One question that I’m always asked about luxury family holidays is how do Ikos Resorts and Sani Resort compare. The resort names come up again and again especially when people are looking for a family holiday in Greece. Both resorts are well known for amazing service and exceptional family experiences but which one should you choose?
Well I’ve done the important research for you and stayed, eaten and enjoyed my way around both Sani Resort and Ikos Resorts and in this guide I will compare the things that matter to most to parents looking for a luxury family holiday.
First of all, it’s no wonder that they’re compared – Sani and Ikos are actually own by the same company so comparisons are inevitable.
But that said… the concepts are actually quite different. Let’s get into it!
Read my full review of Ikos Aria
Read my full review of Ikos Porto Petro
Read my full review of Sani Asterias
The Concepts
Sani is actually one singular resort located in Halkidiki, if you’ve never stayed at a resort like Sani you might find the concept a little confusing. The resort is five hotels each differing to suit the needs of different guests and all are based around a marina lined with high end shops and restaurants accessible to all the guests. If you’re not sure which one to stay in here are the characteristics of each hotel in a nutshell:
Sani Beach – this is the ‘entry-level’ hotel and the cheapest. It’s the biggest of the five and looks a little bit tower-block like and restaurants are mainly buffet-style. It is also the most child-friendly and includes a splash pool, play ground, creche, kids club and private beach.
Sani Club – has all the child-friendly perks of Sani Beach but the style is more luxury, less tower blocky and better restaurants. It is set a bit further out from the other hotels and the Marina which affords more privacy but less convenience in accessing shared hotel facilities.
Porto Sani – is the next level up in luxury and has all the child-friendly amenities but no private beach though you have access to other beaches in the hotel and the benefit of being right next to the Marina.
Sani Dunes – is the hotels higher end offering though less child friendly, this hotel has Michelin menus and is surrounded by a lagoon-like swimming pool and private beach. There is no kids club or splash pool but kids are still welcome to stay and guests can use creche and splash pool at other hotels.
Sani Asterias – the resort’s most luxurious offering being the smallest and most boutique. Asterias has the finest food and spa and rooms overlooking the Marina or the hotel’s private beach. Again there’s no kids club or splash pool but kids are still welcome to stay and guests can use the creche and splash pool at other hotels. We chose to stay here as we also had my elderly in-laws with us and we felt it was the best hotel for them and we could still easily use the facilities of Sani Beach and Porto Sani which are adjacent.
Kids under 12 stay at Beach, Club, Porto and Asterias for free and at a very reduced rate at Dunes.
It’s worth noting flight time from London Gatwick to Thessaloniki was around 3.30 hours with an hours transfer to the hotel. The transfer was included in the booking.
Ikos is a collection of seven (soon to be eight and more announced for the coming years) self-contained resorts in different locations throughout Spain and Greece. As follows:
- Ikos Oceania and Ikos Oliva (the first ever Ikos) in Halkidiki, Greece
- Ikos Aria in Kos, Greece (we have stayed here)
- Ikos Dassia and Odisia in Corfu, Greece
- Ikos Porto Petro in Mallorca, Spain (we’ve stayed here)
- Ikos Andalusia in Marbella, Spain
And Ikos Kissamos is opening soon in Crete, Greece.
Though there are variations in size, layout, style and facilities, all these hotels broadly follow a similar blueprint. All include multiple pools, beaches, restaurants featuring different cuisines, spa, sport facilities, kids club and creche and entertainment. Different hotels might have minor differences such as Ikos Porto Petro had no splash pad whereas Ikos Aria did.
But the key thing about Ikos Resorts is that every single one is all-inclusive. Ikos doesn’t operate any other board levels so every single guest will be staying there on an all inclusive basis. What’s more, is there is no supplements for different things. What you see is what you get. Everything is included.
All well as all food and drink (including room service), kids club from aged 4 +, many of sports, fitness and wellness facilities are included plus use of a car for the day for a local discovery tour.
While all-inclusive may conjure up the idea of a mediocre buffet and wines in red, white and pink plus cheap beer and a sex on the beach cocktail – I promise you this is not the case at Ikos. While some restaurants are hit and the miss, the food is largely great! And there is always a buffet too which can be the easiest way with small kids. There is something very relaxing about having the complete flexibility of being on an all-inclusive plan.
At the Ikos Resorts you can opt to elevate your stay even more, as we did, and stay in the Deluxe Collection. The Deluxe Collection offers signature suites in the best locations around the hotel. Booking a deluxe collection suite gives access to to the deluxe areas of the hotel. At Ikos Aria there was a dedicated Deluxe lobby with a separate concierge that also included Seasons restaurant for breakfast and lunch (other guests can dine there for dinner) and the Deluxe bar. Elsewhere menus are upgraded, there’s a complimentary dinner by the sea and upgraded room service.
There was a large Deluxe pool with cabanas and a dedicated area on the beach! There are lots of extra offerings if you book Deluxe Collection which you can see at a glance on the hotel website and I’ll be referring back to them in this review.
