The Danai Beach Resort & Villas

Halkidiki's three peninsulas reach into the north Aegean below Thessaloniki, and the middle one, Sithonia, is the quietest and most wooded. The Danai has been run by the same family for decades on a low bluff above its own beach near Nikiti, and its defining quality is scale: fifty-six suites and villas, individually designed, on a property that never feels like a resort village.

Rooms step down through gardens towards the water, and the villas at the top of the range come with private pools and separate living space. Interiors are more classical than the current Greek fashion, with marble, antiques and heavy fabrics in places, which suits guests who find the prevailing minimalism cold. The private beach is sandy and sheltered, and there is a beach club, pool and spa.

Wine is where the hotel differentiates itself properly. The cellar is one of the most substantial in Greece, running to thousands of labels across Greek and international producers, and the dining operation is built around it, with sea-view terrace restaurants and an emphasis on long evenings. Thessaloniki airport is around an hour and a half away, and Mount Athos and the fishing villages of Sithonia are within easy reach.