Hotel Review: Domes Miramare, A Luxury Collection Resort, Corfu

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Our first hotel in Corfu was one that I had heard a lot about from reviews and some other bloggers. The Domes Miramare, A Luxury Collection Resort, Corfu is conveniently located, has a gorgeous lobby, and great pools. Would I recommend this resort? Not as a first choice. There were multiple service issues and little service recovery (even when my first suite was infested with hundreds of ants).

Anthony’s Take: The staff was nice enough and well intentioned, but training in service recovery is needed. The property is gorgeous and the buffet while visually appealing was just okay in taste. There is a lot of style here, but little substance. Staff were disorganized and my initial experience with an infestation dampened my mood. The resort is for ages 16+ and was once owned by the Onassis family. Pictures of Jackie O. and Aristotle can be found in the hotel.

Booking

I booked a Jade Suite, 1 King on a Marriott Prepay & Save rate. The rate was €864 for two nights. Full payment was required when I booked in January. It was a good rate that I wanted to lock in and I did (I rarely pay for my rooms in advance as my schedule often changes). If using Marriott Bonvoy® points, an Emerald Retreat, which is a base-level room costs 40,000 to 63,000 per night.

Transportation to/from the Hotel

We arrived on a Ryanair flight from Manchester Airport (MAN) and rented a car. The drive took around 32 minutes and it’s about 11 miles from Corfu International Airport “Ioannis Kapodistrias” (CFU) to the hotel.

Location

The hotel is located within walking distance of a supermarket and several restaurants. You will need a car or to book a taxi to get to Old Town and other attractions in Corfu.

Check-in

We arrived around 10:30 PM and our suite was ready. I had already noticed an upgrade to an Opal Suite with Jacuzzi. I had booked a Jade Suite. This was an upgrade that bumped us up two levels. The agent could tell that we were tired and said that they would skip the welcome towel, drink, and tour. She offered to have her colleague assist us with our bags. We didn’t have much luggage and decided to walk across instead by ourselves. As a welcome amenity for being a Titanium Elite member, I could select 1,000 points or breakfast. I chose breakfast. It’s a full buffet and a much better value. Our keys were ready a moment later and the agent (along with the valet) seemed disappointed that we did not want assistance. I did not realize it at the time, but I would be returning momentarily.

The check-in area has a fun swing.

The concierge desk is tucked near the entrance.

The lobby is massive and I loved the plants and space built around a very old olive tree. There was live piano music at certain times of the day.

I liked this oversized chess set.

The decor is modern and funky with lots of cool art.

I particularly liked this painting.

This area was also pretty cool.

The resort has a casual yet elegant feel in its public spaces.

There is a bar on the left and the 1962 Restaurant that serves breakfast is on the right.

The door leading to reception and the lobby (from outside) is surrounded by greenery.

The resort is split into two sections. One is attached to the lobby and the other is a newer series of buildings across the road. An underground walkway helps guests navigate the busy road.

The buildings across the road have their own lobby (the spa and a Japanese-fusion restaurant called Raw at Korypho is also here).

These doors lead to most of the rooms on the newer side.

There is a reception desk here as well. The spa is right to the left.

There is limited seating in this lobby.

This is the entrance to the Japanese fusion restaurant.

The hallways were clean and bright.

There are two sets of elevators leading to the different areas. These are the ones we used most.

The hallways leading to the rooms are all outdoors.

I like the open layout.

You could see the sea in the distance.

Opal Suite With Jacuzzi (735)

The Domes Miramare, a Luxury Collection Resort has 113 rooms including 43 suites. Unfortunately, we had to check out two of them.

We entered the suite and found it infested with ants. Not a few on the floor or one on the counter, but hundreds crawling on everything. They’re not easy to see, but they were circling the area rug around the bed.

They were also all over the bed, mini bar, and table.

The nightstand had the highest concentration and after seeing so much movement, I went back to the front desk. The manager there was not apologetic and quickly informed me that the hotel was sold out. He said that he could have housekeeping clean the room. I showed him the videos and photos I took of the ants and he made a face. Again there was no apology. He first said that maybe they were attracted to the welcome amenity. I informed him that there was no welcome amenity in the room. He then wanted to see for himself. He walked over and took a look. This was enough for him to agree that there was an issue. He went back to reception and miraculously found the same suite type and brought us new keys. After all of this, the new keys did not work. I had to go back to reception to get new ones printed. I asked the manager about a late checkout since we were not getting into our room until after midnight and he begrudgingly agreed after telling me that the hotel never gives late checkouts.

