It was my second stay in Chalkidiki in late summer of 2014. I went with my family and because of a lack of time, we went in September instead of August this year … which ended up as one of the best decisions we could make! In September, Chalkidiki can be discovered so well: You can take a walk through the beautiful forests of olive trees and take a break at the beach and jump in the clears waters on the one hand and discover the beauty of Thessaloniki (for example) on the other hand.
Λευκός Πύργος in Thessaloniki
The Hotel I lived in was the gorgeous Ekies All Senses Resort in Vourvourou. It’s a modern Hotel which offers you all the aspects you need to enjoy a calm holiday: With its approximately 60 rooms Ekies enables you a beautiful stay. You can start your day with a huge breakfast buffet which includes all you dream of! After that, you can book a yoga lesson or a massage, take a break at the pool or – like I did most of the time – spend your time by relaxing at the lovely Karidi Beach.
The walk from the hotel to the beach is only about 4 minutes. The beach is divided into two bays – which are absolutely amazing. The emerald waters let you think of the Caribbean sea, and the fact that there are less people gives you the opportunity to relax and calm down completely!
In the evening, we enjoyed really high quality food in the restaurant of Ekies, and every Wednesday night there was Greek barbecue dinner with a huge salad and grill buffet which was simply stunning. At times, we went to the small tavernas of Vourvourou like for example Paris, where we loved to eat fresh fish.
The silence of the bay and the lights of some small boats moving in the calm sea during dinner is one of the most remarkable things which stayed in my head.
To get a bit of action, my family and I rent a car for three days. I would recommend discovering the beauty of the whole Chalkidiki cause there is so much so see: First of all you have to know that Chalkidiki is composed of 3 “arms”. Athos, Sithonia (where I lived on) and Kassandra. We decided to enjoy the first day on Sithonia. It offers you a lot of lonely bays to discover, the “silent bay” with its “Norway-Fjords-Look” at the very end of it and Neos Marmaras: A lovely tiny village where you can have a break and some octopus and tzaziki.
What I also liked as one of the best days of my holidays was the trip to Thessaloniki. I don’t have the words to describe the massive beauty of this metropolis – you have to go there and feel it yourself! It doesn’t matter if you take a break at the Λευκός Πύργος,which is a historic white tower by the sea, or enjoy some tasty pastries: Thessaloniki gives you everything, from the historic moment till the shopping streets and shops which are spread all over the city. For me, one of the highlights is the view all over Thessaoniki from the top of the city: The view is simply breath-taking, and it’s absolutely worth the half an hour walk from the center. But don’t forget comfortable shoes and plenty of water!
Back in the Hotel in Vourvourou, we decided to make a trip by boat. So we bought some fresh sesame bread, olives, Mythos and ice cubes to pack our little boat (the boat rent was about 200 meters from our hotel) and started to discover the tiny island in front of our bay, which is called Diaporos. We made some picnic on a sandy beach of Diaporos, cruised through the blue lagoon and finally ended up diving.
My dad and I found some beautiful shells which served as souvenirs for family and friends when we arrived back home. I have to say that nothing makes me feel more happy and free like these boat trips in Vourvourou – you can forget about your daily grid and live the moment while tasting the salt on your skin, feeling the sun. This is heaven on earth in my eyes.
So as you can see, I absolutely lost my heart to Chalkidki, with its beautiful places, lovely food like the honey of Nikiti for example, and the emerald waters which are offered by this beautiful land. Chalkidiki got me unconditionally and forever, that’s what I can truly say.
Written by Maximilian Rainer
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