It's the New 2010 Holiday Season - First Reports of San Stefanos

[Sanstef holfan]

We have just returned from 2 week's holiday in San Stef staying at the Romanza and had a wonderful two week's holiday.We arrived early morning on 4th May and left late evening on 17th May.
The village and hotels were very quite during the first couple of days or so with many of the restaurants closed including Olympia,Ozzie Oils,Yannis.Paradise.Little Prince and Mythica.By the end of the first week I think that the Olive Press was the only restaurant closed, but none off them were very busy.

We last visited San Stef in September 2008 and found that the prices a have gone up a little bit.A special three course meal on offer was generally 9 euros with main meals about 7 to 8.50 euros.The meals in the Tasty Snack were still very good value.A large draft mythos in the Condor bar was 2.50 euros and the wine in restaurants was on average 4.50 euros for half a carafe.Some of the San Stef trips had actually been reduced in price although the one we went on to Paleokastritsa was 15 euros and was excellent value.

On the meals we had in San Stef we found the Mythica where we went on opening night to be one of the best along with the Romanza, although we had good meals at 2 Stars,Yannis.Barras,Teresa and Olympia..On the downside we did not enjoy the Nafiska.Although the food  was ok, the service was very bad and was not very welcoming.We went for a meal there during our last visit to San Stef in September 08 and although we had a bad night there then we put it down to just one of those things and decided to give it another try-bad mistake.

If anyone needs any information on San Stef in 2010 please let me know and I will try to answer.

[TerryandJoy]

Did the locals say if it was unusually quiet?

There was a certain amount of concern around not only that it was quieter than usual but that visitors were not spending as much.   This was certainly true in our own case where we spent about 25% less than we did in 2008, not a deliberate thing - we had the money with us, just didn't spend it.  Not sure what we didn't spend it on though!

[Rod]

Gordonc, we eagerly await your report.  Hope you have a great time.

Holfan, what was the weather like?  Did you have a meal in Sunset?  How long did it take from the airport to the resort?  Thanks.

Terryand Joy, you tend to spend less when the resort is quiet.  When you get caught up with the conversations with other holiday makers in the bars and tavernas you end up having a few glasses more.  Or is that just me?   

[don]

Rod...... That's you and us too !!!!   

Thanks for the reviews, they are the next best thing to being there........... A bit like secondary smoking??

[tonyco1]

Again - enjoyed the reviews as well!! We too are also known to have that extra round or three while chatting the night away!!

[Sanstef holfan]

Hello Rod
During most of the two weeks we were there the weather was very good and it only tailed off the last couple of days.On Sunday 9th May it was very windy in San Stephanos but it was the day we went on a coach trip to Paleokastritsa and it was a very hot day there, but on our return to San Stef it was still very windy and had been like it all day.
We had rain on Saturday 15th May all morning but it brightened up at about 2pm although it never got back to temperatures we had enjoyed from the 4th May to 14th May which were about 26-28 degrees.

The trip by coach from the airport to our hotel which we did early morning took about one and three quarter hours.

We did not eat in the Sunset although we passed by there every day.To be quite honest we never saw anyone eating there although it was open.Zorbas was also very quite.The two restaurants that seemed the most busiest were Mythica and 2 stars although when I say busy it would be nothing compared to the peak season.

 

[tonyco1]

I have to say that apart from the iffy spell of weather, our May experience in 2008 matched your report.
We were lucky with a mini heatwave, but it was quiet!! - Also lovely!!

[Arcturus]

Hi all, we got back on Friday 21st after being there for a week. We have to agree with Terry and Joy, the only thing we can add is that car hire through San Stef Travel was 35 euro per day for a Fiat Panda but they knocked it down to 30 because we smiled nicely! Our first time in San Stef and of all the tavernas we tried, we liked Ozzy Oil the best. Regards, Arc.

[tonyco1]

Arcturus - thanks for the car hire info- useful

[lisak123]

hi everyone,just got back last night,didnt really see any price changes from last year,my report would be exactly like terry and joys apart from the new pizza place attatched to zorba's is very good and pizzas are all bogof,there seems to be a new place gonna open very shortly next to the juice bar,think it could be a taverna.bar 38 is opening up soon next to the new car rental place opposite,on our first week it was very quiet but started to get busier on the 2nd just unfortunate about the very bad weather we had,dont think the walk along the cliffs to arrilas will be there next year it has eroded really badly,oh and for anyone going soon there is no cash machine in arrilas any more,we were told last week that a new company was putting a one in but we know how long that can take,the 1 at thomas bay was broke for the whole 2 weeks,due to be fixed today lol oh and the rate in the village when we left yesterday was 1.16,cant remember everything so any questions just ask,speak to you all soon

[katie]

We returned home yesterday after a week at the Kapetanios Apartments.  We were concerned that we were not going to be able to get there because of the ash cloud but our flight from Newcastle was just delayed by one and a half hours and our friends on the Birmingham flight had no delays. We stayed in the re-furbished apartments at Kapetanios and in all the years we have been going to Greece it was the best we have stayed in.  Nikos was great and looked after us very well.

The weather was disappointing with torrential rain, thunder and lightning on the Thursday afternoon and it was too cold to eat outside in the evenings.  We had three days of sun but it was chilly in the shade.  The storms during the winter have taken their toll on the beach and a man with a jcb and lorry was busy all week clearing up all the seaweed.  A couple who had been staying at Sidari said the beach there was non-existent.

Prices for food and drink were about the same as last year but there is going to be a big increase in VAT in July (which includes food) and prices are likely to go up.   The village was quiet and some restaurants and bars were empty.  The Mythica, however, was packed and people had to be turned away.

Our highlight of our week was a trip to Corfu town for a festival (6 euros each Stan Stefanos Travel).  The festival is held every year to celebrate the union of Corfu with the rest of Greece in 1864 and there was a great atmosphere in the town with brass bands marching through the streets followed by processions with a lot of the children dressed in traditional costumes.

We had a great week but wish the weather had been better,especially when we heard about the red hot weather you were having at home!

Katie

[Jules]

Thanks everyone so far for the updates.

[Waspman]

Hi all

Does anybody know what the standard breakfast consists of at The Romanza Hotel this year.  Last year (2009) it consisted of cereals, toast, cake, yoghurt and honey, boiled eggs and tea or coffee.  You could also have a full English breakfast etc, at a supplement.

I wondered if, due to the economic situation in Greece that it may have altered since last year

Any help on this would be very useful.

[Mikee]

The description re the brekkie on the Tui website would suggest the same this year

[tonyco1]

The breakfast above is standard for all the B&B and H/B places - always a supplement for a cooked brekkie!!