Eleals Boutique Hotel

We recommend the Eleals to thirty- and forty-something couples seeking a contemporary boutique hotel without folklore, for a child-free beach week or a romantic long weekend. Families are welcome, but the intimate scale and pared-back design appeal more to adults. It's an address for those who want Corfu without the cruise ships of Agios Gordios or the bustle of Paleokastritsa.

The Eleals is a contemporary building constructed in the 2010s, white horizontal architecture with cascading terraces facing the sea. No neoclassical columns or Venetian pastiche: concrete, glass, whitewashed wood, clean lines. The volumes are generous, standard ceiling height but floor-to-ceiling windows in the rooms. The whole comprises 28 units spread over three levels, boutique scale that preserves the calm.

The hotel restaurant serves a Mediterranean menu with local produce: grilled fish, seasonal vegetables, Corfu olive oil. No signature chef or star, but honest cuisine for dinner with toes in the sand without leaving the address. Breakfast is taken on the sea-facing terrace, continental buffet with Greek pastries. Room service available until 10pm, reduced but effective menu.

Perama lies five kilometres south of Corfu Town, on the east coast facing Albania. The neighbourhood is residential and quiet, without nightlife or shops nearby: plan for a car or rely on taxis. Corfu international airport is ten minutes by car, the port fifteen. The Venetian old town of Corfu, UNESCO-listed, is reached in ten minutes, ideal for dinner at Pomo d'Oro or strolling the alleys without the din.