The Ultimate Guide to Sani Resort – Which Hotel To Choose And Why It Is One of Europe’s Best Family Resorts
7km of white sandy beaches, a private yacht marina, 27 restaurants with mouth-watering, michelin-starred menus and mind-blowing facilities all in the shadow of Mount Olympus – is Sani Resort Europe’s best family resort?
Trying to find a luxury hotel that caters equally for adults and children can be a challenge. I’m tired of hearing the old cliché – ‘if kids are happy then parents are happy’. I know I have used it myself many times, but let’s face it, most kids are happy with a swimming pool and water slides! If I am going to spend a large chunk of my well-earned salary on a holiday, I want the wow factor. Sani Resort certainly has that. So is it the perfect spot?
At the World Travel Awards last year Sani Resort won several awards, including the World’s Leading Family & Beach Resort and Europe’s Leading Family Resort – these are some achievements, although I can’t say I am that surprised.
Read: My post on the best family resorts in Europe here.
You can expect world class activity camps that are not available anywhere else, and children’s menus curated by children’s food expert Annabel Karmel. There are splash pools for younger children, and abundance of water sports at the beach, adult-only pools, indoor pools, and Spa and wellness facilities.
And let’s not forget the white sandy beaches and crystal clear waters, where getting a sun lounger by the shore is not an olympic sport. And if all of that is not enough, you can round off your day with pre-dinner drinks at the marina, before dining in one of Sani Resort’s 27 restaurants.
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I heard of Sani Resort’s superb reputation when I was a travel agent, and wanted to visit for many years. However, there was no direct access or flights from Ireland to Halkidiki until 2019 – now Ryanair fly directly to Thessaloniki from Dublin Airport.
Best4Travel were one of the top sellers of Sani Resort in Ireland and invited me to see the resort, along with some of their staff in 2019. It wasn’t long before I realised why it was one of the world’s best family resorts, and I vowed to return to enjoy a family holiday here. Luckily for me that opportunity came this year, and we set off on a seven-night holiday at the end of June 2022.
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What sets Sani Resort apart from other 5-star hotels
There are five different hotels within Sani Resort all within walking distance of each other so you have a great choice. It is possible to use the facilities in all hotels, (with one exception), as they are located close together on the Sani Peninsula – see my full guide to Sani Resort hotels below.
Sani Resort is made up of an ecological reserve within its grounds, divided into three: the sea, forest and wetlands. In the past three years, Sani has won the ‘World’s Leading Luxury Green Resort’ at the World Travel Awards and have made a huge effort and contribution to the preservation of their surrounding environment and the wildlife in it. This has provided employment to support the local community too. The legacy left is that guests can enjoy and experience the natural wonder of Sani in future years.
I have been to Greece many times and love holidaying there, but being in Sani Resort doesn’t feel like you are in Greece. In fact this could be seen as a negative if you are specifically looking for a Greek-style holiday.
Sani Resort feels more like the Caribbean than the Greece I know. With the exception of hearing ‘Kalimera’ every morning, you could be forgiven for thinking you are in a small paradise island like Tobago the Grenadines. The combination of the lush green pine forests and the turquoise sea is stunning – Sani Peninsula is a piece of paradise.
The sense of wonder never left me throughout either visit, and my husband and children felt the same. Everywhere we went the service was impeccable. There was someone standing at the beach handing you a fresh towel every day – no fumbling for towel tokens, and I tried very hard to contain my surprise when staff approached me to clean my sunglasses at the pool and beach – we had reached ‘peak notions’!
I love the complimentary Babywatch system, where you can leave your child with qualified staff at the beach, while you and your partner pop in for a quick swim, or enjoy a walk on the beach – without having to book a crèche session.
The Dine Around system (more below) is the best I have seen, and the restaurants have separate toddlers and kids menus. Everywhere I looked there was a stylish bar with sea views – probably because there are 19 of them! There is even an ice-cream van touring the resort offering children free ice creams. Sani Resort anticipates your every whim.
Sani Resort has various options for boat trips. You can choose to hire one of the super yachts for a handsome price, but a complimentary morning and sunset cruise is included in the price of your stay.
