Porto Sani Village

Sunshine and starlings in the pool at a Greek resort on a 1000-acre eco reserve

By Stephanie Cross

Sat squarely on Greece's Kassandra peninsula, one of three fingers of land reaching into the Aegean, just south of Thessaloniki, it is a 1000-acre ecological reserve, fringed with white beaches and home to wildlife-filled wetlands.  As its acreage will attest, Sani is huge. It is made up of four distinct hotels: Sani Beach Club (the family one); Sani Beach Hotel ('the classic'); Sani Asterias Suites (the boutiquey one) and Porto Sani Village (the well-being option), where I'm based.

Stepping in to Porto Sani Village is my first step towards relaxation. A complex of small, blue, freshwater lagoons are filled from breakfast time onwards by delighted children, their parents spectating from loungers or the laid-back poolside bar. Accommodation is arranged around this central oasis - tasteful but rather anonymous family suites in sandstone villas and the whole place resembles an ad for utopia: glossy wood and marble, cream and beige décor.

Sani's marina is at its heart, a horseshoe of restaurants, bars and diminutive boutiques selling designer clothes and jewellery. Shoals of well-behaved children on hired mountain bikes cruise the waterside here and in the evenings the whole place assumes a bustling, affluent cosmopolitan vibe. The resort's most popular alfresco eateries are located around the marina, and no stay at Sani would be complete without sampling the Greek and Mediterranean fare at Tomata voted among the 25 best restaurants in Europe in 2005. I can also vouch for an evening cocktail at the elegant but chilled Sea Breeze beach bar, from where the view of the apricot sunset fulfils every romantic cliché.

But it is Porto Sani Village's USP wellbeing that I'm here to experience. There's no shortage of it on offer either. At the Spa Suites I'm talked through a compact little catalogue of treatments, settling finally on a 40-minute 'Anne Semonin Stress Zone' massage and another 45 minutes of reflexology. Both are very nice indeed. In fact, after an unashamedly sybaritic afternoon in candle-lit, aromatic and very Zen surroundings, I decide that I could happily subscribe to utopia Sani-style.

A resort-wide programme of activities changes by the week, with shuttle buses and buggies speeding guests through the eucalyptus trees and herb-scented landscaping. A typical week offers art classes, zumba, and water polo, with film screenings and open-air theatre performances each evening. There are clubs for kids and teenagers, a watersports centre, and a range of optiona excursions and cruises.

But it would be shame to overlook the riches on Sani's doorstep. As well as its 230-acres of wetland, the resort boasts stunningly beautiful hiking trails. The most picturesque one runs for 9km along pine-forested cliffs that fall away vertically to tiny, deserted beaches accessible only to sailors. (Those wishing to fulfil their private-beach fantasies can rent a boat from the marina.) The views of the Aegean here are breathtaking blue-glass water, leopard-patched with seaweed and the only sound, the pulsing rasp of cicadas. I can't help thinking that as a prescription for wellbeing, you'd be hard pushed to find better.

Of course, Sani is no eco-retreat: beach and poolside staff dole out a never-ending supply of brilliant white towels and sprinklers work overtime on the emerald grass. But my conscience is partly assuaged by Sani's Green Programme - water recycling, tree planting, a solar energy initiative. And it's good to know that Sani's glorious wetlands are safeguarded from development, too. Of all the memories that I take home, the sound of that buzzard's cry - thrilling in the sun-stunned, golden evening - will be the one that endures.

Western & Oriental offers seven nights in a Marina Junior Suite Room at Porto Sani Village on a half-board basis from £682 per person, including flights from London and private transfers.
 

Carole Annett & Louise Parker Bowles

Set in the family-friendly surroundings of Sani resort in Halkidiki in northern Greece, the Sani Gourmet Festival is an annual celebration of Greek gastronomy. Every May, acclaimed chefs from Greece and around the world are invited to the resort to create inventive Greek menus that champion local and seasonal produce. The result is a 1-day-long feast of tasting menus, workshops and culinary presentations that combine traditional flavours with contemporary techniques.

Events take place across the resort’s numerous restaurants. Chefs delight in surprising guests with their creations – such as ‘crunchy red mullet’ grouper burgers or orzo with langoustines (served with local rosé) – while also educating those interested about the diversity of Greek cuisine.

In 2012, the festival revolved around the notion of New Greek Cuisine and the concept of the ‘100-mile diet’. Chefs were tasked with using only produce grown within 100 miles of Sani resort’s 1,000-acre ecological enclave, in the hope of stimulating the local economy and showcasing the flavours of the region, while also encouraging ecologically sound practices. Dishes ranged from traditional Greek fare, such as stuffed vine leaves, fish soup and gyros, to dishes with a modern flavour, such as lemon-crusted bass freshly plucked from the Aegean.

The next Sani Gourmet Festival takes place from May 10-19, 2013.

Western & Oriental offers seven nights based on two sharing, including flights and private transfers.

Denise Marshall

Strolling along the cobbled streets of Athitos, a clifop village in Halkidiki, it felt like we'd stepped back into a bygone era. Admiring the stone architecture and the village square's tiny dome–roofed church, we turned a corner to be greeted by a blaze of sunlit turquoise sea across Toroneos Bay. 

Robert De Niro holidayed in Halkidiki last summer, as did Brad Pit and Angelina Jolie's large family. Both parties were reported to have moored their yachts in the Kassandra region before dining at a local taverna. And you are spoiled for choice with pretty, shaded eateries throughout Athitos, where locals love catching up over meze. With fine food and safe seas it's not hard to see why Halkidiki is a sought–after holiday haven.

We based ourselves in the five–star Porto Sani Village adjacent to the marina and a stone's throw from two fine sandy beaches. The resort is just half an hour's drive from Tessaloniki airport and has earned its family focused reputation by welcoming children in the majority of restaurants. If eating well is a priority when you go on holiday, you will find plenty to whet your appetite at Sani. At the harbour-side Psaroyannos Ouzerie we tucked into octopus, calamari and fried haloumi accompanied by freshly baked bread that my toddler son loved. For a more intimate experience overlooking the sea, the beach club Ouzerie, an open air taverna a five–minute minibus ride away, was our favourite for sampling snapper and sea bass. Or you may choose to people watch over fresh pasta at Tomata, which overlooks the Sani marina, where dozens of glamorous yachts are moored, voted one of the best 25 restaurants in Europe.

If you need a break from beach and poolside life, you can enjoy a guided tour of the on–site bird sanctuary. The surrounding forest is home to rabbits, lizards, butterflies and turtles and the Bousoulas beach bar provides the perfect pit stop for fruit punch and a beachside back massage.

Billed as a wellbeing hotel, Porto Sani boasts a luxury spa suite, where parents can escape for a hot stone treatment. While I enjoyed one, my husband and son were at the lagoon pool bar, where even toddlers can choose from a tempting menu of homemade pizza or pasta dishes.

To appreciate the surrounding area we also took a two–hour traditional sail boat trip. As the vessel moored up we took a bracing plunge in the clear Aegean waters followed by a picnic lunch. Afterwards, with restless children pacified by a box of toys on the deck, we reclined in peaceful bliss and reflected on a wonderful holiday. Halkidiki had welcomed us with open arms.

WAY TO GO
Call Western & Oriental on 020 7666 1234 (www.westernoriental.com).