‘I don't think I'll need another holiday to recover from this family holiday,’ mused my husband as he washed down his Chilean sea bass with a deliciously salty margarita. We are feasting in Lima, one of Sani Resort’s 40 (!) restaurants and bars – whilst looking on in both horror and amusement at our children who, smothered in Annabel Karmel's spag bol, are performing the conga around the rooftop restaurant with six other children. It is this exact scenario that deters parents from holidaying in 5-star hotels with kids, instead opting for a DIY Airbnb in a rural location that ends up feeling like ‘same sh**, different location’. Clearly they haven’t stayed at Sani – the family-friendly resort that allows you to leave your much-loathed household chores behind for an elusive week of genuine fun in the sun with your kids; a holiday that actually feels like a holiday for everyone. Sani not only welcomes children but actually embraces them in all their high-pitched, feral glory, which is exactly why it's fast become the stress-free summertime ritual for families like ours.
Much like the Rockit Rocker and Tommee Tippee blackout blinds, Sani is a parent-pleasing recommendation that’s passed around the nursery gates and NCT Whatsapp groups like Gospel. After approximately 756438433874 recommendations, my husband and I decided to make the pilgrimage with our toddler and baby last year to see what all the fuss was about. Spoiler alert: we booked for the following year the same night we returned and have already secured next year's booking. Hopefully once you've reached the end of this guide to the resort you've probably heard name-dropped on the school Whatsapp group, you'll understand why.
Sani virgin? Here’s the drill: Sani Resort is an ‘if-you-know-you-know’ resort in Halkidiki, Greece, featuring five beachfront hotels: Sani Beach, Sani Club, Porto Sani, Sani Asterias and Sani Dunes. Nestled in a 1,000-acre nature reserve, Sani is the first certified carbon-neutral resort in Greece that boasts its own private marina with over 40 restaurants and bars, luxury boutique stores, the Rafa Nadal Tennis Centre, the football academy in association with Chelsea FCF and the Bear Grylls Survival Academy. Sani Resort belongs to the Sani/Ikos Group, which are seriously well-versed in smoothing the pain points of travelling with children to elevate a desperately-needed family holiday to something that actually feels like a holiday. Ikos is known and loved for offering an all-inclusive option (friends of mine take advantage of the ability to order a bottle of champagne to their room for pre-drinks), whilst Sani offers more flexible - and varied - board options.
Ahead of my visit, I had questions. Lots of questions. And after posting about my trip on Instagram, I was inundated with even more questions. Because Sani is so sprawling with so much on offer, planning your trip can feel overwhelming. I was warned by regulars that preparation and pre-booking is key, especially in peak season.
Velvety sands, verdent landscape and vitamin D.
Sani is made up of five hotels spread across 7 kilometres of Carribean-esque blue flag coastline. There's Sani Beach: the main hotel in the resort’s hub, which is perfect for those who love being right in the action. Sani Dunes is a recently revamped former adults-only hotel that now welcomes kids (although it doesn’t have a kids club) and has an incredible location right on the beach. Porto Sani is the perfect fusion of child-friendly and luxury. Then there's Sani Club, which is further out and ideal for those looking for a more tranquil experience, and Sani Asterias - an uber luxe, money-is-no-object beachfront hotel that’s just had a total revamp.
Restaurants are spread across the hotels and the port – and the main kids activities and water sports are based at Sani Beach. No matter which hotel you’re staying at, you can walk between each in around 20 minutes to experience the resort’s pools, restaurants and activities – and there are golf buggies and complimentary shuttle cars everywhere too. Thanks to its sheer size, private beaches, Michelin-starred restaurants, high-end boutiques and private marina, Sani feels like a luxurious microcosm, offering frazzled families with excitable children huge variety within 20 minutes’ walk.
