Nido, Mar-Bella Collection

Terraced into the green hillside above Agios Ioannis Peristeron, Nido, Mar-Bella Collection is a five star adults only member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World where every suite looks across the Ionian Sea and many come with a private pool or whirlpool.

Nido has the air of a small Corfiot village tumbling towards the coast. Stone walls, tiled roofs, planted pathways and fragrant gardens soften the different levels, with glimpses of brilliant blue water appearing between the buildings as you make your way down the hillside. It is an attractive interpretation of the island rather than a generic resort, intimate in scale and beautifully connected to its surroundings.

The Ionian outlook is magnificent. Sailing boats drift across the water during the day, the Albanian mountains rise faintly in the distance and evenings bring the softer colours of the Corfiot coast. Nido makes excellent use of it all, from the pool terrace and restaurants to suites designed with outdoor living very much in mind.

Rooms & Suites

Accommodation is entirely in suites, beginning with the elegant Junior Suite Sea View and moving through increasingly indulgent categories with whirlpools and private pools. Floor to ceiling windows pull the landscape indoors, while terraces create generous private spaces for reading, sunbathing or simply sitting with a coffee and watching the Ionian change colour through the day.

The Grand Terrace Junior Suite is particularly appealing for its expansive outdoor space, while the Deluxe Junior and Deluxe Suites with Private Pool turn the terrace into a retreat of its own. Interiors are sophisticated and comfortable, with parquet floors, natural tones and carefully chosen furnishings allowing the gardens and sea beyond to provide the drama.

Dining

Three restaurants give Nido considerably more dining choice than its intimate scale might suggest. San Giovanni is the main restaurant, bringing together buffet and à la carte dining in a relaxed setting, while Aquavit beside the pool is made for long lunches when leaving the sunshine seems entirely unnecessary.

Apaggio is the restaurant to save an evening for, taking a more refined approach to Mediterranean and Corfiot cooking and giving local flavours a suitably elegant stage. Afterwards, cocktails and live jazz beneath the night sky provide a lovely conclusion to the day, particularly when the air is still warm and the lights are beginning to appear across the water.

Experience

The sea view pool is an easy place to lose several hours, surrounded by loungers and gardens on its elevated terrace. Follow the pathways further down and the hotel's organised beach area provides another side to the day, with swimming, paddleboarding and watersports directly from the shore.

Nido also makes good use of Corfu itself. Walking tours, cooking classes and hiking can all be arranged, alongside tennis and cycling for more active days. A trip into Corfu Town is essential at least once, particularly towards evening when the arcades of the Liston fill with tables and the old streets behind it begin to come alive.

Wellness

The wellness centre is beautifully suited to the hotel's grown up atmosphere, with a hammam, sauna and steam room accompanying massages, body treatments and an extensive collection of beauty therapies. There is also a fitness centre for anyone determined to maintain good intentions between long lunches and evenings at Apaggio.

Private pools and whirlpools give many suites their own quieter version of the experience. There is something especially indulgent about returning from the beach or Corfu Town, closing the door behind you and spending the last hour of daylight in your own pool above the Ionian.

Where

Agios Ioannis Peristeron places Nido on Corfu's beautiful south eastern coast, with the island's mountainous interior behind and the Ionian immediately ahead. Corfu Town is around 16 kilometres away, close enough for dinner or an afternoon exploring its Venetian streets, while the hotel's hillside setting gives you a wonderfully peaceful place to return to afterwards.

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