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

[johny rebel]

Breakfast at romanza tea coffee 2 slices of toast 1slice of cheese 1slice of ham 1piece of cake and orange juice plated up and brought to your table cooked food available at a supplement

[Kernock]

The Darling Buds of May

Holiday (H) -130 days.  Thought it would be a nice idea to have a break with my wife in SS in May in addition to July. Booked flight from Gatwick due to Bristol not having a Monday flight.
H – 100. Easyjet decide to fly out of Bristol at a cheaper rate than booked for Gatwick
H -42  Wife suffers from serious disease and is in hospital for five weeks. 
H -30 Family say I need a break before caring for wife in recuperation.  Asked a daughter in law (DiL) and baby son to join me. Paid the extra £95 to change names.
H - 7  DiL informed that the passport for baby son will be delayed beyond departure date.  Many tears from DiL touched heartstrings of someone in Cardiff and passport arrives on the Friday before we are due to depart.
H -4. Baby develops D & V and DiL flags up that it may prevent them travelling.
H -2.  News that the Ash Cloud will disrupt flights all over UK.
H -12 hr.  DiL needs Doctor to examine baby to give the final OK.  All is well so set off for Gatwick.
H -6hr. Just arrived at hotel and see Breaking news that Gatwick is closed from 0100 to 0700. Our flight is at 0600 and now preparing for a nightmare wait at the airport.
H -2hr.  Arrive at Gatwick and find flight is only 1 hour delayed.  Flight goes well.
H +2hr. Arrive at SS.  Mistral blowing and water nearly up to the Waves steps, but the sun is out and time for first lunch and meet a few old acquaintances.
 
Olive Press looks very closed and no one has seen George.

Sandra and Shane are back at the Juice Bar to help Kerry.

The Beach
Costas and his lady friend have moved his pitch to east of the stream to get away from the seaweed. Price maintained at €2.50 a piece
.
The Canteener was washed away in the winter storms and, due to some planning problems, is not likely to replaced. Shame.

The pontoons look like they have been tossed onto the bank by Athena, with the old fridges from the Canteener strapped to the top. There is a pedola  split in two by the side of the pontoon.

Many expert local opinions about the sand movement, with varying outcome.  It looks like a fair amount of sand has been taken out to sea and beach area will be a bit smaller this year.

Did I miss that  ‘Bar Code’ is now ‘El Greco’ last year or has it just changed?  Under the same management I understand.

Mistral opened again by Greeks from the mainland who seem very nice but no chance to try it out.

Beachcomer is experimenting with Sunday roast lunch.

A well wrapped up shop that is said to be called ‘A taste of Corfu’ starting up in the old San Stef travel shop next to the juice bar.

Nuala’s apartments in the Margareta area are just being finished off and look very smart.

Every local says it’s quiet and worse than last year – but I seem to have heard that for over 20 years!

H +2 Baby recovers and the sun is out but temperature low. Take a trip to Peroulades and see the great effort 7th Heaven have made to the facilities over the years.  Have a great lunch at Ileas Bar on way back. DiL starts suffering similar symptoms to baby.
H +3 Cold, Mistral and dull.  DiL not well
H +4 DiL a bit better and a walk in dull and cool conditions into the village turns into a deluge that persists for the day and night with thunder and lightening – but electricity remains on. I now start to suffer the same baby symptoms!
H +5 Apart from the occasional self induced upsets in SS I have never been ill but this made up for it.
H +6 Recovering we sit in the cool sun at Nafsika pool but do not feel like eating of drinking alcohol.  Baby fine and DiL recovering.
H +7. Cloud first thing but the sun burns through so we make it to the beach for babies first dig in the sand.  Its getting better!
H +8. Packed and ready to leave under a stonking blue shy. Drive to the airport and then find that our flight has to pick up some stranded passengers on another island.  Chose to have the alternative of staying in the airport for another 3 hours and catching a later flight rather than spend more time with in the plane.  More tears from DiL but then all arrangements are as you were.  Flight left on time and the view from Venice to Gatwick was more clear than I have ever seen it with fantastic views over the alps and across the continent right to landing, where the temperature was 10oC higher than when we left Corfu. Nice easy drive back with all three of us feeling fine!

Needed to practice a suitable reply to the question. Did we have a good time?!

What is the moral to all of this?  Maybe expect variable conditions in May but booking 2 weeks should mean you will get some good days.

Roll on July! 
 

[Waspman]

Hi Tony & Jonny Rebel

It looks like the Romanza HAS cut down on the breakfasts this year, as last year you could choose boiled eggs, yogurt and honey or cereals as well (and it was all help yourself) with no additional supplement, I suppose it's a sign of the times!!

[Gavlah1973]

Did you have a good time?! 