We sampled three of Sani's hotel offerings, each with their own unique selling points. Sani Dunes – a former adults-only hotel that now welcomes families - was our first pit stop. Less chaotic than Sani Beach and Porto Sani, Dunes is ideal for parents craving the luxury set-up of a pre-baby holiday. First impressions count at Dunes, which houses the largest heated lagoon-style swimming pool in Greece, snaking across 3,500m, plus its own exclusively serviced beach (breakfasts at Beach House will live rent-free in my memory). Interiors give a nod to the calming presence of water – and rooms are fresh, calm, breezy and spacious, which makes piling in with your brood all the more manageable. Sani Club was our next pit stop and as the OG Sani hotel, built on the peninsula back in the 1970s, it offers a much-needed respite from city life. Surrounded by ancient olive groves and with that nostalgic scent of jasmine wafting as you amble down to breakfast in the morning, Sani Club is so good for the soul, you’d be forgiven for dropping anchor for an entire week. Alas, our final stop, Porto Sani, offered something entirely different in the form of souped up family fun - and that's the beauty of Sani; each hotel is dedicated to creating a haven where parents can relax in the knowledge that their offspring won’t just be catered for, but celebrated.
A lot of hotels claim to be child-friendly by chucking some crayons on the table at dinner, but Sani goes the extra mile - and then some. The website encourages you to “pack light, because we can supply everything you need” – and it isn’t false advertising. Our children sleep notoriously badly in travel cots but our fears were alleviated by the full-sized wooden Stokke cot for baby, and plush sofa bed for our toddler waiting in our room. Five minutes into our arrival, we received a Whatsapp from the hotel’s concierge asking if we needed anything. A few messages later – and much like a Deliveroo service for exhausted, out-of-routine parents – baby toiletries and a BabyBjorn Relax bouncer arrived at our door. You can also request high chairs, changing mats, bottle sterilisers and warmers, white noise machine, tiny clothes hangers, Gro clocks, baby monitors, pushchairs, potties and toilet seats. Changing nappies in the hotel's toilets is a genuine luxury; with fabric-coated Stokke changing mats and Tomee Tippee bins in every communal toilet, mid-dinner nappy changes became a breeze (notable mention to the diligent and ever-smiling toilet attendant who heard my toddler's screams from afar and waited diligently outside to assist).
The child-friendly theme continues around every corner. The hotel’s creches, which welcome children from 6 months to 4 years at Sani Beach, Porto Sani and Sani Club, are run like a slick London nursery, adhering to UK OFSTED standards, policies and procedures. Friends of ours literally book a Sani holiday for the kids clubs. The hotel also offers Carol Mae Consulting sessions for advice on adjusting your child’s sleep and behavioural routine whilst travelling. ‘Babewatch’ – a complimentary 30 minute childminding service – also allows parents to take a stress-free dip in the sea or cram in a speedy glass of rosé at Ammos Beach bar.
Frequented by only the savviest of travellers.
Our favourite child-friendly touch was the food offering from our go-to child nutrition expert, Annabel Karmel MBE. The kids food guru has teamed up with the resort on an exclusive array of nutritious and flavoursome dishes for each of the restaurants. Much like her ready meals that fill our freezer back in the UK, the sweetcorn fritters, colourful quesadillas, crispy baked cod and kids ceviche (yes, really) were a total hit with our kids and kept mealtimes as stress-free as possible. The weaning era is enough to put anyone off leaving their kitchen, let alone travelling abroad, but Annabel has also curated baby purée menus that make me wish I'd embarked on the weaning journey during our trip to Sani (consider this your cue).
Sweet potato purée aside, Sani is an absolute foodie Mecca for the entire family. With 40 bars and restaurants across all its properties, 26 of which are part of the resort’s exclusive Dine Around programme, designed for half-board and full-board guests, there is no shortage of variety. From traditional Greek cuisine (your Instagram feed needs Ouzerie's views) to Peruvian (Lima gives COYA a run for its money), Italian (Macaroni in the marina is perfect for a beautifully chaotic pizza or pasta), Japanese (Katsu, we love you), and fine-dining under the helm of world-renowned, Michelin-starred chefs, my husband and I enjoyed some of the best food – and service – of our lives. From the all-singing-all-dancing team at Beach House who remembered our daughter’s name and food order, to the team at Macaroni offering to take our wailing baby for a walk whilst we ate in peace, the staff work like a well-oiled machine to ensure a holiday with little ones can actually be fun and relaxing for grown-ups. Even a Michelin-star meal at Over Water in Sani Asterias was a genuinely enjoyable experience thanks to accommodating staff, incredible food and live music for all the family.
