San Stefanos Online ~ North West Corfu
Welcome to San Stefanos (NW Corfu) => Where to stay => Topic started by: Karen on May 31, 2010, 05:17:15 PM
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Hi everyone!
Just joined this very helpful site and it is great to get first hand updates from you all! Thank you! We have been going to San Stefanos since 2004 and have always stayed in Stamatis Apartments, as we are again this year. Apartments basic but clean and comfortable, studios for 2 are very small so wouldn't reccomend them. Spend little time in the apartment, as we are on the beach most of the day (that is if there is one this year!) Tom, the owner, has always gone out of his way to be helpful and friendly. We normally have a bite to eat there when we return from the beach and the food is very good! Favourite place for evening meal is Nafsika. Great rustic food and much of it home made by Spiros' Mum. Spiros can be a bit grumpy at times, but hasn't put us off going. Have tried a few other places but tend to drift back to Nafsika as it is very quiet when we eat, which is about 10pm. Anyway, must go and pack bikinis now. Keep up good work and I will report any interesting news on here when we return on 18th June. Happy hols to all!! ;)
Karen
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Hi Karen
Welcome to the forum.
Enjoy your holiday
Yammas
Yannis
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Thank you Yannis!!
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Great to have you on the forums Karen - news from different people is great to have :)
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Thanks Jules! Seems a great fun site and very infomative for newbies to San Stefanos!
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It is definitely a fun site Karen and we all have our love of San Stefanos as a common factor :)
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Welcome Karen, I really get what you say about the Nafsika, great crowd and good food - makes you want to return, say hello to Vangellis (the waiter) for us,
he's a very old friend!
Tony and Linda
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Hi Tony and Linda
Will do. Yes he is great to talk to. They all have a character of their own don't they. Chris is still very shy though! We still see George around, who used to work there and his little nephew, George who has been working in Bar 38 for last couple of years. Have watched him 'bloom' from a sweet 13 year old!
Karen
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Hi Karen and a warm welcome from us too. We've stopped in the very "small" studios twice and loved them.Well they are only for shower, sleep and change yourself afterall. Say hi to Vangelis for us too and let him know we'll see him later in june.
Have a great holiday ..
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Thanks Don. Will do! We stayed in the small apartments once at Stamatis but just a bit too small for us. However the Studios for 3 are just right for us and as you say, you spend very little time in them anyway! Haven't tried any other accomodation but they all sound good from what I hear.
Karen
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I agree - the Nafsika is just brilliant - absolutely love Thoeodora's food - her sauces are just SOOOOOO good. There is nothing she cooks that i don't like. We too really liked Vagelis - when we last stayed there he covered the breakfasts and was just fab! Lovely Jubbly! Did 'pop' in for a drink 2 years ago and he was waiting at night. George was just so funny.........a girl magnet I called him - he talked to you with one eye on the road in case a pretty girl walked past. And Costas - well he was fab too. Happy memories of Spiros, Costas and George dancing EVERY night - up went the music and on they came......................Sad if Spiros 'grumpy', I always found him ok - he kept his eye on the running of things but always had time for you if you needed it. He did have a lovely wife when we were there once, Katerina, and it was all over when we returned 2 years later - a shame - no family for Spiros - unless there is someone now? Oh would love to be at the Nafsika now - think that end of the village has a 'special' feel
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Hi again Debra, must agree with what you say about that end of the village, all in all, a lovely feel to it - we only stayed at that end in our early days there, we have stayed in around 10 or 12 different apartments/villas in that end and like the quieter end,
to go back to in the evening after a night out!
Don't you just miss the Nafsika Breakfasts out under the canopy on a sunny hot morning,
with Vangelis and George having a bit of fun with you!!
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It's lovely here in Derbyshire today - but yes, would kill to be there sitting outside eating breakfast at the Nafsika, chatting till 11am and then slowly ambling around - we both have had such good holidays there. We have to go in school holidays because of my job and it is always steaming hot...............arh...... WANT TO GO AGAIN!
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No matter where you stay - a great holiday is usually guaranteed!!
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Regarding The Nafsika Hotel:
George & Costos left the Nafsika about 1-2 years ago, Costas now runs (and has done for the past year) his own cafe/bar called Gravia on the top of the San Stefanos hill, towards Arillas with his brother Yiannis. Very nice place with views over the island of Gravia
George temporarily took over the management of O'Manthas (opposite The Nafsika) in 2009, but I now believe he is back in Sidari.
After suffering the recent sad loss of his mother, Vangelis has also left The Nafsika. He is "doing his own thing" of his passions of fishing and painting. He will be a sad loss, no more "lovely jubbly". He still lives directly behind the Nafsika Hotel.
His place has been taken by a waiter called Spiros (Oh no not another one, the owner was enough), he seems OK but is a bit "stairy"
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Waspman, thanks for this update, we are especially so sorry to hear of Vangelis loss - we knew his parents quite well,
especially his mother from the Helena Supermarket when it was open.