We needed this skink inside the room to eat the ants.

Opal Suite With Jacuzzi (832)

This suite had the same layout as the last one, but without the colony of ants as a welcome amenity.

The room opened with a three-section wardrobe.

One held the safe.

The next had a robe, slippers, an iron, ironing board, and an umbrella.

The final section was empty with a few hangers.

Around the corner was a small table with a chair and banquette.

The mini bar area is across from here. A Nespresso machine, tea kettle, coffee, tea, and condiments were found here.

Underneath was a mini-fridge with drinks for sale and some space for guest use.

The bathroom was to the right. It held two vanities that each had a single sink, bathtub, toilet, and glassed-in shower.

The vanities were nicely spaced with the tub between them. My sink was clogged with black hair.

The left vanity held a single bar of The Naxos Apothecary branded soap.

The right vanity held some other amenities including Byredo Le Chemin lotion.

The bathtub did not get any use from us.

The shower was next to one of the vanities. It was a good size with water pressure and temperature that both passed muster.

More Byredo bath products were in the shower.

The toilet was in its own room to the left.

To the side of the bathroom was this small desk.

The TV was mounted next to it and across from the bed.

The king-sized bed was comfortable.

Two nightstands flanked the bed with lots of outlets above each one.

The room had a balcony with a jacuzzi. We never used this either.

It also had two chairs out there.

The room had a nice view overlooking the pool on this side of the road and the ocean. I liked this pool better than the one by the main building. It was quieter and felt more private.

Our welcome amenity was left on the ground outside our door the next afternoon. Thankfully, there were no ants.

Breakfast

As mentioned above, the breakfast for elite members includes the full buffet at 1962 Restaurant. It was a large buffet with tons of choices including pastries, fruit, cereal, Greek yogurt, hot dishes, and much more. It offered some tasty, fresh squeezed orange juice that was the highlight of our meals.

Servers brought juice, but you could also squeeze your own.

A station offered omelettes made to order.

The buffet offered a large variety of hot dishes.

Crepes and pancakes

Frittata and hard-boiled eggs

Poached eggs and French toast

Scrambled eggs and bacon

Fried eggs and sausage

Tomatoes and mushrooms

Zucchini

Beans and apples

Porridge

Delicious Greek specialties

Sweet Bougatsa

Spinach pie

Sesame cheese pie

Bread and a toaster for guest use

Bread and pastries

Gluten-free options

Cereal and granola

Salad ingredients

Nuts and grains

Meat and cheeses

More cheese

Greek yogurt

Fresh fruit

Whole fruit

Greek sweets

Cake

Doughnuts and various desserts

Condiments

Fresh honeycomb

Juice and smoothies

Strawberry tea with cinnamon and lemon

Water and sparkling wine

A coffee machine was available, but servers also took orders.

Public Areas & Amenities

The Domes Miramare offers the lobby seating above, a spa, two pools, a beach, fitness center, and several restaurants. We spent most of our time at the pool near our suite. It’s the larger of the two and was fairly quiet.

The pool had plenty of seating spread out around it.

I like the hotel’s policy on reserving lounge chairs.

This pool was just a short walk from our suite.

I liked the design.

There was a bar at one end. Servers seldom came by to check on guests or take orders.

They did bring complimentary treats around, though.

The pool near the main building was a bit smaller and close to the beach.

There were some more old olive trees here.

This pool also had a bar.

The space was busier than the pool near our suite across the street. It was in front of the beach, which was also quite busy.

The views of the hotel from the dock were nice.

The fitness center was nearby.

A boutique is also near the pool in the main building.

I loved the old trees on the grounds.

Overall Impression:

The hotel has lovely grounds and a nice breakfast buffet. Service is sub-par and the ants I encountered dampened my initial impression. I would choose other hotels on Corfu over this one if I return in the future.

Anthony’s Credit Card Pick: When I’m staying at a Marriott hotel, I want to maximize my points earned. My card of choice is the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant^® American Express^® Card. With it, I earn six Marriott Bonvoy® points for each dollar spent at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program. It also includes up to $300 statement credits per calendar year (up to $25 per month ) for dining in restaurants worldwide. Plus, a free night award every year after my card renewal month that I can redeem at any Marriott hotel with a redemption level at or under 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy^® points. Learn more. For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant^® American Express^® Card, please visit here. Terms apply.

Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.