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Foodie fans will rejoice at news that Sani Gourmet festival is back and welcoming five culinary legends—Yannick Alléno, Gaggan Anand, Virgilio Martínez, Daniel Boulud, and Emma Bengtsson—each crafting exquisite degustation menus inspired by their signature dishes. These esteemed chefs will each host an exclusive dinner at Sani Resort, complete with wine pairings, of course.
Another huge hit on the Sani calendar is the Sani Festival, which draws in a spectacular line-up of Grammy award-winning, global music legends. Taking place between 12th July and 23rd August, this year’s Sani Festival serves up jazz, R&B, soul, disco, world music, new wave, and timeless Greek melodies such as Buena Vista All Stars, Norah Jones, Gloria Gaynor and Gipsy Kings featuring Tonino Baliardo.
It’s not just the top-notch service, childcare and next-level food that draws families in, it’s the resort’s plentiful facilities and activities that keep them coming back year on year – because it’s impossible to tick off every offering on the list in one trip. When we managed to peel our kids away from the splash park and sprawling playground, we enjoyed family yoga with breath-stealing views at Bousoulas Beach, a mermaid swimming class and tennis lesson at the world-class Rafa Nadal Tennis Centre. Rafa isn’t the only big name on campus; there’s also a Bear Grylls Survival Academy and Chelsea FC Football Academy, as well as dedicated academies for biking, sailing, scuba diving and water skiing. I also enjoyed a sensational facial at the Sani Club spa and when my daughter couldn't bear to part with me, my therapist welcomed her into the spa suite (often a no-go zone for children) and gifted her flower potions and child-friendly herbal teas so that I actually had 30 minutes for myself.
Sustainability is also a huge focus for Sani, which is Greece’s first certified carbon-neutral resort. The resort uses 100% renewable energy, single-use plastic is banned, they support various local biodiversity projects and organisations, and by 2024 they plan to be zero waste and zero plastic to landfill – no mean feat for a resort of this size.
Sani has gallantly redeemed the family-friendly resort model with top quality food, next-level facilities and the underrated privilege of relaxing with children in tow. As soon as I posted my trip on Instagram, I was inundated with messages from Sani stalwarts and virgins alike, sharing and seeking tips and posing the same question: ‘is it really worth it?’. Yes, fellow frazzled parents, it really, really is. The hotel has done its due diligence on exactly what a luxury family holiday looks like, and a week at Sani confirmed exactly why this Mediterranean haven has become a stress-free summertime ritual for smart families. They come here because they know they won’t need another holiday to recover from this holiday.
- Before you arrive, request everything you want in the room, from high chairs, changing mats, bottle sterilisers and warmers to white noise machine, tiny clothes hangers, Gro clocks, baby monitors, potties and toilet seats.
- Book your restaurants, childcare and activities on the app ahead of time so you don’t miss out (regulars know the drill).
- Leave your pram at home and rent a stroller, bike, trike or scooter for your little one at Sani Beach for around £10 a day - but get there early in the day as they sell out fast.
- I love a glass of Whispering Angel as much as the next basic SW London b**ch, but at around £20 a glass, your penchant for the stuff can rack up quite the bill. Try the Alpha Estate for a whisper-pale rose that’s a third of the price.
- Ditch the kids (at the creche, of course) and head to Bousoulas Beach, an Amalfi coast-style beach club, for cocktails. They do a white night here once a week too.
- Be sure to book the weekly (and complimentary!) sunset cruise.
