From 1994, we are visiting Greece every year.
For the first time, we can see the possibility to visit Halkidiki in 2006, and more specifically Kassandra.
If you could choose, where would you stay?:
- Hotel Kassandra Palace, Kriopigi
- Grecotel Pella beach, Hanioti
- Hotel Aegean Melathron, Kalithea
What are the positive and negative points?
(For now, our preference goes to the hotel in Kriopigi.)

Are there restaurants, bars,... in these villages?

I'm biased because i've spent 6 summers working in Kriopigi & i love it,it has come on a bit over the last few years & now has an internet cafe/bar as well as several other decent bars & enough restaurants to keep you going & 2 very well stocked supermarkets.Nice quiet little village if you just want to relax & unwind.Downside is the hill to the beach although there is a free mini bus that runs up & down regularly as well as the Kriopigi "express" the little train that will take you up & down to the beach for a very small price.Can't comment on hotels as i never stay in them.Also as it's the next resort from Kalithea you can easily flit between the 2 resorts if you want a change of pace.You don't say your ages so i don't know what sort of things you like to do on holiday but as you'll probably know Kalithea is busier,lots of shops & bars & of course the clubs near the Macedonia sun hotel & Hanioti is sort of a mix of Kriopigi & Kalithea so it really depends what you want,the major plus point to Hanioti is the fact that there's no hill to the beach,it's flat at that end of the peninsula.As far as hotels go then you could always look on www.holidaysuncovered.com or www.holidaysexposed.com to see what other people have to say about your chosen hotels.

I love Kriopigi, and we have friends there, but if I was to choose a hotel from those you listed it would be the Agean Melathron. I have not stayed there, but have visited and looked around when we were there last year. And it is near enough to visit Kriopigi at night for the "quieter" nightlife, and Kallithea for the slightly more upmarket noisy nightlife. We stayed in the Pallini Beach for over 20 years until we lived there for three years and we now rent apartments via our Greek friends. However, that would be my choice.

Hi Erik,

I have not stayed in any of the above but did visit them all when I worked in Halkidiki and even worked at 2 of them for a little while as a rep.
Kassandra Palace is probably the least favourite.
Can be full of a lot of children in the summer holidays. The entertainment is not thr beat and it is between the 2 resorts of Polichrono and Kriopigi so you have to walk or catch the shuttle bus to either resorts.
Pella beach is lovely, food gorgeous, staff great, right on the beach and in the lively resort of Haniotti but not near any lod bars, only 5 mon walk from the centre but won't be affected by noise. Very nice hotel.
Ageon Melathron is only 2-3 years old and is beautiful.
Slopes down to the sea and has 3 lovely pools, lots of facilities but make sure you don't get an annex room as I think these are the ones accross the main road. The resort of Kalithea is about a 30-40 min walk but can get a bus or taxi. Only 5-10 min walk from a few bars, the night clubs and some shops. But the hotel is gorgeous. For a relaxing holiday deffinately teh Pella Beach or Agean Melathron, not the Kassandra Palace.

Hope that helps a little.

I am a bit biased as I have only stayed in Kriopigi. However I love it having been there 5 times and hoping to return in Sept. We always stay at the Kassandra bay hotel.This is a small family run hotel, pretty basic but very friendly. Hope you enjoy where ever you go. Pauline

it depends what you want,pefkahori & chanioti are more modern & a bit more lively,palihori is really quite but beuifull.polichrono is nice too,afitos is out of this world especially in the night looking from the bar over the sea.and it has the traditional little streets,kalathea is good to,dont miss bubbles bar.what ever you do or were ever you stay,its best to rent a car or if you have exp rent a bike but be carefull of the drivers there

personally i just love Hanioti!!!

Can anybody tell me the email address for the kassandra bay hotel in kriopigi please

Message for Raymond King :
[www.kassandrabay.gr]

Staying in Kriopigi this summer. Any advise on car hire and palaces to visit during my stay.
Thanks
Alan

Kriopigi go see Sakis at the Akropolis restaurant for car hire.Places to visit then depends on what you like,historical sights?then there are plenty of organised trips to go on,if however you just want to do some general exploring then visiting the other resorts is easy as it's one main road goes the length of the peninsula & there are some lovely places to see or you could drive to the next peninsula(Sithonia)very nice there.

