My Big, Fab, Greek Fam Trip: Behind the scenes of the latest TTG Luxury Journey
Dinners in film sets, idyllic beaches, the finest Greek food and red-carpet treatment in luxurious hotels – it can only be a TTG Luxury Journey, making its welcome comeback with a trip to Corfu with Grecotel and Indulgent Escapes by Jet2holidays
Pleasantly surprised: that was the emotion detected on every single diner’s face after a post-supper shot of honey-infused tsikouda, a Greek tipple more commonly known as raki. The fiery and sweet spirit didn’t burn our throats, but instead perfectly rounded off a tantalisingly traditional dining experience at Danilia Village and was one of many new flavours a group of travel advisors discovered during an alfresco evening in Corfu.
The trip with Grecotel Hotels & Resorts and Indulgent Escapes by Jet2holidays was the first TTG Luxury Journey since 2020, celebrating the chance to give agents enriching experiences in destinations with travel partners around the world. The hotel group’s director of sales for the UK and luxury, Konstantinos Sinis, was the brains behind sampling the honey-infused tsikouda, and helped showcase other Greek delicacies made with local produce such as braised rooster with rigatoni, loukaniko (sausages) and spinach-stuffed crepes.
Something of a hot-spot restaurant and tourist attraction on the island, Danilia Village will be recognisable to some film and TV buffs from its use as a film set for the popular British comedy-drama series The Durrells, as well as the 1981 James Bond blockbuster For Your Eyes Only and My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, which is scheduled for release this September. The colourful 1930s replica village is also home to a museum of ancient Corfiot artefacts, a souvenir shop and agricultural apparatus.
“Danilia Village is something unique,” comments Matthew Sanders, senior travel consultant at Scotts Travel, who joined the trip. “It’s such a lovely place to spend an evening.” The atmosphere is helped by the village’s rustic paved courtyard edged by weathered farmyard buildings and a butter-yellow church, as well as its smiley team members and tranquil ambience.
It’s also handy for the host hotel for this trip, being just a 10-minute drive from Grecotel Corfu Imperial, and the group benefited from a complimentary transfer between the two. Guests at this five-star property on the island’s east coast can also make the most of The Dine Club, a culinary concept offering one free meal at Danilia Village for those on a half-board basis staying seven nights or more. The Dine Club also includes a complimentary a la carte dinner at an in-resort restaurant of guests’ choice; Italian eatery Trattoria is one such option, where we were blown away by every dish.
“My favourite meal was at Trattoria,” says Ross Johnson, owner of Travlux. “The quality of the food was excellent, as was the selection on the menu and the service.” Those menu highlights included beef-smoked Nubulo with tartufo cream; freshly made tortelli stuffed with porcini mushrooms, Parmesan and truffle; and seabass in a fragrant saffron sauce. “It was such a feast,” adds Catherine Dorsett, travel consultant at Colchester Travel. “Everything tasted wonderful and the courses just kept coming!”
Even if you’re too full for dessert, Corfu Imperial’s gelateria just around the corner provides a little extra temptation and is open from 11am until 10pm (between June and September) – perfect for satisfying afternoon sugar cravings and located just above one of the hotel’s many sandy beaches to provide divine sea views.
Rooms with a view
Ocean vistas are a regular feature at Corfu Imperial. “There are 300 glorious rooms and every single one has a sea view,” explains Scotts Travel’s Sanders, with Hannah Alexander, a travel consultant at Off Broadway Travel, adding: “You just look out of your window every morning and feel like you’re in paradise.”
Alexander was also impressed by the variety of room types, with Corfu Imperial offering a choice of suites, bungalows and villas – each one as elegant as the other. “My top selling tip would be to highlight the variety of room types,” she says. “There is a huge range, going from the standard lead-in suites to massive villas with private pools – there are tons of options for all different types of client, including families.”
The group were staying in a range of areas of the resort, some in the Imperial Building – home to the main hotel with reception, large communal pool and breakfast restaurant Mon Repos – while others were in the swim-up bungalows of the Corfu Gardens Collection and the Waterfront Collection’s villas, which have private pools and sun decks with direct sea access.
“All the rooms were so clean and modern, with lots of space,” recalls Emma Morgan, a sales consultant at La Vida Travel. “My room was the swim-up bungalow, and it was amazing. The terrace is the perfect size to come back to and chill out on in the evening.”
“The swim-up pool is a showstopper!” adds Colchester Travel’s Dorsett, while Scotts Travel’s Sanders was in one of the Imperial Building’s Deluxe Suites and said it gave a “massive wow factor upon entry”.
