The Olivar Suites

The olive mill at Messonghi has kept its 18th-century cogs and levers and changed its line of work. It is now Olibar, pouring bergamot liqueur and Kakotrigis, the island's own wine, among the machinery. Around it, 120 suites are laid out like a village through some 27,000 square metres of olive grove, none over two storeys, and the old trees were left where they stood. Most suites have a pool of their own. Inside it is white and wood, with no island kitsch, leaving the setting to do the talking, which, with a grove outside the door, is a sensible division of labour. The sea-facing row has Messonghi beach just beyond it, sand and pebble, and the Greek mainland on the other side of the water.

Recommended for couples who want a pool to themselves and the sea just past it, and for families who can do without a kids' club, since there isn't one: the Two Bedroom Corfiot Suite sleeps four, and babysitting can be arranged. The suite to ask for is the Riviera, for a first-floor window five metres long over the Ionian. Flya, the all-day restaurant, reworks Corfiot recipes, and the spa's Cretan massage goes on with an olive oil base, raki and orange, so the grove gets into everything, guests included. In their reviews, those guests thank the staff by name. The tavernas of Moraitika are three minutes' walk away; Corfu Town is forty minutes or so by car, which usually settles the question of dinner.