MarBella, Mar-Bella Collection

Spilling through gardens to the Ionian Sea at Agios Ioannis Peristeron, MarBella Corfu is a five star family resort where three pools, an excellent choice of accommodation and a superb programme for children turn the island’s green southeast coast into an easy place to settle for a week or two.

Corfu does lush rather well, and MarBella embraces that side of the island wholeheartedly. Palms, olive trees and Mediterranean planting fill the grounds, with pathways winding between whitewashed buildings, terraces and pools before eventually reaching the beach and the remarkably clear water beyond.

It is a substantial resort, yet those gardens give it warmth and character. There are lively areas where families naturally gather and quieter corners where the pace drops away, allowing different generations to holiday together without everyone having to spend the day doing exactly the same thing.

Rooms & Suites

With 362 refurbished rooms and suites, the accommodation covers almost every family configuration imaginable. Standard and Superior Rooms keep things straightforward, while Family Rooms and interconnecting options provide the extra space that quickly becomes invaluable when children are travelling too.

The bungalow collection has a different feel, placing you among the gardens with terraces and more of a sense of your own space. Sea view Junior Suites make particularly good use of the hillside, while larger one and two bedroom Bungalow Suites work beautifully for families who want separate sleeping areas and room to spread out.

Private pools, gardens and whirlpools appear as you move through the higher categories. The Two Bedroom Bungalow Suite with Private Pool is a particularly strong choice for a family stay, giving everyone proper space while keeping your own pool immediately outside the door.

Dining

Five restaurants take dinner well beyond the familiar resort buffet. La Terrazza provides the broad Mediterranean heart of the dining programme, while Kuzina turns towards Greek cooking and the flavours that belong naturally in this part of the world.

Kum Kuat brings Pan Asian dishes into the mix and Celeste gives an evening a distinctly French accent. Deck Bar & Grill is the place for something more relaxed, particularly when the sea and sunshine make sitting indoors seem like an entirely unnecessary idea.

The variety matters on a longer family holiday, and MarBella handles it particularly well. One evening can be unmistakably Greek, the next Asian or French, with bars and lighter daytime choices filling the gaps and the Premium All Inclusive option making the whole experience especially easy.

Experience

This is where MarBella really comes alive for families. Three outdoor pools, the beach and a water park with eight slides mean swimming can take a different form every day, while canoeing, snorkelling, tennis and other activities provide plenty of reasons to leave the sunbed.

Children have their own programme rather than simply being accommodated around the adult one. Kids’ clubs, indoor and outdoor play areas, organised activities and entertainment cover different ages, giving younger guests a holiday that feels every bit as considered as their parents’.

There is plenty for grown ups too, from yoga and fitness classes to cycling and walking, while the beach remains the simplest pleasure of all. Corfu’s east coast water can be beautifully calm, and an afternoon alternating between the shade of the gardens and a swim in the Ionian is difficult to improve upon.

Wellness

The spa offers a welcome retreat from the more energetic side of MarBella, with a hammam, sauna, steam room and hot tub alongside an extensive menu of massages, facials and body treatments. Couples treatments are available too, particularly useful when the children have happily disappeared into the kids’ club.

Yoga, fitness classes and personal training add a more active approach to wellbeing, although a treatment followed by a quiet hour beside one of the pools is an equally persuasive interpretation of taking care of yourself on holiday.

Where

MarBella sits at Agios Ioannis Peristeron on Corfu’s southeast coast, with the island’s wonderfully atmospheric capital within easy reach. It makes a good base for seeing more of Corfu, whether that means an evening among the arcades and narrow streets of Corfu Town or simply following the coast in search of another little bay before returning to the gardens for dinner.

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