Greece, glorious Greece: Finding family holiday heaven on Halkidiki's 'middle finger'

• Sithonia is the middle of the three' fingers' which jut from north-east Greece
• A sleepy peninsula, it is less known to British tourists than the Greek islands
• It's calm and tranquility make it an excellent haven for a family holiday
  

By Jack Doyle for the Daily Mail

Published: 13:25 EST, 27 August 2014 | Updated: 10:34 EST, 28 August 2014

In Halkidiki, they have a saying – about how the three peninsulas which stretch out below the northern Greek mainland accord with the different stages of a man’s life.

The first finger, Kassandra, is bright and bustling, with a busy nightlife. It is said that this is for the man who wants to find himself a woman.

The second finger, Sithonia, is best for the man who has won his beloved’s heart and wants a romantic break (or for couples with children).

A special sort of haven: The Anthemus Sea Resort is the perfect place for a family holiday

The third finger, dominated by Mount Athos, holds 2,500 Orthodox monks. Women – even female animals - have been banned for nearly 1,000 years. This is for the man whose woman has left him; who is seeking sanctuary, and comfort, in God.

Or so they say.

That makes my choice fairly straightforward.

My son Arthur, nearly two, does not like nightclubs and his mother would be disappointed if we left her at home. That rules out the first two. So Sithonia it is.

Our destination is Anthemus Sea, a luxurious resort on the east side of the peninsula, sitting on an idyllic spot of coastline.

Despite it being situated on the ‘middle finger’, our greeting is as warm and welcoming as you could hope for, in one of the best locations for a holiday you could imagine.

Quiet appeal: According to lore, the Sithonia peninsula caters to the man who has already found domestic bliss

The long, shallow, golden sand beach stretches out into the cool, blue Aegean.

The water is immaculately clear, and the only thing on the still horizon is a wooden fishing boat sitting motionless on the sea.

Walk 30 metres out from the shore, and the shallows still barely come up to your knees. It is further still until the water creeps above your waist.

This little slice of paradise is our home for nearly a week, and ends up being the venue for the most relaxing and enjoyable break we’ve had as a family.

It has been a decade since I was in Greece, as a spotty teenager with a backpack and an inter-rail pass hopping around the islands in the south – a much more ‘first finger’ location by the Halkidiki rule.

But this landscape is more lush and green than the bare and rocky islands I remember. The hills around the resort are thick with olive trees.

We land late on a Monday morning.

As we arrive, a stream of cars is coming the other way – locals making their leisurely way back from their holiday homes to the city to start the week.

It is barely an hour’s gentle drive from Thessaloniki airport out to the resort.

I remember island hopping being a mild chore – with its seemingly constant ferry hops. As well as being more convenient, this part of Greece also benefits from being less crammed with tourists than elsewhere. Developments appear to have been, wisely, limited.

One step at a time: Jack and Arthur test the waters on a peninsula where life rarely moves at any great speed

I am told you can spend your time touring ancient orthodox shrines, boating out to deserted beaches or playing golf nearby. But I can claim no credit for intrepidness or adventure.

If, like me, you are travelling with young children – in our case, a danger-seeking two-year-old – what you really want is to have everything in the same place, and to move about as little as possible.

In this regard, Anthemus Sea is perfectly set up – and, for that matter, extremely good value.

Owned and designed by a group of architects, the clever layout makes it feel much smaller than its 200 rooms.

The designers clearly thought very carefully about how visitors move around – and it never feels busy or over-booked.

Both the paved walkways and grass borders – full of colourful flowers – are immaculately maintained.

There are two large pools, one by the beach, another in an inner courtyard set back from the sea.

We find ourselves by the beach most mornings. Arthur does not want to go in too far, but paddles happily in the shallows.

It helps that there is barely a rock on the sea bed – and that you can see where you are putting your feet on the soft sand.

He is far from alone in the water. There are dozens of children enjoying the sea at what is a truly family-friendly site.

Anthemus attracts a largely continental European crowd, and we come across only a handful of Brits during our stay. Guests seem to be mostly Germans and Russians.

Raising a sail: For those prepared to leave the resort, Neos Marmaras is imbued with small-scale charm

Despite this, the staff speak excellent English, and all the menus and guidance is in English too.

After a few days, we start to adjust to the continental timetable, taking a long and leisurely nap in the afternoon while the sun bakes everything in sight.

The weather is delightful. Thirty degrees or thereabouts every day, apart from the last, which is slightly cloudy.

With so much sun and swimming, Arthur is exhausted half the time, and rewards us by lying in on several days, until half eight – something like manna from heaven for two knackered parents.

Our room is large, luxurious and extremely comfortable, and Arthur is particularly taken by the television on the wall above the whirlpool bath. Sliding French doors separate the bedroom from the living room, where Arthur sleeps in the supplied cot bed.

If you can stretch to it, go for one of the bigger rooms, which come with their own pool attached – a real treat for the kids.

Arthur begins the week on the top step of the flight of steps leading down into the water, refusing to go much further than waist deep.

But by the end, with the help of some Peppa Pig armbands, he is adventuring into the middle of the pool and happily hurling in rocks for daddy to retrieve. Meanwhile, mummy enjoys herself on a lounger with a book.

If you want more activity than that, you can try organised boules on the sand in the morning, volleyball in the sea in the afternoon, and evening entertainment, including live music, at the beach side bar.

There is an excellent kids’ club inside the resort, well attended during the day and evening, and a small playground with swings and a slide.

Younger children will not struggle for things to do, although there is less on offer for older children and teenagers.

One afternoon, while I am entertaining Arthur, my other half enjoys an excellent massage session in the resort spa, which boasts a sauna and indoor pool.

Indeed, in terms of its facilities, Anthemus Sea ticks most boxes.

We eat very well, not least at the resort’s Horizon restaurant. And we go for lunch every day at the taverna by the beach, gorging ourselves on grilled octopus, calamari, huge prawns and the rest of the daily catch.

One day, we’re handed a glass of Ouzo on the way in, staff offering the only explanation that 'it's Wednesday'.  That is the kind of attitude I could get used to.

Indeed Anthemus Sea is a place I could get used to on a permanent basis.

 

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