Review: Domes Miramare, a Luxury Collection Resort, Corfu (part of Marriott Bonvoy)

This is our review of Domes Miramare Corfu, an ‘adults only’ resort which is part of Marriott’s The Luxury Collection.

Corfu is one of the larger Greek islands at 590 km². Its landscape includes mountains and beaches and there are numerous towns and villages of interest, not least the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Corfu Town.

The hotel grounds are dotted with ancient gnarled olive trees, reflecting the site’s former life as an olive mill. Built as a sumptuous private residence on the shore of the Ionian sea by the Onassis family in the 1960s, the residence quickly became a magnet for the 60s jet set, hosting politicians, European royalty and many celebrities of the era.

Following extensive renovations, the property became a Domes resort in 2018, and swiftly thereafter joined Marriott’s The Luxury Collection.

The Domes Miramare website is here.

The hotel provided my stay for review purposes, but HfP paid for all other expenses including flights.

It took me about 35 minutes (traffic wasn’t great) to make the 18km journey via taxi due south down the east coast of Corfu from the airport to Miramare. The cost is €55 (or will be if you avoid the taxi kiosk in the airport and head straight to the rank) which the hotel advises is the fixed tariff.

The resort occupies both sides of the coastal road, with the main entrance (above) being on the shore side, called the Seafront Wing. This is the original part of the hotel, which fronts directly onto the beach.

The Panoramic Wing, completed two years ago, is over (or under – there is a pedestrian tunnel for guests) the road.

Reception is to your left past the concierge, in a very large open space with an old olive tree in the centre. I didn’t make it to the desk until checkout as the person greeting you, and taking your luggage will escort you to seating (below) facing the sea. Check in comes to you while you have a drink.

Rooms at the Domes Miramare Resort

My room was in the Panoramic Wing, and was an Opal Suite with outdoor jacuzzi.

The room was light and airy, with a view over to the sea, and sliding doors to your share of the terrace outside the room. There was a comfortable chair as well as the table and sofa shown below.

Everyone receives some form of welcome gift. Mine included excellent Kalamata olives and thyme & oregano breadsticks that were melt in the mouth good.

The Nespresso coffee machine, kettle and tea, coffee and water were in the unit opposite the table, above a stocked minibar fridge. There were also some snacks including crisps and biscuits.

To my left (i.e. not in the image above!) is the door and the entrance area with wardrobe with plenty of (long) hanging space and also housing the bathrobes, slippers, iron and ironing board, umbrella, safe, shoe horn, clothes brush and hair dryer.

There is also a plug in scent diffuser with Arôme de Dômes …. actually I’ve no idea what the scent was, but the room smelled so good I asked about it and was told there is a signature smell. Don’t be put off – this is not at all overpowering, just a very subtle undertone.

The king size bed was super comfortable with good lighting and sockets next to the bed, with helpfully labelled switches.

The bathroom aesthetic matched the bedroom, simple but stylish and high quality. The rainfall shower had good water pressure ….

…. with luxurious products from Le Chemin by Byredo.

As well as a large mirror above the double basins, there is a separate magnifying mirror and a good selection of toiletries including toothbrush and toothpaste should you have forgotten your own.

Here is the the outdoor jacuzzi on the terrace, which you can see from the bathroom window. To the other side of your terrace area are two loungers.

The terrace area in front of the suite is relatively private, separated from the next room’s terrace with planting. Above is the view over the Panorama pool to the sea beyond, and to the corten steel structure of the main Panoramic Wing communal areas.

I thought I should check out a couple of other rooms. Above is an Emerald Retreat, which is the ‘entry level’ room in the Seafront Wing and still very smart. This one has a view to the sea, so if you want the cheapest option you will get exactly the same room but with a ‘garden view’.

At the other end of the spectrum I was shown one of the Pavilion suites (not pictured). This was similar to other rooms, but with a larger footprint and more private terrace area. The one I saw lead directly onto the beachfront and had a very large jacuzzi.