[Helen]

coach trips with san stef travel
grand island tour 35 euro
Corfu shopping both day and evening 12 euro
Corfu & mouse island coming soon
Corfu water parks         "
horse riding 28 euro
kassiopi 12 euro
paleokastritsa 15 euro
(children under 12 1/2 price except water parks and horse riding)

boat trips
paleokastritsa 20 euro
ericusa island 20 euro
Corfu town by boat 26 euro
castaway BBQ cruise 36 euro
paxos & parga was 40 euro now 29 euro
paxos & anti paxos  was 40 euro now 29 euro
Albania was 40 euro now 29 euro
blue lagoon was 37 euro now 29 euro scuba diving  45 euro

hope this is of use to peeps, i have copied it off a flyer from san stef travel
we also got a good deal with car hire from them as there were no small cars ( i have no preference as long as it has 4 wheels and goes)
they knocked off about 25 euro

helen

[tonyco1]

Hi Tony & Jonny Rebel
It looks like the Romanza HAS cut down on the breakfasts this year, as last year you could choose boiled eggs, yogurt and honey or cereals as well (and it was all help yourself) with no additional supplement, I suppose it's a sign of the times!!

It'll be interesting to see how the other venues offer their breakfasts this year - but as you say the Honey Crunch is now the Credit Crunch!!

[tonyco1]

The Darling Buds of May - Holiday (H) Etc......Etc
Roll on July! 
 

Kernock, thanks my friend - a very interesting and entertaining read - very informative and yet a touch sad!
Funny how the west side of the Island is getting wrecked beach wise, but more so  - especially in the last 3-4 years!!
The loss of the Kantina on the beach is the end of an era!! such a shame!! It will be sadly missed by many!
Lets hope the locals get things on track soon.
Sorry you had a mixed kind of holiday, hope it's great in July!!

I was hoping the storms would reverse last years damage and put some sand back on the beach, in SS and Arillas!, but I hear it's now worse and also bad in Sidari as well!!

[sharris]

hi folks

not much more to add to the other reports, we came back on 28th and the beach has dramatically improved in the last week. there were sunbeds out up to and just past Havana, enough beach to enjoy again now but not as sandy as it was.

Weather was scorchio in the 2nd week and we left with the sun shining.

we ate at Mythica, Zorbas, Little Prince, Beachcomer, Tereza, Yiannis snack bar. We didnt have one bad meal, in fact i never have. Prices didnt seem that much different to last year to me, though we were told that VAT is going up and to expect higher prices later in the year. Ciggies hadnt gone up while we were there, but again any time now they will be.

Most important is BAR38 and Hilary / Spiro. Hilary is doing amazingly well, bless her and she deserves a big hug from you all if you see her. She is going backwards and forwards to Athens, looking after theoir daughters, and trying to get the Bar finished and dealing with all that goes with it - she deserves a medal. She did manage a couple of hours on 2 occasions to meet up with us, which was very emotional but great to see her and for her to sit down for 5 mins and relax !!!!! Spiro is progressing well but it will be a long road, so if you are there when the bar has opened please pop in and show your support - she is one hell of a woman. Hils is aiming to be open by mid june hopefully for Sprios birthday.

We had a great time as usual, even with dodgy weather in first few days, and was lovely to see our friends again

Sarah H

[Jules]

Glad you got decent weather in the end. Did you meet up with Zoe in the end after last years didn't happen because of the weather?
Any changes at Teresa Sarah?

[sharris]

ooh yes i did meet Zoe, we saw each other a few times, and on day we left on our coach we were stopped outside thomas bay, and they banged on the window by me waving me off !!!!!!  lovely couple and they are back in sept the same week as us so am sure we will meet again !!!!!

Tereza's have worked hard over the winter and it looks great. The balcony's on 2 beds look lovely, although we didnt get to have a nose in them. They have all new furniture in the bar, they have redecorated inside the bar, they have also put a canopy around the outside edge of the bar on 2 sides to give more coverage outside, but leaving some open decking area.

Jarka is there again working hard bless her, and all the family are doing well and little Angelina has grown so much - she is very cute.

All in all its lovely !!!

Sarah H

[Jules]

Thanks Sarah. When in September are you going?

[tonyco1]

We are there in the first two weeks - will we see you??

[Gordonc]

We arrived on the 28th, good flight from Glasgow, got in 15 mins early but time then wasted waiting fro someone who had decided not to take the coach but didn't tell anyone. However straight to San Stef and in the Little Prince in an hour.

Prices as everyone has said a little up on last year but still good value. Large draught Mythos generally 2.50. Sizzling steak at Little Prince 8 euros great value. Set menus, one course plus wine usually 7 euros, three courses 9 euros. VAT is going up agin soon though. Ate at the Beachcomber on Sunday night, still superb. Ozzy oils booked for Wednesday(BBQs are Tues nights)

Took the local ferry to Othoni yesterday, 6 euros pp each way, just over three hours on the island. Stops at Mathraki on the way, fare presumably 3-4 euros. Much cheaper than the local excursions. Othoni is beautiful.

Car hired for three days from SS travel, 80 euros all inc for a Matiz.

Weather sunny on Friday 26C, Saturday/Sunday/Monday mainly cloudy but 25-28C, very wet and windy overnight last night but sunny(still v. windy) today and around 23C. Haven't seen the sea as rough on previous visits.

That's it for now will update around the weekend, really enjoying being back.

[LILOLIL]

Hi, did you go down to the harbour to catch the boat to Othoni or did you book with san stef travel.What day did you go on ? How Much ? what times etc thankyou.

[johny rebel]

most resteraunts and tavernas seam more quiet this year exept for little prince which is quite busy and the mythica is full nearly every night having to turn people away on some occasions Thomas bay very busy last night good artist bob Marley lookalike good singer played 2hrs non stop jerry James back at silver star tonight and Saturday