BOAT heads to Sani, a huge Grecian resort set on 1.6 kilometres of coastline. Sani Resort is a sprawling playground of luxury, from five distinct hotels and 19 pools to 26 restaurants, a 215-slip marina and endless activities for every taste...
Before we address the luxury, we have to tackle the big numbers. And Sani is big. Huge, in fact. Occupying 1.6 kilometres of Grecian coastline, this resort comprises five standalone hotels with enough keys between them to accommodate more than 3,000 guests. There’s a huge range of accommodation, from studio rooms to three-bedroom Sani Asterias villas with their own private pool. There are 19 swimming pools, 26 bars and restaurants and an exhaustive list of social options to keep guests of all ages and interests occupied. Oh, and it has its own 215-slip marina. All very impressive, but can a resort of such volume deliver the goods to every single guest, each with their specific wish-list of refined relaxation?
Each of the five hotels has its own ecosystem of restaurants, bars, spas and other indulgences. You can stay at your own hotel or use the facilities of any of the other hotels if you wish. They’re all similar but with their own USP: Club Sani is all about the sea views; Sani Dunes has the largest heated swimming pool on the Greek mainland; Sani Beach rolls right out onto the powder-white sand. All are also exquisitely designed, with contemporarily designed relaxation areas and well-furnished accommodation.
BOAT stayed in Porto Sani, a 148-suite enclave tucked just behind the marina. Our apartment was a two-minute stroll through herb-scented walkways from a gym, spa and four restaurants serving an array of cuisines, from Greek classics to Peruvian ceviche and tacos.
You can start your day with a morning breathwork session on the yoga platform above the beach or a guided 5K run through the pine forest, before indulging in a massage, sauna and “emotional shower” in the spa, before brushing up your sporting skills at the Rafa Nadal Tennis Centre or the Chelsea FC Football Academy. There’s also snorkelling, water skiing, boat cruises, and cycling alongside the wetlands to spot diving kingfishers and wading storks.
Want something a bit more social? How about Sani Festival, a six-week celebration of the eclectic music from around the world, described by the organisers as Greece’s biggest privately-run festival. Summer 2025 sees musical legends including Gloria Gaynor, Grace Jones and the Gipsy Kings taking to the stage on Sani Hill overlooking the Aegean.
If this all sounds far too exhausting and you just need R&R, it’s ridiculously easy to just while away the hours on the serviced beach or by the palm-tree-adorned pools with a cocktail, watching the swallows scudding over the water and lizards basking in the afternoon sun.
It’s this hard-to-pull-off balancing act of catering to thousands yet giving guests the opportunity to feel they’re being individually looked after that’s Sani’s secret weapon. This philosophy continues when it comes to the catering. The 26 on-site eateries range from huge breakfast buffets for families to tucked-away chill-out bars on the beachfront. There are grand Greek tavernas, Italian crowd-pleasers, Asian-fusion sophistication, elevated local mezes, aromatic meat grills, overwater French cuisine, burgers at the marina… the list goes on. But again, clever design and the generous amount of real estate each of them occupies means you never feel like a small cog in a large operation.
Taking the cuisine offering to another level this summer is Sani Gourmet, featuring a procession of world-class chefs providing a programme of gastronomic excellence throughout July and August. Yannick Alléno, Gaggan Anand, Virgilio Martínez, Daniel Boulud, and Emma Bengtsson will all craft one-night-only tasting menus at Sani’s flagship restaurant, Elia. Responsible for more than 20 Michelin stars between them, these five chefs promise to bring the finest in culinary storytelling to the resort and its guests.
By the end of BOAT’s stay, the answer to the “volume vs. delivery” question became clear. Sani may be enormous, but it also has a huge heart and delivers big to each and every guest. Staff were friendly and extremely helpful, facilities were smoothly run, and the food and drink were of a standard that impressed for a resort of this size. And when world-class musical talent and a parade of Michelin-starred chefs are added to the mix in this special corner of Greece, you can only admire its super-sized splendour.