The lesser-known Greek resort that’s much cheaper than the islands with swim-up pool rooms and new on-site waterpark

GREECE is the word – with Claudia Schiffer soaking up Santorini and Elon Musk flaunting his superyacht in Mykonos last summer.

But I wanted a slower pace and lower price, and Halkidiki, a hidden gem of a region on the mainland, proved just the ticket.

Away from the tourist hordes, I felt smug as I awoke each morning to views from my hotel balcony of clear blue sky, the sparkling sea and Mount Athos.

The three-fingered peninsula that is Halkidiki comprises Kassandra, Sithonia and Mount Athos.

I was staying at the new five-star Tui Blue Lagoon Queen hotel, which last year joined neighbouring all-inclusive Lagoon Princess and Lagoon Palace hotels on the sandy Kalyves coast.

It’s already obvious this hotel will be a magnet for families — its new waterpark complete with flumes, slides, aqua play-ground and lazy river.

The sprawling hotel features another FIVE outdoor pools, each with sunloungers and parasols, as well as an indoor pool that is heated in May and October.

With activities and clubs for kids six days a week as well as a host of sports facilities and, of course, that sandy beach, it may well be hard to tempt visitors away from the hotel and its three restaur-ants and four bars.

But there is much to explore beyond the hotel. After a few days relaxing, I was up for a day trip and a three-hour drive took us to Lake Kerkini, where we hopped into 4x4s to tour this national park.

Our sighting of a flock of flamingos taking flight over the lake was reward in itself.

The lake was formed in 1932 after a dam was built on the Strimonas River and the lake created has since become a haven for wildlife.

Bumping along its shore in our open 4×4, we also spotted pelicans, cormorants and herons as well as grazing buffalo.

Also within reach of our hotel, just 30 minutes’ drive away, was the magical Petralona Cave — another highlight of my holiday.

Deep inside Mount Katsika, I was able to see the kind of geological wonder that photos and videos cannot give justice.

First discovered in 1959, it is here that the Petrolona Man — a hominid fossilised skull marked by palaeontologists as some-where in the evolution chain between neanderthals and where we are today — was found

But for me, the winner was the cave itself, which looks like something straight out of House Of The Dragon or Lord Of The Rings with its dripping and glistening rock formations.

Entry is about £6, making for a great- value educational moment all the family, can enjoy.

The nearby town of Afytos gives you the sort of picture-postcard views you would come to expect in the far more visited Greek favourites of Santorini and Mykonos, — a riot of small nooks and bars filled with music, laughter, and a lot of wine and food.

Indeed, more than anything, Greece prides itself in its hospitality and food — and I got both in spades.

While in Afytos, we dined at fish restaurant Thea Thalassa, where treats included a surf-and-turf risotto — ebony- black from cuttlefish ink, with seggiolino pork — as well as calamari straight off the grill, feta cheese fried in sesame seeds and honey, and fried cod balls.

While Athens is the country’s capital, its second-largest city, Thessaloniki, just 30 minutes’ drive from our hotel, prides itself as the culinary capital of Greece — and a tour taught me why.

Each meal came with huge plates piled high, and fresh fish galore, while the city’s sprawling markets showcased dozens of different kinds of olive, fresh vegetables and other local produce.

The locals also have a sweet tooth, and love their cream-filled, syrup-dipped pastries. Stopping off for a coffee at Patisserie Miltos, I was overwhelmed with a choice of more than 1,000 cakes, ice-creams and pastries.

Syrup-dipped pastries

And at the restaur-ants I visited for dinner each night, I was handed at least one shot of Tsipouro — Ouzo’s even more powerful cousin, at a fearsome 40% proof.

Both it, and Ouzo, come with a hell of a kick and clear out your lungs with their strong aniseed taste. Not for everyone, but when in Greece . . . 

Meanwhile, the food back at our hotel definitely didn’t disappoint, with a-la-carte menus and just a never-ending supply of food and drink.

Couples will be pleased to know the Blue Lagoon Hotel’s sister establishment, the Blue Lagoon Palace is adults-only and all resorts have rooms available with swim-up pools — or even your own private pool if you want to enjoy some serious solitude.

Halkidiki holds the kind of beauty you truly want on a summer holiday — not too overcrowded, incredible views, peaceful but with plenty to offer if you want some fun and excitement.

I may have come back with a few more kilos than I had been prepared for — but with my heart, mind and belly full, dealing with the British cold got that little bit easier.

Why you can’t go to Mount Athos

IT may be a wonder to behold from afar but getting up close and personal to Halkidiki’s fabled Mount Athos is no easy feat.

The so-called Holy Mountain is home to more than 20 monasteries and functions autonomously from the Greek mainland.

It does, however, ban women from setting foot there. The mount is regarded as one huge monastery and, due to religious decree, the fairer sex has not not been allowed there for more than 1,000 years.

Even female animals are kept at bay – unless they are cats, which are tolerated.

Offenders can spend up to a year in prison if they fall foul of the rules.

And men, too, can experience difficulties gaining access to this sacred land.

They need to submit their passport and get a written permit from Mount Athos’s Pilgrims’ Bureau at least SIX MONTHS in advance of your visit.

And even then, the place allows just 100 Orthodox and ten non-Orthodox male visitors a day.

Jump on a cruise out on to the Med, from one of Halkidiki’s hotel, or just lie back on the beach, and you can marvel at the mountain all day long.