San Stefanos Online ~ North West Corfu

Your help and reviews are required => Information and help please => Topic started by: swedebasher on September 22, 2013, 12:22:21 AM

Title: 'Free' sun beds impending debacle?
Post by: swedebasher on September 22, 2013, 12:22:21 AM
The astynomia have been and visited the tavernas giving free sunbeds and doled out huge 'fines' of thousands of euros and instructions to remove them as far as can be ascertained. Uh oh trouble in paradise.
Title: Re: 'Free' sun beds impending debacle?
Post by: gaynor on September 22, 2013, 01:02:55 PM
Oh no really ? how can they do that ? You wouldn't have thought they were breaking any laws. Sounds a bit dodgy to me. !!
Title: Re: 'Free' sun beds impending debacle?
Post by: Jimbo on September 22, 2013, 02:28:07 PM
The owners of the non-free sunbeds probably complained that it was unfair competition. They were probably better off charging and offering a two Euro reduction on food.
Title: Re: 'Free' sun beds impending debacle?
Post by: swedebasher on September 22, 2013, 02:52:06 PM
More like the council trying to grab more money!! The Athina btw charges €8 for their beds and you get a€8 voucher to spend in there.
   Heard talk that some were driving over from Arillas where you pay for the beds to go on the free ones, wonder how many actually patronised the tavernas.
Sunbeds are paramount here as the sand is too wet to lay on, and they also avoid some sandblast if the Maestro is blowing well.
Title: Re: 'Free' sun beds impending debacle?
Post by: gaynor on September 22, 2013, 04:47:45 PM
I've just come back from 11 days at San Stef and before we knew about the free sun beds we paid 8 euros at Athina and we got a token for 2 back. Then we were told about the free beds at Waves and we did use those but made a point of buying 2 bottles of water when we got there, coffee at about 11 and then lunch. And I have to say the restaurant was full every lunch time. I just thought what a clever idea.
Title: Re: 'Free' sun beds impending debacle?
Post by: tonyco1 on September 22, 2013, 09:19:45 PM
I checked this out. From Spiros in waves.
Waves Mistral..Manthos etc. Were charging during high season.
They paid the council the fee.. charged when busy to recoup investment.
Now quiet... back to free... just buy something there.. although not a condition.
Title: Re: 'Free' sun beds impending debacle?
Post by: cornishmaid18 on September 22, 2013, 10:58:47 PM
During our first week when we were there in August we paid for the beds outside Waves and were given a €2 discount ticket which we used to buy ice creams. (Tricky for is to get into restaurant from beach because of disabled access) so we sorted ourselves re lunch.
At the start of the second week the beds became free and the girl who had previously sold the tickets,now became a waitress and offered to fetch drinks etc from Waves.
To be honest it made my life so much pleasanter not having to be the one to always get drinks etc that we found we spent more money in the restaurant than we had done the week before.
Result all round!...we were more than happy to pay (and tip) for the service!
Hope it's the same next year!
Title: Re: 'Free' sun beds impending debacle?
Post by: gaynor on September 22, 2013, 11:03:42 PM
We definitely spent more in Waves than we would have done and consequently spent more time on the beach than we normally do. As a waiter at our hotel said in theory free sunbeds gives you 8 euros in credit.
Title: Re: 'Free' sun beds impending debacle?
Post by: tonyco1 on September 24, 2013, 08:10:30 PM
Which ever way you dress it...... it is exactly as I said above.
They no longer bring drinks to the beach and seem to have lost 1 waiter.
Waves now full every lunch time.... good for us...
Title: Re: 'Free' sun beds impending debacle?
Post by: benson on September 25, 2013, 07:35:14 PM
Even if I'd payed for the Beds I'd always have a Chefs salad (wonderful) and 2 bottles of Ice cold Mythos at Waves most lunchtimes.
Title: Re: 'Free' sun beds impending debacle?
Post by: tonyco1 on September 25, 2013, 07:52:41 PM
Fresh sardines grilled waves style... Lovely
Title: Re: 'Free' sun beds impending debacle?
Post by: Waspman on September 25, 2013, 11:11:11 PM
Fresh sardines grilled waves style... Lovely

