Villa Stephanie June 2011
Review Submitted: June 20, 2011
Date of Stay: June 2011
Peaceful & quiet, yet only 5-10 mins walk from beaches, shops, tavernas. Spacious, well-equipped & scrupulously clean. Jane made booking very easy & answered questions with amazing speed. Paleokastritsa is often described as 'unspoilt' yet it seems entirely a tourist resort with no sign of any original/authentic Greek town life. However, it is a low rise resort with friendly people, good facilities, wonderful beaches & stunning scenery.
A few things I wish I'd known before I booked. First, Villa Stephanie isn't a conventional 2-bedroomed villa, it's actually 2 studio apartments connected by a door. Each apartment has a double/twin bed in a large room with kitchenette in 1 corner & en suite bathroom. This means that if you want to use both beds, at least 1 person/couple will be sleeping with a fridge which goes on & off all night (& if you need to use both fridges, as we did, there is no escape!).
Also, the path to Villa Nola goes right past Stephanie's terrace & Nola's barbecue is next to Stephanie's kitchen window. If your neighbours are barbecuing, you will hear everything they say & smell everything they cook unless you keep the windows closed. The wi-fi is based at Nola & we found it a bit intermittent at Stephanie, although not disastrously so.
These are not criticisms, just statements of fact to help people make more informed bookings. If I had known these things before we came, I would have chosen Nola. Then we would have had much more privacy, and could also have used the beautiful terrace - there is a separate stairway up from Stephanie, but it's not clear whether Stephanie's residents are allowed to use the terrace.
We followed others' advice & ate at Smurf's (perfectly decent, although you seem to pay a bit extra for the beach view) & Nereid (terrific food & better prices than Smurf's). We hired a boat for the day, which was wonderful, although I think we were overcharged about 10 euros for the petrol so beware. We also went up Mount Pantokrator, highly recommended if you have a car, 360° views over Corfu and Albania.
Overall we had a pleasant holiday & particularly appreciated Yvonne who could not have been more helpful. The shady terrace is a delightful place to sit, surrounded by flowers & with the occasional visit from a spectacular Balkan Green lizard or a tom cat hoping for a snack. Corfu is a beautiful island & well worth a visit, & we would recommend Paleokastritsa & these properties for a good beach holiday.
Recommended for:
Tourists without a Car,
Sightseeing,
Families with Young Children
Owner's Response: I am so glad despite a few reservations that you enjoyed your stay with us. It is true that there is no living room as such in Stephanie but there is plenty of space and tables and chairs to sit and eat and enjoy outside. It is described as such, but this will be changing next year as I will be making one of the rooms a living / dining room and the other as a bedroom and rent only to singles,couples and families with one child. The location is lovely and very peaceful; and enjoyed to the full by many of my guests. The villas are well cared for and in excellent condition and very much loved and it shows. The new platform adds another dimension to the property and the views are amazing.
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