Angela Apartments - San Steanos NW
Operator and Date: Independently booked - September 2006
Opinion submitted in March 2007 by : 58,52,20,18,16
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
We've been coming back to San Stefanos and the Angela Apartments for many years. Angela Apartments are a bit of a hike up a hill, but only about 150 yards from the lovely beach. There is no pool at the apartments, which is a bit of a shame, but we used the one at the excellent Nafsika Hotel nearby (where we ate most nights too - utterly yummy and great atmosphere). We had the top floor apartment (there are only three) which has an enormous balcony and three spacious bedrooms, plus a good size living area and two bathrooms (one en-suite). The apartments were looking a little tired but have recently been refurbished in lovely warm colours and there's now an impressive covered area on the balcony, very useful for when the sun is too hot.
They are owned by the Mackay family (Gavin's South African, Angela's Greek). They are a fount of knowledge about the village and Corfu in general. Always friendly and welcoming. Their son has compiled a huge folder for guests' use which will tell you just about anything you might want to know! Excursions are best booked through San Stefanos Travel, run by the wonderfully efficient Noula Mouzakitis, They can also organise car/scooter hire. Our teenagers went into nearby Sidari a few times for a change of scene at night; the taxi fares are very reasonable. San Stefanos also has quite good night life and the whole place has a very safe, family feel to it. For the energetic, a walk over the hill to Arilas for breakfast is fun. There are water sports available on San Stefanos long, sandy beach. Corfu town is always worth a visit - a bus service is available several times a day or a place on a coach can be be booked through San Stefanos travel.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hotel Athena - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: Thomson Holidays
- 2007
Opinion submitted in August 2007 by : paul 60 carol 46
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
great hotel right on the beach. friendly staff, good food, we ate out a few times but could not find anything better. hotel does,nt take credit or debit cards and there is no cashpoint in the resort, you will have to walk to arrilas for cash, about half hour walk. bed very hard but clean and made everyday. plenty of bars and tavernas for 2 weeks. entertainment in 1 or another every night. nice beachside tavernas, sea gently shelving, warm, great for kids. look no further just book it.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hotel Athena - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
- September 2005
Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : Andrew and Emma (23)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
The airport transfer time was almost 2hrs, so we had plenty of chances to nose at other resorts and hotels as we drove past them. When we reached our destination it seemed to us that we had ended up with the best hotel on the island.
The hotel was set back from the main road, which kept it out of the path of the more inebriated tourists. It was more spacious than most: the cleanliness and care put into this well-kept hotel made it stand out from the other hotels.
While most other hotels seemed to have pools the size of paddling pools the Athina has one roughly the size of the mediterranean. The sun terraces are spacious, and the pool has a good grading of depth making it ideal for beginners and more experienced swimmers. Diving is not permitted.
It is recommended that you take your own iPod/MP3 player, as the music pumped out from the pool bar is of the cheesiest europop calibre, and is repeated ad nauseum.
The food was not anything special. We always found something we
liked, and were able to make an adequate meal in the evening. Food is
not reputed to be one of Athina's strong points, as reflected in the
Thomson Holidays
brochure. This is something we would certainly agree with. The
evening meals were usually OK, but perhaps breakfast could have been
more filling.
The staff have all been well trained. We found Yannis at the bar to be particularly welcoming and friendly. The staff seemed genuinely sorry to see their guests leave at the end of their stay, with Katerina from reception even taking photos for the hotel album and kissing everyone goodbye.
We have had a great holiday at the Athina. We feel that coming here in September was the right time to go, as there were fewer children, and the resort was quieter and more relaxed.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hotel Athena - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thompson - Sept 2005
Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : Dave & Julie London (42,44)
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
We have just returned from a pleasent one week stay in San Stef. very nice resort, which is small and quiet. One week was sufficient to see all that this resort has to offer.
Transfers to/from the airport were good and took about 1 hour 30 mins.
Local people were really friendly.
Hotel is good standard 3 star. Very clean, great pool and set right on a lovely beach. It's central location means you are not far away from any of the bars and restaurants although you cannot hear any noise from the hotel.
Rooms are clean but could do with some new furnishings (the bedspreads are quite old and dated).
The hotel advertises satellite TV in the rooms, but the only English channels were BBC World News.
Food was nothing special and we ate out practically every night. However, the restaurant was busy most nights so perhaps we are just too fussy.
All in all, this holiday was good value for money and a relaxing way to spend a week.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hotel Athena - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
- September 2005
Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : Jan & Rog - Stafford 55,58
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Just returned yesterday from this lovely resort.
The Hotel was very good, staff excellent all the way from the reception and restaurant staff to the cleaners. What a friendly hotel and resort. The hotel itself is very modern with a good sized reception/bar area. The dining room is the best however, commanding the most wonderful views over the huge pool and the sea. The sunsets from here are fabulous.
The room we had was unfortunately on the ground floor but that was not as bad as you may think. The room itself was very large with 3 beds, ample wardrobe space with plenty of hangers, plenty drawar space and bedside cabinets plus table to place your cases on. We also had a small TV which was placed on the wall. The bathroom was good with toilet, sink and shower cubicle. We had a good view from our terrace of the hills and other villas etc. Very pretty at night when they are all lit up. The resort of San Stefano is just right if you are looking for a relaxing holiday with plenty of walks. It is only a small resort, one street with a T-junction.
The food in the restaurants we ate in was excellent. I can recommend the Little Prince and the Two Stars. We were half board so only ate out when we fancied a change. The food in our hotel was quite good, so eating out was a choice we made and was not an enforced choice! The beach is wonderful here, sandy, not crowded and the sea was shallow, having at least 3 sand-banks. No noisy watersports when we were here, just the gentle parasailing. It was heaven! We walked over the headland to the next resort of Arillas and at one point we could see both San Stefano and Arillas.
I would have no hesitation in recommending this resort or the hotel Athena. As we went to purely relax we did not bother going into the music bars, although they were quite full, but it was not too noisy. There were a few people riding quad bikes that they had hired and I wish we had done this too, but that will be for the next time. There are two resorts in Corfu called San Stefanos or Aghios Stephanos, one is in the east of the island and the other is the west. We stayed in the west. I have been to Greece 4 times now and I really think this resort was the very best.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hotel Athena - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
- August 2005
Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : W. N & G. 38,37 &9 Worc.
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
If your looking for a no hassle stress free holiday you'll get exactly that at both San Stefanos & the Athena.
The journey from the airport isnt the best in the dark as the roads are poor, but that only lasts an hour or two.
Upon arrival at the hotel you'll be greeted and SHOWN to your room by the recieption staff. Olga or Kat. Both very nice and even more helpful. The rooms are fine, nothing special but everything worked.
Meals are served in a covered area at the rear of the hotel overlooking the pool and the sea, as stated before in other reviews the sun sets are beautiful. You'll get a A4 size menu with 3 options for a start & main, then 1 so called veggie meal and several deserts. Week 1 we were happy with the food but week 2 it seemed to be not so good, may be we were getting picky, I dont know ? Waiter service is great, no scrum at the buffet counter !
The pool is huge ! there are plenty of beds, which is a good job as people staying elsewhere are invited in to use the pool and more importantly the pool bar, whose staff are okay but there is one chap who seems th lost his personality ? Poor man..........
The beach is at the back of the pool area. It was never packed, beds were available all day long, the sea is ideal for young kids as its very shallow. Water sports are available also.
The resort is hardly bussleing. In fact its very very limited. If you've teen agers they may get bored. They could always go up the road to Sidari, Chav paradise. There are 15-20 bars & eateries. The 'resort' is spread out, just as you think your at the end around the corner there is another empty bar ! There is a small harbour at the end of the village where boat trips are available, try San Stefanos travel, much cheaper than you know who.
Almost every one we met had visited San Stefanos before, nice peolpe who go back year after year. The place is UNSPOILT and long may it continue.
We will return sometime....
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Athens Bar Apartments - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: Private Booking - August 2005
Opinion submitted in July 2006 by : Darran & Linda (44, 41)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Visited San Stefanos 6 weeks earlier, loved it so much we went back. Apartments ideally situated just off the main road. Newly constructed to a very high standard. We saw these prior to completion and knew then we wanted to stay there.
The resort is ideal for those who want to get away and relax.
Places to eat, everywhere was of a high standard. We did like the Mexican though, especially Elias (great service from our friend).
We understand why people visit this resort year after year.
Arrived as guests ..... left as friends.
For Nikos, Jimmy, Niki & Evyenia nothing was too much trouble.
We will definately return..... Corfu's best kept secret!!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hotel Athina - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
- Oct 2006
Opinion submitted in October 2006 by : Pauline and Alan - Lincs.
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
We have just returned from a week's holiday at the Athina Hotel in San Stefanos, Corfu. This was the second holiday we have had at this resort as we find it so relaxing. The first time, four years ago, we stayed at Rose Gardens apartments, which was absolutely faultless! This time, the Athina which has 44 rooms for 2 or 3 people, was very clean and comfortable but did have some room for improvements in certain areas.
Plus Points of Hotel. . .
Well appointed location. Beautiful sea views. Roomy balcony. Ample clothes storage space. Outside clothes drying area. Fridge in room. Good bathroom facilities. Free safety deposit box. Very friendly and helpful reception staff and cleaners. Lovely, smiley (and oh so handsome) barman. Low cost internet access. Large pool.
Negative Points of Hotel . . .
No poolside shower. Carpet in bedroom was stained and rather worn. Bed covers looked very tired and dated. The door to the balcony had no lock on it. A kettle would have been a useful addition as we would have loved to have been able to make the odd cuppa.
We were unfortunate enough to be in a room which was directly above the pool table and we had difficulty getting to sleep some nights due to the clonk, clonk noises from below. The TV in the room could only receive BBC world news, everything else was in Greek.
The meals were quite tasty, but a little minimal for anyone with a good appetite and they could sometimes have been hotter. George, who usually served the meals, was super efficient and interacted very well with children but seemed rather bored most of the time.
All our meals were served in the area just to the right of the lobby which housed a huge TV who's loud volume competed with the music playing from the bar area and it was sometimes very difficult to hold a conversation over dinner. All the smokers seemed to congregate around the TV the moment they had swallowed their last morsel of food and their noxious fumes didn't have very far to travel in order to spoil our dining experience . . . a partition could be put to good use here!
We only had one drink from the poolside bar as the guy who served us had such a scowl on his face and an unfriendly manner that he put us off going in there again.
We went on the evening trip to Corfu town with its wonderful Venetian architecture . . . well worth a visit!
We can thoroughly recommend the meals at the Two Stars restaurant around the corner and had a wonderful, incredibly tasty meal at the Olympia served by a very friendly guy who I think was called Stalios. At the Little Prince, one day we had a delicious club sandwich and another time a scrummy local dish called stamna, which is similar to a cottage pie and was very enjoyable but we returned to the same place for the stifado on another occasion and were somewhat disappointed by the very small portion served. We attempted to have a meal at a restaurant facing on to the beach (the name of this escapes me but I seem to think it began with an "M")anyway, we sat down at a table and waited and waited, meanwhile the waiter, who quite clearly had seen us, busied himself putting coals on an unlit barbeque until, some time later, he eventually decided to bring a menu over. Again, considerable time passed and he made no attempt to come and take our order so we eventually got up and left.
One day we hired a quad bike and rode into the next village of Arillas and had a great lunch at a taverna overlooking the sea.
We called into San Stefanos Travel to make some enquiries and found Noula there, very helpful, friendly and informative.
We love the peace and laid-back nature of San Stefanos and would like to return but perhaps a little earlier in the season next time as everything was either closed or running right down ready to close for the winter.
If you like a quiet relaxing resort, then there is no better place!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hotel Athina - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: October 2005
Opinion submitted in Dec 2005 by : Mary 52, Jim 57
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
One of the best holidays we have ever had. The hotel is spotless and Katerina and Olga on reception are delightful and nothing is too much bother for them. The cleaners are so nice and will do anything for you. The food is perfectly adequate although we did eat out a couple of times and the sunsets from the dining room are memorable.
This is not a big resort but we found it to be one of the friendliest we have ever visited. Stelios at the Olympia was a great guy (beautiful meals as well). Spiros and his family and the beautiful Petra at the Famous Silver Star were an absolute joy. The waiters and hostess Heather at the Thomas Bay hotel were great too.
We hired quad bikes and went to neighbouring Arillas (there is a lovely cliff top walk as well). The whole area is lovely. We went to Sidari which we did not like at all. We also took a day trip to Albania which was fantastic, wouldn't have missed it but do be aware of the mossies. My husbank was bitten to bits. Do not wear dark clothing if you go there.
Our Thomson Holidays
rep was great, always thereabouts and willing to help.
The only downside of this holiday was that we left it until nearly the end of season and the weather was changeable. However this did not deter from the fact that we will definitely return.
Wonderful memories.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hotel Athina - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: August 2005
Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : m. wallace - newcastle ( 37, 42 )
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
The Athina Hotel was a great place to stay in san stefanos, the staff were great from the cleaners to the management they are so friendly and make you welcome no matter what time of day or night you come in. the only down fall was the food it was very bland and normaly cold when you got it,breakfast choice very minimal unless you pay extra for it. the pool is probebly the best in the town looking over the sea and the beach just a stones throw away. come on Athina do somthing about the food and we will use you again.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hotel Athina - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
- August 2005
Opinion submitted in Aug 2005 by : 51, 42, 18, 15, 8
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
We stayed at The Hotel Athina during the first two weeks in August and we've already booked to go back next year.
The Athina is an excellent, family run hotel with the friendliest staff on the reception and in the bar. We received a warm greeting from the night watch man when we arrived at 4.00 in the morning.
When we went down to breakfast the next morning we were all stunned to see the view from the restaurant. It looks out onto the biggest pool and beyond that is the beach with calm blue sea and the neighbouring islands on the horizon. What a setting to eat your meals.
The meals are waiter service. You can have tea or coffee with fruit juice, toast, butter, jam, marmalade plus either cornflakes, fruit salad, yoghurt with honey (beautiful), scrambled egg on toast, fried egg on toast or pancake with either chocolate, sugar or honey. You can also pay 2 euros to have a full English.
You start with a basket of fresh thick cut bread with butter, choice of four starters, always soup of the day, which our 8 year old loved. We recommend that you try the Onassis and Giant Beans, very nice. Then you have a side salad. Five main courses inc. one veggie, our family has differing tastes and we all managed to find something every night that we liked. If you're not sure what something is then ask the staff who are only to help in any way that they can. And then if you still have room you can choose from about 5 desserts of the day.
For convenience we ate lunch at the poolside bar, there was a good selection of well-priced dishes, which were well-presented, good-sized portions.
Our 3-bedded room was a large purpose built room with a big bathroom and a balcony with a clothes airer. There is plenty of wardrobe space with sufficient hangers. And plenty of sockets for plugs. There is a dressing table with a lighted mirror, which was useful for getting ready at night. The hairdryer is in the bathroom and it is the kind that you get at the swimming baths with the long tube but it does the job.
There isn't a kettle in the room, so if you like a regular cuppa I recommend that you take a travel kettle with you. The fridge is big enough to hold a couple of bottles of water.
The towels are changed daily and the bedding every few days. The friendliest maids clean the rooms daily ever. There is carpet in the bedrooms, which although it looks a little grubby (I suppose from sun-cream spills etc) is vacuumed every day.
We were in room 105 and there seems to be a problem with damp but as you spend so little time in the rooms, it isn't a problem. This was the only negative point about this hotel and when I mentioned it to Olga on reception she told the maids and they sprayed air freshener every day - bless them.
The mosquitoes are a problem but you can buy plug-in and spray repellents either before you go or in all the shops there. And after-bite remedies for if you do get bitten. The rep will tell you that you need to apply repellent during the day as well which I didn't realise. Boots Soltan sun-cream and after-sun have insect repellent in them, which saves a lot of time and money.
We didn't need to use the air-conditioning while we were there as the weather wasn't too sticky.
The resort is very quiet and not too commercialised. There are two or three supermarkets and a handful of gift shops. There are a couple of classy shops (Spiros and Me and Escape) up the hill from the Magnet Bar that sell really unusual gifts. Also there are a couple of nice jewellery shops. There is also a newsagent.
If you want to eat out there are plenty of restaurants to choose from all offering very reasonably priced set menus of the day.
The teenagers seemed to congregate at the Condor Bar, which is just up the road from the Athina. You can also watch a different movie at the Condor every afternoon. Infact all the bars including the hotel have huge televisions so you'll be able to catch up on sport from home.
We met some wonderful people and had a fantastic holiday and can't wait to go back next year.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hotel Athina - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
- June 2005
Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : Beulah and John - Norwich (48, 57)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
The Athina is in a lovely location - right on the beach and the sunsets are magnificent every night! The hotel itself is very clean, staff are excellent, bathrooms and balconies are good (sea view room recommended) but the actual bedroom was a little shabby and a bit of money spent on new bed covers would not go amiss - having said that it was spotlessly clean.
Food is mainly good though be warned that they have no real idea of what vegetarian means even though they have a veggie option every night - this included tuna salad and prawn curry and the very delicious stuffed tomatoes had lamb gravy all over them!
The pool is lovely, the beach is lovely ... and the resort is unspoilt with just a few tacky tourist shops. Lunch at The Little Prince is good - try the Meze!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hotel Athina - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
JUNE 2005
Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : 54 ,57
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
We have just returned from our first visit to corfu and we were delighted with our choise of hotel and resort. The Athina Hotel is a fantastic Hotel and excellant value for money. It is one of the friendliest hotel we have stayed in all the staff are excellant and would put many others to shame, nothing is to much trouble to them.
