Beauty and the beasts
POOLING POWER Relax at the Blue Lagoon Palace fancy first thing in the morning! I’m not generally a fan of buffets for lunch or dinner, but the offerings at Blue Lagoon Palace were amazing.
It’s quite possible it’s the first hotel buffet I’ve enjoyed where everything (inevitably) piled on the plate didn’t end up tasting the same. Delicious.
Facing the sea is the open-air à la carte restaurant Culinarium, which has a range of artfully presented local and international dishes (one meal here is included on allinclusive).
There are also two bars, a patisserie, low-key entertainment in the evenings, a daily programme of sport (boules on the beach, volleyball, aqua aerobics, yoga, tennis) and sophisticated activities such as cocktail making and wine tasting.
The spa is a haven of luxury and relaxation, with a massive menu of treatments, an indoor heated pool, gym and the usual steam rooms and saunas. Bliss.
If you fancy a day out, I highly recommend a trip to the gorgeous village of Afitos and its beautiful sandy beach. It’s full of stone buildings covered in bougainvillea and snoozing cats, with cute shops and plenty of cafés, bars and restaurants.
My top pick of places to eat there has to be Thea Thalassa, a traditional seafood restaurant whose YUM Fish at Thea Thalassa
food is only surpassed by the spectacular views across the bay. From the fried feta and the grilled octopus to the seafood platter and the prawn orzo and the pistachio linguine to the trio of local desserts... every mouthful was insanely delicious. Owner Andreas and his staff are friendly and superknowledgable – follow their recommendations for food and local wines and you’ll be blown away.
The bar next door is great for late-night post-dinner cocktails.
This area of mainland Greece has three pretty peninsulas pointing into the Aegean, so the best way to explore the area is obviously by boat.
We joined Nektarios and Petros from Sailaway-Halkidiki on board HAVE YOU HERD? There are thousands of water buffalo in Greece DELIGHT-FULL Restaurant at the Oikoperiigitis hotel
yacht Aida for a day of cruising the fabulous clear blue waters, sailing in and out of little bays, occasionally dropping anchor to dive off the boat for a swim and a snorkel, and getting the lowdown on the history and geography of the area from Nektarios while enjoying cold wine, iced tea and fresh fruit and sandwiches.
This is not a thumping booze cruise (these are available elsewhere if you want one), so it complements the grown-up, laid-back vibe of the hotel perfectly.
The Blue Lagoon Palace is the perfect grown-up getaway in this little corner of Halkidiki – it’s far enough away from kids and busy resort chaos, but close enough to a host of brilliant things to do.
And as I sank into my private pool later, I felt as chilled as those water buffalo wallowing in the lake mud...
This adultsonly hotel is the perfect retreat