- Porto Carras Grand Resort has reopened for the 2026 season.
- The estate covers more than 1,700 hectares in Sithonia, Halkidiki.
- New dining concepts include CIKADO and ANÉO.
- Michelin-starred chef Lefteris Lazarou leads the seafood-focused CIKADO restaurant.
- The resort remains home to Greece’s largest organic vineyard.
- Guests have access to a marina, golf course, spa, beaches, family activities, and wine experiences.
A Greek Resort That Refuses to Fit Inside a Brochure
Many resorts promise everything.
Porto Carras is one of the few places large enough to make a convincing attempt.
The sprawling estate on the Sithonia peninsula in Halkidiki reopened for the 2026 season this week, welcoming guests back to a property that has occupied a unique place in Greek tourism for decades.
Covering more than 1,700 hectares and stretching along nine kilometers of coastline, Porto Carras is less a hotel complex and more a small destination in its own right. Visitors can spend days moving between beaches, vineyards, marina facilities, hiking trails, restaurants, wellness centers, and one of the few 18-hole golf courses in Northern Greece without ever leaving the property.
That scale has always been Porto Carras’s greatest strength.
While many modern resorts compete by adding another infinity pool or inventing increasingly creative uses for the word “exclusive,” Porto Carras continues to offer something surprisingly simple: room to breathe.
Wine Remains at the Heart of the Experience
The original press release contains the phrase “experience” so many times that readers may leave with the impression that Porto Carras has invented a new form of tourism based entirely on experiencing experiences while experiencing other experiences. Fortunately, beneath the marketing vocabulary lies a rather attractive reality: a huge seaside estate, excellent vineyards, new restaurants, and enough coastline to remind visitors why they came to Greece in the first place.
One of the estate’s defining features remains Domaine Porto Carras, the largest organic vineyard in Greece. Spread across the slopes of Mount Meliton, the vineyard covers approximately 470 hectares and produces wines that have become closely associated with the region’s identity.
Visitors can tour the estate, participate in tastings, and gain a better understanding of how one of Greece’s most ambitious wine projects evolved over the decades.
Unlike many luxury developments that import identity from elsewhere, Porto Carras possesses something increasingly rare in tourism: its own agricultural heritage. The vineyard existed long before “wine tourism” became fashionable marketing terminology.
New Restaurants Arrive for 2026
Food plays a larger role in this year’s offering, with two new restaurant concepts joining the resort’s culinary lineup.
The most notable addition is CIKADO, led by Michelin-starred chef Lefteris Lazarou, whose reputation has long been associated with elevating Greek seafood cuisine without stripping away its character.
The menu focuses on seasonal ingredients and Mediterranean flavors rather than culinary acrobatics designed primarily for Instagram.
The second new venue, ANÉO, expands the resort’s dining options and reflects a broader effort to strengthen Porto Carras’s reputation as a food and wine destination rather than simply a place to stay. That shift makes sense. Today’s travelers increasingly remember where they ate as vividly as where they slept.
More Than a Hotel Stay
What continues to distinguish Porto Carras is the variety of experiences available within a single estate.
Guests can choose between:
- Sailing and marina activities
- Water sports
- Golf
- Vineyard tours and tastings
- Cycling and hiking routes
- Wellness and spa treatments
- Family-focused activities and children’s programs
- Beach recreation along Blue Flag-certified shores
For travelers seeking additional privacy, the resort also offers Villa Kalyva Mare, a 245-square-meter residence capable of accommodating larger groups while maintaining access to the estate’s amenities.
A casino rounds out the entertainment options for guests who enjoy testing whether luck is more reliable than financial planning.
A Different Side of Greece
Halkidiki often receives less international attention than the Cyclades or Crete, yet many travelers consider that part of its appeal. The region combines forests, beaches, vineyards, traditional villages, and relatively accessible infrastructure without the crowds that increasingly define some of Greece’s most famous destinations.
Located roughly 120 kilometers from Thessaloniki, Porto Carras serves as one of the flagship properties introducing visitors to Northern Greece.
Whether travelers arrive for the wine, the sea, the golf course, or simply the luxury of having enough space to disappear for a while, the estate continues to offer something that has become unexpectedly difficult to find in modern tourism.
The original press release contains several phrases commonly found in luxury tourism marketing. To assist readers, our editorial department has prepared the following translation guide.
“A renewed focus on gastronomy”
Translation: The restaurants are still serving food.
“Experience-led travel”
Translation: Guests will be allowed to leave their rooms.
“A strong sense of place”
Translation: The hotel remains in Halkidiki.
“Authenticity, provenance and regional culture”
Translation: Greek food, Greek wine, Greece.
“A philosophy of freedom”
Translation: Nobody is forcing you to stay by the pool.
“Emotional connection”
Translation: Some guests may enjoy their vacation.
“A more timeless and immersive vision of modern luxury hospitality”
Translation: Nice hotel. Nice beach.
“Destination dining rooted in authenticity”
Translation: The chef knows what he’s doing.
“A new expression of resort living”
Translation: The resort is open.
Our editorial team can confirm that visitors may continue to engage in the traditional Greek holiday activities of eating seafood, drinking wine, swimming in the sea, and forgetting what day it is.