The food was also excellant having previous reviews we were a bit uncertain as to what it would be like but we were very surprised to find that the food was very good with three choices for all three courses in the evening. The only downside to the food could possibly be that there was not much of a choice at breakfast i.e. fried egg,
scrambled egg, corn flakes, all served with toast marmalade butter etc. But if you wanted a cooked breakfast you only had to pay 2 euro which you cant complain about.
The hotel is in a fantastic location right on a wonderful clean beach the sea was very clear the beach had sun beds umbrellas water sports etc . The hotel pool is one of the nicest i have seen, although i have to admit that the sun beds did not have mattresses which made them a bit uncomfortable to lie on but other than that the pool itself was spotless and the pool bar served a great choise of snacks.
The hotel did not have much entertainment which I feel was a bit dissapointing . The romms were great very clean the maids did a brilliant job, clean towels every day and kept the place spotlesss. the bathroom has a fantastic walk in shower with loads of hot water a hairdrier. You also have a t.v which there is no charge.
San stefanos is in a very pretty part of corfu the scenery is great you can walk up over the hill into the neighbouring resort of Arillas which is also very pretty with a nice beach and also has some nice resturaunts and bars.The sunsets from the top of the hill looking down over Arillas to one side and San Stefanos one the other are amazing NOT TO BE MISSED.
There are also plenty of boat trips from San Stefanos and coach trips to Corfu Town and other parts of the island which you should book through San Stefanos Travel in the resort. I hope this info may help anyone thinking of going to San Stefanos it is a very relaxing place and will suit couples and young families but not for teenagers etc.as the nightlife is very low key nice bars but no discos.
ENJOY WE CERTAINLY DID
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hotel Athina - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
- May/June 2005
Opinion submitted in June 2005 by : Dave and Vikki - London both 30+
Resort Rating: Average
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
THE HOTEL
Transfer time from airport is about 1hr 30 mins
Plus points
The Athina is an impressive sight at first glance, with a pool the size of a small hebridean island and easy access to the beach. The staff are exceptionly friendly and do everything and anything to make your holiday go well. Yannis behind the bar is a very nice and well travelled guy (has apparently been in a James Bond film),and greets everyone like a long lost friend.(YAMMAS my friend) Olga and Katerina in reception are very helpful and eye candy for all male guests. The staff in the restaurant are both friendly and go about their jobs with cool effiency and Costas in the pool side bar is great once you get to know him.
Negative points
The rooms are on the small side and are a bit on the sterile side and a few pictures would certainly brighten them up.
The food is quite bland but to be fair it is innoffensive and probably adequate for families on a budget.
There is a well equipped gymnasium but we felt it was 'penny pinching' to charge guests 15 euros per week for using it.
We also felt that a charge of 22.5 euros per week for air conditioning that never lowered the temperature of the room by more than 3 degrees was a poor deal.
There is a quiz night, a bingo night and a greek dancing night but that is it and most nights guests just sat around drinking and watching the large tv in the lobby area. There was a complete lack of atmosphere most evenings.
SAN STEPHANOS
The village is small with about 15-20 tavernas/bars 3 supermarkets (George's has everything and George himself is very funny) and a couple of car hire places, after just one day you will be fully aquainted with it.
We had very good meals at Therezas (Leo looks like Antonio Banderas girls !!) and Paradise tavernas and a poor one in The Little Prince. The best english breakfast can be found at Condor and is great value at 3.5 euros.
Evening menus at most places are varied and very nice and i can recommend Onnassis as a starter Landamb Kleftiko as a main dish. Steaks are very well cooked in many different sauces and ways. Fish however was a little disappointing and mostly over cooked.
If you want to see anything of Corfu a hire car (San Stepanos Car Hire) is essential and we hired one for 5 days during which time we managed to see about 3/4 of the island. (Cost 100 Euros)
Places not to be missed include Paleokastritsa, Lakones (the best view i have ever seen), Ermones, Ipsos, Kassiopi (beautiful harbour) and Roda.
Corfu Town is a bustling little city and well worth a visit
Sidari is horrible and is like Blackpool with sun with a holiday population to match and should be avoided at all costs if you are over 21.
The joy of the car also meant that we able to find small coves with no-one else there for swimming and sunbathing in total solitude.
We only went on one organised trip which was to The Greek mainland to see the River Styx (where Achilles was dipped by his mother) and a ruin that was once a monastery and oracle. If your idea of fun is 16 hours on a coach then this is for you but otherwise avoid like the plague.
Overall Corfu prices are roughly the same as in England thanks to the Euro. The thing that makes it a great destination for a family is the people whom i would say are the friendliest on earth and we never met one who was not smiling.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hotel Athina - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
September 2004
Opinion submitted in Sept 2004 by : Jackie - Mid Glamorgan 46,38
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Returned last Friday from the most brilliant fortnight.
The Athina is a great hotel and I would recommend it to anyone. Lovely location away from the main street yet still only minutes walk from the bars and restaurants.A quick mention for Olga the receptionist who was great.No entertainment as such (thankfully bingo was cancelled due to lack of interest!)Outstanding pool and certainly not overcrowded - straight on to one of the best beaches on Corfu.There is a nudist beach at the far end which we were not aware of until we noticed some people lacking clothing!!
Food at the hotel is average but try Amigos for a cracking T Bone and The Little Prince for a "full English" and traditional Greek food (watch out for Dimitri and his burning tables!!! Has to be seen.)
San Stefanos is certainly not for anyone looking for clubs but there are plenty of lively bars which stay open late (Athens Bar and Roses Cocktail Bar particularly good - really friendly, free shots Yammas Nikos!!)
Definitley hire a bike/quad/jeep and travel around a bit - Corfu has some breathtaking scenery. Try the local boat trip to Elounda, we were lucky enough to see the dolphins.
We would definitley return. We spoke to people who have been returning to this resort for 20 years and more and they can see it developing more each year. I just hope it will not turn into a resort which resembles Kavos and the like - it would be such a waste.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hotel Athina - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
- September 2004
Opinion submitted in Sept 2004 by : Joe and Jan Lowe (60 and 59)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
This hotel is spotlessly clean, the rooms are far better than any we have previously experienced in Greece, with air conditioning, t.v., carpeted bedrooms and hallways, so no noise from other guests, fridge, and hairdryer. The staff from cleaners to management do their utmost to make your stay a good one and are efficient and friendly. We enjoyed the food which is all Greek and there is an a la carte menu for a slight additional price if you do not fancy the set meal of the day. The pool was huge, clean and right next to the beach. There were always ample sun beds available. The sunsets viewed over dinner on the terrace were wonderful.
The only faults we could find were 1) The Thompson rep, we knew more about Corfu and the resort from our limited research before we went, than he did at the welcome meeting. We tried for three days to get information for car hire from him and his excuses for not having done it were fantastic. We hired one ourselves from Safety Cars in the Village at a very reasonable price. 2) There was a large screen t.v. in the bar area which we felt could have been in a more secluded spot where you only watched it if you wanted to and not had it forced on you whilst trying to have a quiet drink.
Other than that we would certainly recommend this hotel and we had a wonderful 10 days there.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hotel Athina - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
- August 2004
Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : Karen & Lauren Shoebottom, Hertfordshire (46, 15)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
My daughter and I have just returned from a wonderful 2 weeks in Hotel Athina and what can we say!
We found the hotel extremely clean and the room was cleaned daily with clean towels and bedding. It cost 45 Euros for air conditioning for 2 weeks, but it's worth the cost. The rooms also have a small fridge and TV with a select few channels.
The hotel was a well run family business with a small selection of the friendliest staff we've ever come across, whether it be at the reception, the bar, or the restaurant. We felt so at home in the hotel particularly because of the welcoming receptions from smiley Olga, crazy Yannis, efficient George, gorgeous waiters and polite Yanni. It's just a shame the man behind the pool bar couldn't manage a smile or thank you one day of our stay.
The hotel had little entertainment but memorable for sure. On Saturdays the hotel had a selection of Greek dancers from mainland and Corfu who wore the traditional costumes for each place and dance. A night worth seeing, embracing and taking part in (dances with audience participation)
Hotel Athina has a fantastic location and facilities. It is situated on the beach and if you're not a beach person, there is a huge pool with varied depths. A pool and place for the whole family.
We felt the only slight let down to the holiday was the food, as we found it average. There was a choice of three meals, a reserve and if none of the foods took your fancy a chance to order off the a la carte menu for extra charge. Maybe not the best of places for fussy kids.
San Stefanos is a small resort, with some bars and restaurants but not one for party goers. On the whole a relaxing and fun holiday for both my daughter and I.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hotel Athina - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
- June 2004
Opinion submitted in July 2004 by : Karen & Russ - Cardiff (41,45)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
What a fantastic hotel - more worthy of a 4 star instead of 3 star. I am sure this will be rectified very soon so book this hotel now before the price increases dramatically!
