We first catch sight of Corfu, the verdant Greek jewel in the Ionian sea, from above. In the huge horseshoe bay below, boats drift soundlessly through the strait that separates the island from Albania to the north and the Greek mainland to the west. Corfu, on the northwestern edge of the great patchwork of islands and archipelagos that make up Greece, is one of the country’s greenest and most fertile islands, thanks to the mild Mediterranean climate.
It is also hilly, and our plane circles down between Mount Pantokrator in the north and the olive-green hills in the south, ever closer to a runway that juts out into the sparkling azure waters. As we land, we glide just feet over the heads of visitors to the Vlacherna Monastery, a small white stone church topped with terracotta tiles that sits at the end of the runway and gives evidence to the island’s rich cultural and religious history. Our destination is the five-star , the first European property of the renowned Banyan Group, an Asian hospitality group which specialises in luxurious destinations with a focus on enhancing the local area and sustainable tourism.
Just under 20 minutes away by car, the hotel is built into the lush green hillside above the village of Benitses, and the luxury is immediately evident as a valet smoothly takes our keys and our luggage, allowing us to check in completely hassle free. When we arrive at our room – well, it is actually an enormous villa that boasts its own infinity pool, giant bed,.
