San Stefanos Online ~ North West Corfu
Welcome to San Stefanos (NW Corfu) => Out and About => Topic started by: holly on May 05, 2014, 11:53:12 PM
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Hi was just wondering when staying at the little prince apartments and going to the beach roughly how long would this take to walk (over50s speed) also is it on an incline as one member likes the flat just asking as last time stayed in the vickys. Apartments and could not do the 10 metres down the cliff face and had to walk through the village and through the athina pool area to reach the beach thanks Kevin
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Hi Kevin, From the Little Prince if you turn left and follow the road past the paper shop and past Olympia you will be able to see the turning for the beach after the juice bar . San Stef travel are just on this bit of beach road as well and all is flat. Will be just a slight gradient coming back that way but shouldn't give you any problems. Probably take less than 5 minutes
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Thanks jules sounds okay Even for tortoises kevin
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I'm a tortoise then in that case. My hubby walks fast and I just seem to trot behind lol!!!!
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Hello San Stef regulars.
Im new to the board and it will be our 1st visit to San Stefanos late in August. Been to many resorts in Corfu before and love this side of the island.
Ive been checking the webcam and just wondered if the webcam just doesnt do the beach justice, as it always looks quite grim and empty.
Were staying at Vickys and cant wait, but I have to go back to my old faithful Tsilivi in Zante first :)
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Its very early in the season yet. It only really opened this weekend.
The resort will get busier, the weather hotter and the beach will become a hive of activity. Don't worry
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Yip. It's a wonderful beach - shallow, warm, sandy.
The sunbeds were planted a few weeks ago and will sprout soon.
It's a very long walk from one end of the beach to the other. At the far end (from the Webcam view) you will find (mostly German) nudists toasting their bits in the sunshine.
From south to north you have great places for a meal or a drink: Manthos, Mistral, Waves, Mango, Havanna. There are showers.
I don't think we'd all go back year after year if the beach was rubbish!
If you want solitude you can rent a boat from the incredibly beautiful and friendly women at San Stefanos Travel (which is close to the beach) and pootle around lonely beaches.
Taking that with the almost suicidally low prices to eat and drink in the village I'd be amazed if you don't have a good time.
Beach here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5SePwwS8Kc (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5SePwwS8Kc)
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Thanks guys :)
Im pretty sure Ive sunbathed on the beach before. I just get mixed up with Arillas.
I always do my research when booking holidays. Forums, tripadvisor etc, so I know that with a lot of ppl choosing to go back year after year I know it will be great.
looking forward to hearing everyones stories :)
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Yip. It's a wonderful beach - shallow, warm, sandy.
The sunbeds were planted a few weeks ago and will sprout soon.
It's a very long walk from one end of the beach to the other. At the far end (from the Webcam view) you will find (mostly German) nudists toasting their bits in the sunshine.
From south to north you have great places for a meal or a drink: Manthos, Mistral, Waves, Mango, Havanna. There are showers.
I don't think we'd all go back year after year if the beach was rubbish!
Wonderfully put Jimbo - they will not be disappointed !
If you want solitude you can rent a boat from the incredibly beautiful and friendly women at San Stefanos Travel (which is close to the beach) and pootle around lonely beaches.
Taking that with the almost suicidally low prices to eat and drink in the village I'd be amazed if you don't have a good time.
Beach here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5SePwwS8Kc (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5SePwwS8Kc)
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Wonderfully put Jimbo , they will be back !
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Beach still looks a bit messy, particularly at the " village" end? Is it normally this late for clean up to be finished?
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I visit San Stefanos at the end of August. Peak season, so expecting it to be lovely, especially with all the positive comments from people who holiday there year in year out.
This forum has been great for finding out lots of info.
The webcam probably doesnt do the resort justice, and to be honest, seeing that pile of seaweed/sand would have put me off if I hadnt booked the holiday months ago.
I see from forum comments that its down to local elections of who gets licences. You would think that it would be sorted before holidaymakers visit the resort. But then again it is Greece, haha.
Im sure Ill love the resort when I get there and the issue will be resolved.
In the meantime, roll on 2 weeks ... sunny Tsilivi Zante .... my second home :)
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Do not worry lisa22, because I think the webcam distorts the view somewhat. If you move down the beach away from the village, I think you will find it is fine. It is a shame because it is a really good beach, as many people will probably confirm.
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It's a fantastic beach but not usually at its best in May
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It will not be at it's best in June unless they sort it out.