Rooms excellent with fridge and TV at no charge, Safety Deposit Boxes also free of charge from reception. Air Con 45 Euros for 14 days (but only really works around 1am but still worth having). Ask for sea view room with balcony (some sea view rooms have no balcony!).
Towels changed every day and sheets twice or three times a week - lost count as it was so often. Bathroom brilliant - fully enclosed shower cublicle with double sliding doors so no water on the floor - was this really Greece we went to!
Food very good most of the time but who wants to eat in the hotel every night anyway! Breakfast good and could pay extra 2 euros for English breakfast.
Pool area absolutely fantastic - plenty of sunbeds and mattresses (no charge) and no getting up at 6am to reserve them when we were there. Spotlessly clean. Pool bar also fantastic - try the Club Sandwich and Tuna Salad (to die for). Pool barman needs to relax and smile but this is the only criticism about the whole hotel.
All staff were extremely friendly and would do anything they could to help you. George and Yannis were mad! Olga on reception was a babe.
Sunset on the terrace or balcony was breathtaking - best we have ever seen in Greece. All in all this was a fantastic hotel and well worth booking - do it now!!
San Stefanos itself was a very good, friendly and laid back beach resort suitable for couples and families. Not somewhere to take teenagers. There are a few lively bars, ie Condor, Roses Cocktail Bar (best cocktails in San Stef)and Athens bar.
Beach is very good, very long and sandy with subeds for hire - 7.50 euros for 2 beds and 1 umbrella. Lifeguard on duly 10am to 5pm. Ideal for children. Nudist part at the end of the beach.
Very good deal for car hire with Safety Cars.
Try restaurant Two Star which is excellent value for money with piping hot and fantastic food which we returned to a few times - also The LIttle Prince for breakfast
All in all a very good relaxing holiday and would definately recommend to anybody wishing to unwind and take it easy for two weeks.
As for the Thomson Holidays
Rep - who was she, where was she; never met her
apart from the welcoming meeing when all she wanted to do was sell her
trips!!
Happy holidays at Athina Hotel - you will not be dissappointed.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Barras Apartments - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: Thomson Holidays
June 2007
Opinion submitted in June 2007 by : Tom and Chris- Glasgow
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
First time in San Stefanos and was a little worried on arrival. It seemed so quiet but after a day or 2 you cannot help falling in love with the place.Locals are so friendly. Best restuarants where the 2 stars and zorbas. The barras appts were very roomy and a lovely small pool which was rarely busy. Though found the staff there not as friendly as other hotels and restuarants. They have a huge site on the corner of the main street but had very little entertainment. What a waste!!But for all of this would return again.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Barras Apartments - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
- August 2006
Opinion submitted in April 2007 by : Jerry Bowen - Bristol (45, 42, 15,13)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
This was our 7th year on the trot - so that maust tell you something!
Great location in the centre of the village.
Easy walk to all local shops, bars, restaurants and the beech.
Truely welcoming Barras family, who all help out - to include George's sons and their wives and their lovelly children.
New waiter, Nikos, this year who we had met before as a regular in the restaurant, but now works there - very funny and helpful.
The accommodation we stay in is the larger 2 bed apartments (of which there only 2 - so you will have to beat us to book them!) over the bar/restaurant which have improved each year we have been, but still retain the basic charm you should expect when you visit Greece.
We are booked again for another 2 weeks this year (2007) at the end of July and can't wait to get there.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Barras Apartments - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
- Aug 06
Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : Anne, Clare, Lisa - Carlisle (20, 22, 19)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Opinion:
I'd wondered what id let myself in for when we first arrived in Corfu. That bus journey from the airport on the coach wasnt very pleasant with the winding roads in corfu, it lasted about 2 hours but....
This holiday was perfect for the three of. We'djust finished another year at college/uni and wanted to relax in the sun and have a good laugh.
Not having been to Corfu before, i wasnt worried at what to expect as id been to Zante knowing that Greece is basic and laid back.
The Barras apartments were very nice, spacious and clean. The room was big enough for the 3 of us and lots of space for us girls to get ready for a night out. The room were also very secure and a fridge to keep the drinks cold. AIR CON is available at the local rate of 5 euros a day. it was worth every penny as we went the first few nights without it and didnt sleep very well.
The pool at the Barras was quite small but was great just to jump into to cool down. We alo visited the Athina pool whixh was great it was huge compared to our pool and its right next to the beach which was great!
Demitri, Spiros and Nikos provided us with some gorgeous cocktails on a night time. Thanku for those. Mr Barras was very nice aswell. They are all really friendly.
The resort of San Stefanos was small but very friendly, we often ate breakfast at Condors (they also provide very good entertainment on a night time). On a night time we mainly ate in Amigos with Athina or in Olympia with Stelios and Sprios. Amigos is a mexican restaurant on the main road, the food in there was gorgeous. Great if u wanted to get away from the traditional greek food. Olympia was also great, we ate there regularly there as well (couldnt get enough of Stelios and Spiros) the guys were very welcoming and friendly.
San Stefanos was a really nice place to be, but when we wanted a night out we ventured into Sidari ( 15euros each way in a taxi). We had a few great nights there especially in Shakers and Ceazars. great if your on a girly night and want a cocktail and the great opportunity to dance to all them songs that you love. It must have been good, we didnt get in till 6.30 a.m. one morning and watchd the sun rise over Sidari beach!!!!
Overall the holiday was fantastic, we had a great time. We were able to relax by day and party by night if we wanted to.
Id recommend it for all ages, we even had some great walks along the beach at night, watching the gorgeous sunset!!!!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Barras Apartments - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
- July 2006
Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : 45 and 43
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Had read all the reviews of San Stefanos on here and done some research too so had an idea what to expect.
The resort was quieter than the Thomson Holidays
brochure makes out,
definately a couples and families place which is no bad thing but we did
find the evenings dragged a bit, would have liked more choice of
entertainment. But the one thing I can say is... wow! the restaurants
are great! Particularly The Little Prince, the staff are so friendly.
The Olympic was really good too. We went to the Silver Star bar a lot,
the owner is the image of Peter Kay which took us aback the first time
we saw him!
The beach is gorgeous, never busy as far as we could see.
Our apartments were basic but I am used to Greek accommodation!! They did keep it very clean though and the staff were friendly in all areas of the accommodation. The food is ok, not as good as other places in the resort though. The air con was 5 euros a day and we needed it!!!!
Don't pay for reps trips, there is a fantastic travel shop in town called San Stefanos travel, much cheaper and the staff are friendly and helpful. Go to Paleo, gorgeous!
Sidari is the next resort, bigger and more choice of entertainment, on reflection we should have got taxis there for a couple of nights out just for a change. Overall the resort is a pleasant place and I would recommend it to people who just want to get a great tan and eat well but not mind too much about the lack of evening variety, even as 2 40 somethings we felt that!
One thing to bear in mind.... the mozzies are terrible! Not sure if it is the resort or Corfu or whether it is just this summer as I know people who have been in other parts of the Med and been bitten badly... but get protection... and lots of it! I advise anti histamines, wish someone had done it for us! Even the plug in and sprays wouldn't stop them!!!!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Barras Apartments - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
- july 2006
Opinion submitted in July 2006 by : johnson and cannell - sunderland (22, 24)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Barras apartments - the accomodation was very basic, however it was very comfortable, clean and spacious. the maids came everyday. the family owners were very helpful and welcoming.
san stefanos - the resort is an ideal location for couples and families who want to relax in a quieter and clean resort. we found there was a range of restaurants that all served delicious food at reasonable cost. our top five are: little prince hotel, nafsika hotel, zorbas, sunset taverna and the two star. snacks were best from the athens music bar and the waves beach bar and breakfast is best from the condor. nightlife is perfect for couples as you can take your time over a meal, whilst watching greek dancing and then wind down in the athens music bar, our favourite bar, fairly popular and we loved the staff, especially nikos.
things to do - we mostly relaxed at the athina pool, which was huge and in a perfect location on the beach. the pool bar there also seved good snacks, but the drinks were a little more expensive, however you cant complain because their pool is free to all. we went to sidari which did offer more choice of shops but it was not suited to our taste and we preffered san stefanos. there are a range of excursions available however we didnt go on any so cant comment on them.
overall holiday - for the price we paid we were extremely happy with what we got and we had a fantastic holiday and would definatley go back, in fact we didnt want to leave.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Barras Apartments - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
may 2006
Opinion submitted in June 2006 by : matt dempsey 58,47
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
lovely place to go if you want a relaxing no hassle holiday.plenty to do if you want it.food in barras excellent george and his sons very helpful and polite,english very good.studios very spacious and very clean couldn't fault studios,resort all excellent.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Barras Apartments - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
- August/Septemb 2005
Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : Darren Cotterill (34) Georgina Goodwin (30) - Derbyshire
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
We have just returned from a 2 week break based at the Barras Apartments in San Stefanos.
