Corfu may not be the first place that comes to mind for ultra-luxury escapes – yet amid its lush hills and turquoise waters, we discovered a side of the island that can rival the world’s most celebrated playgrounds. Ultima Corfu had much to do with it, offering a ‘superyacht on land’ experience – a fully-staffed, private villa where every detail was anticipated and every moment carefully curated. A place to swim, sail, dine, or simply breathe, it was luxury with effortless ease – an invitation to surrender fully to the island’s timeless rhythm.
Corfu in June was the perfect antidote to our grey-London gloom, just three and a half hours and a piercingly blue, cloudless sky away. We landed on the lush – at least at the time of our visit – green Greek island, and from the moment we descended over its coastline, we were reminded why we hold Greece in such high regard. Looking out of the plane window, we watched the glorious azure Ionian Sea turn turquoise as it shallowed over thin sandy beaches, skirting a rugged coastline. Olive groves tumbled across the hills, punctuated with dark green cypress trees that stood upright like exclamation marks.
It was easy to see what inspired a young Gerald Durrell to become a naturalist. His time here in the 1930s, later captured in My Family and Other Animals, went on to inspire both book lovers and television audiences alike. His older brother Lawrence also immortalised the island in prose, portraying Corfu as both exotic and intimate. Their work still shapes the perception of Corfu as a sedate, gently eccentric place – an island to step away from the frantic pace of modern life and surrender to something altogether more elemental. The Durrells’ villa may have been far more modest than the one we were headed to – the spectacular Ultima Corfu – but the essence of the island, its unhurried rhythm, its clarity of light and its untamed beauty remained wonderfully unchanged.
Corfu might not be the first place that comes to mind when one thinks of super-luxury, OutThere escapes. It doesn’t quite carry the same air of Côte d’Azur glamour or the jet-set sheen of St Barth’s or even that of its Cycladic cousin, Mykonos. For many, its reputation is still tied to sleepy summers, a dose of Durrell nostalgia and a smattering of low-key resorts. Yet that, in part, is what makes it so compelling. Corfu has retained a sense of authenticity and wild beauty. When you add a villa like Ultima Corfu into the equation, the island reveals a side of itself that rivals the more obvious luxury playgrounds.
And of course, with Ultima Corfu being a ‘buy-out’ private residence, we were about to encounter the sort of unapologetic, no-detail-left-to-chance indulgence that only comes with a fully staffed, ultra-luxury villa holiday: just for you, or with your plus one, or with a group, family or chosen family. This was precisely what we had come to experience – the seductive ease of a life where the boundaries between home and hotel, privacy and service, blurred almost entirely.
Ultima’s – for now, European – portfolio of villas (or perhaps more accurately, private palaces) were never conceived as mere places to stay. Instead, they invite us to step into a carefully curated lifestyle with its own natural rhythm.
Before long, we found ourselves stretched out across the cushioned deck of a sleek Ultima speedboat, skimming across the Ionian Sea towards the Strait of Corfu. As every OutThere traveller knows, arriving somewhere by boat is almost always a prelude to magic. Sure enough, as we approached the far side of the bay east of the small village of Nissaki, we caught sight of our final destination. Perched high on the cliff, a hundred feet above its own private dock, was the villa that would be our home for the next three days, the impossibly private, quietly spectacular Ultima Corfu.
It was quite the sight at first. Artfully perched on the cliffs and built over three levels – not including the terraced gardens that climb from the dock to the villa itself – Ultima Corfu revealed itself in all its theatrical glory. For those less inclined, or less able, to take on the forty-five-degree climb (or perhaps simply too excited to wait), there was always the option to make like Charlie and take a glass elevator most of the way.
We chose the path instead. There was something irresistible about letting our senses be ambushed by the heady scent of jasmine and rosemary that grew in joyful abundance throughout the gardens, as we wound our way up to the house.
The design of Ultima Corfu was all about maximising the sea views. Its staggered form meant that each of the six suites looked directly onto the glittering Ionian – neatly avoiding any White Lotus II-style squabbles over who had lucked out with the best view. The result was a profound sense of privacy and generosity of space, heightened by the villa’s elevated position above the sea, which bestowed a rare combination of serenity and discretion.
Our suite was tucked just off a vast communal lounge complete with a welcoming fireplace, a grand piano (of course) and an arrangement of sink-in sofas that seemed purpose-built for late-night raconteur-ing. We entered through a pair of ancient carved wooden doors into a bedroom of truly indulgent proportions, dressed in a calming white-on-white palette that amplified the light and the airiness of the space. Two full walls of floor-to-ceiling glass opened out to uninterrupted views across the strait to Albania, and a super-king bed demanded we dive straight in. A dressing room, easily capacious enough to host an entire Paris Fashion Week wardrobe, lay in wait behind. The bathroom, meanwhile, channelled a little Greek drama of its own – a vast rain shower stretched the length of one wall, while opposite, a raised marble tub (framed by a generous picture window) seemed designed solely for long, languid soaks.