“Traditionally you open a room door to a bed and bathroom, but in the suite, first you see living space and an unspoilt view of the bay, then you go to the adjacent room, which is the bedroom, and that has another stunning view and a massive, inviting bed. It’s just the spot for a really special stay,” Sanders adds.
Travlux’s Johnson, meanwhile, loved the fact there was “plenty of space, it’s beautifully decorated and there’s a wonderful sunrise view from the balcony”.
With around 50 room types, agents agreed there was truly no preference that can’t be met. Private beach required? No problem. Party of 12? Absolutely. One handy tip when considering accommodation options at Corfu Imperial is that it’s possible to mix ’n’ match. The villas and bungalows can be sold individually for couples and smaller families or in bulk for larger groups, which could include multigenerational families or groups of friends.
The swim-up bungalows, for example, have four rooms per block and share a pool, so one can be sold to a solo traveller or couple, or four could be sold to a group of eight. This flexibility with booking options was taken as a sign of things to come, with nothing too much trouble for the staff, and every guest made to feel special for the duration of their stay.
“The incredible staff and attention to detail at this property are second to none – it’s a true five-star luxury property,” says Dorsett.
Isle of plenty
Corfu Imperial is just one of four gorgeous Grecotel properties on the Greek island, with the latest addition being Lux Me Costa Botanica. The TTG Luxury Journey took place just one week before this north-coast property was due to welcome its first-ever guests, so the group were permitted a sneak peek. They immediately fell in love with Costa Botanica, highlighting its Tuscan-esque Country and Summer Houses, central Piazza Popolare, and 1,000-metre-long sandy beach as key selling points.
GOOD TO KNOW
- Encourage clients to sign up to Grecotel Hotels & Resorts’ Privilege Club, as they can receive priority check-in, complimentary cocktails, in-resort customisations and more.
- Corfu Imperial has nine seaview dining options, including the newest addition, Merlin’s Restaurant, which serves up Asian and Latin American dishes to guests over the age of 12. Menu highlights include salmon tiradito and toban beef.
- The Medusa Estate sleeps 12 and is the latest addition to the accommodation portfolio at Grecotel’s Corfu Imperial.
- Guests staying at Corfu Imperial properties for seven nights or longer on a half-board basis receive one complimentary dinner at Danilia Village as part of The Dine Club concept. Danilia Village can also be booked for weddings.
- Lux Me properties are Grecotel’s all-inclusive hotels.
- Indulgent Escapes by Jet2holidays is the UK’s biggest luxury tour operator, with 150 hotels and villas in over 35 destinations. It’s one of few brands among tour operators in the top 20 Atol rankings focused on luxury getaways.
“The resort is going to be fabulous,” says Sanders. “The beach is unspoilt, the backdrop resembles a Tahitian island and you forget you’re in the Med. I love the way this beach hasn’t been overrun by hotels, and I feel a five-minute walk from the property to a beach like this is well worth the effort.”
Dorsett was excited to start recommending Lux Me Costa Botanica to families in particular. “I think this will be a great option for families – it’s spacious with a great communal area where parents can enjoy themselves whilst their children are kept entertained,” she says. “The beach area was so natural and beautiful, and it would be wonderful for parents to sit and watch the sunset with a cocktail in hand.”
Lux Me Costa Botanica is the second of Grecotel’s Lux Me hotels to open on Corfu, with Lux Me Daphnila Bay Dassia an already well-established family favourite on the island. We paid this all-inclusive property a lunchtime visit and dined, unsurprisingly, family style at the open-air waterfront restaurant Tavernaki. Upon arrival, the sight of the meze spread triggered enthusiastic “oohs” and “ahhs” from us all as we struggled to decide whether to start with the traditional Greek salad, Cretan “dakos” salad or shrimp “saganaki”.
“I love how we had plates and plates of all different things and got to enjoy a range of tastes and flavours,” says Off Broadway Travel’s Alexander.
“Sofrito” was the main character of the meal by far, a must-try Corfu delicacy consisting of tender cuts of beef in a white wine and gloriously garlicky sauce, served here with a side of potato cream. We had lunch here, but it’s worth noting this restaurant typically opens for dinner only, with reservations required.
Tucked up against one end of Lux Me Daphnila Bay Dassia’s Blue Flag beach, this must be one of the most popular spots in the resort – alongside the lobby’s chocolaterie, and the hotel’s wine-tasting room lined with bottles upon bottles of Greek wine. We piled in for a tasting session with the hotel’s in-house sommelier, who talked us through a white, rosé and red.
