Katerina Studios & Apartments

28/7/09 - Just come back from a week at the Katerina Studios and Apartments, Sidari, Corfu, and had a great hol.
The accommodation - basic (but that was what we were expecting) and clean. It consisted of 2 beds (OK) with bathroom (small but fine) and small kitchen area (with Fridge and basic equipment - not that we used it). Had the same bed linen and towels all week, but was cleaned every 2 or 3 days. The pool and area is great (cleaned daily, plenty of sun beds and umbrellas), and the bar/restaurant is good for cheap snacks/drinks (toasties, sandwiches, breakfasts etc - we didn't have anything else on the menu as we ate elsewhere).
Location - The Studios/Apartments are located about 20/25 mins walk from Sidari town centre in a quiet place called Melitsa. Sidari is a lively town (a mini Kavos) but with a massive range of bar and restaurants. The best restaurants are on the walk into town (the Orchard and Alexis being two).
Beaches - The best beaches are Sunset Beach (Peroulades), Apotripiti Beach and Canal D'Amour - if you want a nice beach don't go to Sidari.
To Do - For non-pool/beach activities there are numerous tours/events on offer in Corfu. The best tour operators was the nearest one to the hotel (15 min walk into town). FYI - We hired a car for 20 Euros and toured the top half of Corfu in a day.
FYI - we paid just over £240 each for flights (from Gatwick), transfers and a week accommodation, but we did book very last minute.

Oh what a fantastic time we had with Alex & his family, Alex cannot do enough for you & he will cook anything you ask for even egg & chips for us fussy eaters. It was the first time me & my daughter have been abroad & we couldnt have asked for a better place to stay.

The only problem we now have is that we wish to go back again this year but are really having trouble finding Alex as he is no longer in the Kosmar book, so if anybody knows how we can book with him please leave a comment.

Thanks Alex for a fantastic time in Corfu if we cannot find out how to book with you then we will come & visit you & your lovely family while in Corfu in July

I stayed at the Katerina Studios for a week in June with my husband Steven and our next door neighbours Karen & Keith. It was mine and my husband’s first trip to anywhere in Greece (we normally do Spain & USA) and I am pleased to say that we had a fantastic holiday - mainly thanks to where we stayed.

Alex (the owner) and his family are the best hosts that you could possibly ask for and they can't do enough for you. Alex will go out of his way to cook you any food that you could want whether it be English or Greek and I haven't a single bad remark about his food - it was to die for.

The accommodation was basic but 100% clean and tidy and very spacious. Extra large balcony with sun and heat (I mean extreme heat) all day long. Beautiful views in all directions and in a friendly residential area away from the hustle and bustle of the centre - although the centre is only 15 minutes walk away or about 3 minutes in a taxi. There are a few pubs / restaurants just down the road but I wouldn't recommend them. There are two supermarkets about 5 minutes walk in either direction with everything you need for a self catering holiday but I wouldn't bother cooking as Alex's prices are very cheap and the food is freshly cooked and delicious.

There is a small bar area with a pool table which Alex's son Nicholas runs and this stays open until the last person goes to bed although you can't hear any noise from your apartment. The swimming pool is absolutely gorgeous and there are plenty of sunloungers for everyone. There is a sectioned off shallow pool for the children. We witnessed the pool being checked daily and cleaned. The cleaners cleaned our rooms daily and emptied the bins (you can't flush toilet paper down the toilet in Greece).

If you go into Sidari Town then I would definitely recommend Dionisis for a meal and the bar next door for a drink. The beaches in and around Sidari are beautiful and you can even hire boats for the day as well as other watersports. A great day out if you enjoy beautiful scenery is Aghios Georgious (around 15E in a taxi but well worth it for a day out).

Alex had a Greek night and a BBQ while we were there and he prepared a special Greek meal for us on our last night. He ordered us taxis when we asked. He really made us feel like part of the family. It was our neighbour’s 25th wedding anniversary while we were there and Alex put up balloons and things in the dining area and gave us a special breakfast on the house.

I would definitely recommend this place to anyone and I will be definitely going back next year. The other good thing is that with this only being a small family run business there is only accommodation for about 10 families I think and by the end of the week we knew everyone that was there and had a great time and made loads of new friends (old and young) and we were all like one big happy family and were all very sad to go home.

So Alex if your reading this then we can't wait to see you and your family - and mine's a Greek Omelette with Chips, Greek Salad with basket of bread and an Ice cold pint of Mythos please!

Apartments Definite 10/10. Tour Operator 2/10.

Very basic but also very well kept. Family run and everyone is very friendly.

Alex (owner) will cook anything you ask so no constrictions on food - even done cold meat, chips and beans as I was having serious home sick cravings.

My Friend got food poisoning so stuck to Alex's after that (we think food poisoning came from a well known fast food outlet in Sidari town centre, so a word of warning there) and Alex made her a home remedy lemon drink to calm her stomach!

Pool is beautiful and hotel is close enough to get to city centre and far enough that you don’t get the noise. Beach was gorgeous.

Have to say if you are looking for top of the range accommodation then not for you!

