7 Days of SIESTA- Mouries, Dionisiou and Sani Wetlands

Dunes Sani wetland

I've been sitting with a friend who had been on Halkidiki at least a dozen times, just having a coffee and chatting about Greece and I realized that although he visited this region so many times, he had never heard of the Sani wetlands in Kassandra.

Well, here's the motive for this post.
We discovered this fantastic place in September 2016 and will gladly return to it again, but first about the Mouries- the place we were staying during our visit.

As it was our second vacation that year, we were looking for a more affordable option.

And the choice fell on Dionisiou Beach.

We found cheap accommodation in Mouries, small village between Nea Flogita and Nea Moudania.

View from the terrace- Paw traveller

The house is located just two hundred meters from Dionisiou Beach and has beautiful view of Thessaloniki Bay.

I recommend this place to anyone who is looking for a quiet and completely calm vacation and search for peace after a busy active life in the city.

There are no hotels, shops, bars in this small village… When I say no, I mean literally- no, Mouries is created just for a really relaxing holiday.

Most homeowners are Greeks. The gardens of these houses are filled with pomegranate trees, apricot trees, vegetables and various flowers.

The garden- Paw traveller

In Mouries, people live in a traditional Greek way of life, and that is something you can feel and join them.

The thing I liked the most is siesta, that obligatory afternoon break, but besides that local people walk or ride a bike every morning to the bakery on Dionisiou Beach to buy bread, and every morning around 7am a local fisherman collects fish from his nets.

Dionisiou promenade- Paw traveller

In the evening, locals go for a walk to the nearby Dionisiou Beach where there is a square with benches, they sit and talk about news and gossip, or walk to nearby Flogita.

The place of Dionisiou beach does not have much facilities - one promenade, a couple of shops, a couple of restaurants, two bakeries…

There is a fine straight path, partly paved and partly covered by reeds, on which you can walk or ride a bike to Nea Moudania. If you go at dusk or at night be sure to bring flashlights because the path is not lit well.

Dionisiou beach- Paw traveller

Dionisiou beach is large, beautiful and sandy and it was good for us for the afternoon and evening swimming, but we spent mornings on the real pearl of this region, Sani beach, about 25 kilometers away.

Sani Beach but also the beautiful wetlands around it  makes this part of Greece magical.

The Sani wetland is a natural phenomenon located in the northwestern part of Kassandra and creating a shelter for more than 200 bird species. Many of those species are endangered.

Sani wetlands- Paw traveller

Sani wetlands, together with the environment with various conifer trees and arable lands- mainly cereals, olives, orchards and vineyards - makes this area an exceptional habitat and creates an ecosystem typical for Mediterranean region.

There is a path that starts from the Sani beach hotel complex (if you came by car you can park it for free in the parking lot on the right side of the complex) and leads through this magical place of exceptional beauty to two lakes Gerani and Stavronikita.

The path Sani wetlands- Paw traveller

The trail is nicely marked and signs are posted everywhere, informing visitors of fascinating facts about the biodiversity of the area.

There are also benches for resting, near which there are information boards which birds you can see and how they sound. If you are a fan of bird watching, be sure to bring your binoculars.

Walking around this area is very enjoyable as it leads through the wood and sand dunes. Walking on the dunes alone is not allowed because many of birds nesting between them.

All along this area stretches the coast with the magnificent Sani beach about 7 kilometers long. The beach is sandy with very fine white-gold sand and the waters near the coast are shallow and calm which is ideal for young children.

Sani beach- Paw traveller

The beach is not organized (except the part in front of the hotel) and you are not going to see a bunch of drunken teens at the beach bars, you can see so often in some islands and coastal cities in Greece.

This is a place to rest in peace and quiet.

If you visit this region be sure to visit Sani Beach, wander through the woods or stroll through the wetlands and explore.

If you love simple Greece and unusual not so much visited places, read the post  On PAWS across Pelion Peninsula- part one and post On PAWS across Pelion Peninsula- part two , as well.

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