Aghios Stefanos, Corfu

...a little villa just outside Aghios Stefanos, and I thought I'd see what other ciao'ers thought about it. Well there are only two other reviews, and niether seem to be over informative, but the thing that prompted me to write this is that there are actually THREE villages in Corfu with this name and I think the other articles may be about the 'other' two.

For avoidance of doubt, the Aghios Stefanos I visited is on the North East coast ...
...was about half way between Aghios (San) Stefanos and Kerasia beach. The road was a very pleasant walk through olive groves and full of wild flowers. At night time, the fire-flies were simply amazing. (I'd never seen them before). To explore the surrounding area, you don't need a car. You can hire a small boat from Yianni in Ag. Stef or Costa at Kerasia. (Costa wasn't open in early May).

The bays to the north towards Kassiopi are smaller ... more

I've just got back from a week in a little villa just outside Aghios Stefanos, and I thought I'd see what other ciao'ers thought about it. Well there are only two other reviews, and niether seem to be over informative, but the thing that prompted me to write this is that there are actually THREE villages in Corfu with this name and I think the other articles may be about the 'other' two.

For avoidance of doubt, the Aghios Stefanos I visited is on the North East coast at the closest point of the island to mainland Albania, and in between the larger resorts of Kassiopi and Nisaki.

This was our first visit to Corfu. We were looking for peace and quiet in beautiful surroundings with friendly local people and glorious weather. Throw in a little bit of walking and local culture and it would be our perfect holiday. Well I'm happy to say we got everything we could wish for.

How to get there
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By car from Corfu airport, drive north following signs for kassiopi. About ten kilometres before Kassiopi is the little village of Sinies. Turn right and follow the little road down the hillside through olive groves. The first charming view is from a hairpin bend on the way down to the village. (You can pull over and park here for a picture).
The road then winds down into the village which occupies less than 250 yards of beachfront, and exits out the other side to eventually stop at the even more remote Kerasia beach about a mile further away.
Total journey time is about 75 mins.

Surrounding Area
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Our villa was about half way between Aghios (San) Stefanos and Kerasia beach. The road was a very pleasant walk through olive groves and full of wild flowers. At night time, the fire-flies were simply amazing. (I'd never seen them before). To explore the surrounding area, you don't need a car. You can hire a small boat from Yianni in Ag. Stef or Costa at Kerasia. (Costa wasn't open in early May).

The bays to the north towards Kassiopi are smaller and mainly deserted and the sea can get a little choppy as you round the headland. Kassiopi is as far north as you are allowed to go and it is worth anchoring there for a look around and some refreshments. This is the nearest place for anything resembling nightlife.

Back down to the south, back beyond Ag. Stef, there is more in the way of beach tavernas. Just the one at Kerasia, one also at Koloura, and three at Agni. On this southern section is also Kalami, which was where the English poet Laurence Durrell lived before WWII. The furthest south you are allowed to go in your self-hired boat is the large Hotel at Nisaki beach. All the way along, the coastline is beautiful and the overall scene is constantly enhanced by the mountainous terain of Albania, less than 2 kilometres to the East.

It was sheer delight just being able to tie up on a jetty and have lunch or a beer at a beachside taverna, or simply drop anchor off a deserted beach and pretend to be Robinson Crusoe (or Adam and Eve!)

If you do have a car, then the Panorama Restaurant up the mountainside beyond Sinies affords spectacular views across the narrow straight to the Albanian mountains. We had heard that there are some lovely walks in the north-east of the island, but those that I found to read about were basically of the A to B type, whereas we were looking for something of a circular nature.

Aghios Stefanos
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From the hairpin bend above the village you can see everything. So you immediately feel at home. You can not possibly get lost and you know where everything is. As you go through the village, the narrow shingle beach is on the left and the two shops and four tavernas are on the right. The tavernas also have covered seating areas on the beach, which are lovely during the day for brakfast or lunch, but can get a bit chilly at dinner time when the sun has gone over the island in the evening.

On our first venture through we were welcomed by young Nicos at Galini's Taverna. Just one delicious meal in perfect tranquil surroundings on the waterfront and we were hooked for the week. A family of white ducks performed an enchanting floorshow of precision paddling in between the tiny wooden jettys, and an abundance of swallows sang and swooped between the trees and telegraph wires.

The other Nicos (the owner) introduced himself, and was a perfect host for the week. Other personalities who made our stay most welcoming were Yianni (with his boats), and his very helpful wife Eleni in the tiny travel office.

The sea is crystal clear here and the tide hardly ever seems to move. You can hire a sunbed for the day on the north side of the bay . Rula will charge you 4 euros for one of these. It is well worth buying a pair of tight fitting waterproof 'trainers' from the shop if you are going for a swim or a paddle. Apart from the little spined anemonies, the rocks and pebbles in the shallows are slippery and very difficult to walk on with bare feet.

We booked our villa through the Holiday Propety Bond http://www.hpb.co.uk/ but there are plenty of companies offering villas to rent in the surrounding hillsides on the road to Kerasia, or appartments in Ag. Stef itself.

Excursions
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A pleasure boat from Kassiopi stops in Ag Stefanos on the way to Corfu Town. Check with Eleni for times and book in advance if you can.
It is another chance to admire the Corfu coastline. You get about four hours in the Town, which we found was just enough to get your bearings, have lunch, do just a little shopping and maybe visit a place of interest, of which there are several. It definitely left us wanting more.

Spending Money
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Yianni charges 60 euros per day for a 25hp boat. Plus petrol, which if you don't go too fast isn't too expensive. Our first trip was 15 euros and the second was ony 4!

All the resaurants have similar menus and similar prices. Just choose which ever one takes your fancy. Main courses between 7 and 12, starters from 4 to 9, deserts very reasonable. We would recommend Nicos at Galini's Taverna.

NOTE: Take plenty of cash. The gift shop accepts credit cards, but most other places will accept only cash.

I hope this has given you a flavour of the tiny corner of Corfu that is Aghios Stephanos. 

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