Kriopigi car hire, or Economy Car Rentals as advertised on this site. Both are good, we have used both in the past.

Go to see Morfy and Sakis at the Sweet Coffee Shop in Kriopigi for delicious savoury and sweet crepes, ice creams, drinks, coffees, specialty teas, sandwiches, toasties and more. They are our very good friends and will make you feel very welcome.

If you do hire a car try to visit Villa Stasa at Loutra (the end of the peninsula) for good food, stunning views and less tourists (although lots of Greeks go there). Also Paliori is a nice little village with absolutely nothing there except some nice tavernas and a very quiet square, very Greek. Apparently they do a Greek evening there, but we always go in the daytime and it is very sleepy and Greek.

If you drive around the peninsula lots of places to visit. On the "other" side where we used to live there are some nice isolated little beaches and coves. Not particularly sandy, but you can almost be alone there most of the year, apart from weekends and busy end July/to mid August, even then not many people got to our beach.

Hanitioti nice to visit for busy time at night. Not rowdy, just lots of bars, tavernas and restaurants, and some nice tourist shops. Nice to look around.

Kriopigi itself is very nice little village set on the main road, but up in the old village square there are two tavernas, we have only been to Plateia which is very nice. You can walk up past the cold springs (which is what Kriopigi means) where locals get their water, and you can fill you own bottles up too with nice cold clear clean water.

Try Sani Beach area, drive around and see the beehives, wooded village and it has some super beaches. Bit more commercialised now than before in that most beaches seem to have a bar or camping area near them, but still a lovely place and the sea is so shallow and clear.

Drive up into the mountainous interior from Kriopigi and you end up in some nice countryside. Depending when you go you can pick walnuts (Sept/Oct time, figs - early ones in June, then later ones in late August/September). There is a large pond with turtles that way, but it has been spoilt by the authorities building a fence around it to protect the turtles, but with the result you cannot see them now.

Nice Greek village, with perhaps just one place to have a drink is Agia Paraskevi, typical Greek village but not touristy at all. Drive up to old Fourka village and further to another village where the name escapes me, but about two tavernas up that way open July and August. Old fashioned tavernas, again not touristy.

Afitos is a nice village, not been there for a while but noticed people raving about it.

Nea Moudania for large market and nice typical Greek town, lots of shops but Greek style town, i.e. @#$%& pavements and roads, cars parked all over the place, but people friendly and it has a certain magic if you like the real Greece.

I could go on for ever. If there is anything in particular you want to know I have missed let me know.

Have a great time.

Jane

Just come back from kriopigi 3 weeks ago, we used Halkidiki car hire up on the main road near Hotel Kassandra bay, all new cars this year our one was only 3 weeks old when we had it, Kelly I think her name was is english and couldnt have been more helpful, its so easy to drive out there as well, we are going back later this year.

Have fun out there.

Steve.

have anybody been in kriopigi at hotel paradise? i'm going this summer and i would like to know if it is close to the beach or not

Hi
Does anyone know of a good car hire place that isnt expensive over August and any one who can recomend places to go to
.

Cheers


Paul

Have anyone seen motorbike rent place beetwen Thesaloniki and anywhere on peninsula Halkidiki that has tourist bikes like Transalp, Varadero, Vstrom, GS in reasonable prices?

Please help.
Thanks.
Martin.

Cannot decide which resort to between hanioti & kriopigi so the only deciding factor is which has the nicest beach?

Hanioti!! The best place there is......

Hi All,

My wife and I are looking for a lastminute holiday to the area.

I have travelled quite extensively on the greek mainland in the past and some of the islands, so do not want to be in a very english resort much prefer to being a very greek destination.

We are both in our early 30s and prefer good food to drinking and a mixture of days lying on the beach as well as day trips to other places in the area.

Which of the resorts would people recommend that would suit us best?

Thanks,

James

Halkidiki offers a wide choice of resorts none have fallen into the British feel...whatever resort you choose

i'm sure you will enjoy