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There is an impasse on the beach seaweed clearing down to money.
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It will not be at it's best in June unless they sort it out.
I hope they do sort it out by the middle of June as it's that part of the beach I go to. I am still going to have a bit of trouble walking and want to be on the beach as close to my villa as possible. Waves is ideal for me and I also hope for their sake that the seaweed is moved soon.
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We've been here since last Tuesday and have seen no sign of anyone clearing the beach. One morning a digger turned up and took one load away, but nothing since. Outside waves there are 2 piles around 6 or 7 feet high and further down past Athina it's about 2 feet deep and approx 1\3rd the width of the beach (there's one row of beds there, but you couldn't walk into the sea if you wanted to. It thins out around the pontoon and there on, there is no seaweed. Some say its due to the elections that it hasn't been cleared, others say they're waiting for the weather to settle. Whatever it is, it's making that end of the beach unusable.
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No excuses local elections the Greek economy the beach should not be in that state at this time of year when people are paying good money to enjoy their holiday!
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The trouble is that the beach is controlled by the Council in Corfu Town. See Aghios Stefanos Beach's posting on facebook:
"The council is in Corfu Town which means they know nothing of our problems in Agios Stefanos Beach Corfu nor do they care!"
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It is a very sad day when the beachfront restauranteurs and hoteliers cannot get off their backsides and arrange removal of the seaweed ,thus protecting their livelihoods and the future of Aghios Stefanos.It would be doubtful that anyone paying a first visit this May would wish to return.Oh,go on, lets blame someone else.
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Hi
I kind of agree that if I and my husband owned a bar and there was a load of rubbish outside that would potentially effect our business, and whoever was responsible for clearing it up was being slow to sort it out, I'm pretty sure we would be clearing it !! It will be my third visit to San Stef and my husbands first and I have been telling him ever since we booked it what a beautiful beach it is and got to be honest, I am gutted. Love San Stef but just hoping somebody takes the initiative and sorts the problem out.
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It is really sad to see the beach isn't being cleared yet. We have stayed May half term/June before and they were backwards and forwards clearing seaweed during our stay and after breezier days . Never seen the heaps that are there this year and if I did not know how beautiful the beach can be and how friendly the resort is it would put me off when looking at the webcam. Feel sorry for the beach taverna's loosing there glorious sunset views. Should say if you have to avoid the beach we found most pools in the village will be happy to have you as long as you buy drinks and a snack /icecreams from their bar area. I think there is only one that charges -please correct me if I am wrong- and they are on the beach so I think that's justified...
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The local people are not allowed to do this. Papapetros - it requires permissions. It also requires a JCB and a truck to take the seaweed away.
I''m sure the locals would love to have the beach cleared. It will happen. Eventually.
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As long as its cleared by Sept 5th because if not there will be hell to pay!!!! >:( >:(
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The local people are not allowed to do this. Papapetros - it requires permissions. It also requires a JCB and a truck to take the seaweed away.
I''m sure the locals would love to have the beach cleared. It will happen. Eventually.
Even if they could clear it which as Jumbo says they can't, where on earth would they dump it? There is such a vast amount. No, they are in the hands of the council unfortunately for everyone concerned.
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Oh well if legally they're not allowed to clear it their hands are well and truly tied.
Just wondering is this unusual or do they have problems every year clearing it ? I normally go in September so normally all good by then. Very sad though because a lot of people do choose San Stef because it has a beautiful beach and as much as I love the place it will make me think about booking again as its a big old world out there and when on our hols we love spending lots of time on the beach.
That said, lets see how I feel after my next visit !! X
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I have seen some other threads on various FaceBook forums/groups as well regarding this. I am not sure posting on Facebook groups will alert those whom need to do perhaps though a post on a local council person in Corfu Town's timeline may have more effect? Anyone got any names to share?
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Lesley I would happily do this if it helped the local people it's just knowing who
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Maybe Mike,up at Romanza might be able to offer some contacts.He works in politics in Corfu town.One for Lesley to chase.....
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Surely the taverna owners on the beach front whose livelihood is being threatened will have some names.I know there is a "do it tomorrow" culture in Greece life but there might be no tomorrow for their jobs if it carries on like this!!
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Maybe Mike,up at Romanza might be able to offer some contacts.He works in politics in Corfu town.One for Lesley to chase.....
Pretty sure he works in the customs offices
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If you look at the Agios Gordios web page you will see that it's a problem down the entire west coast of Corfu.