The apartments were very basic but extremely clean and spacious.
The pool was OK, but not very child friendly. We used the pool at the 'Athina Hotel' free of charge which was excellent as it was right on the beach. The Barras offered a full english breakfast priced at 3.5 euros, which was worth 3.5 euros, needless to say we only tried 1!.
On the main drag, the local restaurants catered for the English tourist who didn't mind if their food was 'processed' or 'frozen'. Greek dancing takes place in these establishments EVERY night - once you've seen 1 Greek dance you've seen them all!!. The best restaurants in the resort was the 'Elpida Bistro' and the 'Olympia Restaurant'.
The Elpida, which was run by 'Dimitri' was off the beaten track but the food quality was excellent - lovely and fresh. The only downside was the menu was very limited.
The Olympia restaurant which was run by 'Stelios' was excellent in every way - food quality, atmosphere and friendliness. We ate there 5 times and could not find fault with anything.
The resort of San Stefanos is excellent for the holidaymaker wanting a quiet & relaxing time. The beach is the best in Corfu and is excellent for children.
Should you decide to take a holiday in San Stefanos please DO NOT forget to take your mozzie spray!!.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Barras Apartments - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
- Sept 2004
Opinion submitted in Apr 2005 by : sean lally west yorkshire
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
went to the barras apartments in san stefanos last year in september and love every last minute didnt want to come home people in the apartments was really freindly and the people in the local bars and shops was also really freindly not a lively resort but anuff to do for the older end not for the younger end there was one of the best beaches ive ever seen in my live there and there was a nudist bit at the end which is quite good if u dont like the white bits all round a great place for a relaxing holiday and im going back this year for a second time as enjoyed it that muck i strongly reccomend it if u want to just chill and unwined for a fortnight its quiet and peacefull and not over runned bye bars and mad teenagers and all round freindly nice place
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Barras Apartments - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
- Septmeber 2004
Opinion submitted in Dec 2004 by : Tina Dobson - Scotland (26)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Fantastic resort all round for food, drink, beach and entertainment. Best food is Zorbas and best bar is Roses Cocktail bar - DO NOT GO PAST IT!
You will not be disappointed with anything. All locals, reps and
staff are the fantastic and the best excursions are with Thomson Holidays
s
although slightly more expensive are worth that little bit extra.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Barras Apartments - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: Just - June 2004
Opinion submitted in July 2004 by : Ann Cox & Nigel Rowley - York (44 & 45)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Just returned from 1 week staying at the Barras Apts, St Stefanos and I can very easily say that this was the best holiday I have been on.
The apts were Basic but clean and spacious. The staff very always friendly, nothing is too much trouble. George (the owner) favourite saying "YAMMAS", even when handing out tea/coffee.
We visited many of the Tavernas/Hotels for our evening meal and they were all excellant, the service was exceptional.
When staying at St Stefanos you can visit any of the swimming pools on the island and we took advantage of visiting the pool at Hotel Athina. Very large, clean and beautiful view. It was nice to have light lunch at the hotel snack bar, then take a stroll along the beach to walk it off.
We did go on the Corfu by Night trip but to be honest, not too keen on that, once you have seen one leather handbag shop you have seen them all. We much preferred to relax and unwind in the beautiful town of St Stefanos.
We will definately go back one day (soon I hope)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bellevue Apartments - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
- August 2004
Opinion submitted in Nov 2004 by : Sarah, Neil - Dartford (42, 42, 12, 10)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Although these apartments are basic (no pool, no bar and only 8 in the block) they are some of the best we have stayed in. We had a 2 bed apartment which meant a double sized balcony which made up for the small kitchen inside. Also our faulty showerhead was changed within a day of being there.
The view alone more than made up for the small indoor space. We had an excellent view of the beach as well as fantastic sunsets over the islands beyond the bay and Albania plus a view of the concert on the beach by the local band, the Corfiots. Also fig trees in the garden were a plus - great with local Greek yoghurt and honey!
The Bellevue is only 2 buildings up from the Vicky where we used the pool which gave a fantastic view as you swam (and always plenty of sunbeds).
Rooms cleaned everyday by Maria and Katarina who spoke little English but gave me Greek lessons as they worked.
Best supermarket (although not the closest) was Aspa opposite the Stamatis/Silver Moon apartments where our friends stayed (larger pool but further from the beach, reasonably priced drinks). They also suffered from the mosquitoes more than we did - probably because they were lower down and we were up the hill slightly. Their apartments had air conditioning but with the sea breeze we didn't need it.
Best restaurants for us were the Sunset Taverna (very good daily specials), Zorba's (Mr Bean!), Olive Press, The Little Prince but there is no shortage of choice.
The walk to Arillas takes about an hour (by coastal path) but is well worth the effort. Views are great and Helen's cafe when you get there does a great breakfast. Go early when it's a bit cooler.
After day trips to Sidari and Paleokastritsa you really appreciate the beach at San Stefanos and the general feeling of 'space'. Definitely a place to re-visit one day.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Casa Delfino - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook - Sept 2006
Opinion submitted in October 2006 by : Bronwen & Martin
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
We have just returned from a two week holiday spent in the most wonderful hotel. Casa Delfino is a must for the discerning holiday maker. We have already booked a two week stay for next year. It is of the highest class, clean, comfortable, lovely staff and a gorgeous position right on the beach. Can't be beaten and we have travelled quite widely. Sunsets to die for. Never had a bad meal. Enough evening entertainment in the village to keep us going for the whole two weeks - special mention for Greek Elvis.. Never over noisy, relaxing and enjoyable. If you want the best - stay at Casa Delfino and you'll never stay anywhere else!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Casa Delfino - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook-July 2005
Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : Gerry 51 -Irvine Helen -48
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Just returned from a wonderful holiday.Superb accomodation, set on a hill overlooking gorgeous pool and lovely sands.Apartments very modern, all mod cons incl. midi hifi.Second visit to Ag Stef, and have already booked for next year.Excellent selection of great value restaurants, recommend Zorbas, Little Prince, Nafsika and Casa Delfino and Theresas.For a laid back hassle free vacation this resort and accomodation is hard to beat.Only negative is the bus trip to and from the airport (very narrow roads).
All in all strongly recommended.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Christina Apartments - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: Private-August 2004
Opinion submitted in Jan 2005 by : Amanda,Karen,Neil,Peter,Dan,Katie,Sophie -Enfield (44,40,45,42,16,16,14
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Second year at Christina Apts-booked this one while we were still there on 2003 hols as we were so impressed with it.Christina & Demetris cannot do enough to help their guests, children very welcome.Christina sorted out transport for us to & from airport.Apts are fairly basic,updated this year & clean. All staff are friendly & helpful,Christina's family also own Manthos restaurant, few mins walk along road, food is excellent & cheap, views over sea are spectacular - watch the sun go down in a blaze.
Hotel Nafsika is also well worth a trip- food is unbeatable-we've been to resort for 7 years and always go back there. This end of resort(near harbour) is definitely the place to be for peace & quiet, beautiful walk over to Arillas,lovely beach never crowded even in school hols, lots of space, sunbeds,-far end of resort is noisy & crowded, lots of silly kids on mopeds.Commercialism hasn't hit Sans Stefanos yet, very little has changed in the years we have gone.Everything about it is unspoilt, rustic and makes it well worth a trip if you want a quiet break.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Efi Apartments - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook - august 2004
Opinion submitted in Sept 2004 by : shelley chattaway (39,32,5,1)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
Had a wonderful time in San Stefanos. We had our first break in the school holidays and expected the resort to be heaving. But we found a very easy going place, and no rushing was required. Staying at the Efi apartments was great fun, although a make-over is required. We had a 15 month old and Greek clean is a bit different to our clean!!
The pool area is lovely,most people didn't seem to rise until 11am, so no rush for sunbeds! Besides, after a couple of days you tend to know everybody without being in each others pockets!! Wonderful for people with young families that require a bit of adult conversation.
The beach is great for young kids, the sea is very shallow. But, don't expect lovely white sand. It's more like building site sand and as for the beds and umbrella's, they are o.k but don't expect what you would get in other main resorts. The whole point of San Stefanos is that is not like your normal resort. There is no cash point. chemist, or disco and that is the charm. It hurts that I am writing this review, because I don't want anyone to vist, it is just perfect the way it is. Just choose your accomadation well, this is Corfu after all!!!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Efi Apartments - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: (JMC Discounts) JMC - June 2004
Opinion submitted in July 2004 by : Sarah Maris - London
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Efi Apartments were very nice and the staff, especially Glen behind the bar, were very welcoming and helpful. Efi is quite a small set of apartments, and we quickly got to knew the various other people staying there just by sitting round the pool or by the bar.
