Discover a hidden gem in Greece with a trip to the Ajul Luxury Hotel & Spa. This all-inclusive resort offers privacy, luxury, and delicious food, all with stunning views.
A Greek summer getaway without crowds is possible, if you know where to go. I got my first taste of Greece on a scorching day last summer, jostling with hundreds of people for a spot on a cable car that would take us up to the streets of Santorini. It was chaos. And while I was glad to have seen one of the country’s most popular islands, I was desperate for my next Greek experience to feel less like being stuffed inside a sardine can.
With more than four million Brits now travelling to Greece each year, it’s difficult to imagine there can be many hidden gems left. But rest assured, they do exist. I found a well-kept secret in the form of two all-inclusive hotels, an unlikely discovery for someone who has always been suspicious of the package concept. Part of the same hotel group but offering very different experiences, I escaped the crowds at the Ajul Luxury Hotel & Spa and Wyndham Grand Crete Mirabello Bay last June — these are my honest reviews.Ajul Luxury Hotel & Spa Resort is located about an hour’s drive from Thessaloniki, a seaside showcase of ancient history that was once the domain of Alexander the Great. Getting to the resort felt like stepping into a different world, with a 90-minute drive from Thessaloniki bringing me to Halkidiki, northern Greece’s most popular destination, known for its lunar-like beaches and bays sheltered with pine forests. One of the latest additions to the region is the recently opened Ajul Luxury Hotel & Spa Resort, a sprawling five-star property perfect for ‘fly and flop’ holidays where you do, well, nothing. The remote location could easily be a turn-off — the nearest village, Pefkochori, is 9km drive away. But for me, the novelty of an all-inclusive experience was real. I was quickly sold on the luxury of being a few steps to my private pool, with a selection of eight bars and restaurants not much further away. The biggest win, however, was the proximity of the hotel’s private beach, where the dread of battling for sunbeds was never a problem.Ajul has everything you could want for a relaxing trip: a spa, an open-air cinema and tennis, basketball and volleyball courts. But there are also plenty of activities on offer nearby. From visits to local villages like Afytos, a charming spot with stone houses and cobblestone streets, scuba diving classes at the Triton Scuba Diving Academy and sailing, fishing and mountain biking excursions ideal for exploring the local landscape, boredom is never a concern. While the daily buffet breakfast and lunch will satisfy everyone with its selection of staples (bacon, eggs, hash browns and sausages), it’s the specialty restaurants at Ajul that shouldn’t be missed. Ambrosia serves up classic Italian fare, but it seems wasteful to spend even a single meal in Greece not enjoying local delicacies. At Thimari, the standout is the Greek salad, Dolmades (vine leaves stuffed with rice) and decadent meat platters, finished with sweet baklava. The service is impeccable, with waiters eager to explain the origins of the dishes and which ones cannot be missed when in Greece. My previous accommodation in Greece consisted of a ferry and a city centre hostel, so Ajul’s Prestige Villas (complete with a private pool) felt like a luxury I could get used to. The modern, spacious room had everything you might need, with housekeeping just a call away if any extras were required. And for those staying in villas furthest from reception, a lift around the grounds in a golf buggy is a welcome touch. Perhaps the strangest critique of a hotel room in history, but the toilets in the bathrooms were extraordinarily high off the ground. Myself and several guests couldn’t help but discuss how it took us a shimmy or two to hoist ourselves on
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