Needless to say we didn’t let this opportunity pass us by, and set off early morning for a cruise around the Sani Peninsula. We didn’t have the luxury of sailing on one of the modern yachts, but the views were spectacular and the Aegean Sea was crystal clear. The boat docked for an hour to allow us to time to swim and take in the views – we loved it.
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One of my favourite parts of Sani luxury resort is Bousoulas Beach, a 5km stretch of white sand – it must be one of the best beaches in Greece. I found it hard to believe that no matter what time we arrived, there were sun beds available at the waters edge – this while the resort was fully booked during the peak summer season.
The White Party at Sani Resort
The all-white Bousoulas bar is the picture perfect beach bar too. I recall enjoying sundowners here during my first visit, and this time we were able to attend the weekly White Party here. This is an unmissable event in the Sani entertainment calendar. I can’t begin to describe how amazing it really was, in fact I know my words will not do it justice.
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I ordered two cheap white dresses before we left, just in case we decided to go to the White Party. Myself and Alex (11) put them on and felt like celebrities. The boys had white shirts and shorts and fitted in perfectly. Although most people did wear white attire, it wasn’t compulsory. You could spot the few that came along to see what all the fuss was about, and decided to stay as the set up was spectacular.
Bousoulos bar and the beach were filled with fairy lights, the DJ played tunes until the small hours, and there were two musicians walking through the crowd playing the latest dance tunes on the saxophone. You can see more on my Instagram highlights called Sani.
I loved how the night was equally as enjoyable for adults and children – it was a fabulous family experience and one that will provide life long memories – this photo is currently the wallpaper on my phone ❤️.
Fine Dining at Sani Resort:
With a staggering 27 restaurants to choose from, it is easy to see why people rarely leave Sani Resort during their stay. Not only are the choice of dining options so vast, but the quality of food is superb.
Many menus were curated by Michelin-starred chefs and many of the new restaurants hold international and national awards. Some provide spectacular views of the beautiful beaches Sani Resort’s gastronomy flagship Water Restaurant, had its menu curated by three-Michelin-starred chef Mauro Colagreco, while the menu at Japanese restaurant Katsu was curated by Katsuhiko Hanamure, of Nobu fame.
There are restaurants in each of the five hotels as well as a great selection at Sani Marina, set amongst pristine a private garden or olive groves. These feel more like independent restaurants, rather than being part of a hotel. There are Mediterranean, Italian, French, Asian and Greek restaurants, all beautifully furnished in their own unique style, and most with stunning sea views.
The Sani Dine Around programme allows you to dine in 26 restaurants throughout the resort as part of the half-board or full-board arrangement.
Each restaurant has a set-menu that is part of this dine-around arrangement, but if you wish to choose from the à la carte menu, a meal allowance of €20 – €40 per person, depending on which hotel you are staying in, will be deducted from your bill. We had a meal allowance of €25 per adult and €12.50 per child when staying at Porto Sani, versus €20 and €10 at Sani Beach Hotel.
I couldn’t find fault with any meal at Sani Resort. We had delicious buffets, tasty food by the pool, and too many impressive dinners to mention!
I still recall the gastronomic feast we had at The Grill by the Pool Restaurant in Sani Beach Hotel on my first visit – it brought the meaning of ‘surf and turf’ to a whole new level! I enjoyed a massive tomahawk steak with juicy lobster and the largest king prawns I have ever seen – note this was from the à la carte menu.
Make sure you ask for their signature dessert if it is not on the menu – Armenoville. This ice-cream-type-cake with nougat and chocolate reminded me of a white chocolate Toblerone – shout out to Jeff Collins from Best4Travel for this tip.
Another favourite was the traditional Greek Restaurant Psaroyannos, the Prawn Saganaki was the stand out for me here.
Traditional Greek dish of prawn saganakiMy favourite restaurant was The Beach House at Sani Dunes. As well as stunning sea views, the Grilled Tiger Prawns starter and Meat on the Flame main are absolute must-haves – the latter being a sharing dish of baby chicken, U.S prime rib eye tagliata, and meatballs with tzatziki. These are also on the à la carte menu, but worth the extra cost in my opinion.