Sun, sea… and towels – no wonder we’re going back!
Glorious Greece ticked ALL the boxes for Áine Bonner and her family. So much so, she’s already booked again for next summer
We hadn’t been on a family holiday in five long years. Like everyone else, the C word put stop to shenanigans in the sun in 2021 and 2020 and, before that, building our home hampered spending on anything other than bricks, insulation, windows or house-related paraphernalia. So when it came to organising a trip this year, I was bamboozled with the level of choice out there and worried too about the complexities of travelling with three children post-pandemic. Vaccine certs, passenger locator forms – what was needed for where and was it worth the hassle?
We ended up booking a week-long break at the five-star Sani Resort on Greece’s Halkidhiki Peninsula and I can confirm that yes, yes it was worth it and, no, there was no hassle whatsoever.
Despite hearing about travel nightmares at airports across Europe, we managed to escape the chaos to make it to what I can only describe as paradise. There was no paperwork to worry about and no Covidrelated restrictions on travel.
We loved Sani so much that we were barely back on Irish soil a day or two before I booked a return visit for next year, availing of its 10% ‘repeater’ discount. We just had to pay a deposit with the balance being payable upon departure. So what was so great about Sani? Pretty much everything.
I think I’d been doing family holidays wrong before Sani. I had always been on the lookout for ‘child-friendly’ places but I’ve realised I should have flipped that and been looking for ‘adult friendly’ family holidays. Let’s face it, kids will be happy with a swimming pool and chicken nuggets
WHAT I WAS REALLY LOOKING FOR WAS ‘ADULT-FRIENDLY’ FAMILY HOLIDAY
and chips for the week. I, on the other hand, have tastes that are a little bit more discerning, although of course who doesn’t love a chicken nugget on occasion? Sani had everything I could have dreamed of and more, and really ticked every single box for us as adults and for the three children aged 8, 10 and 11.
Sani Resort is made up of five separate five-star hotels all linked and within walking or golf buggy distance away from each other. When you stay in one of the hotels, you’re free to use the facilities of any of the others, bar some private beach spots reserved for guests at Sani Asterias.
It’s very much like a selfcontained, upmarket village – complete with its own marina where multiple multi-million euro yachts and snazzy looking boats are docked. We stayed at Sani Beach, which is the original Sani and the one where you’ll find amenities including Chelsea Football Academy for any of your soccer fans, the Rafael Nadal Tennis Academy and the Bear Grylls Academy. It’s got a bike rental place, a Padi Dive Centre, treetop adventures where you can enjoy ziplining and the likes, as well as garden theatre where you’ll have free nightly entertainment in an open air stage.
Sani Beach also boasts the longest beach of the bunch, the gorgeous Bousoulas Beach that goes on and on. We enjoyed many a sunset swim there over the course of the week and the water is crystal clear and gloriously warm.
If beaches aren’t your thing, Sani isn’t short of pools. In Sani Beach, we had the main pool, a splash pool near the playground and an infinity pool fronting onto the beach. Despite the place being pretty much fully booked the entire week of our stay, the resort never seemed overcrowded. There’s plenty of space, never a queue for the sun-loungers and impeccable, relaxed five-star service.
Every single staff member we encountered was friendly, laid back yet exceptionally attentive without being over-bearing or stuffy. And I know the following might seem like a small thing to some, but for me it was just one of the many, many things that made all the difference to our experience: towels. We didn’t have to think about hauling them around, drying them overnight or shaking out the sand after a trip to the beach. Towels were provided beachside and poolside and in plentiful supply. Sani is Greece’s first carbon-neutral resort, so people are encouraged to take towels with them and reuse and of course we did where possible. But the towels and lack of laundry was the dream.
As for the rest of the setup at Sani, we had a two-bedroom family suite with a sea view. It was modern and stylish and perfect for us.
The kids had a separate bedroom and their own ensuite and there was a living room with couch, TV, minibar between them and our bedroom, which was also ensuite. There was a massive balcony with a table and chairs, as well as sun loungers and a view of the sea and main Sani Beach pool. The room was serviced a couple of times a day and little biscuits left on the pillow awaited us every night before bed. They even dropped off some Anne Semonin toiletries for us, one of many little upgraded touches when you stay in a suite collection room.
Others included a free two-hour private Volvo tour of the region (complete with juice boxes for the kids and a bottle of local sparkling wine for the grownups). Our stay also included a free cruise during the day (a three-hour trip where they take you out and you get to see the sights and snorkel from the boat etc); a sunset cruise (30 minutes) and free Volvo transfers between all the hotels if we fancied eating out or experiencing anything the other Sani hotels (Club, Dunes, Asterias, Porto Sani). Suite collection perks also include a personal concierge, a free packing and unpacking service.
As for the food, I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen a spread like the buffet breakfast at Sani Beach. From pancakes to pastries to cheese and charcuteries to the most delicious fruit, freshly cooked eggs of all kind, the usual bacon, sausage and everything in between.
The choice and quality was astounding and it really set us up for the day ahead. We had opted for a full-board experience but for our next stay we’ve decided on half
SANI BEACH’S BUFFET SPREAD WAS TRULY ASTOUNDING
board because of the sheer volume of breakfast. We felt as if we had to squeeze in lunch and ate it for the sake of it rather than because we were hungry. There are 26 restaurants across the entire resort and you can book into any of them. Booking is essential for dinner (but easy to do on Sani’s dedicated app) and again the quality and choice is fantastic. It never felt like we were stuck with ‘hotel food’. The restaurants across the resort are so varied – there’s Asian, Italian, traditional Greek, Japanese – it even boasts Michelin starred restaurants. There’s a fantastic offer where if you book full or half board, you can avail of the Dine Around programme, which means the set menu at the participating restaurants is included in your stay. You can opt to eat from the à la carte menus and a set price per head (depending on which hotel you’re staying at) is deducted from your bill. The drinks at Sani are not included and can be quite pricey, depending on where you get them.
We ended up paying €55 for slushies by the pool one day when I ordered from a passing waiter without having looked at the menu/prices beforehand. Lesson learned! Soft drinks were generally a fiver, beer was about €9 and a glass of wine was around the €12 mark. Something to be mindful of when just charging everything to the room – it all adds up!
When it comes to relaxation, we were spoiled for choice at Sani as every hotel had its own spa. We didn’t venture beyond the spa at Sani Beach though – it was one of the best I’ve ever visited. Myself and my husband enjoyed a massage on one of the days the kids attended the (free) kids club. It was heavenly and such a fabulous experience that I booked myself in for multiple treatments throughout the rest of the week. Everything from the setting to the music and the quality of the treatments and professionalism of staff was 10/10.
Overall, I feel like Sani was a bit of a benchmark against all future holidays – I’m not sure how anything will compare! Although it was more expensive than previous family holidays, it was better value and a much better overall experience. I know people who’ve booked well in advance and have found fantastic bargains.
Because we’ve already booked for next summer we got a great deal for a nine-night stay. The fact that it includes our meals and some activities, kids club, transfers to the airport – it really helps with budgeting for it. Friends of mine have booked for next October and paid €2,000 or thereabouts for the week for the family.
Last-minute breaks definitely get pricey – friends who checked it out after seeing our photos of the trip were quoted thousands more, so the moral of the story is, book well in advance.
ENDED UP PAYING €55 FOR A FEW SLUSHIES BY THE POOL!