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FAM Trip to Sani Resort
Andrew Farr | 10 September 2024
Andrew Farr, Content and PR Manager at Classic Collection, tells us about his recent visit with colleagues and agent partners to Sani Resort, Halkidiki, Greece.
How long was the transfer from airport?
The 70km journey from Thessaloniki Airport to Sani Resort takes about 50 minutes.
Your top tip? What surprised you about the hotel the most?
Don’t just laze on the, admittedly fabulous, beaches. Do as much as you can. I did. There was I learning how to navigate in a forest without a compass and build a fire at the Bear Grylls Academy. Trying, but not succeeding, with yoga by the beach. Mountain biking, rock-wall climbing, and my favourite, a couple of hours tuition at the Rafa Nadel Tennis Centre. I even went on a tree top canopy walk complete with zip wires. Twice. I’ll have to return to try the Chelsea FC Football Academy, and sailing, scuba diving and water skiing academies. There are also endless pools, spas and spaces in which to relax, and countless, varied experiences to enjoy, and a selection of great beaches to enjoy. What surprised me most? Having so much fun trying as many of the activities as possible.
How many restaurants did the hotel have and which was your favourite?
With world-class cuisine curated by Michelin-starred chefs, guests on half or full board can take advantage of Sani’s Dine Around facility to enjoy the flavours of Greece, Asia, Italy and beyond at a choice of no fewer than 26 participating restaurants and bars. For the record my favourites were, for dinner, Tomata in the marina, and for lunch, the quite simply divine Ouzerie – try to book the table on the terrace in the dappled shade of the ancient olive tree. When you add in the number of bars,there are no fewer than 40 exquisite food and beverage outlets offering everything from fresh local fare to the finest artistry of Michelin-starred gastronomy.
Who would you say the hotel is the most suited to?
Everyone. Sani Beach is great for families of all ages and is the most handily placed for all the various academies, sports facilities and the amphitheatre with west-end type productions. Sani Beach also has a selection of beaches from which to take your pick. Sani Club, my favourite, and which I named Sani Bali because of the beautiful, towering palm trees and delightful flowers, is the most serene and secluded and ideal for an inter-generational holiday. I applied for a mortgage to buy one the two bedroom bungalows with private pool overlooking the beach. Sani Dunes is like an island sitting beside and within the largest lagoon style heated pool in Greece. It is vast. And the lobby is an architectural tour de force. It has more of an adult-only vibe, but families with older children wouldn’t feel out of place. Never have I seen happier young families than at Porto Sani. Blissful. The Villas at Sani Asterias were nearing the end of an extensive refurbishment. There’s no reason to doubt they’ll be anything short of magnificent.
What was the best feature about your room?
All the rooms were of a particularly high standard. I stayed in Sani Beach, which is the most conventional hotel type accommodation. I was on one of the higher floors with a tremendous sea view and afternoon sunshine. We visited many rooms. I loved the in-room Teepee tent installation Porto Sani, available for younger children on request. And I wanted to buy the two bedroom bungalow with pool at Sani Club.
What was the highlight of your trip?
Apart from the fact of how quickly get used to suited chauffeurs ferrying you here and there in expensive hybrid SUVs, and an army of supremely helpful and polite uniformed drivers at the oversized steering wheels of whisper-quiet open-sided golf buggies. (For the late evening chill they’ll supply you with what I suppose we have to call ‘cart’ blankets for shoulders and knees. It really is the only way to travel around this sprawling, beautifully manicured estate of splendid lawns and flowers, pine forests, thriving wetlands and superb sandy beaches, amongst which you’ll discover five sublime hotels.) Apart from that, my highlights were the food at Tomata, the dappled sunshine lunch at Ouzerie, the trees, hillside and the two bedroom pool bungalow at Sani Club and the Rafa Nade Tennis Academy.
What activities /excursions are on offer? Did you have a favourite?
What activities aren’t on offer might be the shorter list! See my answer to the second question in this blog. And as for favourites, at the drop of the hat, I’d go back for a month and spend at least an hour each and every day the Rafa Nadal Tennis Academy.
What are the top 3 selling points of this hotel?
- Sani is one sublime resort.
- Five unique hotels.
- Countless experiences to be enjoyed.
