Sidari Hotels – Alkyon Hotel Review

The Alkyon (also spelt Alkion) is a tremendously popular amongst Sidari hotels and you can read a factual, no-nonsense review right here:

Sidari Hotels - Alkyon Hotel

For a start, let’s check out the numbers – on Trip Advisor, of 44 reviewers, 75% rated it very good or excellent, and 79% would recommend it.  These are very impressive results considering the large number of reviews.  It’s the same story on Holiday Watchdog, where 36 reviewers gave an average score of 8/10.  But why the high scores?  We had better take a closer look to see what’s so special about the Alkyon:

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the options for board basis?

Most people come here half-board, which offers great value here compared to eating out, so much so that you will still be able to treat yourself to the odd meal in the resort and stay within budget.

Where is it?

The Alkyon Hotel is about 300 metres or less than five minutes’ walk from the centre of Sidari, the popular holiday resort on the north-west corner of Corfu.  The main sandy beach with its sunbeds and water sports is just 100 metres away, and there are more coves to explore within easy reach.  Being at one end of the main beach, the Alkyon is near enough to be convenient for the resort centre but far enough away to make it a nice quiet spot.

Like all Sidari hotels, the Alkyon is just under 40km from the airport, but because of the country roads of Corfu it takes about 60 minutes to cover this distance by taxi and maybe 90 minutes by coach transfer.

Who is this hotel best for?

Families with children will be happy with the hotel and its location, being within easy walking distance of the town and the beach even if you have small kids, yet offering a nice quiet setting at night.

Couples who like a reasonable amount of liveliness in the evenings will be pleased with the range of bars and clubs that come to life at night five minutes away in the resort centre – I’m not saying it’s Magaluf, far from it, but compared to other resorts on Corfu, there’s plenty going on after dark to give you a great night out in Sidari, and many of the bars front straight out onto the beach.  Feeling brave?  The main nightclubs, Caesars and Ice, hold popcorn and foam parties!

Just a quick note for people with walking difficulties – the hotel is on a flat site so wheelchair users will find it manageable to get around.

What’s the food like?

Food is served in a light and airy dining room with views out over the gardens.  Breakfast, served from 8am until 10am, is continental consisting of a choice of toast, cereals, Greek yoghurt, orange juice, tea or coffee, but for about 2 ½ euros you can upgrade to a full English if you fancy it, and it’s good value – eggs, bacon, sausage, beans and toast.  A reasonably-priced snack menu is available all the way through until 7pm and food can be eaten by the pool, in the bar area while watching the wide-screen TV – wherever you fancy basically.

In the evening, the half-board package includes dinner from 7pm until 10pm.  Now, this is not the usual buffet-style service that many people will be used to in Spain, for example – here you get a full-on sit-down meal served by waiting staff.  There is a choice of starters, main courses and desserts, with usually three or four choices in each course on the half-board menu.  The menu changes daily and dishes such as swordfish; steak; pork and chicken are on offer.

If you can’t see anything you like, you can choose from the main a la carte menu for a couple of euros extra.  If you’re not on half-board, you too can dine here as an optional extra and choose dishes from the full a la carte menu.

What about the bar?

The spacious pool bar has to be one of the nicest in any hotel in Sidari.  It has a large seating area with chairs and tables

Sidari Hotels - Alkyon Hotel Foyer

inside and outside so you can take your pick depending on the temperature.  There is also a large flat screen TV with satellite channels.

How do the rooms compare to other Sidari hotels?

Like many Corfu hotels, or Greek Islands hotels for that matter, the Alkyon’s rooms are basic, but kept very clean.  The rooms look out over the pretty Sidari countryside, and each has a bath with shower over, balcony, sea or pool view, hair-dryer, TV, phone and air conditioning for an extra charge of around 35 euros per week.  Cots are available too if you need one.

What’s outside?

There are pretty gardens and a sizeable rectangular pool with a separate area reserved for young children.

Do they have Internet access?

Yes, there are two pay-as-you-go internet terminals in the reception area.

Are the staff friendly?

It seems to me that the staff at the Alkyon have a bit of a fan club – there are more kind words said about the people here than at most other Sidari hotels.  I have to tell you, at Suntrap Holidays we are not easily impressed but we think the team here are great.  The waiter and waitresses work extremely hard here to keep everyone happy and entertained, and everyone from the reception staff to the cleaning team are described as polite and friendly by customer after customer.  Nothing seems too much trouble here and the staff really do go out of their way to make sure you have a great time.  Watch out for the man who tends the pool and gardens, he’s a star.  And if you see Andrea standing still for more than a minute or two, call an ambulance.

What other facilities are on offer?

Unusually for Sidari hotels, this one has a small jewellery shop in the reception area, so there’s no need to go on a special shopping trip for to get that special little present for your loved one – just drag yourself away from the pool for five minutes and you’re there.  So there’s no excuse, OK gents?!

What’s the entertainment like?

Well, it’s pretty impressive actually, with a varied selection of events such as quiz nights; bingo; karaoke and the big one – the Greek Dancing Evenings.  If this is “your thing” you can find some great videos right here: Alkyon Hotel Sidari – Greek Dancing.

Verdict

If you are looking for a relaxing Corfu holiday in one of the most popular hotels in Sidari, handy for the beach and the resort centre yet far enough out of town to avoid the noise, then the Alkyon could be just the place for you.  I give it 8.5/10.

You can get a great deal on this and other hotels in Sidari here: Sidari Hotels.