Golden Mare

Having just returned from the Golden Mare I feel I need to write an honest review based on a family experience with two rooms in the main hotel. Upon arrival which was late at night we were met with an irritate night receptionist who firstly asked for the tourist tax and then ushered us into the dining area to be met with a pile of plates wrapped in cling film, which meant the cheese, ham and bread contained within was warm and sweating... Once into the rooms which were basic but clean we noted one of the rooms had no safe, no big deal as the other room had one, this room also had mould on the roof of the toilet. Both rooms had a complimentary bottle of water but anymore you need to pay for, also both had working fridges and air con. Our rooms were serviced every day but this just meant towels were changed and bed made, not cleaned and never were cleaned for the week we were there. Although the entertainment, which was poor finished at around 23.00hrs it was not really appreciated that the TV room which was right next to our rooms decided to show the world cup games at 0300hrs. The food is very much hit and miss and often the main choices were on the cold side, there is plenty of choice but not if you are a vegetarian and also labelling is not good if you had allergies. The staff in the dining room worked extremely hard and did a good job however, the man and woman employed in the pool bar area need training on customer service, we felt that every time we ordered drinks we were an inconvenience to them and several times I was muttered at in greek or tutted at. The day reception team were fantastic and helped us order a hire car and sorted out a late check out for us. The hotel is in a beautiful location with a handy bus stop a very short walk from the front door but be warned it's on a very steep hill. There are lovely bars, restaurants and cafes near by which is handy for when you can't face the same buffet food night after night. The hotel has maintenance issues and needs a tidy up in several areas, it also suffered from multiple power cuts on a daily basis but was quickly restored. You need to buy water from the hotel shop as the water as part of the all inclusive package tastes salty. This hotel could be fantastic if the owners hired a few more staff to take the pressure off the hard working staff they have and also fix the broken tiles by the pool, give the pool a good clean and apply a lick of paint to the hotel. Another final gripe is having to pay a 10 euro deposit for a thread bare pool towel.Its listed as a 4 star hotel but in reality it's a 2/3 star but has the potential to be a true 4 star.

We spent 1 week at Corfu, Barbati, we really loved the hotel and the people there. Everyone was friendly and helpful 🥰

Overall we had a nice time however when we first arrived at the hotel we were taken in a minibus up the hill and away from the resort to an apartment which was a 10 minute walk up a steep road with very few streetlights. The room had a horrible odour when we went in the room was missing a chair/sofa. Reception needed to be called should a lift back to hotel be required. I was with my daughter and this was not a satisfactory room and also not what was advertised or paid for. This was resolved the following day and we were given a room in the hotel. The pool was murky and warm the first day but cleanliness and cool temp improved as week went on. Food was nice and good selection however wasps were an issue if sitting outside. Beautiful views from hotel. Water tasted funny from the machine as did some of the soft drinks, shop available on site to buy water etc. Coffee had a 'chemical' taste. Glasses were all marked with watermarks so looked unclean. Most of the staff were friendly and helpful however some bar staff require training in basic customer service as it seemed to be an inconvenience to serve the drinks. Location was excellent for short walk to beach with bars and lovely restaurants nearby. Bus stop close to hotel for exploring to Corfu Town and up to Kassiopi.

I write this review in hope that it’s viewed as constructive feedback to the owner(s) but also to manage guests expectations prior to their visit to The Golden Mare. Firstly, this is not a 4 star hotel and some of the photos online are A.I produced images and make the hotel appear to be more luxurious than it is, which is very misleading. Please note: The hotel is on a VERY steep hill, so bear this in mind if you have mobility issues. I’ll start by saying that the staff at The Golden Mare work so hard! They appear to be understaffed and work long hours, so I have a lot of respect for these guys, however as they are overworked, they don’t appear to be that happy and so the customer service side of things suffers as a result. At first glance, the hotel is beautiful and boasts incredible views, making a great first impression. However, on closer inspection, the building feels tired and in need of maintenance. I was disappointed by the condition of the pool. The water was noticeably cloudy, and the filtration system didn’t appear to be working properly. Visibility was so poor that you couldn’t see the bottom of the pool—or even your own body once you were in the water, so we avoided it. The main toilet requires repair, the spa appears to be out of use, the sun loungers are dirty, and the glasses and cutlery in the restaurant are all noticeably water-stained. I’d also add that, although this isn’t directly the hotel’s fault, many guests reserve sun loungers with their towels and then disappear for most of the day. As loungers are limited, it would be beneficial for a member of staff to monitor their use and discourage this practice, ensuring fair access for all guests (as per the sign by the pool) . As this is a four-star hotel, having staff available to take drink orders around the pool would also enhance the overall guest experience. As this is an all-inclusive hotel, all meals are included, but unfortunately the food was one of the biggest disappointments of our stay. While there were the occasional dishes that were enjoyable, the overall quality was poor. We found ourselves eating out on most evenings to avoid the buffet, which was a real shame and defeated the purpose of booking an all-inclusive package. The drinks were slightly better, with a reasonable cocktail menu available. However, the cocktails were very sweet and served in plastic cups that had clearly been through the dishwasher many times and as a result, made the drinks taste salty which wasn’t particularly pleasant. Despite this, the drinks were still acceptable, although they certainly didn’t reflect the standard you would expect. Around the pool area they have a playlist on repeat everyday, which I know can be common in a resort, but the playlist was short and repeated throughout the day, which became incredibly annoying. In terms of our room, we were initially pleased. It was spacious, clean, and serviced daily throughout our stay, however the shower drain was heavily blocked (which we sorted ourselves) and the shower area wasn’t sealed correctly, so it flooded the bathroom during each use, creating a slip hazard. The bedding and towels (although smelt clean) had stains on them too. I must add that we did have a lovely sea view, and the beds were comfortable. The hotel also provides evening entertainment every night, which we thoroughly enjoyed. It was varied, well organised, and always finished at a sensible time, allowing guests to enjoy the atmosphere without it going on too late. In summary, we were disappointed with most areas of our experience at The Golden Mare, however you can see the potential it has to be amazing and so I really hope the owners listen to the feedback they’re receiving from the guests who were complaining at reception every day and from the reviews on trip adviser.

