"Canvas by Mitsis Messonghi – Corfu
Our family experience – October 2026
We visited Canvas by Mitsis Messonghi as a family of four – two adults and our two children aged 6 and 12 – for our first experience of this resort.
Having watched the promotional videos and read about the facilities beforehand, we arrived with fairly high expectations. Unfortunately, although there were some genuinely enjoyable parts of our holiday, the overall experience didn’t quite live up to what was advertised.
The good points
Let’s start with the positives, because there were certainly some.
The swimming pools were nice and clean, although they could get a little busy at times, even in October. That said, it was generally manageable.
The crepe and ice cream station was a real hit, as were the pizza and pasta options. The beach bar and beachfront restaurant were particular highlights for us. They offered a much more relaxed atmosphere, away from some of the hustle and bustle of the main complex. We actually found ourselves choosing to eat there whenever possible.
Some of the staff were genuinely lovely, attentive and welcoming, and it’s important to recognise those people who clearly work hard to make guests feel comfortable.
A special mention must go to Soula, our Corfu holiday representative. Absolutely fantastic! Our trips to Old Corfu Town and the Blue Lagoon, including the excursion to mainland Greece, were special experiences and very well organised. They were hassle-free and created some lovely family memories. We would have happily spent a little longer at the Blue Lagoon!
The not-so-good points
Unfortunately, there were a few things that really let the experience down.
The smell of sewage was probably the biggest shock. Walking into our room, the smell from the bathroom was stomach-turning, and it seemed to be present almost every day. It wasn’t just confined to our room either; there was an unpleasant smell in the outside air around parts of the complex. Not exactly what you want when you’re trying to relax on holiday.
Our room was also quite dated and cramped for four people. The shower regularly overflowed because it simply wouldn’t drain properly, which became another frustration.
The queues were quite frankly ridiculous at times, even considering we were visiting towards the end of October. You expect a large resort to have busy periods, but sometimes it felt like you spent more time queuing than actually enjoying the facilities.
We also had an unfortunate experience getting stuck in a lift with the children for around 15 minutes. Credit where it’s due, the hotel manager handled this very well. He was genuinely apologetic, presented us with a bottle of fizz and a fruit bowl, and continued checking on us throughout the remainder of our stay whenever he saw us. A very nice man who deserves recognition for how he dealt with the situation.
However, some of the behaviour from fellow guests was quite something to witness. The pushing and shoving around food and drinks stations sometimes made you wonder whether people had ever seen a buffet before! Children were left unattended, pouring beer and fizzy drinks until they overflowed onto the floor, with seemingly no adults in sight. It became almost nightly entertainment in itself, although not necessarily the sort you want on holiday!
We also found the two staff members working at the panini bar particularly abrupt and unfriendly. I appreciate that working in a busy resort can be exhausting, especially towards the end of a season, but there is a difference between being tired and being unnecessarily rude to paying guests.
Entertainment, atmosphere and those unwanted visitors!
The evening entertainment felt a little dated and could definitely do with an update. For a resort of this size, we’d expected a little more variety and atmosphere.
Another suggestion would be to provide an outdoor seating area with heaters for the cooler October evenings. It would make a real difference, allowing guests to sit outside and enjoy a drink without having to retreat indoors once the temperature drops.
And then there were the wasps and flies!
Wow. If you’re hoping for a relaxing cocktail or a peaceful meal outside, prepare yourself. They were persistent and, at times, incredibly irritating. I noticed the beachfront bar staff setting up drink traps, which was a good attempt, although the wasps seemed far more interested in the guests than the traps! Perhaps some strategically placed insect-control units or blue-light traps could help.
The overall experience
I think you have to remember that this is a very large holiday complex, and the staff are clearly doing their best in what can be a demanding environment. However, there were moments when we looked around and thought, wow, is this really what an all-inclusive family holiday should feel like?
For us, the resort felt too big, too busy, too rushed and lacking some of the personal touches you’d hope for.
We also felt the food and drinks lacked variety considering the amount of money we’d spent. There were some good options, but we expected more choice and a better overall experience.
The promotional videos and advertising certainly paint an attractive picture, but our experience didn’t quite match that impression.
As for Corfu itself, there are some absolutely beautiful parts of the island, and we thoroughly enjoyed getting out and exploring. However, towards the end of the season, we found many places closed, with other areas looking quite tired and run-down. We knew October would be quieter and had prepared ourselves for that, but it did limit some of the opportunities to explore.
Would we return?
Honestly, we’re not sure we’d return to this particular hotel.
That isn’t to say we didn’t enjoy ourselves. We made memories as a family, enjoyed the sunshine, swimming, boat trips and excursions, and had some genuinely lovely moments together.
But when you spend a considerable amount of money on a family holiday, you want to feel that you’ve had value for money. At times, we felt more like one of those pesky wasps getting in everybody’s way than guests enjoying a relaxing break!
We took the experience for what it was, made the best of it and enjoyed our time together as a family.
Corfu, we’d happily visit again. Canvas by Mitsis Messonghi? We’re not so sure.
A holiday with some fantastic memories, some lovely people and some beautiful scenery, but ultimately not quite the experience we’d hoped or paid for."