We sniffed, swilled and sipped, observing notes of strawberry, apple, cherry and vanilla as we went. The group was both surprised and delighted to hear this wine-tasting session, which tends to last between 30 and 60 minutes, is included in the price of a stay at Lux Me Daphnila Bay Dassia.
“It would be perfect for parents looking for a little date night idea,” suggests La Vida Travel’s Morgan, upon learning childcare is also complimentary for guests. “Lux Me Daphnila Bay Dassia would be lovely for families who want to experience the Grecotel brand on a bit more of a budget,” she thinks.
Completing the Grecotel family on Corfu is Eva Palace, a property within walking distance of both Grecotel Corfu Imperial and Lux Me Daphnila Bay Dassia. The group couldn’t resist popping in to take a look given it’s already a popular choice for their customers.
“I’ve booked honeymooners and couples here before, so I’m so glad we saw the hotel,” says Sanders. “I think it’s lovely; it rivals Corfu Imperial but if Imperial is a bit too costly for the client, Eva Palace makes the perfect compromise – it doesn’t lack any of the charm and character.”
Dorsett was rather taken with the 1920s “fun and fashionable” decor at Eva Palace and could see herself holidaying there, while Morgan said this property was her favourite of Grecotel’s Corfu hotels due to the stylish pool area and remarkable restaurant views.
“Eva Palace is again a super-classy hotel,” says Alexander. “It felt like the clientele were slightly older than at Corfu Imperial and it had a really ‘grown-up’ feel to it.”
Easy booking
Grecotel Corfu Imperial, Lux Me Costa Botanica, Lux Me Daphnila Bay Dassia and Eva Palace are all bookable through Indulgent Escapes by Jet2holidays, with many package inclusions helping to give clients’ holidays a luxury edge. These include 25kg checked baggage allowance, a priority lane pass at UK airports, two complimentary drinks onboard and private transfers – all with a low £60 per person deposit.
“I would only book [Grecotel’s Corfu hotels] with Indulgent Escapes by Jet2holidays because they make it so easy for us to give great customer service thanks to the extra touches,” says Travlux’s Johnson. Off Broadway Travel’s Alexander adds: “They do some really stringent testing for a hotel to become part of the range, so you can say with absolute confidence that if you pick an Indulgent Escapes by Jet2holidays hotel it’s going to be a lovely five-star property.”
The group shared their selling tips for Grecotel and Indulgent Escapes in a behind-the-scenes video:
Indulgent Escapes by Jet2holidays manages its quality control by hand-picking every hotel and implementing benchmarks for service, attention to detail, intimacy and style, and it’s essential for every property in the collection to have a minimum 4.5/5 rating on Tripadvisor and a minimum of 80% of Jet2holidays customers reporting they’re “very satisfied” with their hotel.
Sanders picks out the intimacy and exclusivity of Grecotel Corfu Imperial as being particularly impressive. “I loved exploring the grounds with its little nooks and crannies, and lovely gardens – you can always find a nice little secluded spot to relax, and even though there are 300 rooms and the hotel is at 80% like it was during our stay, there is always a sense of calm about the place and it feels personal.”
Attention to detail was also a huge selling point picked up by all agents in the group, and recognised across the four Grecotel properties. Whether it was welcome drinks, incredibly well-maintained rooms and public areas, turndown services or a saxophonist at breakfast to create a jovial atmosphere, there was no stone left unturned.
“It’s a truly five-star level of service,” says Johnson. “There are so many thoughtful, attentive touches all the way through, such as a chilled bottle of bubbly on arrival, fresh watermelon coming out during the day, and even little extra touches like flowers on arrival if it’s your honeymoon.”
Morgan adds: “The staff were so friendly and helpful; they really went above and beyond to make the stay really special.”
Dorsett saw huge benefits to joining the TTG Luxury Journey and won’t hesitate to sell Grecotel’s Corfu hotels in future, summing up: “From start to finish, the trip and the hosting was absolutely fabulous. It’s hard to pick just one highlight, but getting the opportunity to view all of Grecotel’s stunning properties was so beneficial, as it will really help me to sell their hotels with passion and conviction, and match the right property to each client’s profile.”
How to book it
Indulgent Escapes by Jet2holidays offers seven nights at Grecotel Corfu Imperial, including breakfast, from £1,619pp (based on two sharing, departing from Manchester on 30 September 2023). Price also includes 25kg baggage allowance and return transfers. Tel: 0800 022 3730, email: tradesupport@jet2holidays.com, or go online at trade.jet2holidays.com.
For more information on Grecotel (grecotel.com), email Claire.Griffiths@grecotel.com or Konstantinos.Sinis@grecotel.com.
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