Some of these more exclusive rooms come with Haute Living Selection access. This gives you access to a private area within the resort, featuring a cool lounge (above) with a selection of food and drink always available, your own private terrace and pool with access to a secluded part of the sea front.

Domes Miramare Resort grounds and facilities

There are two outdoor pools, a spa with an indoor pool, gym and an outdoor yoga/fitness class area as well as three restaurants, a sushi bar, two pool bars and a further bar.

However, I give top billing to the olive trees and the sea!

The landscape around the whole of the Seafront Wing (no misnomer here) is stunning.

The sea is beautifully clear. There are swimming pool style bars to help you in and out. This view is towards the Pavilions and Villa end of the sea front which stretches out to the north end of the resort. There are loungers and parasols on the beach area closer to the pool bar, but above is the spot for me!

Pools

There are two outdoor pools at Domes Miramare, both with bars.

The Seafront Wing pool is just back from the beach, with a shady bar area and plenty of seating around it including Balinese beds.

The Panorama pool was also surrounded by comfortable loungers and was the more ‘serious’ of the two pools (some guests were even doing lengths!).

For those in accommodation with Haute Living Selection, there is a smaller separate pool in the Haute Living private area. In addition there are four Pavilion suites that have their own private pools – two with jacuzzis as well. Suffice it to say, you are never going to be too far from a pool in this resort!

The Soma Spa and the fitness centre

The Soma Spa is in the Panoramic Wing of the resort.

The lighting throughout the spa is muted and calm, and I do like the fact that it is at ground level (rather than subterranean as many seem to be) so there was natural light to complement the mood lighting.

As well as a pool, there is a sauna and steam room in the capacious changing rooms.

The four treatment rooms stick with the neutral cool colour palate and it works. Without wishing to sound like a marketing brochure, this place really is an oasis of calm and tranquility.

The spa offers an extensive range of facials, massages and body treatments (think scrubs, wraps ….) using products from Augustinus Bader, Elemis and iS Clinical. If you’re staying for a few days they will put together packages for you – a treatment a day.

The PALS Gym is next to the Spa, and is light and airy with a good selection of TechnoGym equipment and free weights.

Also on offer are yoga (including sunset and sunrise) and fitness classes in the outdoor gym as well as indoors in the gym above.

Dining and Bars at Domes Miramare

There are three restaurants at Domes Miramare, plus a sushi bar as well as a ‘regular’ bar:

• 1962 Restaurant by the sea – Seafront Wing
• Antonino’s Italian Restaurant – Panoramic Wing
• MAKRIS Fine Dining Restuarant – Panoramic Wing
• Raw Sushi Bar – Seafront Wing
• Blu Bar – Seafront Wing

1962 Restaurant by the Sea is the main resort restaurant offering a buffet breakfast and a la carte Mediterranean and Greek lunch and evening menus. The photo above was taken early in the morning, and the restaurant also has a large interior area.

This was breakfast done on a grand scale. There was a huge variety of food, and plenty of it. The set up was such that you didn’t have to queue, as it was laid out around a massive open ‘island’ with chefs in the middle on pancake and egg duty.

Food was also arrayed along counters around and at the end of the buffet area – with enough space to easily get to the food at the side without bumping into people around the centre. Impressive.

Here are just a couple of the counters featured, which were kept well topped up for the duration.

At lunchtime I had chicken gyros here. This was a decent lunch but nothing exceptional, and is rather spoiled by comparison with two of the other dining options.

Antonino’s Restaurant is open for evening meals in the Panoramic Wing and supplies poolside snacks for the Panorama Pool bar by day. There is also a row of seating on the terrace outside.

The menu was modern Italian with salads, pasta, risotto, pizza and mains such as ‘slow cooked beef cheeks, gnocchi, pecorino cream, gremolata’ for €28, ‘gilt head sea bream, gremolata, pan-seared potatoes, asparagus, tomato confit for €32.

