I decided to write this review because having booked last minute in August i freaked out when i saw some bad ones and felt i should at least try to address the balance a little: Hope this helps!
Please remember I travelled in early september!

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Firstly, if you are lucky enough to be going to Corfu then wherever you stay you will find it an extremely pleasant and friendly island, with a great deal of culture, wonderful views, abundant vegitation, pristene beaches and i would certainly recommend a visit on this basis alone.

1. The island

Is stunning! Ermones is a very small settlement on the stream which runs down to the beach, and the complex is up a steep incline of the ravine - another complex faces it. The beach at Ermones, from the resort looks inviting, but it is mainly shingle. There are also very limited water sports available and you have to pay to hire a lounger (i think the Sunmarotel has about 3 free ones!) The stream leads to the sea and therefore some effluent (mainly vegeatiation) rests on the surface the further to the left you go - it is not the best beach by any means.

A short 2-3km journey south takes you on the Pelakas road ( lovely village which was the nightlife of this side of the island in the 70's) but also leads you to GLIFADA - which is delightful. a long sandy beach with two complexes literally on the beach but the beach itself does not get too crowded. I recommend this beach to anyone!

I would also recomend Giannedes (just north of Ermones) which has a beautiful view of the enitire central section of the island and you can see Corfu town (12 -15km) in the distance and on a clear day Albania too. On the same road to Lakones (an amazing view and well worth the steep climb) there is the beautiful settlement of Paleokastritsa which has some lovely little harbours and beaches.

Further south from Ermones you can take a nice road throught he hills all the way down to St Geroges and the big lake (whose name i forget). It is possible to travel south and north in the island within a day.

The road from Lefkimmi to corfu town on the east side is also delightful and right by the waters edge.

2. Travel

My fiance and I hired a quad bike for 103 Eu fully comp for 5 days from Ermones Bikes at the entrance to Sunmarotel. It was a great bargain for getting around (10 Eu full tank lasted 5 days!) helmets included and can get you into loads of places off the beaten track. I particularly recommend all of the lovely little villages and settlements around Pelekas and North of Ermones - some of these are are beautiful architecturally speaking and there are some old monasteries from the 11-13th centuries. Almost all of them have beautiful views and building that seem untouched for the past few hundred years.

Again it is possible to travel anywhere in Corfu in a relatively short time, it took us 20 minutes to Cofur town, 1 hour to St George , 1.5 to Lefkimmi in the South and the same from Ermones to lakones. The time flies on a quad, its quicker in a car or a moped but why rush!?

3. Weather

In september it was temperate - very warm for 5 out of 7 days and we both tanned very well. I am amused to see people complain about the heat in July, as if it is some surprise that it would be 'Hot hot hot etc'. It did rain, twice but was clear by the afternoon.

4. The Hotel = UK 3* equivalent.

The Sunmarotel is an old complex - it is apparently receiving £14million in investment this winter and will be under new management next year - it certainly needs it in some ways. The complex is 70's ish in many respects -not to say it is not pleasant, the pool area is well looked after and has a pleasant view. However, the rooms are indeed basic but clean, and cleaned regularly. We were in 306 and most of the rooms have a nice view of the beach.

The general complex needs a revamp, and the rickety railway carriage/vernacular railway leading to the beach seems to be on its last legs. it did not break down once though, it is just scary like a travelling fairground (looks fun but you cant work out whether you are asking for trouble).

The staff - waiters etc are all very friendly and helpful, the night staff when we arrived were pleasant and even the day staff if you make the effort to chat are cordial. Much like many Corfuans they are laid back and treat everything wiht a 'yes, is ok'. Once you learn to chill out a little, this pace of life and way of dealing with problems can be appreciated.

There is one little Hitlerite whose name escaped me. He seems to be the boss/curator and throws his weight around a bit. My fiance and I arrived at approximately 10:55 to grab the tail end of breakfast (finishes at 11am) and there was nothing to be had. upon asking this individual where it was we were told unceremoniously to 'arrive earlier'. politely pointing out that if breakfast is served from 9-11, it should be exactly that i was told i was 'wrong'! This is having witnessed people eating unitl 21:45 the previous evening even though the evening meal supposedly finishes at 21:00!! The food itself is however, the saving grace of the Sunmarotel - it is excellent, consistently well presented and cooked, with a great array of slads, greek salads, vegetables and more tradiitonal meals - we were impressed and ate our fill every single day. Even on our last day having checked out at 12 pm and waiting to fly out that night, we still ate when we wanted. The snacks in the meantime are sufficient and there was no quibbling over the amounts of cake i requested (which was substantial!).