For me the benefits of going to deluxe was the added level of privacy and exclusivity plus the service was better as the staff are serving a smaller proportion of guests. I was blown away by the deluxe concierge and the what’s app service as they always replied straight away.
At Sani there is no option to stay on an all-inclusive basis but guests can choose bed & breakfast, half-board or full board. This had pros and cons, obviously there’s a bill at the end which can hefty… but that said if you’re big eaters or alcohol drinkers, an all-inclusive can end up being not so great value.
Anyway this is the major difference between the two hotel brands.
Design
As mentioned, Sani is five hotels in one location meaning it is a huge sprawling resort with vast grounds and a central marina. In this sense, it has a village-style feel to it and is surrounded by forests and beaches. Each of the five hotels vary in architecture and style and levels of luxury.
Ikos hotels are built as one resort property. The general Ikos look is contemporary and minimalist with the buildings surrounding the hubs of the pools, beaches and restaurants. Both have an indoor / outdoor feel that you would usually associate with Mediterranean resort hotels.
Something I felt about both places was they were lacking in a sense of place. Almost a Truman show style perfect bubble without the character of a boutique, local-style resort. There are touches that remind you that you are in Spain or Greece but the overall vibe is neutral with lots of stone, glass and light wood.
The Room
It’s hard to compare the rooms at Sani versus Ikos as there are multiple different categories of room and at Sani there are not only different room categories but different hotel categories too. Of course, this means Sani has huge flexibility and range in terms of room size and pricing. There are options for rooms, junior suites, suites, two bedroom suites, three bedroom villas etc. Ikos are now also unveiling four bedroom villas. Epic!
Some have gardens, some have balconies, some have private pools… there are also lots of different locations and viewpoints. My in laws had a suite right on the beach, but you can also have one by the pool or the marina.
Ikos offers a variety of rooms too but the pricing isn’t as varied as Ikos resorts are just one hotel. Not every Ikos hotel will have villa level hotels and not every Ikos hotel will have an option for a private pool for example so choose your hotel based on your requirements.
Interior design is similar with a minimalist Mediterranean aesthetic – our rooms at Sani was more luxurious that our room at Ikos but this will vary from different properties.
Sani
Bare in mind some hotels are newer than others or have been newly refurbished so will feel fresher.
Ikos Porto Petro
Facilities
Sani is a huge resort encompasses everything you can possibly imagine in a resort hotel. Some of these facilities are shared between the five hotels such as the shopping marina with a huge number of shops, the port, the Rafa Nadel Tennis Academy, The Chelsea FC football academy, the theatre, the sports centre, the Bear Grylls Survival academy. All hotel guests have access to these shared facilities.
Every hotel has it’s own spa and child-friendly pool (or multiple pools) but not every guest has access to every pool. For example as we were staying at Sani Asterias, the highest level hotel we were able to access the pools and splash pad at Sani Beach however to keep the Sani Asterias pool private and exclusive, other guests weren’t allowed to access it. Check when booking your pool access and what’s right for you. Note Sani Dunes actually has the largest heated outdoor pool in Greece!
Sani Beach, Club, Asterias and Dunes all have beaches, Porto Sani isn’t right on the beach but has access to the ‘See You’ beach. The beaches also offer ‘Babe Watch’ a complimentary thirty minute child care service. There are adults only sections too.
As Ikos Hotels aren’t on such as large scale they might not offer every single facility that Sani does. They all have a spa, water sports facilities and a theatre but not every hotel has a football academy for example. So check if this is something that you’re interested in. Ikos hotels will have some small shops but no where near the range of Sani.
Every Ikos has multiple pools including main pools, deluxe pool, adults only and indoor spa pool and some have a splash pad. These all vary in size depending on the hotel and some of the indoor pools will have children’s hours.
Every Ikos hotel has a beach but again these vary in size for example I found the beach at Ikos Porto Petro quite token while it was much bigger at Ikos Aria. The resorts I stayed in also offered ‘Babe Watch’. There are all deluxe areas on the beach and adults only.
Child Care
As both hotels are designed with families in mind, the childcare options are plentiful. The Little Explorers Crèche looks after children aged between 6 months and 4 years with OFSTED ratios be used.
Sessions are as follows:
3 sessions a day, 7 days a week
10am – 1pm/ 1pm – 3pm /3pm – 6pm
Prices
10am- 1pm 42€
1pm – 3pm 32€
3pm – 6pm 42€
The Sani Explorers Kids club is for children between 4 and 12 years old with nini-Olympic Games, nature
explorations, water games etc.
Morning session: 10:30-13:00
Lunch Club: 13:00-15:00
Afternoon session: 15:30-18:00
The kids club is complimentary.
Sani also operated Ozone Teen Room which is a clubhouse style hangout with some organised activities.
The hotel also offers private nannies during the day and evening babysitting. When we’ve used the babysitting services at these hotels we usually find that the babysitter is a member of staff from kids club so my children already knew them.
The creche operates out of Sani Beach, Sani Club and Porto Sani but residents of Asterias and Dunes are welcome to use the facility.
