The digital magazine of Sani Resort | Summer 2014 In the MOOD TO THE BLUE FAST? essence sparkle K What’s for he T VACATION THE UNIQUE order EFFECT Circle Yacht by BREA Behind the Zaha HADID eating MYTH matters HALKIDIKI through its SANI festival An interview with New PEOPLE NFINITY I SANI RESORT through your EYES Nicholas COLERIDGE WELCOME GOOD LIFE 5 Sani Resort through your eyes 51 Sani Marina 6 Sani Resort is... 52 The Classic and the new Guard 57 The vacation effect contents 59 Hollywood comes to Greece click or tap 61 Summer Up yourself to go to article 64 Temples of pleasure NATURE DESIGN 8 The Blue essence 69 Infinity matters the new pool of Sani Beach Hotel 9 Go Green 70 Design object of the season 13 Hermes, the black-winged stilt 71 The Unique Circle Yacht a work by Zaha Hadid ARTS, PEOPLE & CULTURE GASTRONOMY 17 An interview with Nicholas Coleridge 75 The Byblos Caviar Lounge 22 Arts Corner 76 New eating order featuring the Tomata restaurant in Sani Marina 24 Sani Festival 78 What’s for breakfast? 29 Writer’s corner Panos Karnezis Holiday 83 Super strong 33 Behind the Myth 86 Sani Gourmet 14 Halkidiki through the times a short review 34 Insider’s guide to Halkidiki 87 Sani Gourmet 14 a photo essay 39 The Holy Mountain 41 Halkidiki through its people SANI NEWS 2 navigation tips go to contents page play video go to link EDITOR IN CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHS SANI MAGAZINE id Georgia Dodou Andreas Sfiridis Edition Summer 2014 [email protected] Aris Rammos PUBLISHER Corbis/Apeiron EDITORIAL TEAM Heinz Troll Sani S.A., 55 Nik. Plastira Str. Fotis Vallatos Kostas Blagas 542 50 Thessaloniki Anastasia Efthimiou Minos Alchanati Τ: +30 2310 317327 Anna Papadaki Studio VD.gr F: +30 2310 317881 Christos Serafeimidis Nikos Vavdinoudis Vaggelis Stolakis Christos Dimitriou Sani Magazine is published quarterly Stathis Tsakiris by Sani S.A. All rights reserved. DESIGN COPY EDITING Red Creative www.saniresort.gr PROOF READING Sani® is a Registered Trademark John Gateley in the European Community, owned and controlled by Sani S.A. 3 WELCOME 4 SANI RESORT through your eyes 5 Sani Resort is... … always on the cutting edge of tourism developments, it gives the concept of the holiday a new, richer meaning. Because Sani Resort is not simply a group of hotels by the sea. It is not a fantasy community, designed to seduce the holidaymaker with the charms of an imaginary lifestyle. It is a five-star holiday destination, where the management takes a genuine interest in the human values and the natural environment, the real comfort and the beauty, the friendly services of the highest quality, the exceptional food, the arts, the security… A community developed methodically through experience, boldness of imagination and vision. It is a new reality unfolding before the eyes of those who choose the Sani Resort for their vacation, a resort geared 100% to satisfying the needs and realizing the dreams of all its guests. 6 NATURE 7 THE BLUE ESSENCE Oh God, how much of blue color do you spend in your disguise from us (free translation) Odysseas Elytis A quote from Maria Nefeli poem of Odysseas Elytis (November 1911 – March 1996), Greek poet that won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1979. 8 go Green Sani has committed to protecting the biodiversity of its neighboring environment and in making its location a very special part of the guests’ stay. At Sani, a local, three-generation family business, hundreds of acres of private forest have been preserved for guests and the local community to enjoy. 9 The umbrella project for the company’s environmental initiatives is called Sani Green. It is born out of recognition that there is so much more that can be done, and it summarizes the company’s commitment to improving year on year. Mission The Sani Green programme extends beyond the hotels’ operation, to biodiversity protection too, as well as education. Greece is a biodiversity hotspot, with one of the highest biodiversity levels in Europe. The Sani area is adjacent to a Natura European Network area of Protected Natural Beauty and Biodiversity, the Sani wetlands. With an area of approximately 110 hectares, the wetlands are home to over 214 species of birds – almost half the total of bird species found in the whole of Greece - many of them rare and globally endangered. 