‘Wow, what’s this ice cream called mummy? It’s yummy,’ exclaimed my two-year-old son. It wasn’t ice cream.
It was in fact coconut tapioca pudding with yuzu and frozen passion fruit.
It’s on the menu at one of the seven restaurants here at Corfu’s Ikos Odisia, one of the latest offerings from the luxury Greek all-inclusive chain.
As parents of a toddler and a nine-month old baby, my husband and I generally stay away from places described as ‘luxury’.
But here, children and babies are not simply tolerated – they are given the five-star treatment too.
Our daughter is currently sat atop a designer Stokke highchair (RRP £309), a staple of all the hotel’s restaurants.
If we had been so inclined, the kitchen could have easily whipped up a freshly made puree for her – the back page of the menu detailed options for babies including ‘cream of poached fish fillet, courgette, carrots and potatoes.’
But as it happened, she merrily joined in with the rest of us as we ate our way through the delights of the hotel’s Asian themed restaurant Anaya, designed by Michelin-starred Chef Apiradee Thirakomen.
Jemma Buckley and her family stayed at Corfu’s Ikos Odisia, one of the latest offerings from the luxury Greek all-inclusive chain
Located on the east coast of Corfu, the resort has access to 420 metres of sandy white beaches
Set on a peninsula jutting out into the Ionian sea, the hotel – covering a sprawling 60 acres – has been designed so the restaurants make full use of the beautiful views. From our dinner table we can almost see sister hotel Ikos Dassia, a leisurely 20-minute walk along the beach.
That hotel’s insane popularity with mostly well-to-do British families led to it having a constant occupancy rate of 98pc. So Ikos management took the plunge and opened up Odisia last spring, with another 390 high-end rooms, just 1000 metres along the coast.
And it’s easy to see why those with the cash to spend just can’t get enough of this chain. It strikes the perfect balance between high-end and laid-back, allowing parents to enjoy the finer things in life while bringing their children along for the ride. No one will raise an eyebrow here if a lively toddler spills your Chianti on the tablecloth.
Unlike in many family hotels, even the smallest guests are catered for here. When passing the bike hire station one morning, we noticed they had toddler-size balance bikes. A few minutes later we had checked one out (complete with well-fitting helmet) and our two-year-old was off like a shot, soon deftly navigating the sprawling resort. This became his primary mode of transport for the week, zipping about from swimming pool to splash park to a Greek BBQ by the beach for lunch, before crashing out for a much-needed snooze.
Afternoons were generally spent down on the honey-hued, velvet sand beach, where the sea is warm and gently shelving. Shade is provided by gnarly olive trees and fragrant pines.
Despite the hotel being full, it was never hard to find a sunbed or, better still, a fully-serviced cabana by the bar.
Our son could hardly contain his delight when a waiter brought him a babychino – served in a china expresso cup – directly to a miniature picnic table in the nearby sandpit.
Copious ice-cream consumption was burnt off by regular father-and-son pedalo sessions around the crystalline bay.
The menu at the hotel’s Asian themed restaurant, Anaya, was designed by Michelin-starred Chef Apiradee Thirakomen, and features dishes such as rosted silver cod with a champagne sauce and honey
The Elia restauant at Odisia overlooks the Ionian sea, and offers traditional Greek food with a contemporary twist
If you need some child-free time, then fear not. The kid’s club is run to OFSTED guidelines and is included in the price for children aged four and up – but such is the demand you need to book early to guarantee your slots.
There is also a babysitting service in the evenings, if you feel you need it. But like most other guests we took our children along to dinner, where they are welcomed with open arms.
Arguably the resort’s swankiest restaurant is Elia, a contemporary Greek taverna perched on the headland where you can watch the sun slowly sink behind the horizon.
We found it hard to pick a starter and a main course each, so ordered a feast of different plates. Our waitress nodded enthusiastically, suggesting we add the cuttlefish and truffle beef – it’s all included, after all.
A sommelier was on hand to talk us through the wine list, as the extensive choice left us feeling overwhelmed. He suggested a white from Greece’s Peloponnese region. When we complimented his choice at the end of the evening, he dashed off to the cellar and presented us with another unopened bottle on our way out. ‘For when the little ones are sleeping,’ he said with a smile.
This truly limitless approach to all-inclusive left us accumulating an embarrassing stock-pile of booze back in our room.
On my husband’s birthday we were presented with a bottle of Taittinger champagne at dinner, along with a personalised cake. When we got back to our room, another bottle was waiting with a some truffles.
Odisia Ikos caters for guests of all ages, and has bikes available to hire to ride around the resort – including balance bikes for toddlers. For those needing some children-free time, the kids club is available to book (press shot)
One evening, a couple on the table next to us asked if they could have the same wine they had drunk at another restaurant the night before.
It wasn’t stocked here, they were told, but it could be ordered in – and before long a waiter on an electric scooter had zoomed over with a bottle on a silver tray.
So this all sounds great, I hear you say, but you don’t like being cooped up in a hotel all week. Well Ikos has a solution to that, with the hire of a complementary Tesla included, allowing you to escape the resort confines and discover the real Corfu.
But, did we bother? To be totally frank, no. As two tired parents, with everything we could ever want on site, why would we want to leave?
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .