San Stefanos Online ~ North West Corfu
Welcome to San Stefanos (NW Corfu) => San Stefanos news and views => Topic started by: Cheddar on June 21, 2011, 10:28:04 PM
-
Hi All,
Just returned from Ag Stef (I posted earlier in the "Where To Eat Out" section as San (Ag) Stefanos Virgin), so thanks for all your advice and just out of curiosity, we ate the first night at Nasfika and were very pleased. Didn't have poor meal anywhere in our 10 nights and we had at least 7 Mezedes style meals, with a large jug of wine at most.
As a first timer to Ag Stefanos, the place grew on me as time went on. At first it was a tad too brash and British with a lack of smaller tavernas tucked around the back streets (if you kown what I mean) and all the bars seemed huge. But the sheer friendliness of everyone and I do mean everyone, won us over and we began to really like the evenings out, but funnily enough didn't eat or really drink along the "Condor Strip", but preferred the older part to drink and eat in (large Mythos on draught only 2 euros at the 3W Bar.
We loved the area around the resort and walked to Ag Georgios twice and had a scooter to get out and about for a week or so. Stopped three times (after a longish walk) at Erianas on the peninsular by the little church and loved the shade, the welcome, the chickens/ducks/geese etc and the lovely Eriana herself.
Overall we had a fantastic stay in Ag Stefanos and will definately return in a year or two - thankyou for all the sage advice and entertainment on this forum and enjoy your next holiday in Ag Stef !
-
Glad you enjoyed it. I can't put my finger on why I like it so much. The only thing I can say is after a couple og hours I "slot into the groove."
-
It is funny really I know. I too like the old part better - it has become more 'British' as the years have gone on - I used to love the sound og only Greek music everywhere. So glad you enjoyed it. My choice would have been Nafsika first. Love Theodoras food.
-
Glad you enjoyed it. I can't put my finger on why I like it so much. The only thing I can say is after a couple of hours I "slot into the groove."
-
Fantastic beach with no road along the back of it - beautiful views out over the islands - very cheap compared to other places (try Paleo!) - and a real atmosphere of friendship. No twisty back streets but lots of flowers. It's a very relaxing place. The first time you go somewhere you're worried that it may be a nightmare - but when you go back to Ag Stef, within minutes you feel all that urban crap dissolving and you get hugged.
-
Thanks Cheddar, you pretty much echoed what our family discovered in 2008. In three weeks time I know when we arrive there, I'll turn on the switch, and it will work. Glad you enjoyed it.
-
We will be returning to SS on the 8 July for two weeks. This will be our second time as we visited last year in June and really enjoyed it. When we got home we felt as though we couldn't wait to get back and not had that feeling anywhere before as we dont normally return to the same place twice. Anyway we cant wait to be there again but feel a little apprehensive as we enjoyed it so much last year and hope it will be the same this year. We will be staying at a different appartment than last year and the friends we met last year are actually out there now so hopefully we will make new friends. We were with a great crowd last year and still keep in touch with them but you know when you visit somewhere again it doesnt seem to have the same feel about it so hopefully, fingers crossed, it will be just as good or if not better. Will let you know how we get on. :-*
-
We had the same apprehensions, sunshinegirl,
but we actually enjoyed it more this June!
We're back again at the end of August, and have
already booked two weeks for next June.
Like you, we've never been back twice to the same place,
but this place is different. It casts a spell!!
-
Ooooh I can't wait to get there now. Come on August 19th!!!!!!
-
JIMBO, you have written it just right. The first time we visited Ag Stef - I was so relaxed I came home almst horizontal - nowhere else does that for me. And the beauty - the sea, the surrounding villages and the beach...................it's not really hard to see why I always just want to reutn.
-
first went to ss in 1999, my kids were 12,14. it was the first holiday where i felt it was safe for them to go with new friends around a resort.
the local people are so friendly and always seemed to know where the kids were (there were about 8 or 10) going around ages from 8 to 15.
never once did i feel worried about them here.
used the athens bar as my bar of choice, nikos and his cousin spiros were behind the bar, what a double act.
often left early hours, not drunk just relaxed and in great spirits.
this year is my sixth visit, my daughter and her kids are currently at the tsaros, she was more excited than the kids as she hasnt been for about 9 yrs.
every time we return and walk into the athens bar, nikos is full fuss of us, but everywhere we go people rcognise us from previous visits, its why i keep coming back, and will keep coming back.
the perfect place to de-stress. roll on the 21st
-
A perfect place to relax, unwind, chill and to make lots of new friends. We can never wait to get back again. Roll on September 2nd
-
Glad you enjoyed it. I can't put my finger on why I like it so much. The only thing I can say is after a couple og hours I "slot into the groove."
"OG" - Surely not a typo from the great wordsmith - Don!! - Jules keyboard strikes again, LOL
We all say it time and time again here, but we discovered it in '83 on our own, took the kids in '84, now taking the grown up kids, and the grand-kids this year,
to discover a great and safe resort, the friendliest in Greece! My son loves it as much as we do, and now takes his children as well,
Maybe they (the Grandchildren), will take their children one day too!!
We are not unique in this and many other families have done the same.
-
Must admit we fell in love with the place last year when we visited for the first time, especially the first class friendly service we received at the Romanza..........however.........I just could not keep returning to San Stef at the expense of other holidays. We would have returned here this year as our second holiday had our nephew not dragged us along to Protaras for his wedding in September!
If I only had the opportunity to go on one decent holiday a year then San Stef would probably be somewhere we would return to every 2nd/3rd year. I just believe the world is massive and life is too short! I want to cast my net as far afield and wide as I can. I went through a stage of returning to Correlejo In Fuerte every year when I was younger as I loved the chilled out surf dude vibe of the resort and the island however the minute I went to Greece I kicked myself for not trying it earlier.
I still have friends who, despite being in their late 30's, have never been to Greece!
Each to their own and I realise that in these times of economic difficulties then you probably want the safety net of guaranteed good value and knowing you'll have a good time but I feel that there will be other places out there that also offer the kind of holiday San Stef does!
My parents took me to St Ives in Cornwall every year when I was a kid and I appreciate that they couldn't have taken me on foreign hols but it would have been nice to have gone somewhere different!!!!
-
I admit to going to San Stefanos EVERY year but 4 or 5 times a year go to somewhere else. I would really miss seeing some really good friends if I didnt do this. For similar reasons I have to make regular returns to Tenerife. Just been looking back and surprised ourselves to see we have been to over 60 different resorts since our first trip overseas in 1982.
-
Agree Don......if I was a man of pleasure, an international man of mystery and intrigue like you, and I was in a position to have 4 hols a year then San Stef would probably be one of them most years. :D
-
We also have at least 3 holidays a year, so Ag. Stefanos is always one we go back to for the same reasons as Don really!
We are made to feel part of the Ag.Stefanos Family - - and enjoy being so!
We save up and spend it on holidays!!
However, we are not rich!! - my Salary is OK - but we save money by not smoking - (most smokers can smoke a holiday away each year),
we only drink a little and don't go to pubs, but while we don't go out as often as we would like, owing to my shift work, we still enjoy a social life, so money is saved.
Free travel is a perk of my job, for the two of us, so we save again there!
I never buy a new car - the first year depreciation saved and not lost pays for another holiday!
I get a uniform suit so clothes are not an urgent weekly buy, we tend to spend smartly and shop around - it all adds up and pays for an extra holiday each year.
We also went through the rough times when we could not think of a holiday in our early marriage, in fact we had weeks where we lived on beans on toast!
You kind'a appreciate not chucking money away then!
I expect I will have to plan wisely when the pension starts - - but Ag.Stefanos is never boring and we have seen most of the world!
We always compare - Ag. Stefanos has a feel good factor that's hard to beat!
-
I think Tony's right. It all comes down to what you want. For a beach holiday, it's pretty hard to beat Ag.Stef. For a sight-seeing holiday, go when it's cool to Venice or wherever.
We've also been to a lot of places. Seen a lot of hot old stones. Admired the statues. Viewed the paintings. Queued for galleries. Trudged the streets of Moscow and Leningrad in the snow. Been to beaches all over Greece. Seen the Greek National Theatre at Epidavros.
It's been a hard winter, and the best place I've found so far to just crash out and relax is...
-
Amazing, a real tribute to Ag Stef and not one mention of those Ukranian burds anywhere :-*
-
Amazing, a real tribute to Ag Stef and not one mention of those Ukranian burds anywhere :-*
ROFL
-
Ha! Beware Thanassis when he suggests 'the drinking game'.
-
Kathryn - You're not a saddo and you're not rambling. If you find somewhere you really like, why not go back? Love is not a series of one-night stands.
-
Kathryn
You're not a saddo....each to their own. I personally couldnt just go to one place for ever. I did put in my post that I appreciate that holidays cost a lot and people dont want to risk a lot of money on what could be a crap holiday. If I carry on being as lucky as I am with my employment, earning decent sales bonuses etc then I can prob afford 2 big hols a year. San Stef will probably feature at least once every other year as we did love it.
