Why Sani Resort offers the best eco-friendly Greece holiday

Birds and the bees

Popular with guests, the wetlands birdwatching walk has been established much longer and showcases up to 225 different species. In spring, guide George likens it to a busy international arrivals terminal, but for me it’s the wildflowers not the birds that are the most surprising aspect of the morning ramble here. We see yellow and red poppies, purple blooms and bright yellow meadows – a rainbow of spring scattered against the lush green backdrop of Halkidiki.

We’re led on a well-trodden path through a rapidly changing landscape – one minute forest, the next rolling barley fields, then vast lakes and green-tufted dunes behind a long, deserted beach. Using the binoculars provided, we spot a couple of regal swans preening on the lake as coots zip past, ducking beneath the water.

This haven is maintained and protected by its Sani custodians – “an all-inclusive resort for wildlife,” says George.

Perhaps the profusion of wildflowers is given a helping hand by Sani’s new Bee Camp pollinators project. The largest of its kind in Greece, it has been set up to boost the insect’s population and harvest honey. Like the olive grove tree-planting project, it’s something guests can get involved in that’s both educational and leaves a lasting connection with the land.

Over lunch at Sani Dune’s Beach House, Sani’s sustainability maverick Dr Eleni Andreadis fills me in on the resort’s green focus, which is always evolving. Named the first carbon-neutral resort in Greece, it has not merely green-washed its operations by banning plastic straws or asking guests to change towels less often.

Existing in harmony with nature is at the root of everything the resort does. Some of the solutions – such as replacing plastic bottles with cardboard cartons – are simple. Others – such as the solar tree for charging devices, and the new food waste robot at Tomata restaurant that tracks the type and weight of leftovers – harness modern technology.

Plant-based

For those who prefer plants over plastic, a stay at Sani Club is ideal. From the crisp apples in my suite’s fruit bowl to the arching pines and gardens refreshed by recycled waste water, everything feels clean and green.

Wellness activities such as forest bathing, for instance, are woven into the experience without being pushed as a USP. For traditional R&R though, Sani boasts some heavenly spas. When I spy a candle-lit jasmine-scented tea room behind a rushing wall of water at boutique hotel Sani Asterias I vow to seek sanctuary there later.

Tucked into the fringes of a pine forest, my nautical-chic villa suite is a peaceful retreat with a soundtrack of birdsong above and gently lapping waves below. Sani’s 7km curve of fine white-sand beach is a few minutes’ stroll down the hill from my woodland abode, and a marked hiking trail wraps around the coastal cliffs where gnarled branches frame aquamarine vistas and the shadowy shape of Mount Olympus rising over the ocean.

Sani is distinctly family-friendly, but for those who like peace and quiet, it’s so spread out that the little people are delightfully seen and not heard. This low-rise holiday village is just one of the accommodation options within Sani Resort, with another four luxury hotels – Sani Beach, Porto Sani, Sani Dunes and Sani Asterias – catering to varying tastes.

At the heart of Sani, close to the charming Blue Flag marina, Porto Sani is adding the finishing touches to a substantial extension, blending a new set of polished suites and pools with the existing resort.

My days in nature are nourished with long social sharing lunches and dinners at Sani’s fantastic locally sourced restaurants. Gourmet Greek taverna food – a mixture of top-notch meze and trendy dishes such as delicate sea bass ceviche – is served across the resort but each place has its own ambience. Guests can take advantage of the resort-wide Dine Around programme – my favourites include Psaroyannos at Sani Marina, Beach House at Sani Dunes and Ouzerie at Sani Club.

With food waste a huge issue for the hotel industry, it’s wonderful to know that Sani is blazing a trail in balancing procurement and consumption, and I can tuck into my meals with a clean conscience. As this plush resort on a platinum-dusted peninsula proves, it is possible for tourism and the environment to truly exist in natural harmony.