Yes they are lovely Tony but you're not supposed to bone them (sorry) first.
Title: Re: 'Free' sun beds impending debacle?
Post by: tonyco1 on October 08, 2013, 02:57:30 AM
HaHa - -
Title: Free sun beds?
Post by: Steve B on July 25, 2014, 12:34:44 AM
What happened about the free sunbeds on the beach, do you have to pay for them now?
Title: Re: 'Free' sun beds impending debacle?
Post by: Jimbo on July 25, 2014, 10:09:15 AM
No. Free at Waves, Mistral and Manthos. The stretch of beach from the stream to the old harbour road is apparently outside the bidding process, and they can do what they like.

We've been at Mistral most days and really like the free beds. Lunch has usually cost about 15 Euros, so take the 7.50 we would have paid for a sunbed off and it's a cheap day, and you don't feel to stay there if it gets windy etc.
Title: Re: 'Free' sun beds impending debacle?
Post by: Steve B on July 25, 2014, 11:06:39 PM
Good to hear the sunbeds are free. We were really surprised, last year, when we asked how much the beds were and was told they were free. I think it's a good idea, because you then feel obliged to have something to eat or drink in one of the bars, not that you have to of course.
Title: Re: 'Free' sun beds impending debacle?
Post by: Dupnica on July 26, 2014, 06:41:45 PM
Good to hear the sunbeds are free. We were really surprised, last year, when we asked how much the beds were and was told they were free. I think it's a good idea, because you then feel obliged to have something to eat or drink in one of the bars, not that you have to of course.
If I was the owner of one of the tavernas offering free sunbeds I would be more than a little miffed if you didn't have something to eat and drink in my taverna after enjoying the comfort of my sunbeds and umbrellas.Who do you think paid for them in the first place? They didn't get them free. Angelos' mother at Waves is out early every morning tidying up and sorting out the beds and you think it would be alright if you lay on those beds and then went somewhere else to eat and drink!!!
Title: Re: 'Free' sun beds impending debacle?
Post by: Dupnica on July 26, 2014, 07:09:04 PM
 P.S.And another thing ,did you know that the Taverna owners with sunbeds on the beach pay a rent to the council of between 10.000 and 14.000 euros per annum for their strip of sand,how are they going to claw that back if people bring their own food and drink or go somewhere else to eat.
Title: Re: 'Free' sun beds impending debacle?
Post by: Steve B on July 27, 2014, 12:41:48 AM
As I said, after using the sunbeds you feel obliged to have something to eat in one of the bars. I'm sure if the bar owners were not making any money from the people using the beds, then they would start charging.
Also, I fully appreciate all the work everyone does, to make every ones holiday special & memorable.
I was asking the question because we were surprised they were free because every resort we've been to, the price to rent a sunbed has been ridiculous.
Title: Re: 'Free' sun beds impending debacle?
Post by: gillie on July 29, 2014, 07:27:55 PM
Obviously the free sunbeds are for the use of the customers of the tavernas ie Mistral etc.  It would certainly be extremely rude to use the sunbeds and not buy food and drink at  the taverna. They have to get up really early to sort the sunbeds out and rake the sand and so on and there must be quite a few ruined brollies each year 'cos of the wind!!. As Jim said we ate most days at Mistral whether we used their sunbeds or not. They are great people and the food is really, really good - love their courgette fritters; spanokopita; turopita and sardines in fact everything!

I think sometimes they suffered from people not wanting to sit up the "seaweed end" - we don't mind; it's not like English seaweed and in fact the children and should I say "young adults" loved having seaweed fights! Oh the fun you can have ... :D ;D

Gillie