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Waspman,
My wife and I stopped off for a light lunch and a couple of cheeky ones last year at Gravis and we were impressed. The scenery alone is worth paying for. We were a little sad for them as the place appeared to be too quiet. The location I suppose. Will it be open this year?
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The Gravia is indeed open this year. We visited 3 weeks ago but missed Costos as he was in Corfu Town
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Thank you Waspman for the info. How sad for Vagelis. We were there when his Father, Michalis, died and he was almost inconsolable. The whole village felt very, very sad. And now his Mum, am sure it will be an enormous loss for him. Oh dear, the Nafsika will feel the loss of Vagelis I'm sure. Such a character, a consistent.
Was interesting about Costas - when we last stayed there (in 2006) he had already left, think he went to work in Sidari then - George was there but constantly talking of going to work with Costas in Sidari and very 'unsettled'. We last popped into the Nafsika in 2008 and it was good to see Vagelis serving in the evening. How exactly do you get to Costas's place? Would love to go and see it. Oh no....... I really think Spiros will miss Vagelis massively!
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I've just remembered something about Vagelis - it was when he was in cgharge of the breakfasts and I asked for soft boiled eggs - he bought them and waited whilst I took the top of - HARD! ' I take back - no problem' he said. Few mins later he returned and waited again whilst I took the tops off (by this time I was getting very nervous) - guess what - RAW! (How I wished I'd had stuck to toast!) He whipped the plate away and I waited and waited. In the meantime more and more residents were coming down for breakfast and they waited......and waited. All of a sudden he burst out of the kitchen with my eggs! He stood over me whilst I took the tops of (I was terrified by this time) - everyone was looking at me. 'Perfect!' I announced. 'Lovely jubbly' cried a jubilant Vagelis 'If you want a job doing properly - do it yourself!' He had been cooking my eyes, nurturing them into perfection. Wonderful - but guess what? I never dared ask for soft boiled eggs again - TOO STRESSFUL!
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I've just remembered something about Vagelis - it was when he was in cgharge of the breakfasts and I asked for soft boiled eggs - he bought them and waited whilst I took the top of - HARD! ' I take back - no problem' he said. Few mins later he returned and waited again whilst I took the tops off (by this time I was getting very nervous) - guess what - RAW! (How I wished I'd had stuck to toast!) He whipped the plate away and I waited and waited. In the meantime more and more residents were coming down for breakfast and they waited......and waited. All of a sudden he burst out of the kitchen with my eggs! He stood over me whilst I took the tops of (I was terrified by this time) - everyone was looking at me. 'Perfect!' I announced. 'Lovely jubbly' cried a jubilant Vagelis 'If you want a job doing properly - do it yourself!' He had been cooking my eyes, nurturing them into perfection. Wonderful - but guess what? I never dared ask for soft boiled eggs again - TOO STRESSFUL!
Have you the recipe? LOL
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Typical of that genuine nice guy!
A fantastic friend I first met in 1984, the very first year he worked as a waiter in the Golden Beach Hotel,helping Stefanos - now of the Condor.
We took the kids that year, Marcia was 16 and Mark was 5.
Marcia met a friend and Vangelis fancied them! - I found out that the girls drinks (we were drinking Brandy & Sprite), were also brandy and sprite, which was naughty!!
Also they were 50/50 brandy!!
So I swapped them. the next round I ordered, I asked for sprite for me and Linda, with american ginger- it looked the same.
Marcia ordered Brandy & sprite and I just swapped them over each time - he thought it was wonderful how Marcia could drink copious amounts of Brandy and not get drunk!! LOL
So many people will have Vangelis stories from all the places he worked at - a real but genuine character!! (Remember him in the Thomas Bay??).
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Whenever we go to San Stef we have to look out Vangelis. It doesn't matter where in the world we have travelled he is one of the people we MUST see when we return.
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I suspect he won't be so visible now, as he has something very personal to deal with.
He may well be back next year if it feels right, it takes some people a long time to grieve.
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This is how you get to The Gravia cafe/bar which is owned by Costos (ex Nafsika) there are two ways.
1 Walk up the steep hill towards Arrilas and keep left (heading towards Arrilas) his taverna is on the left just before Arrilas, and overlooks the island of Gravia
2 An easier way. Walk out of San Stefanos, past the Mythica (on your left) and just keep walking out of town. After a couple of sharp bends at the end of town you will see the first right hand turning which states Gravia. Turn right here and it leads you to the hill top overlooking Gravia island, Costos is just to your left.
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Thank you waspman - brilliant directions!
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May I refer you to our new friend JustL@@kins Map.
http://arillasmap.awardspace.com/googlemap/?item=145
click on the Gravia bar to see pictures of it.
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Stopped at the Gravia the other day for a snack and a cooling beer. There were quite few people there and you certainly can't beat view and it's a good staging post on the walk over to or back from Arillas.
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Gordon - what is the condition of the Path down into Arillas now?
We heard a few bad reports earlier.