We stayed in Efi II which is actually a couple of bungalows set apart from the main complex. We liked this as it was almost like having your own villa slightly away from the (at some times) noisy bar area just across the road. Rooms were all clean and very airy and we had our own little balcony to sit on giving views across the valley.
Lovely pool, and very easy to get a sunbed at poolside - no need to turn up at 8am with your towel ready!
San Stefanos (or Aghios Stefanos) is a lovely quiet village for people who want somewhere a bit away from the usual brash mediteranean resorts. There are still plenty of places to eat, however, with more than enough restaurants to keep you occupied for a whole 2 weeks stay - some of the ones that back onto the beach, such as the Mistral, give great views of the sunset over the water as you eat.
San Stefanos is slightly remote from the main attraction of Corfu, Corfu Town is about 1hr 30mins coach trip away. If you are thinking of going to Corfu Town, take the public transport "Green" bus, it only costs about £1.50 and is fully air conditioned (a lot cheaper than going on one of the organised trips!)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kapitanos Apartments - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook - 2005
Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : John, Sian - Glasgow (36, 37)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Poor
My/Our Holiday Review:
I WOULDN'T STAY HERE. Lumpy uncomfortable mattresses, broken bed, lack of toilet paper, mouldy shower curtain, staff not very friendly I had to ask for more towels after they took them away and didn't replace them!
Quite noisy as next door to Tereza's who had karaoke night, quiz night, Big Brother on Sky TV etc, so don't expect a peaceful nights sleep! Transfer from Airport took 2 hours.
Resort very nice though, lovely beach, some tacky bars serving english breakfast and cocktails but some lovely traditional ones too.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Leonidas Villas - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: 2005
Opinion submitted in June 2006 by : Sue & Dennis - Kent
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Leonidas Villas are of a larger type of accomodation. Excellent facilities in the villas. Lovely linen and well filled cupboards. Simone is the on site courier and looks after everyone to a very high standard.......nothing is too much trouble for her.The sandy beach is just across the road and is lovely and safe. Beautiful walks every where in the village. The people are very friendly and welcoming.
The best place to eat is the Olive Press which has slow cooked, spit roasted meats.
We are going again this year and staying with Simone and her family.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Leonidis Apartments - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: Monach Airlines - Independant - May 2005
Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : Tony&Linda Cox - 49,48
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
We have been to San Stefanos many times over the last 22 years, and one thing has never changed - the local people, which is why over 80% of guests here are return visitors who come again and again.
Leonidis Apartments, very pretty gardens, (next to Nafsika Hotel) are nicely located and are independantly rented out by Simone and George of the Olive Press, one of San Stefs wonderful Resturants. Georges Special recipe Chicken is to die for - a must to try. Book early to dine here. We booked a Monach flight this time as it was best value and a Taxi from the Airport is 45Euro this year (£30). We have stayed in many, many different places and Hotels here, travelled independantly, and also with Thompsons, or with San Stefanos Travel - (a very good option - run by Noula - find it through searching Google).
Simone of Olive Press arranges your Taxi and acts like a Rep (she used to be one), so no travel worries. Noula offers a similar personal Holiday service and has a cheaper mini bus transfer option as well, she has a large number of Apartments on her books and the service is better than Thompsons or Thomas Cooks.
If you like Music, a night at the Condor is a must - good for all ages the Owner Stefanos ensures a good time, helps get you a table - it has a feel good factor for all ages. The Condor also does Karoke (likewise the Thomas Bay Hotel) some nights as well. The Athens Bar gives a good welcome, The Rose Cocktail bar is lovely, in fact everywhere is a nice place to visit if you give it a chance.
Best Resturants are - the olive Press, the Olympia has a brill menu, try the Mistral on the beach and you must try the chicken schnitzal with lemon and honey sauce - mmmm!! It has a Bistro style menu.
Manthos Taverna, Nafsika Hotel, Waves Fish Resturant on the beach, Golden Beach (last one before harbour - quiet and good), Little Prince, Elpithas Bistro, TexMex and Town Pizza all offer v/good alternatives to eat. Terezas up the hill or the Sunset as well. The good thing is you are spoilt for choice and all good. I wasn't so pleased with the food at the Paradise but it may have been an off night as we were recommended.
The Beach is the Best!! go for a walk under the cliffs, a few Nudists will be around but the walk is great.
Hire a car - only a few shops here and no XXL sizes - but you can also shop at the next village Sidari or it's Corfu Town for your bits and pieces. Get a map and drive along the Mountain road to Paleokastritsa - the best view you wil ever see in Corfu or in many parts of the world. View it from the two cafes up high and overlooking the 3 bays and monestary.
We are going back again in September so I will be looking again at who I will book with. Plenty of Good Options either package or independantly. We check out the offers and prices. I will be Phoning Noula and Simone first though - as always, then cost it against Thompsons etc. I love the Athina and stayed there in 2003, but it is now so expensive to book - but probably worth it!!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Little Prince - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: Thomson Holidays
May 2007
Opinion submitted in June 2007 by : Dave Short 64 Sandra Short 60
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
The little prince studios in San Stefanos are really superb, spacious,modern and very clean and quiet. The food there is excellent, the staff can't do enough for you. The location is central, not that San Stefanos is a large place, the long sandy beach is a 5 minute walk away
We were self catering and the places we found the best to eat out were The Little prince, Waves ( on the beach) and the paradise. On a lunch time try Yaianis Grill or the tasty grill, The prices at all the above are very reasonable Greek salad 2 main dishes and a litre of house wine about 24 euros. There is a limited bus service to Corfu Town 3.5 euros
the last bus back is 4pm.
Try the Teresa for the BBQ and Greek dancing every Wednesday absolutely amazing- but take a video with you as Leo and His mates are really fantastic dancers. The food there is good also
All in all this was probably one of the best holidays we have ever had and intend to book the little prince or the Teresa studios the same time next year.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Little Prince - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
- September 2005
Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : Gavin Schafer - Kent 48 & Di Schafer - Kent 46
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Opinion:
My Husband and I have just returned from a weeks holiday in San Stephonos on Corfu.
Our Accomodation was very good and I would just like to mention how easy it was to find really good Greek Restaurants and so very reasonable. The beach was a 5 minute walk away, nice sand and the views of some small islands really lovely. Their is a restaurant on the beach called The Waves, they do a lovely lunch or light snack. We enjoyed eating at night at The Little Prince where they have Greek dancing every night and the atmosphere is so pleasant.
We were first timers to Greece but streight away we felt at home, we still can not beleive how friendly all the locals were, from George is the ASPA Supermarket to the lady who cleaned our appartment (she was the only person who did not speak English though). The Tomson's Reps are great and we advise everyone to go on a few tours. We loved Corfu by Night and the Two Island Cruise.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Little Prince - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
-September 2004
Opinion submitted in Sept 2004 by : Ray and Hazel Powell(61,56)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
My wife and I have just returned from a fabulous two weeks in San Stefanos and will definitely return.
The accommodation at The Little Prince is first class and the owners
(Dimitri and Mike) and their staff cannot do enough for you. The hotel
is situated near the centre of the resort but is reasonably quiet with
an excellent pool. The picture in the Thomson Holidays
brochure does not do the
place justice.
San Stefanos is a fairly small resort, ideal for couples and families with small children and everyone there makes you feel really welcome. There is a good selection of tavernas an several bars but if you want to be up all night discoing then San Stefanos is not for you.
The beach is wide and sandy and the sea is safe for young children.
There is a good bus service to Sidari and Corfu town.
Good eating places are The Little Prince, Nafsica, Paradise and The Olive Press and when it is not too busy Zorbas.
Several of the bars have Sky television for those who can`t miss their football.
For those who want a more active holiday, there are lots of lovely walks in the area.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nafsika Hotel - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: Thompson June 2007
Opinion submitted in June 2007 by : Barry and Maureen Plank- Brighton, Sussex 60, 50
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
this was or first visit to the Nafsika hotel, but it will not be the last.
it has an atmosphere and a charm of its own, situated almost on the beach at the quieter side of the bay.
the owner speros and his staff made this a holiday to remember, we came away with the feeling we had made friends, vangelis, george, chris, the barstaff, and even the cleaning lady all played a part in this, they went the extra mile, and it made a real difference.
couple this with theodora's cooking and you have a winning combination, the smells wafting through the grounds from the kitchen during the day, are tantalising enough to make your mouth water, but the highlight of the day is sitting down in a lovely setting, and actually experiencing the delights placed before you at dinner,
theodora is spero's mother and how this lady can cook, we usually sample different restaurants during our holidays, but found this to be unnecessary, all the greek dishes are there,and of course cooked in theodora's special way.
i actually remember saying to my wife, wish we had not booked the sunset trip to corfu town, we are going to miss dinner that day, needless to say we ate out for that one and only time, had stuffed peppers and tomatoes, verdict? not a patch on those we had last week.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nafsika Hotel - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: Thomson Holidays
- June 2007
Opinion submitted in June 2007 by : Anne & Les - Dorset ( 54 / 53
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Opinion:
The traditional Greek food is fantastic at the Nafsika and the restaurant was very busy whilst we were there. The breakfast menu is toast, jams and butter, orange juice, a slice of Cake, a pot of coffee/tea, The breakfast menu has other things too (Extra Charge Apply), Vangelis does his best to give a warm welcome to all with his catchy reply (Lovaly Jubly)! The menu in the evening is varied and whilst we were there we had something different for each night the menu does repeat every week or so, Speros is a little cold some times to customers staying Half board, as he tends to favour paying guests drawn in as passing trade, George, you couldn't ask for more . The maid service was superb! Very clean rooms, clean towels and bedding all delivered with a smile and a greeting. Speros family are just a lovely family who make you feel like they have extended their home and invited you in. The Air Conditioning was not required during our stay, but would cost 35 Euro per week.
