this was also pretty much out of season we were very impressed with the service we received and the aesthetic of the resort. I would have given this 4.5 stars if I was able to.

Currently staying at the Golden Mare, booked through TUI. Looks lovely from afar. An average 3 star hotel at best. Shouldn’t be advertised as a 4* luxury hotel when it’s far from luxury. The pictures advertised are very old and look nothing like it does now. The only bar is like a small shack and is in a different position to the image on TUI. Restaurant is tiny and very uncomfortable to sit in, same food is served everyday and very limited. I know all inclusive’s are repetitive anyway but this is the worst I’ve seen. Dirty glasses everyday, lipstick on or just general dirt. Flies, mosquitos and wasps everywhere, never been bitten so much on holiday and we holiday everywhere frequently, appreciate it’s not the hotel fault but staff can try and do something about it… take glasses and plates away a lot quicker, maybe light some fly/mosquito deterrent candles like we have seen in the local restaurants where they don’t seem to have this issue. Staff try their best but clearly understaffed, the one bar is tended to be left with no staff behind for a period of time and nobody around to tell. No ice or clean glasses as soon as the bar opened at 10am. Not enough tables or places to sit of an evening. Broken sunbeds that look to have rotted over time. Dirty pool area, had seen cleaners wiping away water in the morning but not actually cleaning it. Glass around the pool is cracked, algae in the pool. Mouldy bean bags by the pool. Room is alright, limescale on the shower tap and holder, broken wardrobe door, balcony balustrade glass is loose as beading has come away. Pillows lumpy and mattress seems old. Towels look dirty as they are off white, pool towels also have stains on… could do with just buying some new ones. Dirty travel cot provided with a flimsy mattress. We have a 5 month old and asked for a clean or different kettle as there was limescale going into her bottles, was told by a rude receptionist a cleaner will bring a new one, waited an hour for an even dirtier one to be brought to the room (after having gone back to reception to chase, as we needed it urgently to make a bottle) cleaner cleaned out our current kettle in the end but the limescale quickly came back by the morning. Went to reception again to ask for a new kettle, it was the same receptionist who was just as rude as the day before, didn’t apologise even after I explained my daughter had been drinking the water. Said the same thing, a cleaner would bring a new one… her attitude is what has made me write this honest review.

In August 2024, we spent two weeks in Golden Mare Resort, Barbati, booked with ITAKA, Poland. It was our fifth stay at this hotel. We are attracted by the hospitality of a very friendly young, yet professional staff. We remember Julia, Mario and Daniel of the Management, Fiodor and Petros from the Restaurant and many others. The hotel is beautifully located at the foot of Mt. Pantokrator, very close to the beach. The location is prefect, in particular for swimmers and hikers. We have decided to come back in 2025 and we look forward to meeting you again!

We are at the end of a 4 night stay and have had a fabulous time. Balcony had a beautiful view of the sunrise every morning . Clean modern room. Hotel has been tastefully designed with a spa on site. Pool with ampled sunbeds, great staff. Food was varied and lovely. Location is fairly quiet with a 5 minute walk to the hidden Barbati beach. Crystal clear water, restaurants and sunbeds as well as water sports. We are slrry to leave but will definately return for a longer break next year. Thankyou to Kostas for carrying our luggage to the room with such enthusiam which made our arrival Welcoming. What a lovely man.