Arrilas seems to be clear, as does Sidari, but given the tidal drift tends to be from north to south the headland probably protects it. There must be some vast seaweed beds out to sea.
Nuisance though it is, seaweed may indicate a healthy sea. Looks like this variety is called "Lobophora variegata." Posh or what?
This needs to be sorted out quickly. It will have damaging consequences for the village. Personally, I'd send Dimitris from Little Prince to Corfu Town to argue the case, together with Nikos from Athens Bar. No force on Earth could withstand them.
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We spoke to Noula this morning about it and she confirmed that they're waiting for the authorities to do the work, which has been delayed due to the elections last week. Now that they're done, hopefully things will get started. She said she asked a group of restauranteurs last week including Dimitris at LP, but she was told that they couldn't do anything without the relevant paperwork. Hang in there everyone, and in the meantime, use the pools and the beach from Mango and Havana, it's completely clear there.
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The beach side proprietors couldn't make much of an impression on that amount of seaweed it's gone beyond anything a wheelbarrow and shovel
could tackle.It will be cleared eventually I'm sure, but in the meantime why don't all you people who book with Thomsons start complaining to them
after all one of their main selling points for San Stefanos is the wide,sandy beach "one of the best in Corfu" they say.Do they know that the beautiful
golden sand is covered in piles of smelly seaweed.They bring thousands of people to the village and to other parts of Corfu every year,do you think
they might have any influence with the "powers that be"?.
Please don't let anything put you off visiting the restaurants and tavernas in the old part of the village,you can walk up the road or on the beach
behind the heaps of seaweed,they need your support more than ever.
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P.S. If things aren't resolved soon I can see our favourite place getting a slot on "Holidays From Hell".Come to think about it I remember it being
featured on that programme several years ago when people complained because the JCB was clearing the seaweed while they were trying to relax
on the beach.So just remember folks you can't have it all ways.
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The local people are not allowed to do this. Papapetros - it requires permissions. It also requires a JCB and a truck to take the seaweed away.
I''m sure the locals would love to have the beach cleared. It will happen. Eventually.
The locals are not allowed to drive without seatbelts,they have to wear crash helmets when riding mopeds,no one under 16 years of age can drive a moped,they are not allowed to drink and drive,they must issue receipts for purchases,they are not allowed to smoke in enclosed bars/tavernas.Do they take any notice?Certainly not in my experience!!So,why are they playing to the rules now or are they playing politics?I know what my guess would be.
As regards a JCB,both Yiannis and Spiros have one and make at least part of their livings hiring them out and i know at least one local lorry driver who does the same.I know what i would do to protect my future and that of my family.If it carries on for too long,it wouldn't be the greatest surprise if Thomson cut back drastically next year.
I make these points because i care and for no other reason.
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Well Papapetros, that should draw a few comments!
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The beach belongs to the Council (Esperion?), so why should the taverna owners pay to clear the beach? I am told the crux of the matter is that a bill for clearance of sea weed from last year or maybe 2012 has not been paid, so in which case I do not blame him for not continuing this year.
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I'm sure the politcos in Corfu Town would love it if the village cleared the beach. Then they'd expect them to do it ever after.
It's a bit like the bypass, unfortunately. That stand-off wasn't solved in five minutes.
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So very true Jimbo, mores the pity!!
Lorry on the beach right now I see.
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8:30 PM Greek time and there's a JCB on the beach!!!!!! Yammas!
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This may sound a daft question, but what do they do with the seaweed? I understand it makes a good fertiliser, so maybe it gets "recycled"?
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.....and there it is, gone.
In previous years it's been piled up on the headland between SS and Arillas.
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So good to see it cleared....just in time for our first Seafood Spaghetti in Waves on Monday evening!
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Seaweed is no use for agriculture for two years, as it takes that time for the salt to get out of it. In the past it has been dumped on the road to Arillas, up the road past Fantasea on the side of the hill, and most recently a new mountain has been made near the harbour.
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It's looking so much better now :)
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We watched the first stage of clearance this morning; many lorry loads left the beach, most of the 2 massive piles that were outside Waves - the most obvious bits you can see on the webcam. A HUGE amount remains to be cleared though, stretching from there all the way to the pontoon. It's about 2-3 feet deep and 10 feet wide all the way. They've done well today, but it's far from finished. As you can see as well, the bridge is back in place after the JCB also created a new channel straight to the sea directly from the gully. Cloudy and cooling off now, we're told rain is on the way for the last 48 hours of our time here... Still, it's been as lovely and we've had a fab time as always.
