Sani proves there’s still hope for the family holiday

There comes a time, typically in the months following the arrival of a first child, that holidays start to look a little different. Gone are the days of carefully crafting an itinerary chocked full of cultural activities, long lunches and expeditions to find that secret strip of sand you're almost absolutely, positively sure you overheard locals chatting about over cocktails the other night. With a little one in tow, holidays become wonderfully unpredictable, so it’s best to head somewhere that doesn’t come with unwelcome surprises. Enter the family resort.

I’ll be the first to admit that the idea of spending a couple of weeks in a self-contained resort wasn’t high on my holiday agenda. I’ve always been a chock-full, unknown adventure to the middle of nowhere type of guy when it comes to travel and that, unsurprisingly, doesn’t sit so well with a family of four. Perhaps it was time to give resort life a spin: after all, The White Lotus always makes it look rather exciting.

Which is how we found ourselves pulling up to the Sani Resort, a 400-hectare estate in Halkidiki, Greece. The Sani story starts back in the 1960s, when founder Anastasios Andreadis discovered the bay by boat. Back then, there was no road from Thessaloniki – home to the nearest airport, which is an hour’s drive – and all that stood on the site was a ruined castle overlooking blonde beached coves and turquoise waters. Purchasing the land from a sect of monks from Mount Athos, Andreadis got to work developing the foundations of what would become an empire of family-focused hotels, restaurants and activities. By 2015, financial investors came in but the business is still run by the Andreadis family to this day.

Admittedly, the Sani empire is a tough one to get your head around when you first arrive – the resort is essentially made of five hotels – Sani Beach, Sani Asterias, Porto Sani, Sani Dunes and Sani Club – which are dotted along a sandy streak, surrounded by thick pine forests and wetlands on the north-western Aegean. Sani Beach is the oldest and longest-standing, marked by its high-rise tower that stands proud of the rest of the resort. It’s a little 1970s on the outside but big and breezy on the inside, with miles of polished marble flooring, the perfect surface for pushing two tired toddlers, two prams and three suitcases along. Single-handedly. Just saying.

Still not entirely convinced I could be swayed towards resort life within the first 24 hours of arriving, it didn’t take long to work out that Sani is a little different from other family resorts – think Mark Warner or Club Med. Although it’s undeniably family-focused, it maintains a high-end edge and an almost endless amount of parent-only activities to sample when the children are entertained in the beach-side crèche or tucked up under the watchful eye of someone from Sani’s squad of excellent babysitters.

Think tasting menus as part of the Sani Gourmet programme from chefs like Paco Morales, live music amid the ruined castle, a Rafa Nadal-approved tennis club, mountain biking trails, personal trainers, scuba diving and the option to board Sani’s own vintage yacht for a sunset cruise. Sure, you don’t get the same kick as sweating it out to discover your ‘own’ hard-earned historical gems but it’s more than welcome after a day of peace keeping in the shallow end of the toddler pool.

When it comes to dining, there is no shortage of options, with 25 restaurants ranging from traditional Greek tavernas, to pizzerias, Mediterranean grills and a Japanese restaurant, helmed by an ex-Nobu sushi master. No matter where you book into, the food and service at Sani is consistently good. There are outlets to suit all occasions, from two adults looking for a romantic childless escape to a family of four dining by the pool.

Accommodation wise, we picked a spacious junior suite, equipped with a small garden with steps down to a thin strip of beach and the Aegean sea – perfect for sandcastle building at stupid o’clock in the morning or a final sunset dip. The room itself is split into two halves, a ‘grown-ups’ room with en-suite access and a generous double bed, and a living room area that doubles as the kids’ quarters, complete with a fridge, cot and small single bed. The rooms aren’t brimming with character but they’re cool, clean and comfortable.

In the summer, Sani is awash with Brits, who head there for a blast of sun in July and August, mixed in with polished Bulgarians and Albanians, who pop over the border for speedy access to the Aegean.

After assuming I’d be chomping at the bit to slip past security and head for the hills within hours of experiencing resort life, our stay at Sani flew by. It’s difficult to find a holiday that will suit two sets of people with such varying demands but Sani somehow manages to satisfy both adults and children alike, helped massively by its army of friendly and obliging staff who are only too keen to help out at a moment’s notice.

Had you asked me what my ideal family holiday looked like before a stint at Sani, it would have been something along the lines of a slow-paced road trip through southern Europe or somewhere hot, sampling all the sights, sounds and tastes along the way. While my family will almost certainly suffer more of those cultural crusades in years to come, there’s a strong chance they’ll be interspersed with unapologetically indulgent stints at Sani.

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