Travel: Sani Gourmet Festival, Halkidiki, Greece

If your kids are called Archie or Giles, Sadie or Lulu they would fit in well at the Sani Beach Resort in Thessaloniki, Greece. A haven for pretty children and a host of well–behaved parents, it is the ultimate in luxury for the package holiday enthusiast. The accommodation consists of suites and bungalows, rubbing shoulders with low-rise apartments; there is something for everyone’s taste. The vast privately owned property consists of the Sani Beach Hotel & Spa, Sani Beach Club, Porto Sani Village & Spa, Sani Asterias Suites and the Oceania Club & Spa.

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For 10 days during May there is a Gourmet Food Festival, the gastronomical celebration brings award-winning chefs from around the globe, and guests and visitors are invited to partake in a torrent of taste ticklers across the Hotel’s many restaurants. With carefully selected Michelin-starred chefs creating new and exciting contemporary dishes, the choice of food is more than enough to tempt the less adventurous.

As a family owned resort, families are extremely well catered for, with activities and a kids club ‘Babe Watch’ to after hours activities and a daily interactive musical, which takes place after dark, in the open air arena. Bikes, trikes and golf buggies are available to hire, and there is ample opportunity for play in resort’s adventure playground, and high maintenance grounds- stretching 1000 acres out into the countryside. With film screenings also on offer in the outdoor cinema for the summer months, children will be satisfied from dusk to dawn.

If spending your days, tripping over children, is not your thing, adults are catered for with adult only restaurants, a choice of two spas, an infinity pool and indoor/ outdoor swimming pools. With private beaches and discreet service staff, it is also the ideal vacation for couples that are looking for the ultimate relaxing luxury break.

With a purpose built marina on site, it is also advisable to take advantage of the organized or private hire boat trips, where you are invited to dive into the crystal clear water in the middle of the ocean, with the lapping of the waves and birdsong as the only distraction in paradise. The marina is also available to dock your yacht if you are on a mini break and wish to pop by for a few days only.

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The holiday package includes meals in any of the resorts 13 restaurants, with the ‘Dine Around’ option so you can decide if eating under the stars at a typical Greek, or at the end of the marina with sea views is what you’re craving. Starting with an a la carte breakfast menu or the biggest buffet I have ever seen, there will be many tough decisions to make! And you might want to skip lunch and save your treats for dinner…Or like me, try and eat as much as possible and swim, gym and bike it all off!

Personally I am hooked, and if you are craving somewhere to relax, chill out, eat delicious food and sunbathe away your stresses, the Sani Beach Resort is definitely the place for you.

Classic Collection Holidays (0800 294 9323; classic-collection.co.uk) offers seven nights at Porto Sani Village & Spa, Halkidiki from £1,299 per person based on two adults sharing a Marina junior suite on a bed and breakfast basis including private transfers and return flights.

Sara Darling

Sara Darling is a freelance travel, fashion and lifestyle writer. In a previous life she was a fashion luvvie, but quit to follow her gypsy soul! When she is not clutching her passport, microphone or glass of fizz, she can be found avec snorkel in exotic oceans, scouring international flea markets for covetable jewellery, watching indie films or checking out photography exhibitions and wishing she could take a better picture. Follow her adventures on Twitter and Instagram on @wordsbydarling and @1stclassdarling