An inclusive education

There's no such thing as a free lunch or drink – but it rather felt that way when the waiter, tray laden with drinks, made his way along the beach to our sunlounger in the heat of a Greek afternoon. No need to fumble for euros or find our room number. It was all paid for, in advance, at home, in sterling.

All-inclusives are familiar in exclusive Caribbean resorts, but now package holidaymakers in Greece can enjoy a similar service to keep a firm grip on holiday costs, and we were having a week at the Oceania Club and Spa in Halkidiki.

With our 12-year-old son needing constant refuelling, it seemed so much easier to say "yes" to the requests for iced drinks, ice cream and snacks from the pool or beach bar. With nominal prices of e2.50 for a soft drink, or e3 for a beer or glass of wine, these extras soon add up for a budget-conscious traveller.

Set on a pine-clad hillside overlooking the Aegean, this is perfect for families, and there are so many activities to stretch energetic children – kids' club, mini disco, playground, cinema and children's pool. Enthusiastic staff organise water polo games, table tennis and quizzes, and families get together in the evening for fast-paced shows such as Mamma Mia! and We Will Rock You.

A private beach, across a quiet road, is one of the hotel's best features. It is fringed with palms and the sea is clear and shallow.

Our son hardly needed to put on his snorkelling mask to see fish darting by his feet as he walked out on a sandbagged path to the water's edge.

But make the effort to explore Halkidiki. We were based on Kassandra, the most westerly of the three peninsulas which jut like a trident into the northern Aegean. The landscape is greener and more fertile – if less spectacular – than the southerly islands. A 15-minute walk took us into Nea Moudania, a working town with a little harbour and pier where small freighters tie up. There is little "touristy" about the bars and tavernas and the market is the main attraction with its succulent tomatoes and varieties of olives.

We used hotel bikes – free of charge – to cycle along the coast to the village of Dionysiou. It has a quiet charm, a parade lined with palms and baskets of oleander, and villas fronting the sandy beach which are popular with eastern Europeans who increasingly choose this part of Greece.

Most rewarding was a day trip to Mount Athos, the world's only monastic republic and home to 1,700 reclusive Orthodox monks, on the southern tip of the most easterly peninsula. It's been a home to monks seeking solitude since 5AD, with 20 monasteries perched at various heights on its rocky slopes, and the only way for most tourists to have a look is from the sea.

Women are barred from setting foot there, and men must apply for a permit in advance to land on the mountain, which has its own Byzantine time zone, four hours ahead of the rest of Greece. On our sunshine cruise down the coast, dolphins leaped and plunged alongside our boat. Swooping gulls were hand-fed by passengers. Only commentaries in Greek, English, Russian and German disturbed the calm.

The holy mountain rose in the distance and we turned back to return parallel to the shore and marvel at the monasteries, some like castles with rugged battlements, others with spires or onion domes. The mountain also holds smaller communities of monks and hermitages. The monks are said to lead simple lives, praying and eating bread and olives, though they also enjoy a tipple. Later, in the village of Ouranoupolis, we spotted a black-robed, tall-hatted monk stocking up with wine at the local mini-market.

Greece's second largest city, Thessaloniki, offers a glimpse of the fascinating history of the province of Macedonia, where Alexander the Great launched his conquests.

It's a bustling, traffic-filled city thronged with bars, street cafs and some designer shops. But it's rich in history too, from the prison-fortress white tower on the waterfront to the arch of Galerius, the Roman emperor who defeated the Persians, to the Byzantine city walls.

The archaeological museum holds treasures from the more distant past: gold jewellery, coins, a decorated tomb and – from 500 BC – a warrior's helmet with golden face mask still carrying the imprint of his nose, eyes and mouth. Most poignant was an engraved stone slab – the bill of sale for a female slave who sold for 15 pieces of silver.

YP MAG 24/7/10