Acanthus Blue hotel review: an impeccably renovated 18th-century Corfu home packed with character
Acanthus Blue (named after Greece's symbolic national flower) occupies an old manor house that has been renovated with uncompromising heart and soul — not to mention a whole heap of cash — to create a boutique hotel with bundles of class and style. When you book a stay here, you're paying for character and attention to detail rather than high-end facilities. The eight guest rooms are utterly exquisite, the courtyard is a genuine haven in the heat of the day, and — from breakfast at the start of the day to the evening turndown — the staff do everything with a devotion to perfection. You'll find nothing else like it.
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Score 10/10When the owner bought this neo-classical manor house, which dated to the late 1700s and had been lying empty and decaying for years, he took on a staggering labour of love. There was red tape to navigate (it was a protected monument) and a lot of money to spend in returning the building to its former glory — indeed, the fees for archaeological work alone cost more than £200,000. But, boy, was it worth the effort. The renovation preserved original beams and brickwork, and central features like the stone staircase, its wooden handrail so polished you feel guilty touching it.
Rooms are high-ceilinged and handsome, with wood floors and an effortless style that you know can only be achieved with huge effort. The attention to detail is a wonder to behold. Light shades are fashioned from artisan-blown Murano glass, the furniture bespoke, the drawers felt-lined and the air-conditioning expensively silent. The white bathrooms are spacious and have showers. Each room is different, but none has as much as a hairline crack in its plaster. For all their elegance, though, they retain an intimate, homely feel. Some have partial views to the sea, while others look over the garden or an alleyway.
Score 7/10 The staff take particular pride in breakfast, which features homemade jams and marmalade, marble cake, speciality pies stuffed with spinach, courgette and feta, Greek yoghurts, and omelettes and eggs benedict prepared from local eggs delivered fresh the night before. You can eat in the lobby bar and kitchen area, with its stripped brick walls and stone-tiled floors, or in the courtyard garden.
There's currently no restaurant, but the owner plans to change that next season with a menu focusing on sushi and fish. You can assume it'll be top quality. For the moment, there are various nearby restaurants to choose from, including Avli just 50 metres away, which serves good Mediterranean cuisine.
• Read our full guide to Corfu• Best family hotels in Corfu
Score n/aThe courtyard garden is the hotel's centrepiece, with gently spouting fountains, leafy ferns in raised beds, and fans keeping the air moving beneath a simple, shady pergola and there's live jazz held here every Wednesday evening. Given the nature of the property, this isn't somewhere blessed with facilities such as a spa, gym or sauna. Instead, the extra value lies in the personalised service, with staff bending over backwards to offer advice on things to do in the area and to make bookings on behalf of guests.
Score 8/10The property is nicely located, set a little back from the seafront promenade a ten-minute walk into the heart of Corfu's Old Town.
Price B&B doubles from £204Restaurant n/aFamily-friendly YAccessible N
Adrian Phillips was a guest of Acanthus Blue (acanthusblue.com)
• Best all-inclusive hotels in Corfu• More great hotels in Corfu
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