Throughly enjoyed our stay at this wonderful hotel. George and the staff were attentive, friendly and helpful. The location was beautiful. Don’t understand the negative comments of some reviewers. Would highly recommend Golden Mere to anyone looking for a relaxing lovely break.

Mine and my girlfriends stay at Golden Mare Barbati was extremely disappointing. The hotel looks attractive from a distance, but up close is a whole different story. We experienced a lot issues throughout our holiday, many of which were reported multiple times but were never properly resolved. Room & Maintenance Issues - No hot water for most of the holiday. -Night 3: No hot water at all and had to take a cold shower. Told it would be fixed within an hour, but it wasn’t, so has to wait ages until we committed to just getting in it cold. - Night 4: Still no hot water. - Night 5: Only lukewarm water. - Hot water finally worked properly on our last night. -Faulty room safe. - Safe didn’t work on arrival. - Took 2 days and 3 separate requests before it was replaced. - Received replacement safe with instructions in a different language, after getting it translated and sorted it then failed after setting my code, It then wouldn't re-open. - Reported the issue another three times and was repeatedly told an engineer would attend each time and never did. They said they have another 10 or so in the hotel not working. - No repair was ever carried out, meaning I had nowhere secure to store passports, bank cards or cash for the rest of the holiday. -Telephone didn’t work on arrival. -Eventually repaired later that evening, but it was another maintenance issue that should have been resolved before we checked in. Drinking Water Issues. - Ran out of bottled water and asked reception for another bottle. Was told housekeeping would deliver one.Returned to the room - no water. Called reception again and received the same promise. Waited around 1½ hours, still nothing. Called again and was given the same assurance. Nearly 4 hours later, still no water. Then I returned to reception, I was finally informed that: * Only the first bottle is complimentary. * Guests are expected to refill bottles at the water fountain or buy more from the hotel shop. Had this been explained from the beginning, it would have saved multiple trips and phone calls. Even after being told this, a staff member still promised a complimentary bottle within 10-15 minutes and even asked permission to enter the room while we were out. When we returned around 90 minutes to 2 hours later, there was still no water, so we ended up buying our own from the hotel shop as the water from the fountains isn’t right. It’s weirdly thick and sweet. The cost wasn’t the issue - it was the repeated misinformation that was frustrating. Food Quality: The food was one of the biggest disappointments. - Meals were consistently cold or only lukewarm. - Most meals were simply not enjoyable and most of the food does not look appetising. - Very limited variety throughout the stay. - Shortly after we had eat breakfast on the first morning while we was still sat in the buffet, I became unwell and had to rush back to the room to vomit. While I can’t say for certain what caused it, it certainly wasn’t a great start to the holiday. Some examples of what food was like: - Beans were watery so you could see through the sauce and could see that all the beans had sunk to the bottom. - Bolognese sauce was swimming in some sort of oil on most nights. - Had pittas out one night so expected a variety of meats to go with it. But no… only chicken wings. - Didn’t touch really any of the meat in the other days, all looked scabby and not right. - Bacon and Sausages at breakfast are processed hot dog meat. Cleanliness & General Condition: The hotel’s cleanliness was far below expectations and what any hotel should be like! Around the hotel… - Swimming pool contained excessive numbers of wasps, moths and other insects that were rarely cleared away. And i know bugs are to be expected in the poo but not to the extent that was in this pool. Everytime you moved there was a bug that you had to push away from you. - Big Ants were always present in several areas due to uncleaned dried sugary drink spillages. - Floors had dried drink stains/ sticky residue and dirt that not once in my 7 day stay did i see get cleaned. Room: - Stained towels. - Curtains weren’t properly attached. - Brown stains on the bed. - Mould in the bathroom. - Multiple hairs on the TV remote. - One day our room wasn’t cleaned at all. Pool Area - Sun loungers were heavily stained and visibly dirty. They were that bad that everybody i have shown my photos to have said they are distgusting. Public Toilets The toilets near reception and the only toilets available apart from your room toilets were in a poor state. - Cubicle doors didn’t lock. - Broken toilet seat. - Mirrors covered in water marks and other brown stains. - No paper hand towels so had to use hand dryer which was extremely hot and very slow. - Toilet roll dispenser in 1 cubicle was completely broken and the other cubicle only worked intermittently. Restaurant & Bars: - Drinking glasses in the buffet restaurant appeared dirty and covered in water marks. - Outdoor dining tables weren’t cleaned properly. We ate at a table with visible bird poo still on it. - The cutlery and napkins laid out in the tables were dirty sometimes. Staff Attitude While some staff were polite, others were not. One member of the bar staff threw her hands up in frustration while my girlfriend was deciding what to order, despite there being no queue behind us. It was unprofessional and made us feel unwelcome. Overall Some of these issues might have been minor to some. However, experiencing all of them during one holiday - combined with repeated failures to resolve problems despite reporting them multiple times - had quite the negative impact on our stay. We paid just short of £2000 for this holiday after i saved for a long time to take my girlfriend on holiday, and unfortunately it fell well below my expectations. I CANNOT recommend this hotel based on our experience and hope to god the management at this hotel address these issues so future guests do not have the same experience.