However, personally, if I only got chance for one big hol a year then I'd have to cast my net wider to experience different cultures etc. That's just me (and my wife!) we're all different.
I must have been very lucky as I dont think I've ever had a bad holiday! Some better than others yes, but never a bad one! I do a lot of research...forums like this are great to find out things. I also religiously check Trip Advisor and also use their forums to get a feel for the place and decide whether it's for me.
I was with a customer today (aged about 50) who normally holidays in Frigiliana in Spain (really quiet village with just Spanish bars and restaurants) she said that this year she'd decided to holiday in Greece as she'd never been. She'd booked somewhere on the recommendation of her 23yo niece.....guess where she's going.....Malia!!!!!! That was the only advice she got....didnt do any research at all! She's even stopping where here niece stopped which is right on the main strip!
-
I think that SS is a lovely and friendly place but there are other places that can become special too.
This year we visited Thassos for the first time due to the fact that we are doing our house up so needed to spend less this year on our holiday and we got a great deal to Thassos, £400+ cheaper than the accomodation we wanted to stay at in SS, so we went with Thassos due to the money situation. We researched the resort and apartments before booking, this is something that we always do and have never had a bad holiday.
Before we went I felt like we had opted for second best and was very apprehensive however our fears were totally unfounded and we really enjoyed our holiday and in fact it was the best holiday we have ever had[never thought I would be saying that]. Everyone was just so friendly, helpful and the beach was pure white sand with crystal clear waters and uncrowded, lovely tavernas too, free sunbeds for the price of a drink on the beach and Wall to wall sunshine during our two weeks stay The owners of our apartments were so friendly, we had at least four free drinks a night[hardly paid for any], there was no pharmacy in resort and hubby needed something so the owner made a phone call to one of his staff in the next village and within an hour they had brought what my husband needed and refused point blank to let us pay for it, that is just one example of their kindness towards us and other holiday makers. We swapped email addresses with the owner who said he would give us the same room next year if we wanted. So there are friendly and lovely places everywhere if you are lucky enough to find them.
We will visit SS again though because it is a lovely and friendly place and like others have said if you have found somewhere that you love and are happy visiting the same place every year then of course you should, holidays should be what we want them to be, it is a personal choice. I have got to agree with Gavlah though in that going to one place forever is not everyones cup of tea and that we are all different.
-
Lilly where did you stay in Thassos? We have heard that it is very good and at some point may give it a go. This year we went to Fuerteventura and stayed in Correlejo (thanks Gavlah you were spot on) we had a really enjoyable stay and will go back again.It's good to see another side of life, however the draw of SS is still there we like many are now into our 20th year..... it's the feeling of belonging, you know that as soon as you land and breathe the air.
-
We are going for our 8th visit to SS on 1st July. We are lucky enough to have 3 holidays per year, but SS is what we call our 'chilling out' holiday! We have been to several other Greek islands. My first with John was Lesvos, which we loved. It was very similar to SS with the 'family like' atmosphere. We did return there after 2 years, but it was not as good as the first time. We can't pull ourselves away from SS at the moment but who knows if we may get fed up with it someday!! I think from our point of view, it is obviously the friendly atmosphere but also the feeling of safety in the resort. I would not like to see too many changes in the resort, as I think it could easily be spoilt for some of us. Anyway, 6 more sleeps for us, if I can manage to sleep!!
-
We loved Thassos too. We stayed in Golden Beach. Everyone was so friendly and relaxed. The food is fab. Thassos town just the right size. Easy to get all round the island - 99k. Thassos is simply Greece at its best I think. Oh and the OLive Oil is definitely the very best.
When I was on the ferry going over - I felt like Shirley Valentine - it was FAB!
-
loving all the great comments , we going back on 25th July for 2 weeks , aint been for 2 years and cant wait !! staying at Nondas (very reasonable with free transfers included ) usually stay at spiradoula but late booking meant no availability . looking forward to seeing everyone and the kids are so excited . usual large crowd of our family arriving and staying in numerous places, nites in silver star , condor , 3w on its way and of course great food in any 1 of 20 tavernas...
-
Welcome to the forums thejoneses. Sounds like you have your fab time already planned out :)
-
Joan
Glad you liked Fuerte! I've been around 7 times, last time being a couple of years ago. Another place where I dont think I've had a bad meal!! There's a great steakhouse on the main st about halfway up called El Loco, one of the waiters has the biggest handlebar tash I've ever seen!
Lilly
Sounds great, I might have to give Thassos a go next year!!
