Greece is one of my favourite destinations for a relaxing summer holiday. In my opinion, it has everything – stunning scenery, lively culture, friendly people and fantastic food. Greece is made up of a number of different islands, all of which are uniquely beautiful. This summer Jack and I visited Halkidiki, which is located on the coast of mainland Greece.

We stayed at the Blue Lagoon Princess, an all-inclusive hotel by Thomson. The hotel itself was excellent, with several pools dotted about the complex, a great variety of food from three different restaurants and a selection of bars serving a great range of cocktails and drinks. A major feature of the hotel was its huge range of day-time activities and evening entertainment, tailored for children of different age groups and adults alike.

For the majority of the trip, we spent our time relaxing by one of the hotel pools or by the beach. Fortunately, the pools, beach, snack bars and drink bars were all within a close proximity to one another, making each day truly effortless. On one day we hired our own private beach cabana, complete with a complementary fruit platter and waiter service. The beach also boasted a wide range of water sports including paragliding, jet skiing and our favourite – pedalos!

Nea Moudania

On one day of our trip, we visited Nea Moudania, a little town towards the west of Halkidiki. Here we went to a local market full of colourful, fresh produce. We then took a stroll down towards the harbour and stumbled across a few beautiful Greek churches along the way.

Thessaloniki

On our final day, we took an excursion to Thessaloniki, the second-largest city in Greece. Here we explored our way around, navigating from the harbourside up towards the bustling streets. Scattered amongst these streets were a number of historic buildings and monuments, which really stood out against the modern buildings around them. In addition to the main high-street shops, there were several lovely eateries and coffee houses, which provided us with a nice little escape from the heat of the sun.

I would thoroughly recommend visiting Halkidiki, or any of the Greek islands for that matter. For us, the trip provided the perfect blend of beach and city, and made a lovely little summer getaway.

Below is a short video of our trip – enjoy!