Lovely hotel in a beautiful location. The room was clean, comfortable and fairly basic, but it had everything we needed. The view from the balcony was fantastic, with the hills on one side and the sea on the other. The food was good. As it's a smaller hotel, there isn't a huge amount of choice, but there was always something enjoyable to eat, including fresh salads, lovely feta cheese, pasta dishes, tasty potato wedges, different meats and traditional Greek dishes. The drinks were fine overall. The beer was good, and while the soft drinks weren't branded options like Coke or Pepsi, we managed perfectly well. The cocktails were enjoyable, and the bar staff worked incredibly hard, so we were never left waiting long for service. The local area is lovely, with great restaurants, beach bars and a very authentic Greek feel. It feels much less commercialised than some resorts, which we really appreciated. A special mention goes to Georgio, the manager, who works tirelessly to ensure guests are happy. If you have any issues, it's definitely worth speaking to him as he will do his best to resolve them. He was always checking that guests were enjoying their stay and couldn't have been more helpful. Overall, I would describe this as a very good 3-star-plus hotel. Having stayed here, I'm honestly not sure what some of the negative reviews are complaining about. We had a lovely holiday and would happily return.

Before you read, a caveat - this ACTUALLY happened to us… on our holiday … booked for my birthday! To summarise, despite having a confirmed booking, we were turned away on arrival and told the hotel was overbooked and could not accommodate us. Being turned away from a hotel you have paid for, in a foreign country, with no proper resolution is unacceptable. Now, into the detail: We arrived at midnight, and we were initially greeted by the assistant manager, who was very polite and reassuring, telling us he would help us and be available throughout our stay. He then directed us to the reception, where we were told that there was no space available for us and that we had to leave the hotel. This was due to ‘50% of rooms being out of use’. This was completely unacceptable, especially after being misleadingly reassured moments earlier by the manager. We also booked in February, months in advance. How they could turn us away given the notice of our booking is absurd. We were not the only ones affected – multiple guests were turned away at the same time, and we later found that several people at the alternative hotel we were sent to had also been relocated from Golden Mare. This clearly indicates a pattern of overbooking. We attempted to contact the hotel multiple times afterwards to discuss compensation or escalation. Each time, we were told that the “booking manager” was not available. When we asked to escalate further, we were told that no manager was present at all – every. single. day. Apparently only a front desk staff member and a bar staff member were available. This lack of accountability is shocking. We received no apology, no compensation, and no follow-up communication from the hotel. As I mentioned, being turned away from a hotel you have paid for, in a foreign country, with no proper resolution is unacceptable. The way this situation was handled was unprofessional and, frankly, immoral. I would strongly advise others to avoid this hotel due to the risk of overbooking and the complete lack of customer care … unless you want your own Golden NIGHTmare! NB: we are actually looking back at this laughing, now wer are back in the UK, due to the absolute ridiculous nature of what has happened to us. We’re glad it happened, because why anyone would want to stay at a hotel like that, with complete lack of care for customers, is beyond me.

