Just under a month ago I was relaxing at the beautiful Sani
Resort in Halkidiki, Greece with my parents – which now seems like a distant
memory.
With the publicised troubles in Greece it feels poignant
that I share my highlights from my holiday in Sani and support Greek tourism.
Sani Resort
On arrival at the beautiful Sani Resort we were greeted with
a glass of prosecco to help ease us into our holiday. After a quick walk around
reception and the balcony overseeing the pool and beach it’s not difficult to
see why Sani has won lots of awards including Trip Advisor Top 5 Hotels in the World for families.
The Sani Resort is a haven away from the hustle and bustle
of the standard holiday resort and has made us re-think how we choose our
holiday destinations. A family-owned ecological reserve with 7 km of white
sandy beaches framed by the turquoise Aegean sea and pine forests on the
Kassandra peninsula made for the perfect week of relaxation and escapism.
We stayed in a junior suite at the Sani Beach Hotel near
Cape Sani. We always request a sea view, and usually end up on the corner or
side of the hotel and left feeling disappointed. There was no disappointment
this time, as we enjoyed our daily sundowners watching the most magical
sunsets.
The hotel also organises free sunset cruises, from the Sani
Marina to watch the sunset at sea along with a glass of prosecco to help get
you in the mood for a good evening.
Food…
On a full board basis we had a dine around card which meant
in the evenings we could eat at any of the 18 restaurants across the resort.
With 4 hotels and a marina to rival Monaco (according to Vogue!) with chic
restaurants and cafes there’s plenty of choice. The food at the Veranda
restaurant in our hotel was superb and the puddings were exquisite – almost too
good to eat!
Our favourite places to eat in the evening was the Greek
Grill by the Pool which had a chilled out vibe with various musicians playing
during the week. This was also our breakfast haunt, where you can sit outside
overlooking the pool and decide whether you want a continental or full English
for the day – or both! We did try Tomata in the marina as my mum really wanted
to try pizza, only discover she didn’t like pizza!
Everything is within walking distance in the resort,
however, if you’re feeling a bit jaded or your heels are too high there are
resort buggies which can take you to the door of your chosen restaurant.
Bars..
Our favourite bar was hands down the Bousoulas Beach Bar
overseeing the beach was a great place for people watching and lunch time
cocktails. Plus, there is a gorgeous pop up beach shop called Apoella with
white washed interiors, to die for bikinis and cover ups for the beach. I
bought a stylish ‘evil eye’ necklace in typical Greek turquoise hues – my favourite
colour of course!
On Wednesday nights the bar hosts the weekly White Beach
Party which was ‘the place to be’. The entertainers from the theatrical shows
dress up in OTT costumes and take to the podiums, whilst a DJ plays accompanied
by a mix of musicians. At times it felt like I should be at G.A.Y. club or
Pascha! Very surreal.
Activities…
Being the sport
billy that I am, I find it difficult to completely relax and do nothing on
holiday, so I was like a kid in a candy shop when I saw the daily activity
planner and immediately started plotting out what I was going to try out.
8.30 am morning jog! I know, usually you’re meant to enjoy long lie-ins
on holiday, but I couldn’t resist trying out the Sani morning jog with fitness
instructor Konstantinos. I was joined by two Serbian ice-hockey players who
were up for the 5km jog through the pine forest. It almost felt like doing the
park run in Weymouth, apart from running at 25C across deep sandy trails was a
lot tougher. At the half way point we stopped on the beach and could see the snowcapped
Mount Olympus in the distance. We also met a man with some goats – turns out he’s
on community service!
Yoga on Sani Hall Hands down the best view I’m ever going to
experience whilst doing yoga. It was my first experience since university and I
now feel a yogi convert, although I still need to perfect my mermaid and
downward dog pose. Definitely a great way to start the day and left me feeling
calm and serene.
SUP Yoga I almost missed seeing this advertised if it wasn’t
for a small poster. Turns out I was the first person to enquire about SUP yoga
this year! At 8am the female instructor and I took our paddle boards out in the
sheltered bay and pretty much practiced the same poses on Sani Hill on the
board. It was a real test of balance, especially as there was a cross wind
which meant we kept drifting out to sea! Again, another great way to start the
day before the resort wakes up.
Aqua Fit – always a popular class on holiday and with the sun shining down on the
pool and upbeat tunes makes it a great way to burn off those access holiday
calories.
Sani life is pretty chilled out, the tough decisions of the
day didn’t get more than deciding where to sunbathe – round the pool or on the
beach? Cool down with a dip in the crystal clear Aegean sea or a swim in the
pool. You can easily see why Sani Resort is a popular destination with families
returning year after year. For us, that was the only downside – the kids and
lots of them, but you soon learn to block that out lying on a sun lounger
facing the sea with Spotify on a loop.
If you’d like to find out more about the Sani Resort head to
www.sani-resort.com
Coming soon – an interview with PR/Press Manager of the Sani
Resort – Georgia Dodou.
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