Best Luxury Hotels in Macedonia

Located heart of Halkidiki, mainland Greece, the newly refurbished five-star Cora Hotel & Spa redefines luxury and tranquillity. The hotel offers 181 luxury rooms and suites, some featuring private or shared pools with sea or forest views. Guests can choose between areas designed for adults and families with children over 12, ensuring tailored experiences for all. The property boasts two outdoor pools, a secluded private beach, and a serene spa that includes a sauna, hammam (Turkish bath), three treatment rooms, and a pool bathed in natural light. The spa’s meticulously designed treatments aim to immerse guests in profound relaxation, providing an unparalleled retreat for the mind, body, and spirit.

The property’s architecture is a harmonious blend of modern comfort and local heritage. The exterior, marked by narrow windows and earthy tones, draws inspiration from local monasteries and Byzantine arches, while the contemporary interior seamlessly merges luxury with functionality. Culinary delights are a highlight at Cora Hotel & Spa, with four diverse dining options and three bars. Executive chef George Stylianoudakis oversees the culinary vision, ensuring menus feature locally sourced, high-quality produce. Guests can savour modern Mediterranean and Greek dishes at the main buffet restaurant, enjoy a unique Japanese-Mediterranean fusion at the Greek Tavern, dine on Italian cuisine, or grab refreshments from a food truck. The hotel’s bars, including one by the pool and another within the infinity pool, offer signature cocktails and trendy floating trays for an exceptional experience.

Cora Hotel & Spa is situated just moments away from the picturesque village of Afitos and a mere 40-minute drive from Thessaloniki International Airport, the main gateway for UK travellers. The hotel is surrounded by lush landscapes and crystalline waters, offering stunning views of the Kassandra Gulf. Guests have a wide variety of experiences to choose from, including on-site cocktail masterclasses, wine and olive tasting sessions, hands-on cooking lessons, full-day fishing cruises, sightseeing tours of Afitos village, trekking excursions, winery visits, and sunset boat trips.

Understanding and relating to guests on an individual and personalised basis is at the heart of this hotel’s ethos. Onoma means “name” in Greek and nods to its value of identity, displayed through a unique combo of smart technology, custom-made experiences and commitment to genuine interaction. Completed in 2021, the building rises eight stories and includes an outdoor pool, a restaurant, a kids’ play area, meeting rooms, a gym and a sports court, as well as a bar and restaurant on its open-air roof terrace. Situated downtown, Onoma is handy for the station and a stroll away from the port.

This uber-cool hotel accentuates the building’s 1920’s heritage via art deco touches that are blended with mid-century and contemporary Danish decor. Bedrooms are simply categorized as small, medium, large extra large and family (the latter an interconnecting combination of a small and a large); some come with private balconies, all have a Marshall speaker and toiletries by Physis Laboratory. You’ll find interior details such as custom furniture (much of which is The Modernist’s own design) and parquet flooring, with in-house services including babysitting, transfers and massage treatments (for those staying in XL rooms). An organic breakfast is served daily on the roof terrace.

Comprising six buildings, this two-storey resort accommodates 130 bedrooms. A freeform freshwater pool is flanked by palm trees. There are two restaurants offering theme nights and live cooking stations (one is situated beside Portes Lithos’ private beach and two bars. Children have their own schedule of activities, an outdoor play area and a dedicated family pool for splash time. Adults have their own activities programme, as well as darts, table tennis, beach volleyball, aerobics classes, watersports and live music in the evenings. Guests can book massages and beauty treatments and hit the gym.

Found on the Gulf of Lerissos beside Koumitsa Beach, the Avaton Luxury Villas Resort is at the Athos end of the island. Choose from a two-level Panorama Villa, the ground-level Prestige Villa, the three-level Luxury Villa and the Presidential Villa, most of which have pools and loft-style bedrooms. All have self-catering facilities and private butlers are available on request. The restaurant, exclusive to residents, serves modern Mediterranean cuisine overlooking the sea, or you can have meals brought to your villa. There’s also a champagne bar, a VIP concierge service, beauty treatments by arrangement and a kids’ club.

Although bijou, the deeply chic Ekies All Senses has all the desired trappings of a larger resort; a kids’ club, a spa (treatments use Apivita products), direct beach access, table tennis, watersports, an outdoor pool area with loungers, a jacuzzi and a bar sheltered by a white straw pergola. If you can tear yourself away from the flowing ouzo and the huge hammock strung over white sands, jump on one of the hotel’s loaner bikes to explore further afield. Dine at Bubo, Kuko and in the ten-seater treehouse, the latter serving tasting menus.