in Halkidiki
DESTINATIONS HALKIDIKI | GREECE & CYPRUS
o
n a recent night out to see Mamma Mia! The Party as a guest of the Greek National
Tourist Office, I was asked by a fellow guest when I’d last visited the country. I said I’d been to Halkidiki last summer. “Oh? Not the islands?” they replied, adding that Brits usually opt for Corfu, Crete or Santorini – to name just a few – rather than the mainland. But the Halkidiki region in northern
Greece has been growing in popularity, with the Greek National Tourism Organisation recording an 85% increase in arrivals from all markets to Thessaloniki/Halkidiki in 2022 compared with 2021. Jet2holidays is operating more than
100,000 seats to the region this summer, about 20% up on last year. And it’s started the season a month earlier this year – on April 1 – in response to demand. The UK’s largest tour operator will fly to Halkidiki from seven bases (Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Leeds Bradford, Manchester, Newcastle and Stansted), with 11 weekly departures at peak times. Jet2holidays’ programme to the region is bigger than ever too, with more than 65 properties on sale – including nine in its luxury portfolio, Indulgent Escapes. The buzz around Halkidiki built in earnest last year. Intrigued to know what all the
fuss was about, I headed with my family to Stansted for a seamless check-in and flight to Thessaloniki before catching a swift private minibus transfer to Halkidiki, all part of our Indulgent Escapes package.
MAGICAL LOCATION Our two-bedroom, two-bathroom building at Ikos Olivia, with lounge and dining area, was right on the beach. It was spacious, light and beautifully decorated and had everything we could need, including a deluxe coffee machine and plug-in mosquito repellents. But the location topped everything: just 20 steps away from the patio doors we could feel sand between our toes, and 10 more took us the water’s edge. A magical start. The next morning, we used an app to book a meal plan for the week that would have us eating in every restaurant on site, as well as a local one outside of the resort. To help counteract all that indulgence, we also used the app to book two tennis sessions and some spa treatments. Armed with a map and calendar of activities for the week, we headed to Flavors, the buffet-style restaurant open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and made a plan of action. Or rather, inaction. Having not been on a family holiday for three ²
travelweekly.co.uk
6 APRIL 2023
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