We had a room with a view of the sea, location of hotel is fairly quite, apart from competing restaurants some times with Greek music, the shower could take a bit of adjusting, as not thermostatic, and cubical was very small, but plenty of very hot water available.
Watch out for the Mosquito's these little pests's try to invade your bedroom, and you when you're out & about at night, we purchased a plug in repellent which did work well, apart from the candle like mark up the wall after four day's use.
Withdrawing money can be a problem at date of visit as no local Hole In Wall machines are available.
Generally good value hotel, local boat trips available, 15 Mins walk
left out of hotel and down to harbour. "The Greek Evening" was great
arranged through Thomson Holidays
Rep, well worth the cost finishing at midnight,
coach transfer back about 1 Hour.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nafsika Hotel - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: Thomson Holidays
- May 2007
Opinion submitted in June 2007 by : CH - Morecambe (58, 60)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
We stayed at the Nafsica after reading several, mainly excellent, reports about it. We were not disappointed!
We were met by Spiros the owner, and our luggage was immediately taken to our room. From then on he remembered our Christian names and used them for the whole fortnight. We soon felt as though we were friends and not just guests. On occasion he appeared to be a 'moody' Greek but pre-occupied was a fairer description I think. He was always pleasant and sociable with us. Where else have you been where the owner of the hotel bought you a drink, and on more than one occasion too! The rest of the staff were equally as friendly and obliging, nothing was too much trouble for them. The half board option worked very well. There was always a choice of 3 starters, 3 main courses plus salad and dessert and if there wasn't enough choice on that menu, for a few euros more you could order anything off the a la carte menu. We never felt the need to do that. Theodora's cooking was traditionally Greek but every meal was delicious. Most days we returned at lunchtime and had our lunch there as well.
The hotel had a rustic charm to it! The bedrooms were quite basic but comfortable. The bathroom was fine but the shower had a mind of it's own! Sometimes it would vary from cold to scaldingly hot within seconds. No thermostatic valves here! Dangerous for young children. My opinion was that both the bedroom and bathroom could do with a good 'bottoming' and this was at the start of the season too. The pool area was always very clean with plenty of sun beds and shades no matter what time of day you chose to use it. The bar area was very pleasant and comfortable and the prices were very reasonable. Eg a Metaxa brandy or an ouzo and lemonade were priced 2 euros. A litre carafe of very gluggable wine in the dining room was 7 euros. The position of the hotel was excellent, just across a quiet road to the beach and 100 metres to the supermarket. The main drag was a few minutes walk away. You could go to bed at night assured of a good night's sleep, no noise with the patio doors shut or just the noise of the sea with them open. Beware of the mozzies! On one night, several of us ladies with bare legs got quite a few bites. Insect repellent a must!
San Stefanos is a lovely, quiet resort with some wonderful walks and stunning scenery. Would we go back? You bet! Would we recommend it? Definitely, if you want somewhere that is still traditionally Greek with a charm of it's own
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nafsika Hotel - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: booked direct with owner - 2006 / 2007
Opinion submitted in March 2007 by : Alan & Linda Walkington (61,)
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
GOOD POINTS - Ideal situation, quiet, across road from beach. Authentic greek food. Lovely quiet pool area. Pleasant hard working staff, in particular Vangelis breakfast waiter.
BAD POINTS Owner Spiros seemed to have his "favourite" guests who got all his attention. Poor breakfast, and a long wait, would be better self service. Have to pay extra for various items on the evening meal, i.e. we were charged for an extra coffee, when one of the choices of desert was "coffee !!", a bit mean we thought. (Having said this, the food at dinner was excellent, traditional home cooked greek, and the wine delicious.)
BEST BITS - Town Pizza, best pizza ever, and great wine. Bar opposite hotel good entertainment at night.
WOULD WE RETURN?? Probably not, although San Stefanos is great for a quiet week break, we would be bored after that.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nafsika Hotel - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
Sept 2006
Opinion submitted in October 2006 by : Trisha &Terry - Darlington (51 & 54)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Below Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
San Stefanos is a lovely resort with a clean beach and friendly people. The Nafsika is ideally situated - right across the road from the beach.
The hotel is a bit out dated and in need of some TLC. The pool area was missing some of it's 'water grills' and had weeds growing out of them. The rooms were basic but cleaned every day, however the showers left a lot to be desired! They were hand held (which isn't too big a problem) but there was a rusty nail sticking out of the wall and a hole in the ceiling and the shower tray leaked. The food was OK but limited choice unless you were a non resident or wanted to pay extra (bit of a cheek when you've already paid for half board). There was also a dog sitting under the table in the kitchen which is not the best advertisment for home cooked food. The staff were pleasant apart from Spiros who we found to be rude and condescending at times and treated non residents in a much more pleasant tone than his paying guests.
Overall we were disappointed with the Hotel considering the great
reviews it has on this website and in the Thomson Holidays
brochure. There were a
few couples staying at the Hotel at the same time as us who felt the
same and although we would return to the resort we wouldn't return to
the Nafsika.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nafsika Hotel - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: Own - Aug 2006
Opinion submitted in October 2006 by : 44,49
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Just returned from another fantastic holiday staying at the Nafsika Hotel. Everything was perfect. Speros & his staff are so friendly and helpful. Theodora's cooking must be the best in the village. We sure go back again...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nafsika Hotel - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
- Aug 2006
Opinion submitted in October 2006 by : Jim Todd - Ayrshire ( 45, 45 )
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
We first visited the Nafsika on the recommendation of a friend, for
an evening meal, and decided to come back for a two week holiday. The
Nafsika Hotel is much more than the 2 stars given in the Thomson Holidays
brochure, the food alone is worth 5 stars and then there is the
attendance of the staff and the facilities they are second to
none.Theodoras cooking is amazing and that can be backed up by the
people who return every night for their dinner and also the new faces
that arrive most evenings, it shows that good news travels fast. Spiros
the owner is an excellent host and always has time for his guests and he
is backed by a great team who always put the guests first.
The centre of San Stefanos is only 2 mins walk away and is great for a stroll at night with plenty of bars shops and other restaurants to try,(but you will keep coming back to the Nafsika), and you must try the Athens bar, run by Nikos his fiancee Helena and his mum and dad, it gives the best welcome on the Island and has an atmosphere second to none.We liked it so much we are going back next year, it is an excellent place to chill and recharge the batteries, what with the great beach, bars and of course the Nafsika Hotel. 10 out of 10.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nafsika Hotel - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: Late August 2006
Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : Tracie and Rhiannon - Dorset
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Having vivited two Greek islands each year for the last six, my daughter and I decided to vist Corfu this year. We chose the Nafsika Hotel purely on the rave reviews we read on many sites, people returning year after year for the friendliness and the excellent Greek cuisine.
Well, let's say we weren't disappointed, and are hoping to return in October!
San Stefanos is the most chilled out place we've ever visited, it's small, safe, friendly, relaxed and beautiful. The beach is amazing, very child freindly.
The Nafsika is the only hotel I have ever stayed in where the majority (80% or more) of the residents were return visitors and all seemed to know eachother! The hotel is very clean and welcoming, superbly run by Speros and his parents. All the staff are so very friendly and welcoming, the service is amazing.
The highlight was the excellent food cooked each day by Spero's mother, Theodora. The menu was varied, each dish was delicious - I've never tasted such good, authentic Greek cooking. Even my teenage daughter who is very particular, loved the food, and was very touched when offered specially adapted vegetarian dishes.
This place is a diamond on this emerald island. If you don't stay there.... just wander along by the beach and have dinner...trust me, you'll love it!!!!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nafsika Hotel - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
s - Aug 2006
Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : Catherine Oygard - Newcastle (52, 49, 19, 17)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
I should like to offer the opinion of a 19 year old girl who travelled, with her family, to the Nafsika hotel in San Stefanos. (North West of Corfu). The location is in the quieter part of San Stefanos yet still surrounded by tavernas and bars. (about 5-10mins away from main street)
We arrived at 6 in the morning after delays at the airport, still, Speros was there to greet us and assist us with our luggage.
