01/08/2016

Travel With Me: Where I Stayed In Halkidiki, Greece.




Oh look she's back again with more photos from Greece!! I'm sorry I promise there's only like... one more Halkidiki post after this one?! It's not my fault it totally is why I have so many photographs..! But okay, back on track: If you were following me on snapchat or instagram you might have seen some of these views or photos already as I vlogged a lot whilst away on holiday and much of it was done either in my hotel room or on the beach. However today I wanted to share a little more with you all about the hotel we stayed in, whether or not I'd recommend it and show some more general photos of Halkidiki. 

Prior to going away on holiday we did a lot of research into mainland Greece itself and many of the islands. I've been to Crete before - which is gorgeous I'd highly recommend a trip - but nowhere else so we wanted to make sure we were selecting somewhere peaceful with stunning scenery and beautiful beaches. Initially we looked at Mykonos and Santorini, however we couldn't find a hotel that we liked enough so we ended up selecting Halkidiki, a northern province on the mainland. 

We flew from Gatwick airport to Thessaloniki in the very early hours of July 18th. Delirious and without caffeine (didn't have time to get a coffee before boarding the flight) we touched down onto the tarmac, amidst soaring temperatures of thirty plus degrees. After a brief trip through passport control we were whisked away in a private car (it had wifi literally what even) and driven the two hour journey to our hotel. Now at this point, I will point out that Greek roads have a lot less cars on them than British ones and drivers tend to overtake like there's no tomorrow. Our taxi driver was going so fast and breaking so sharply I almost threw up a few times. However this was where the nightmares ended as we soon pulled into our hotel's driveway.  






For the duration of our trip we stayed at the luxurious Eagles Palace Hotel and Spa. For anyone wondering this is definitely within the higher price brackets however if you've got some money to spend on your trip I would recommend a visit. 

Sophie (my sister) and I shared a sea view room which had the most stunning views out across the gardens and onto the ocean. I've stayed in hotels before when the 'sea view' has essentially been a tiny strip of blue which you can only see if you squint your eyes at the horizon. However as you can see from the image below, which was taken from our balcony, the views were absolutely tremendous. In fact the hotel rooms themselves were really great, white walls, tiled floors, fab bathrooms. Pretty much ticked all the boxes when it came to accommodation. 





When it comes to the high points, the beach was definitely up there. Stunning white sands and azure waters as far as the eye could see coupled with an absolute abundance of loungers and on demand beach service made for an incredibly relaxing experience. Because nothing is worse than the mad dash down the pool / beach at 6am to try and secure yourself a good seat. In fact we spent most of our days chilling out with books and / or Netflix (though can we talk about how Greek Netflix doesn't have the newest episodes of Pretty Little Liars and American Horror Story?!) soaking up the suns rays, a glass of passionfruit lemonade never far from sight. 

Another thing we utilised was the water sports centre. Now before you get ahead of yourselves, don't worry we're not crazy water-skiers (I'd probably actually die) but my dad and my sister are into sailing so they took a small boat out for an hour or so. My mum and I on the other hand tried our hand at paddle boarding. We've actually done it before, in Barbados last year, so naturally thought we'd have another go. If you like gentle relaxing paddling about, this is definitely for you and coming from someone whose athletic ability equals zero - if I can do it, you can! 

We also hired a couple of kayaks and paddled around to a small secluded beach which to be honest I wasn't really expecting to enjoy all that much (I'm not a huge fan of boats...) but surprisingly was really fun. Unfortunately I didn't take any photos because I was too scared that I might fall in and drown my camera.  






Most days we headed up to the garden courtyard for lunch. On sight there were three restaurants, two which offered food at lunchtime and for the most part we preferred to head off of the beach. There was also the option to order food straight onto the beach but sometimes it's nice to just get out of the midday sunshine for an hour or so. 

And why wouldn't you, when the gardens looked like this?! For lunch we usually just had salads or toasted sandwiches and the menu was fairly small. Though at the beach restaurant they did a wider range of more 'meal' like food, for example burgers and pizzas. 

In general I really enjoyed my stay at the hotel. I would say that the food perhaps wasn't the best I'd had before and considering what it was, it was definitely overpriced however aside from that the staff were lovely and the rooms and amenities gorgeous. One downside was that it was fairly remote so if you're someone who likes to go out and explore towns and monuments and attractions for example, it might not be the best for you.  







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14 comments

  1. Rooms with sea view are the best, I love being able to step out on the balcony & have the ocean in front of me! :) I regret not having Snapchat now cause I would have loved to see the vlogs of your trip - everything looks so beautiful x

    Sara’sChapters

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    1. They really are, aren't they!! Aww you should definitely get it!! xxx

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  2. Wow! These photos are absolutely gorgeous!! You're room looks so pretty and the sea views are amazing. It looks so tropical and bright and colourful!
    -Olivia Xxx
    http://oliviaxalesha.com/blog

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  3. Oh my god it looks absolutely stunning! The view looks gorgeous, I'm so jealous of how nice that bedroom looks as well X

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  4. Oh my god. Your Greece pictures drive me wild! How can such a beautiful place exist. My mom and step-dad went to Santorini back in May, and you all are making me want to go! Keep posting about it if you want, love. ;) XOXO

    Breanna Catharina
    smile--sugar.com

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    1. Ah Breanna, you always say such nice things - THANK YOU!! <3 You should definitely go at some point! It's so annoying that Europe is so far from California because I want to go there, but the 13 hour flight puts me off slightly!! xxx

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  5. Travel posts are my absolute favourite!! Love this one, booking my flights to Greece now because I'm so jealous. You did such a good job with the picture in this post, well done! Thanks for sharing and making us all super jel ;) Jess xx

    www.almostchic.co.uk

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  7. Your photos are pure gold, I absolutely adore them! Also, I have put Greece on my bucket list all because of you haha! Waiting for the other blog post too xx

    www.reetlonari.com

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    1. Thank you! It'll be up tomorrow, it's all ready and scheduled haha! Aw I'm so glad you like my photos, I'm really happy with how they've turned out tbh xx

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  8. I nearly just shed a tear because it all looks so perfect, omggggg! - The private car with wifi sounds amazing, me and my mum have had coaches from the airport and private cars before today, we always regret when we don't book one because air con, luxury leather seats and getting to the hotel quicker is something we all want isn't it hahaha! I'm loving this series on Halkidiki on your blog, its like reading a holiday brochure but 20 times better!! - I look forward to the final one :)) xxx

    http://lisablog18.blogspot.co.uk

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    1. Oh Lisa why are you just the bestest?! <3 Omg it was amazing hahaha me and my sister were like hysterically laughing it was so fantastic, like wifi in a car?! What even is life?! Oh yeah definitely, I'm always so tired I just want to flop into a car and be taken to the hotel ASAP ;) Aww thank you so much, I was worried I was slightly overdoing it HAHA!!

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