-
Hi gavlah, I think that you would like Thassos, it has alot to offer and there are lots of stunning beaches and beautiful scenery, I know you enjoyed the quad bikes in SS and thassos is only 90km all round so if you wanted you could do it in a day or like us take 3 days visiting all the beaches/villages etc.
When are you going to Cyprus?
Joan, we stayed in Golden beach at Skala Panagia which is the quieter end although Skala Potima at the other end of the bay is a little more built up it is still another small resort.
-
Gavlah we too had great meals in FV we went to the steakhouse called El Torro many times. Each time we went one of the waiters managed to either smash several plates or cause a catastrophe in some way, it made some entertaiment.We also went to the harbour during the day to the fish restaurant the one where you sit alongside the wall, I have never seen such tiny squid but they were delicious as was the tuna.I'm glad we went definately going back again.
-
Lilly thanks for that I've heard Golden Beach is lovely, will do more research at some point just to get an idea.
-
We did a Caribbean Cruise a few years back - (which is a pretty decent holiday), but in spite of the fantastic locations we stayed in, which to be honest -- some can really put Ag. Stef in the shade - - view wise - however, when it comes down to a chill-out holiday on the friendliest village on earth -
it's Ag' Stefanos for us every time.
I remember sitting on beaches in Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast, Bondi, Tamarrama, Manley in Aussie, the Bahamas, Virgin Islands, various in Florida and the USA, the canaries, Egypt, etc etc - - around the world - - pretty as they are with swaying palm trees - - you just don't get that relaxed feeling of "I belong here", like you do in a few parts of Europe,
especially in Ag.Stefanos! - It's just not set up in the same way - all feel far too commercial or too controlled.
Yes we will keep visiting other places to explore new venues, but then maybe we were just lucky to find Ag.Stefanos back in the eighties,
when it all developed from very little - yet kept that special ingrediant.
-
It sounds so wonderful Tony. It really is the type of place that Malc and I love.
I've always liked Greek villages where the locals are friendly and really are pleased to see you again.
There is a small village in Vassilikos on Zakynthos, which we've been to 4 times and it is the same sort of atmosphere.
Can't wait to get Agios Stefanos.
-
Denise - if you want a friendly chilled out holiday, then Aghios Stefanos (San Stefanos), is a brilliant place to go.
Just take the time to chat to any of the locals and they respond really well - you may well end up as adopted family!! LOL
-
We too were first timers to Ag Stefanas in June this year. Always said that we would never go back to the same place place twice. But we have been converted and we will be back on June 8th next year. Never could see why people returned year after year but we do now.
We stayed at Tsaras and loved every minute of our stay.
Everyone was so friendly and made us welcome from day one.
Can't wait to back there.
A huge thank you to all at tsaras for making our holiday the best ever!!
Tell Dave and Edie we will see them next year. They said we would be back.
Maureen and Keith from Pudseyx x
-
That say's it all!!
-
Welcome to the forums Maureen. Glad you had a good time and that the Aghios Stefanos magic has worked yet again :)
-
As the day grows nearer, I am getting more and more excited. You all say such wonderful things about Aghios Stefanos.
I can't wait to see for myself.
-
We still get excited, and we've been going since we were young in 1983, also welcome to the forum from myself and Linda as well.
I think that by the end of the first week you will start to get that warm feeling this place will give you! Enjoy!! - - - - we will.
Planning next holiday for this year now - -can't decide what to do though!
-
Hi Maureen
My wifes from Calverley and her parents now live just down from the Wetherby Whaler!
-
We went to the Wetherby Whaler during our stay in Weherby - lovely fish and chips
-
Hi Jules
That one was the original one! They now have branches in Leeds, York and Wakefield
I love fish n chips!
-
Hi Guys
Well after reading all these brill comments about SS our party of 4 myself hubbie and 2 friends are so looking forward to coming on 17th October, ;D as first timers we where not to sure what to expect, but by reading these comments we can not wait. will be staying at the Tsaros apartments and by the looks we could be staying there next year hopefully.
Plus celebrating a birthday and it sounds just the right place to do it relaxed and chilled brill!!!!!
So to sum up exited and looking forward to hols in SS.
-
We went to the Wetherby Whaler during our stay in Weherby - lovely fish and chips
???????????????????????????????? What?
Paid deposit on same apartment for 2012.
-
Maybe Jules meant - - - - The Weather-be Wah-Hey-ler -
(translation = It be ''roight'' windy oop 'ere)!!
LOL
-
Was it Marias apartments Don?
-
Was it Marias apartments Don?
And Peli's
-
Ahh! one in each then!!