Absolutely horrendous!!! Wouldn’t recommend at all, disgusting rooms, vile food made so many guests violently sick and service is just as bad!!! DO NOT BOOK

Very very disappointed with my stay , first day we arrive at around 8pm to be told we can’t stay here for the night due to a electrical issue so had to be taken to a different hotel (the other hotel was absolutely amazing) . They were late picking us up in the morning and upon finding they had done the same to other people we found out while they were telling us we can’t stay they were checking other people in . Food was ok , majority cold and greasy , drinks were not nice at all had a stagnant taste . Cleanliness was a big issue cutlery and glasses were not clean at all , and for the housekeeping they do not clean the rooms properly all they seem to do is make bed and replace towels , no bins emptied no sheet changes and no replenishing of tea and coffee despite asking multiple times , we had to go to the supermarket to buy our own which is definitely not expected at all inclusive !!! No privacy in rooms , when having siestas was woken up to cleaning staff in our room while we were sleeping in a state of undress even though we had put the do not disturb signs up they would just let themselves in even though they had “cleaned “ our room hours prior . WiFi is not good , constant power cuts and leaks in the hotel . Definitely not a 4 star luxury !

I recently visited golden mare with my friends, for a week away. We had a really lovely stay at this hotel. George, the manager, was fantastic and made every guest feel welcome and looked after. All of the staff, including Ronaldo, were friendly, attentive and always getting involved with guests, which made the overall atmosphere really enjoyable. The food was good. There could have been a bit more variety at times, but there was always something to eat, and if we fancied a change there were plenty of restaurants nearby. The entertainment was brilliant and seemed to be enjoyed by everyone staying at the hotel. The rooms were quite basic, but they had everything we needed. One thing I’d recommend is bringing a small mirror, as there was only one in the bathroom. Overall, we had a great experience and would definitely come back again.

Just arrived back today 14th June having stayed at the Golden Mare for 8 nights, due to our flight time we new we would miss our evening meal but usually the hotel you book will have a cold buffet or something similar waiting for you, not this hotel we were given a ham and cheese sandwich on 2 slices of dried bread wrapped in clingfilm and an apple each, although we did have a slightly delayed flight so wouldn’t have wanted much at 1.30 in the morning but a bottle of water would have been nice, but no such luck. We were allocated room 215 which turned out to be the best thing regards the stay as it is a huge double room with a double balcony over looking the sea with fantastic views , even this room is without fault, the safe didn’t work so we reported this to reception who promptly sent someone have a look, he changed the batteries and thought it was fixed, no such look, so we reported this a further 3 times over the next day being told someone will fix it or replace it, no one did this so we gave up in the end. The corner sofa was filthy and not fit for sitting in, yes a hotel room has a forever revolving door, there’s always going to be faults but still!! The food is poor to say the least not what you would expect from a so called 4* hotel which it isn’t, think 3* max, I will eat most things and never would I expect champagne for beer money but the choice and quality is very poor, I am in my 60s been on quite a few holidays over the years, this hotel wins the award for the WORST FOOD EVER,breakfast is passable with choice of cold meats or cooked etc,fruit juices are out of a machine, the powder flavoured variety, tinned fruit cocktail which disappeared of the menu the last 2 days and also disappeared were the pan a chocolate. Lunch, limited choice but reasonable. Evening meal open from 7.00 till 9.30 , we went to eat around 8.15 for the first 2 nights, it was like scraps that were left nothing replenished no salads really poor, we figured out you had to be in to eat by around no later than 8.00 to get a half reasonable choice, this include queuing to be shown to a table that becomes available, as the week progressed the food was replenished but the last couple of nights not as much. I will say the staff do work very hard and always polite although having had good service from the bar staff , usually 2 young ladies for most of the holiday this took a turn for the worst over the last couple of night’s on 1 occasion they were too busy talking to another guest whilst I and others were waiting to be served a manager had to tell them to serve which she did but instead of service with a smile the drinks were slammed down and the following night I after waiting patiently for 2 minutes had to say excuse me can I be served please as she was too wrapped up in talking to a young lad, also the bar had run out of tonic water for a gin and tonic so they were using soda water instead of saying they had run out. This hotel is in a lovely position in Barbati , a nice place if you want to avoid the overcrowded touristy places with a bus stop outside allowing for easy access to Corfu Town and Kassiopi, its modern and clean and and has so much potential but I feel is been run on a shoestring budget. I scored this hotel a 3 because of the room we were allocated otherwise it would have been a 2. To sum up would I go back defiantly NO, the hotel is being run on a SHOE STRING BUDGET