Halkidiki (Greece)

I went to Halkidiki this August with my cousin for a week. It ws very different to what i had expected. This is because i expected Halkidiki to be full of people who just want to go out and have a good time. However, there wasn't just those types of people, there were also couples with children, young couples, party people, old people and many more. There was literally every category of people that you can imagine.

Halkidiki is an area to the north of mainland Greece. It has miles of gorgeous sandy beaches, fantastic hotels, brilliant nightclubs and much more. Halkidiki is split into three peninsulas each offering unique experiences.

The first peninsula is known as kassandra, this is where most of the young people who just want to have a good time going to the many nightclubs and bars. Kassandra offers water sports, fantastic beaches and great nightlife. The best places (the busiest) were Kalithea and Pefkohori. these both had fantastic beaches and good nightlife. However, every single beach in Halkidiki is worthy of a visit as they are so clean and well kept. We stayed at a village called Skala Fourkas, this wasn't because we had heard of it but because we simply could not find a room anywhere else. saying that we couldn't have been any luckier, well we could have won the lottery but thats beside the point, because we ended up with a four beded room and for only 60 euro's. Not only were we happy with the room but we were happy with the village as it was quiet. We wanted somewhere quiet to sleep but we wanted to be close to the action. We were 10 minutes away from Kalithea so we had the best of both worlds.

The second peninsula or leg is called Sithonia. Sithonia is really for the people that can afford to spend a little bit more money than your average but i'm sure it is worth because of the breathtaking views and beaches. If it is scenary and natural beauty that your after then this is your place. We only visited Sithonia for one day as we lived in Kassandra but we visited a couple of beaches and we didn't want to leave.

The third peninsula is called Agion Oros. Only men are allowed to visit this place as it is a religious rule. Women are not allowed in for some reason or another. we didn't have time to visit it and it didn't really attract us. It is full of monastries and churches and has a lot of history behind it. Boys go there from a very young age and stay there all there lives as monks.

The closest airport to halkidiki is Tessaloniki (Salonika) Airport. It is about one hour away from Kalithea. to really enjoy all that Halkidiki offers you need to rent a car so that you can explore every part. You can rent a car from 40 euro's a day for a standard car like a Ford KA or Fiat Punto but you have to be over 21 years of age to drive it as in any country because it is a rented car. I recommend buying a map of the area, which will only set you back a couple of euro's so that you do not get lost but everything is sign-posted and pretty straight forward.

The cost of food, drink and accomodation is very reasonable for the service and quality that you receive but don't make the same mistake we did and just turn up. You need to pre-book. Double rooms are charged at about 50 euros per night and the rooms are very well equiped with showers, hair dryers and small kitchens. The cost at nightclubs is a bit steap but its the same with any big nightclubs and these are BIG nightclubs. I payed 10 euros to get into to each night club with drinks at 12 euros and orange juice at 8 euros. If you are not visiting during the peak season then you shouldn't pre-book but instead just travel around the villages and see where you will prefer to stay because travel brochures do not always show you how something really is.

The locals are really friendly and will always help you to the best of their ability so don't be scared to ask.

I strongly recommend Halkidiki as a holiday destination and you can pick up flights at rock bottom prices. we got tickets with British Airways for £256 return per person but there are much cheaper flights going. Most of the major airlines fly to salonika but this changes from time to time so you will need to look around for the cheap flights.

It was probably the best ever holiday that i have been on.