I took the ‘Estate A Corfu Risotto’ €28 (peas, spinach, summer squash, herbs, goats cheese, lemon) and was not disappointed. It tasted very fresh and not too overpoweringly of goats cheese.

Although it was actually quite light for risotto, I didn’t have room for one of the three classic Italian desserts on offer (tiramisu, obviously, €16 and Panna Cotta with seasonal fruit €14 which I’m rather regretting not trying now).

MAKRIS fine dining restaurant

Drumroll please for the MAKRIS fine dining restaurant. This was the first of three MAKRIS restaurants opened by Domes in their resorts. In 2023 they opened a standalone restaurant in Athens which received its first Michelin Star in 2024.

The restaurant is on the second floor of the Panoramic Wing, with a view over the sea, of course (you can’t see it here as I waited until the tables were unoccupied for the image, although even when fully occupied it was hardly crowded).

The ethos of the restaurant is hyper local and no waste, and from what the chefs told (and showed) me, it lives up to this promise.

The menu offers a choice of two tasting menus, ‘Genesis’ for €85 per person which had three fewer dishes than ‘Utopia’ for €120, which is the one I had.

Service is fantastic. The pace was just right. Dishes are brought to the table by the chef who made it and are happy to offer as much or as little explanation as you like. The food is beautiful, delicious and beautifully presented. I’m honestly not prone to hyperbole, but this is food as art!

So here we have our first art installation! Unfortunately for me, this is one of three exquisite dishes forming part of the ‘Chefs Welcome’ which are not detailed on the menu, so I can tell you it was mainly beetroot with some amazing flavours.

I can’t show you everything, so I will move on to a random larger plate:

The first main, above, was Seabass Fillet / Cuttlefish / Clams / Herbs and was followed by Greek Lamb / Aubergine Textures / ‘Trahana’ with black garlic.

After the ‘pre-dessert’ which was actually very much a dessert – something of a similar texture to panna cotta but more delicious – came The Strawberry / Balsamic / Fennel Seed.

All of these dishes are more than the flavours their menu description conveys. The dish above was strawberries, a strawberry mousse, a strawberry (meringue? but less sweet) shell .…

.… and, finally, above are the ‘mignardise’ aka ‘sweet treats’. Something akin to a chocolate truffle and kumquat jelly. I thought you should see the presentation!

There is a decent wine list featuring Greek and international wines, and of course a pairing menu to go with the food.

This meal was a highlight of my stay and if you come to this resort, don’t miss it. However, I am not quite finished with the food yet.

The Raw Bar

On the second floor of the Seafront Wing you will find the Raw Bar, offering fresh sushi to accompany your drinks.

As with every eatery here, there is an open kitchen, and so I watched as the chef prepared the dishes. Here are a couple:

Above is a seabass ceviche (€18).

…. and sushi salmon rolls (€18).

Along with the Blu Bar downstairs, this is one of the two main bars in the resort. You can expect a range of signature cocktails and, well, any drink you like (within reason).

Conclusion

Domes Miramare was a lovely place to spend a couple of days and it is high on my (admittedly rather long) list of places I would like to return to with my (now adult) children for a family holiday.

The setting is absolutely gorgeous. The olive trees right next to the beautifully clear sea set the scene for a calm and restorative stay.

The food throughout the resort is good, with both MAKRIS and the seafood at the Raw Bar being exceptional. I thought that both of these were also good value.

For a typical price, I looked at rates for a long weekend (3 nights) at the end of July and was quoted €423 per room per night for two people on a bed and breakfast basis in an Emerald Retreat similar to the one pictured above.

For an Opal Suite Sea View the same as mine (with no jacuzzi) the rate was €440. As an aside, during the booking flow I was offered the option to book a taxi for €55 and a ‘Utopia’ 13 course menu at MAKRIS for the special offer of €80 – if you go, do both of those things!

You can find out more about the Domes Miramare resort, including some strong discounts available for stays in July, here.