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| While you’re Out There |
| For those inclined to wander beyond the villa, there were hiking trails that wound into the hills and small beaches tucked discreetly along the shoreline, each one tempting us with the promise of discovery. Yet no stay in Corfu felt complete without a pilgrimage to its Old Town – a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a living palimpsest of the island’s layered past. We lost ourselves in its tight-knit alleys and sun-washed squares, pausing often to admire the Venetian Old Fortress whose thick ramparts and sweeping sea views stood as a proud reminder of how fiercely this island once defended its independence. The town itself was a study in contrasts – baroque churches rubbing shoulders with neoclassical mansions, artisan bakeries sidling up against elegant boutiques, and cats stretched lazily beneath the shade of olive trees. History whispered from every stone, yet life continued unabashedly around us – locals gossiping over coffee, children darting through arcades, the scent of bread and jasmine in the air. It was this blend of the timeless and the everyday that made Corfu feel vibrantly alive. |
Dining at Ultima Corfu was relaxed and convivial. Moonlit evening meals ranged from barbecued local lamb garnished with rosemary from the garden to gleaming platters of freshly caught fish and seafood, each dish paired with an expressive local wine. Breakfasts were a cornucopia of sun-ripened fruit and pastries still warm from the oven.
Each time we sat down to eat, the standard was impeccable – hardly surprising, given that everything was tailored to our individual tastes by the resident private chef, Marco D’Orazi. Marco had joined Ultima Collection in the winter of 2024, having honed his craft in some of Europe’s most esteemed kitchens, most recently at the three-Michelin-starred Mirazur in Menton on the French Riviera. Yet for all his culinary prowess, it was his ability to make us feel entirely at home that stood out. That warmth was a prerequisite here, given the villa’s open-kitchen philosophy, which encouraged us to wander in for a chat, request an impromptu snack or simply linger as he worked his quiet magic.
That same easy generosity extended to the entire team. There was no rigid separation between guests and staff – just a sense of calm competence that made the atmosphere feel informal. Much of this was thanks to Villa Supervisor Emma Grandmangin, whose eight years as a chief stewardess aboard Mediterranean and Caribbean superyachts, followed by stints in private villas from Saint Jean Cap Ferrat to Monaco, had clearly prepared her well. She had only been with Ultima for seven months when we arrived, having first cut her teeth at the group’s Le Grand Jardin in Cannes, but she ran the house with the quiet authority of a seasoned captain. Under her watchful but gentle leadership, the team seemed to anticipate every need without ever being intrusive. It was no wonder we found ourselves likening Ultima Corfu to a ‘superyacht on land’.
With a week’s minimum hire, the villa allows you to dictate your own pace. One day might start with buttery pastries and drift into an unhurried cruise along the coast, while another could be spent entirely within the villa’s serene embrace. Ultima Corfu encourages both activity and stillness without ever imposing either. That restraint was precisely what gave it its charm. By day two, our shoulders had dropped and our blood pressure had slipped down a gear. Time seemed to glide by with deceptive ease, and by the end of our stay we felt not only rested but quietly transformed – ready… reluctantly, to return to real life.
As for things to do, there were no strict itineraries, no prescriptive activities – just suggested ideas for excursions and the freedom to create our own rhythm. If we wanted a day exploring hidden coves, the villa’s speedboat was at our disposal. One afternoon, we ventured out, tracing the rugged coastline, diving into impossibly clear waters and lingering in secluded bays.
Water, in all its forms, defined our stay. Mornings began with plunges from the private dock straight into the Ionian Sea, our days were punctuated with dips in one of the two heated infinity pools, and evenings often ended with a soak in the outdoor jacuzzi or a long bath in our marble-clad, classical Greek-inspired bathroom.
Wellness was also woven seamlessly into this lifestyle. One morning, we found ourselves stretching into a pilates class led by the effortlessly glamorous but refreshingly down-to-earth Katrina Brown of Corfu Fitness. Though Katrina was not a permanent fixture, she embodied the same quietly capable and approachable spirit as the in-house team. Later, a soporific 60-minute massage lulled us into an afternoon haze. Other optional extras – from sound baths to hammam rituals – were always available, though equally it was enough to simply recline by the pool, the soundtrack of waves lapping against the rocks below doing the work of any therapist. And should the weather misbehave, the villa’s private cinema offered another retreat.
Yet as tempting as it was to never leave the villa, to do so would have been a disservice to Corfu itself. The island has always been one for wanderers, carrying with it a mythic resonance. Poseidon once brought the nymph Korkyra here to woo her in peace; Odysseus found refuge with its ancient inhabitants, the Phaeacians, and Jason and Medea are said to have wed in one of its caves. Hercules, too, may have wandered these shores. That sense of epic still lingers, even as Corfu has grown from Byzantine outpost to Venetian stronghold to a modern, laid-back escape. Its fortresses and olive groves whisper of the past, but today the welcome is contemporary, warm and inclusive – LGBTQ+ travellers, among others, will find themselves relaxed and embraced here, especially in cosmopolitan corners like Corfu Town.
Our visit fell in June, the threshold of the island’s summer season, when days stretch long and seas are deliciously warm. Spring and autumn hold their own appeal for those who prefer cooler temperatures for hiking or sightseeing, but from May to October, the island is undeniably in its prime.
Photography by Martin Perry