I would also say that do not pay for transfer - it is much much cheaper to go by taxi to and from the airport -30 Eu covers it.

All in all - a beautiful island with loads to do, use the hotel for food and sleeping but not a lot else and get out and find some beaches and towns to enjoy. I would recommend Corfu (but not the hotel in its entirety) to everyone! However, if you have booked the Sunmarotel do not be disheartened, is OK!!

I have just come back and couldn't wait !
The hotel was passable i suppose.
The bar was a joke, there was only ever 1-2 staff on at any one time and you were limited to 2 drinks per person. The staff were very rude, especially to the children.
The food is predictable, no kids choice at all, whatever was left from lunch was served again at evening meal. It was bismall.
The location was very remote indeed, and if you don't like wasps then don't go her !!!! They are everywhere, they're on the food, around the food, around the pool. They are a nightmare, i was stung by one of the hornets which was huge.
The activities programme for daytime and evening is the same all the time with little variation and got boring.
The manager was a rude and ignorant man, not at all what you would expect.
The rooms are very basic and fortunately were cleaned everyday with fresh towels every second day.
The entertainments mananger was good, his name was Balou. He tried to liven things up as they went sour. Shame really as he is wasted here, the entertainment team are lazy, bone idle. They don't smile and don't befriend you at all and the dances were all the same moves. They are very basic dancers with little experience is this line of work i'm afraid.

I would recommend not to stay here at all and pay a bit extra a stay in the comfort of an Iberostar Hotel which would be far better as it would be money well spent. Here was overpriced and over rated as it is more like a 2 *. This hotel needs to be re-assessed as soon as possible.

Just returned from the Sunmarotel Ermones Beach, after a fabulous week, despite some trepidation after reading some recent negative reviews. The most important point about this hotel, which most complainers conveniently overlook, is the VALUE FOR MONEY aspect..... we paid £45 a night for myself, partner, little boy & baby - this, of course, included all food & drink....great value. The hotel is in a superb position, overlooking Ermones Beach, & the spacious though fairly basic rooms are well serviced by the cable wagon which runs from the hotel main area down to the beach, via the several rows of bungalows. The pool/bar/restaurant areas are all on the same level, & very spacious.... the food was good quality, varied & healthy, & there was none of the usual queueing in wait for a free table. The drinks, again, were good quality, with the bar staff being efficient, friendly & sensible regarding service to potential excessive drinkers.... the generally respectable clientele at the hotel were mainly of varied European origin, with, thankfully, little sign of the tattooed Brit brigade....... the hotel has several thoughtful "extras", like the little train that runs up & down the main entrance road at meal times, collecting diners en route, the kiddies play area & building, & the indoor pool & exercise room. I would recommend this hotel mostly to young families & couples, although the evening entertainment is rather long winded..... banish the bingo! There is little to do outside the hotel, but this is something that people are surely aware of before they book...... Ermones Beach is adequate, being mostly pebble, but there are superb beaches within a few minutes drive in either coastal direction - car hire is cheap & easy, as is the local driving. So, having been to some lovely hotels & resorts worldwide, we would be more than happy to return to the Sunmarotel....... ignore all the "nit-pickers" & have a fine time!

I recently travelled to corfu with my partner and young baby and assumed 4 star would be 4 star!

Good points:
great scenery
nice pool area

Bad points:
Very basic room
All inclusive was ok, in between meals if you felt peckish you were handed a flimsy stale sandwich from behind the bar.
Limited drinks, ok if you like orange squash with your vodka
very unreliable cable car
very rude daytime barman
wasps around the pool

It may sound like we had an awful holiday but we did actually have a great time. We hired a car and went for nice meals out most days. A car is a must really in this location if you like to venture out. Check out Easycar.com it only cost us £90 for the week.