First time to Corfu - week in Sept 11 with friends. The Kosta family run this hotel and welcome you as if you were family too. All the staff are also extremely and genuinely friendly. Many people return every year. Yes, it is elevated but the views are spectacular and it helps to walk off all those over indulging meals. Rooms are typically Greek (i.e. basic) but very clean. We ate in the hotel a few times and attended their Sunday night bar-b-q which was great fun. The resort itself is just great... not too big and all restaurants were competively priced and we didn't have one bad meal. Beach is lovely too. We did have problems with mosquitoes and all 4 of us were bitten rather a lot even though we bought numerous local remedies from the supermarket. Overall a great time.

We had a 1 week stay, second week of October. Not much to add to other reviewers' (hello Dorothy!) comments as they have all said it more eloquently than I. However, we would like to endorse the absolute suitability of this fantastic hotel if you want great helpful service, great views, relative peace and quiet and lots and lots of exercise which is unavoidable if you want to walk in any direction from this cliff-top location!

The much debated 'hill' is easily manageable for most age groups with reasonable mobility, but I can imagine that in the heat of summer it could cause a few problems. There are one or two watering holes en route which would allow one to take the hill in 3 easy stages if necessary.

As a resort, San Stefanos has something for everyone from car/scooter hire, supermarkets and restaurants to fabulous walks and glorious beaches.

In summary; can't fault it!

We had two weeks at the Romanza. All aspects have been very well covered by previous reviews, and we agree with them.

The very first, initial impression, after a warm welcome, late at night, was that our room (14) was rather more 'basic' than expected, but spotless. We made our way to the restaurant and we were immediately drawn into Leo's birthday celebration, he and his wife Katerina and their son Andreas have the restaurant concession. I said it was my husband's birthday the next day and spontaneously the hotel gave him a birthday gift and card, so did the Rep, and in the evening, the restaurant presented him with an excellent (free) cake which we shared with other diners. What a wonderful start to a holiday. This is what you take away with you, not how basic the room is! The resort has a 70% return rate and it is the Corfu welcome and genuine hospitality that has the edge over other holiday destinations.

Breakfast as described, brought to you within a few minutes of sitting down with a lovely smile and a 'good morning'. If you find it inadequate, I think you need to tackle Thompsons who undoubtedly restrict the catering budget per person . Their own cooked breakfast was excellent and very good value compared to the rest of the village. The welcome and service at the restaurant and pool bar was one of the highlights of our stay, it gives a happy holiday ambience to the pool area. The hotel does not cater, nor would appeal, (I am guessing) to those who like to 'party' hard, so we enjoyed the quiet company of some really lovely guests from the UK, including some single women who found it perfectly safe to walk into the countryside and visit the locals bars and restaurants. You cannot fault the cleaning, linen and towel changing and the very comfortable panoramic hotel lounge and bar. The mattresses were too hard for our old bones.

Now, you will be well aware that due to the EU crisis, prices are rising in Corfu as in the whole of Greece.I paid more for a bunch of Greek grapes in Corfu than I did in Morrison's yesterday. Some of the prices in the three resort supermarkets were eye watering = £21 for suntan lotion. Our routine was to self cater for our lunches (large fridge in rooms) but soon realised it would have been cheaper to eat a simple lunch out! Well worth bringing a jar of coffee, teabags and the basics with you if you are on a budget. We paid £14 for two coffees and two cakes in Corfu town, worth checking the prices before you order! Ouch! We found eating out is not much cheaper than the UK these days.

We ate well both at the hotel and local restaurants, and found the welcome and sevice from Stellios and his staff at the Olympia Restaurant worth a special mention. It is quieter and less commercial. The Romanza Greek night was fun and done with great energy despite being at the end of their long season.We have posted a fire dance on youtube which also has other visitors panoramas and Romanza hotel videos.

Those who visit this hotel annually are fiercely protective, that is understandable. The hotel is family run and you soon feel part of the 'family' yourself. But you cannot completely separate the hotel experience from its surroundings.......... The businesses all keep their patch very clean but every unadopted corner, gulley, grass verge, beach margin and viewing point, was covered in rubbish. We never saw any municipal cleaners and the only sand that got a rake was on the private areas. The sea-washed beach directly under the hotel was lovely, with safe and warm shallows, but you had to lie down amongst litter on the dry sand. Tourists do collect and bag their rubbish but we saw no bins and during our two weeks, nobody cleared it up. A bit depressing.

Just returned from an October break at this hotel and we were delighted. It is small (30 rooms) and friendly, has magnificent views, especially from the balconies and swimming pool and is just far enough out of Agios Stefanos to be quiet, but a 10 minute walk brings you into the centre with lots of bars, restaurants, car hire, travel specialists (don't book with your rep, its cheaper to book with a local agent)
Agios Stefanos has a very good beach and over the headland (walking distance but hilly) is Arillas with an even better beach. Further is Agios Georgios (need car) with another beautiful beach.

The Hotel rooms are on the small side as are the ensuite (shower no bath). towels changed regularly and beds made every day but Sunday. Breakfast was simple; toast, egg, croissant, coffee/tea and orange drink. Full English was 3 Euros extra. The coffee as in all restaurants we tried was, I am afraid, dishwater - No one in Corfu seems to have mastered the art of making a decent cup of coffee. The orange drink was only just about drinkable it was not orange juice. The hotel had free wifi which we could receive well in our room. The staff were great, ensuring that we could watch the rugby world cup and an England football match and really made you feel welcome

A few downsides, the walk into the centre is all downhill, it is very steep coming back although you can always remind yourself you are burning of all those calories you have just consumed. There are also mosquitoes which can be a nuisance so its worth taking some repellent and maybe one of those plug in vaporisers for your room. The hotel has a direct path straight down to the beach which is even steeper than the hill down to the centre - don't try this route if it has just rained as you will have two inches of clay stuck to the sole of your sandals (and to your backside too if you slip - a real possibility). But then if the hotel wasn't on a hill you wouldn't have the view

Best trip out - To Albania (Sarande then Butrint) cost 55 Euros booked locally and worth every cent.

So overall, a hotel not without it's little idiosyncrasies but an absolute gem