On paper, the complicated set-up of Sani – a five-hotel gathering spread out along a scoop of pristine coastline – leaves some scratching their heads. To simplify: soft, Caribbean-like sand, clear shallows, nose-tingling pine forests, bright, smart bedrooms, every imaginable permutation of places to eat, very good kids’ clubs and, above all, a proper Greek arms-open welcome for families. It is rare to find somewhere that cushions parents and their brood like this, pre-empting needs, mopping up spillages before a tear has dropped, popping hats on hot little heads, holding out a hand as small legs wobble up steps. But that doesn’t mean it’s a primary-coloured water park.
Rooms in any of the hotels are elegant riffs on blue and white, with marble in the bathrooms, sunshine on the terraces. The spas are calming spaces for massages and body scrubs; swimming pools range from cool, dark tucked-away numbers to inflatable-filled, splashy ones with bridges and paddling sections. Lunches at Beach House, with its Balearic-beat soundtrack, plates of sushi and bottles of Whispering Angel, transport you straight to Ibiza; suppers under the boughs of bougainvillaea at Ouzerie taverna, with its painted wooden chairs, checked tablecloths and resident cat, could be Corfu, Paxos, Skiathos…
The Dine Around programme seems elaborate at first but enables families to bounce from restaurant to restaurant without adding painfully to the final bill. Annabel Karmel has designed the children’s menus, so it’s not just a pile-up of good old Italian carbs but also delicious chicken soups, grilled fish, hummous and crudités, couscous salads, and purées for weaning babes and toddlers. Plus there are high chairs and children’s cutlery everywhere. It’s also possible to order all sorts of baby kit – sterilisers, bottle warmers, changing mats and monitors – to the room, as well as rent buggies, scooters and trikes. And whoever thought up the stay-and-play BabeWatch sessions at the beach deserves a gold star. It’s hard to imagine a more relaxing set-up for an all-together holiday.
INSIDER TIP A secret gold card gives repeat guests 10 per cent off food and drinks in the restaurants, in case further incentive is needed to book again.
Abercrombie & Kent offers four nights at Sani Beach from £1,795 for two adults and one child, full board, including flights and transfers.
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