The accomodation is basic but spotlessly clean with the maid coming in each day. The shower is hand held but I managed fairly well to do my hair every day.
The hotel itself is excellent; the pool is where I spent most of my time as it was usually fairly quiet, lots of sun beds to choose from at any time of the day. (My family spent most of the time down at the beach - which is less than a minutes walk).
The hotel bar, which is located right next to the pool, is open all day and night and reasonably priced. The cocktails are fabulous.
As we were half board we had the choice of a three course menu but if you came from outside the hotel, there was a wider choice on the menu.
The food cooked by Speros' mum was delicious, mostly it was authentic greek food but there were other choices plus a childrens menu.
Now onto the staff, Speros (the owner), Vangelis, George, Costas, Chris and Carolina. These people are what make the Nafsika so friendly and welcoming. They are lovely people who you can easily converse with.
The nightlife is low key in San Stefanos with decent bars where a young girl can drink with out any unwanted attention, speaking from experience I could drink perfectly safely there with a girl I joined up with from the hotel. The local people are so friendly. For people wanting a clubbing scene you won't get this in San Stefanos but there is a bus that stops out side the Nafsika that will take you to Sidari, this is where you'll find all the clubs.
I haven't been home long and already I'm booked up for next year, this time leaving parents behind...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nafsika Hotel - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
- August 2006
Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : Anne Gittins - East Yorkshire (53, 56)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Food at the Nafsica!
We have thoroughly enjoyed our third visit to the Nafsica Hotel in San Stephanos where the food was superb! There is lots of choice from a menu which serves all tastes, the main part being dedicated to home cooked Greek cuisine. We are addicted to the typical Greek atmosphere, friendly staff and of course the food, which is very reasonably priced (approx £5.00 for a main course including glass of wine). The restaurant/taverna is open to non-residents and you will receive a very warm welcome. It's well worth the short walk to this end of the village where the Nafsica is situated not far from the little church on the hill.
Greek dancing is on the agenda most nights with opportunity for you to join in if you feel inclined.
We will be back!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nafsika Hotel - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
- July/August 2006
Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : John & Debra Hodkinson
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
This was our second visit to the Nafsika. This place just gets better! Speros has ensured the high standards are maintained. His team of staff are still wonderful - always friendly, efficient, helpful and cheerful.
The hotel has many return visitors. We even spoke to two young girls who had returned alone because they had been nine times before with their parents and there was no where they would rather go. The village had not changed much in two years - the supermarkets had expanded and been modernised and there were a few extra bars. It has such a safe village atmosphere.
The traditional Greek food is fantastic at the Nafsika and the
restaurant was very busy whlst we were there. It has such a good
reputation. A litre of wine with your meal costs 7 euros and a full
English breakfast costs an extra 2 euros - a bargain - there is toast,
jams and butter, orange juice, a pot of coffee/tea together with two
eggs, English sausage, bacon, beans and tomato -all beautifully cooked
to order. The breakfast menu has other things too and if you want a nice
runny boiled egg, Vangelis does his best to get them boiled for 3
minutes! The menu in the evening is varied and whilst we were there we
had something different for each of the 14 nights. The maid service was
superb! very clean rooms, clean towels and bedding all delivered with a
smile and a greeting. Speros and his family are just a lovely family who
make you feel like they have extended their home and invited you in. It
is amazing to us that Thomson Holidays
have not continued to give them their GOLD
AWARD. They had one when we visited in 2004 and the hotel is certainly
as good if not better than then, so it makes no sense.
If you are going - lucky you - enjoy!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nafsika Hotel - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
july 2006
Opinion submitted in July 2006 by : mike,gail probert 40is
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
the hotel is a1 staff are very friendly and always have a smile the food is wonderful we ate out twice just for a change but always ended our evening back at the bar, prices are v reasonable a large beer only 2 euros, try the blue ocean cocktail 3 euro , breakfast was a little of a let down as anything other than toast and coffee had to be paid for usually on half board you get a choice of cereal and fruit. but thats just a little matter .we found the times of meals very acceptable b,fast from 9-11 great after the late nights.
our Thomson Holidays
rep barry was around and joined us for a drink we found
him friendly but most importantly not pushy, the area was relaxing and
the beach was something else shallow and safe just across the road. we
ate our lunch at waves resturant on the beach the food was wonderfuland
extremly reasonable.there is a wonderful walk if you take the hill(v
steep) at the side of the hotel and walk to the top you can walk over to
the little village of arillias.
a little hint for those visiting the mozzies love corfu i would recommend repellants and to spray you room at night apart from that the holiday was wonderful WE WILL RETURN.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nafsika Hotel - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
- June 2006
Opinion submitted in November 2006 by : Joan & Pip - Chester (53,52)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Below Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
My partner and I visited the Nafsika in early June 2006 as a result of the reviews posted on various sites. We had tried to book for 2005 but all the dates we tried for were full, so we settled instead for the hotel Opal in Turgutreis, Turkey, because its description and reviews were so similar to those for the Nafsika. Having had a lovely holiday there and found the owners to be extremely welcoming and friendly without being 'in your face', we travelled to the Nafsika expecting a similar experience. As a previous reviewer somewhere said : 'everything is down to perception' and naturally we compared everything with the Opal.
The hotel room was actually better because the shower room was brighter and a little better fitted. However this may have been because it had a window as we had a corner room.
Re the staff, Vangelis was wonderful. He seemed to be a genuine, hard working, family man.
During our stay, many 'outsiders' including a party of about 17
people came in to eat and they were noticeably fussed over. We can only
draw our own conclusions from that they had Thomson Holidays
's money so why do
anything more than deliver a meal?
On the Sunday my partner asked whether they were having the Grand Prix on at the bar. He was more or less ignored, and the race start time got nearer and nearer. It was only at the request of someone else at the bar, again a non-resident, that they arranged for the appropriate TV channel to be found.
At the time we thought it was us who were unsociable or came across as unfriendly, but on the last day we chatted to an elderly couple who had been very upset that they had been chased about an unpaid bar bill from only the previous evening. How much did they owe? All of 3 euros!
At the end of our holiday he told us that a room was available for changing and showering, but only told us that it was the room by the pool after we had checked out.
We had looked forward to a quiet holiday at a small and friendly hotel with use of a pool and the opportunity to meet other people over drinks in the evening. That wasn't to be. Many of the party of 17 mentioned above descended on the pool, together with various families, a couple of which had very badly behaved children. As a result we went to the beach after the first couple of days. We also found that no other couples staying in the hotel seemed to go to the bar before or after the evening meal, possibly because it was dominated by the TV and the pool table. It's a pity, but we would not recommend this hotel, although despite some niggles, we would recommend the Opal at Turgutreis which is available via First Choice.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nafsika Hotel - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
flight -Jun 2006
Opinion submitted in June 2006 by : Neil - Uxbridge (38,37,13,8,4)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
We have just returned from another great holiday to The Nafsika in San Stefanos for the second year running. Speros and his staff make you all feel very welcome and treat you like friends rather than guests. The hotel is basic but very clean and family friendly. The mile long sandy beach is just across the road and the hotel pool is ideal for the kids and that lunch time dip to cool off. The half board menu is great and the home cooked Greek food is delicious, we didn't eat anywhere else as there was no need. I would recommend this hotel to anyone who wants a relaxing holiday with great food where friendly staff who constantly walk round with smiles on their faces are only too pleased to help. We will be returning.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nafsika Hotel - San Stefanos
Operator and Date: Booked privately - May 2006
Opinion submitted in June 2006 by : Tony Cathy & kids - Queensland Aus, (49, 44, 13, 11, 9)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
After spending every holiday at Nafsika in the 80's, we emigrated to Australia. Holidays in San Stef soon became a distant treasured memory. This year saw our 1st visit back to UK & we tied in a week in Corfu - along with 12 close friends & family from UK who had never visited the place before. I was worried that in 2 decades, the village might have become too popular, built up and spoilt - but no. From the moment we arrived, Speros greeted us all as old friends and everyone very quickly fell in love with the place. We stayed at Nafsika - always clean, comfortable rooms, while the other 12 in our group stayed at Theodosia apts (thru Noula at San Stef Travel) and they were very happy with that brand new accommodation. No matter where you stay in San Stef, the welcome, food and service at Nafsika is always amazing.
Theodora worked up her kitchen magic for all 17 of us each night - even our picky children suddenly developed huge appetites (do you think Theodora might like to come and live with us?). The menu choices were extensive and varied each day, and the vegetarian in our group was well catered for. Speros gave great suggestions on wines with dinner and George & Chris knew what each of us liked to drink at the