Similarly at Ikos Heroes Crèche is 6 months to 4 years operating on OFSTED ratios. Session times and pricing is identical to Sani. The Heroes kids club at Ikos again has the same session times as Sani and is also complimentary.
Ikos also operates the Just4Teens Club offers programme of age-appropriate activities older children aged 12 plus.
Ikos can also organise babysitting.
Both resorts are now operating a Supper Club where for 30€ for three hours they’ll take the kids to the buffet for dinner along with organised activities.
In terms of the actual facilities and activities, the programme will vary from hotel to hotel but broadly follow the same blueprint.
Also note either resort can provide absolutely anything you need for children and babies in the room, restaurants or around the resort.
Entertainment
Is another things that both hotels do really well. There’s live music sets, DJs and the White Party. At Ikos Porto Petro there were magic shows, parrot shows and mini disco. The children loved it all. But the main event was the night theatre show with a big blockbusting dance extravaganza most nights.
I have to say I was completely blown away by the huge open air theatre that served the whole Sani Resort. The atmosphere was great and the shows were really top notch! We tried to go most nights.
I was a little disappointed when we went to Ikos Porto Petro as it was served by a much smaller indoor theatre which just didn’t give the same ambience, though the shows themselves were on a par. At Ikos Aria, the outdoor theatre was a smaller version of the Sani theatre and while better than Porto Petro, it was difficult to get a seat for popular shows.
Food and Drink
For me, I think that the food is the most major point of difference between the two resorts. Sani has twenty five restaurants and fifteen bars. Of course this means a wide variety of cuisines, lots of different settings with different levels of formality. Most restaurants were child-friendly with a children’s menu but some are adults only, there are also a number of more casual pool bars and cafes there are also a few buffet restaurants. Every hotel has their own restaurants within the premises and then there were a number of restaurants and bars on the marina. There’s even a baby menu designed by Donna Hay, Australia’s leading food creative.
Our favourite of them all was Lima, located at Porto Sani serving Peruivan food. Elia was a modern Greek restaurant at Porto Sani and provided an elegant take on traditional dishes and Tomat was a hearty Greek restaurant on the Marina. We enjoyed Japanese food at Katsu (though found the atmosphere lacking here), Psaryannos, a Greek-style restaurant on the Marina was amazing for lunch and we enjoyed a really elegant meal at Water, our hotel’s own restaurant.
We didn’t have a bad meal at Sani, the food is truly excellent! And the down side? The cost and the bill at the end!
However there is a ‘Dine Around’ programme that can help curb some of those costs. As mentioned there is no all inclusive option abut Sani operates a Dine Around scheme for the half board and full board guests. 24 of the restaurants take part and 12 of the restaurants have a dine around menu and if you choose this you won’t incur to extra costs on top of what you’ve already paid. Or you are free to choose a la carte which means you have a meal allowance deducted from the bill depending on the hotel that you are staying in as follows:
Sani Asterias: € 40 p.p (children 20€)
Sani Beach: €20 p.p. (children €10)
Porto Sani, Sani Club & Sani Dunes guests: €25 p.p. (children €12.50)
The number of restaurants vary at the different Ikos resorts but there’s usually around eight serving different cuisines. The restaurants are branded so there’s an Italian called Fresco, an Asian called Anaya, a French called Provence and so on. Not every hotel has every one of the restaurants there’s a variety of different ones but there will always be a ‘Flavours’ buffet. The hotels I’ve stayed at also had a deluxe restaurant known as Seasons but from the website it doesn’t seem that every hotel has a Seasons. There was also the opportunity to exercise the all-inclusive at certain restaurants outside of the hotel which I think is a nice touch for soaking up local flavour.
You could also go to the ice cream parlour for free (included but it felt free lol) ice creams or desserts any time during opening.
While these restaurants varied in setting (some on the beach, some by the pool etc) I didn’t find that much to distinguish the restaurants from each other apart from the cuisine. At Porto Petro I found more of a variation in atmosphere but at Ikos Aria I didn’t feel that much was done to separate an Asian restaurant from a Spanish apart from the food.
The wine list was great at both especially given that Ikos is all-inclusive. At Sani you have to pay extra for all drinks, including water.
We found the food could be a bit hit and miss at Ikos, better than your usual all-inclusive big buffet style extravaganza but still we felt let down by some meals. However, on the bright side, Ikos truly is all-inclusive, there’s absolutely no random supplements. But I think slightly lower quality than Sani is due to the all-inclusive nature of the resort.
Service
Service was a little hit and miss at Ikos Aria I thought the deluxe staff were excellent, particularly the dedicated concierge. Buggy service can be a necessity in a large place like this as it was quick and responsive. But I found the service in the restaurants and bars not always top level. We found the service at Sani impeccable, we couldn’t believe the speed of the buggies and how amenable they were in finding a wheelchair for my mother-in-law.
Summary
I think that you can see from this review that there is very little between the two. If you’re looking for a slightly slicker operation which is a touch more luxurious, go for Sani. If you’re looking for ‘get your money’s worth’ all-inclusive choose Ikos.
PIN IT!!