Tour operator not good at all - booked a tour which we had to cancel due to friends sickness and was visited 4 times by rep (which coincidently was the only time we saw the rep) just to prove they were unwell and still didn’t get money back!

If you are taking any tours don’t go through reps - visit any of the tourist offices who will do it for at least half the price.

We really enjoyed our holiday in Sidari and have just booked to go back again next year to the Katerina Studios.

The hotel is basic but clean, but watch out for the mosquito's as they are vicious! You will definitely need some spray or a plug in as this almost ruined out holiday!

The owner and his son are very friendly and Alex's Greek omelette is second to none!

Nicholas is a really sound guy and great to have a beer with while you wait for your bird to get ready!

It is not too far from the centre and there is lots of good restaurants and bars. The scuba diving trip is amazing you will have a 'whale' of a time!

Sidari is perfect for young couples and Katerina is in a good location.

We had a great time here although a walk from the town from our point of view it was a plus!

The children (aged 16, 10 and 5) enjoyed the pool, the rooms were basic but cleaned regularly with clean towels and all the staff were friendly and helpful.

A great variety of places to eat nearby all a short walk but no complaints at any of them. Sidari itself isn't a very pretty town and nothing to write home about!

See the sunset at the aptly named sunset beach and eat at the bakers (can't remember the name) taverna on the way back, if you leave the apartments turn left and about a 5 minute walk.

On the down side we needed a lot of bite creams!

The accommodation is basic, but perfect for our needs as a couple just needing a base. The pool is excellent for the size of the site. We enjoyed the fact that we were based a little way out of Sidari, as it was fairly quiet and away from the hustle and bustle of the centre.

Katerina Studios are approx 25-30 mins walk into Sidari, which is fine during the day, but we used taxis (5 euro each way) in the evening to go into Sidari for the nightlife.

Alex and his family who run the Katerina Studios are very friendly, and Alex’s son Nikos is good at pool, so don’t challenge him to a game unless you're prepared to lose!

The food is great, we ate there several times throughout the week. I can definitely recommend Alex’s fried squid - something I had never tried before.

If you stay there its worth the walk to Sunset Beach (the opposite direction from Sidari from the Studios). The walk takes about 25 mins, but the views are fantastic.

All in all Katerinas is a nice place to stay with a nice pool. <br>

A family run business Alex doesn’t speak very good English but son does so if you need anything just ask, the pool is clean the studio are basic and clean but its well known in Greece.
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If you have children you need to hire a car as its long walk to Sidari, but if you walk about 30 mins you can get to some shops, restaurants and small beech. We got air con for 35 euros for the week please take something for the mosquitoes as they like to eat you alive at night. Alex’s food is good but a bit pricey but the closer you get to town the cheaper it gets had a great time would go back any again. <br>

I went to the Katrina studios way back in 2004 but I can say I thoroughly enjoyed my 2 week stay! Room was basic and bathroom slightly smelly but the staff were extremely friendly. Close enough to bars and restaurants but not close to hear loads of noise! Would definitely recommend staying here! Infact I am looking to go back next summer! I recommend the three pig’s restaurant for food! Absolutely fantastic!

I absolutely loved this holiday; this was the first time that I went abroad somewhere else but Spain. I didn't know that you could write reviews I was on the internet and came across this site; I know its 2 years late on the review but thought would write on anyways.

This was my nan and grandad's second time they have been to Katrina Apartments; and they thought I would like to come. The staff were absolutely amazing; they treated as though we were family.

This resort has special memories for me because my auntie used to go to the Katrina Apartments quite often before she died.

I loved to lounge around the swimming pool; I broke my sun glasses there and got bad sun burn on my back.

The food was amazing and the restaurant had a homely feel to it because it is run by a family.

I wish that we had stayed longer; I was sad to leave and I really want to go back. Hopefully I will be going back this year.

The apartments are roomy and clean. However they are very basic which is not uncommon in Greece. If you prefer to eat in rather than out then these apartments are not for you. Upstairs apartments benefit from a balcony although it is not very private. The complex is about a mile from the main beach and is situated on a main road that can be noisy on occasions.

The swimming pool is clean and quite large for the size of complex with plenty of sun beds and a small kiddies pool.

The snack bar offers a reasonable variety including home cooked Greek food. Food prices were slightly higher than nearer the town centre, drink prices were good, 2€ for a large ouzo &amp; lemonade.

The owner was very friendly and regularly went out of his way to help an elderly/disabled couple.

We found that food and drink were reasonably priced in most restaurants and bars in Sidari. Coach trips are half the price when booked through local agents rather than through holiday reps.

Kosmar used and Icelandic airline, Islandsflug. The plane lacked the modern comforts of radio &amp; TV and there were no tobacco or spirits for sale, just a few perfumes and novelty gifts. In-flight meals were provided at no extra cost and there was a drinks service.

Collection and pickup (included in price) were very good but Corfu airport has only one shop and cafe. The cafe is expensive. NB Some pickups can be up to five hours before departure, take a book!

The weather changes in September and we were unlucky, it rained on five of the seven days that we were there! The locals did say that it was the worst weather for at least 15 years though.