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The improvements to the beach are down to a massive effort on Nulas part here at San Stefano Travel. She is behind the organization of the clearing with the backing of the locals here in the village. It will be great to see it restored to its former glory!! ;)
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The improvements to the beach are down to a massive effort on Nulas part here at San Stefano Travel. She is behind the organization of the clearing with the backing of the locals here in the village. It will be great to see it restored to its former glory!! ;)
Well done Noula , it could be a big disappointment for newcomers . The regulars understand the situation and still love the village and all the locals .
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The locals are not allowed to drive without seatbelts,they have to wear crash helmets when riding mopeds,no one under 16 years of age can drive a moped,they are not allowed to drink and drive,they must issue receipts for purchases,they are not allowed to smoke in enclosed bars/tavernas.Do they take any notice?Certainly not in my experience!!So,why are they playing to the rules now or are they playing politics?I know what my guess would be.
As regards a JCB,both Yiannis and Spiros have one and make at least part of their livings hiring them out and i know at least one local lorry driver who does the same.I know what i would do to protect my future and that of my family.If it carries on for too long,it wouldn't be the greatest surprise if Thomson cut back drastically next year.
I make these points because i care and for no other reason.
I couldn't agree with you more Papapetros and thank goodness it now seems that things are happening thanks to Noula .
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Well Done Noula!! :D
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The improvements to the beach are down to a massive effort on Nulas part here at San Stefano Travel. She is behind the organization of the clearing with the backing of the locals here in the village. It will be great to see it restored to its former glory!! ;)
A big thanks to Noula,an outstanding asset to the Village and also to all the locals who lent a hand.We will be there on Sunday 8th to take advantage.
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A big thanks to Noula,an outstanding asset to the Village and also to all the locals who lent a hand.We will be there on Sunday 8th to take advantage.
And I will be there a week later , so as the beach will be up to standard get ready for our race - you don't stand a chance !!!
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the beach is looking so much better today, well done :)
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Thanks Noula for helping to get the beach sorted :)
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Much respect and gratitude to Noula for organising the great and good to get it resolved. When she gets an ongoing consortium sorted out to take care of the villages best interests, those establishments should have a plaque outside their business so people know who has been positively involved.
San Stef lives!
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Well done Noula - see you in two weeks
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Where is kostas this year ?
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Noula, now the beach is sorted, can you do something about the car parking charges here in Cambridge?
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Sorry should've posted where is my old friend kostas sunbeds this year ,at the Havana or has he moved to another part of the beach .
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Sorry should've posted where is my old friend kostas sunbeds this year ,at the Havana or has he moved to another part of the beach .
I would think he'll be outside Havana again,the seaweed doesn't wash in there so much.Of course he may have retired
he's been threatening to do it for the past few years.
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According to my informant who arrived two days ago,our old friend Kosta is not yet on the beach,in fact,there are very few sunbeds for rent,just a few in front of Angelo's and a few more in front of Delfino Blue.The seaweed problem is still apparent,particularly in front of Manthos and overall the position on the beach is less than satisfactory.We go out on Sunday for a little while and hope to have positive news to report next week.
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We fly out on Monday so will find out then
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We're on the Jet2 flight from Manchester Monday so will be interested to see where things are up to.
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Looking at the webcam today the beach looking so much better ;D
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https://scontent-a-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/t31.0-8/10506720_10152257286036452_5741698145651337408_o.jpg
Costas is alive and well and doing sunbeds outside Havana Bar
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We always walked down to the sunbeds at Havana. Nice and comfy.
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https://scontent-a-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/t31.0-8/10506720_10152257286036452_5741698145651337408_o.jpg
Costas is alive and well and doing sunbeds outside Havana Bar
The young man with him is his son George who is the excellent chef at Fantasea.
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Is it me, or is the seaweed beginning to take hold again on the beach? It looks to be getting quite pronounced looking at the webcam
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Well we was at the beach today and its quite dizmal...not just beach but beds also.all pushed together .its a sun bed war.
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Spiros on the beach today sorting out the 'river'. That is early!!!!
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Just looked at the beach on the San Stefano's Travel website and the beach is now looking good. the River that was meandering past the Waves has been straightened out.
Sea is really calm at the moment and no sign of any seaweed :)
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Yes looking good.only take one storm and the beach will be full of weed.lets hope not
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I love the seaweed. A beach should not be a dead place.