10 Be part of it Did you know that? Birdwatching trips to the wetlands are offered by bike or foot for guests and local school visits are Sani has invited guests to organized throughout the year. Other Sani Green help preserve this incredible initiatives have included protecting local forests biodiversity by voluntarily in the wider Halkidiki region. The Plant a Tree programme has grown over 10,000 trees in forests contributing one euro upon that were destroyed by the devastating forest check out, which the company fires, with the help of a local non-profit, Friends of doubles. In doing so, Sani funds Urban Green. The Plant a Tree programme has a continuous project to ensure extended to local schools, greening a playground the protection of the area, area with the students, and giving the company the partnering with experts, as well as Birdlife International partner opportunity to talk about the need to protect the the Hellenic Ornithological Society (HOS), in order to plan and area’s forests and biodiversity with them. implement a monitoring programme for the birds and their The Sani Animal Rescue Programme is another Sani Green initiative, run in association with the habitat. Halkidiki Animal Rescue charity. In all the Sani Green events, the company considers it critical to involve guests. Educational events include children’s eco-games in the forest, guided walking and biking trips in the forest, complimentary local farm visits, and the Sani Eco Days that take place every Sunday, a pop-up event dedicated to the environment and the local community. In rooms, the Sani Bear is sold raising money for forest projects for the charity Arcturos. 11 Once upon a time… This year, Sani has also published a children’s fairy tale, called “Hermes, the black-winged stilt”, in cooperation with the Hellenic Ornithological Society, about the Sani wetlands, its birds and what one can do to protect them. All proceeds will go towards supporting the Hellenic Ornithological Society. www.saniresort.com 12 Hermes, the black-winged stilt A story about the Sani Wetlands All night long, a flock of black-winged stilts were flying high above the waves. Since they had started their journey from Africa, they had not stopped for a rest… «Hold on, I see land! We are getting closer to our lake,» yelled the bird at the front. However, Hermes was a young bird and this was his first journey. He was too tired to follow them and fell to the ground near an ancient Byzantine tower. 13 (…) Hermes was hungry (…) Beyond the freshwater and looked around for lake he spotted an olive food, but all he could see grove. «This reminds me from the top of the tree of the forest,» Hermes were vast sand dunes and thought sadly. «All these the sea lapping gently trees, but no water… And if against the shore. So, he there isn’t any water, there carried on walking through probably won’t be any the forest in search of food for me either.» something to eat. «What do you eat here?» Hermes asked the birds that were balancing on the (…) Still, Hermes didn’t give tree next to him. (…) Hermes found himself up, and after a long and walking through a grassy A blue tit tweeted, «Try the tiring struggle through midges that hide in the field. He listened closely the dense growth of the and could hear a black- leaves.» reeds, he found himself The greenfinch munched, headed bunting singing in standing at the other end. a tree. «No, better eat the seeds He had reached the lake! that fall to the ground.» «Hey you! Can you see It was deep, shimmering any water from up there?» But the midges were and full of waterbirds. The too small and the seeds Hermes shouted. grey heron encouraged «Sure, I can see water» too hard for the bill of Hermes, «Come on, the a black-winged stilt like (…) answered the black- water is shallow.» headed bunting. Hermes. Still hungry, he «Jump in and swim,» continued walking through quacked the mallard. the woods searching for «Dive below the surface!» food and his friends. After shouted the coot. a while, Hermes reached The moorhen clucked, The cormorant didn’t the edge of the forest, say anything; he simply where he discovered a «You don’t have the right sort of feet! You need long nodded his head. freshwater lake. But to Hermes put his head into actually reach it, he would toes like mine to walk in the reeds.» the water and (…) he soon have to walk through the realised that the water was bank’s dense reeds. too deep for him. 14 (…) Excitedly, he carried on walking and reached a salt marsh; it was shallow and had no reeds at all. Hermes asked the other birds, «Have you seen my friends?» But they «Look! A lonely black- were too busy pecking winged stilt. Come over at the edge of the water here, little bird! We can to answer. A few metres show you where to find away, two children your friends!» were watching the birds through their binoculars. (…) Because when autumn comes, it will be time for Hermes and his friends to bid the wetlands of Sani farewell and head back to Africa.