TUI BLUE Lagoon Princess

About 45 minutes from Thessaloniki airport
Premium5 starAll-inclusive

TUI BLUE Lagoon Princess is a five-star all-inclusive resort on the beach at Kalives, on the calm Toronian Gulf in Halkidiki, northern Greece, on the neck of land between the Kassandra and Sithonia peninsulas. Built for families under TUI’s family-holiday brand, it spreads low-rise buildings through gardens above a Blue Flag beach, with a shaded baby pool, a splash pool and children’s clubs folded into the price. The coach from Thessaloniki airport takes about 45 minutes.

Pools winding between the low-rise white buildings of TUI BLUE Lagoon Princess, with sun loungers and parasols on the terraces between them and the sea beyond.
On the gulf TUI BLUE Lagoon Princess sits above a Blue Flag beach at Kalives, between the Kassandra and Sithonia peninsulas.
On this page
  1. Is it worth it?
  2. Quick facts
  3. What the resort is like
  4. Every restaurant and bar
  5. Rooms and suites
  6. Pools and water features
  7. The beach
  8. Babies and toddlers
  9. Things to do
  10. Spa and wellness
  11. The area and days out
  12. Loves and gripes
  13. How it compares
  14. Getting there
  15. Weather
  16. Practicalities
  17. Questions
  18. Photo gallery
The short version

Is it worth it?

Who the resort suits, who it doesn’t, and the facts to skim before the detail.

TUI BLUE Lagoon Princess is built around families with young children, and that shows in the detail: a shaded baby pool, a splash pool with small slides, a Baby Lounge and a baby and tots club, all a short walk from a Blue Flag beach. It’s a five-star all-inclusive under TUI’s family brand, low-rise and spread through gardens rather than stacked in a tower, and guests come back to the same things each year, the warm staff, the spotless site and a calm pace with no scramble for sunbeds. The trade-offs are the setting and the hours. It sits in a quiet, rural stretch of coast with little within walking distance, so days out need a car or taxi, and the pools and pool bars close at 6pm. The outdoor pools aren’t heated, which tells in May and October. It suits families who want an easy, baby-friendly base and don’t mind being away from it all, and it suits less well anyone after shops and nightlife on the doorstep or evening swims.

Best for

You want an all-inclusive built around babies and toddlers, a shaded baby pool and a splash pool, a Blue Flag beach a few steps away and a calm, quiet pace, and you’re happy somewhere rural.

Maybe not for

You want shops, restaurants and nightlife within walking distance, evening swimming or poolside drinks past 6pm, or a purely sandy beach.

Best ages

Babies upwards. A free kids’ club from age 4, a paid baby and tots club for under-3s and a shaded baby pool for the littlest.

What stands out

The baby and toddler provision, the swim-up rooms and the quiet, no-sunbed-wars atmosphere that families single out.

What to check

The pools and pool bars close at 6pm, the outdoor pools aren’t heated, and the baby club and swim school are paid extras.

Where is it?

At Kalives on the Toronian Gulf in Halkidiki, northern Greece, between the Kassandra and Sithonia peninsulas, about 45 minutes from Thessaloniki airport.

Quick facts for families

BoardAll-inclusive: buffet meals, one weekly à la carte dinner each at Green & Grill and Mylos, drinks to midnight, the Plaza snack stalls and the sauna and steam room.
The siteA village-style resort, 18 low-rise buildings and 238 rooms over three floors, most sea-facing, spread through gardens; golf buggies shuttle guests and luggage.
ChildcareA free kids’ club from age 4 and a paid baby and tots club for under-3s, plus paid babysitting; a swim school and football academy run in the school holidays.
BeachKalives Beach, Blue Flag, 50 metres across a quiet pedestrian road; calm gulf water that shelves in gently, over sand mixed with pebbles.
PoolSix pools, including a shaded baby pool, a splash pool with small slides and a heated indoor pool; the outdoor pools aren’t heated and close at 6pm.
AirportThessaloniki (SKG), about 45 minutes by coach. The transfer must be requested in advance, not left to arrange itself.
A village by the gulf

What the resort is like

Where it sits, how the site is laid out and what getting around is like with a pushchair.

The resort stands at Kalives, on the Toronian Gulf in Halkidiki in northern Greece, on the strip of land joining the Kassandra and Sithonia peninsulas, about 39 miles (63 km) south-east of Thessaloniki. The gulf faces inward rather than out to the open Aegean, so the water here is calm, which is part of why it works with very young children. It opened in 2015 and runs seasonally, roughly from May to October.

It’s a village-style resort rather than a single tower, 18 low-rise buildings of three floors set through landscaped gardens, with 238 rooms in all and most of them facing the sea. The ground is mostly flat with a few gentle slopes and ramps, and it’s wheelchair accessible throughout. Staff run electric golf buggies, the little carts and not prams, to carry guests and their luggage across the grounds, which helps on arrival and departure with a lot of baby kit. The flat paths make it broadly pushchair-friendly, and you can hire a pushchair on site for a charge if you’d rather travel light.

The beach is about 50 metres away, across a quiet pedestrian road rather than a busy one. Two sister hotels share the same beachfront: the Blue Lagoon Queen, which has its own waterpark, and the adults-only Blue Lagoon Palace. They’re separate hotels with their own facilities, though Princess guests can pay to use the Queen’s waterpark next door.

The arcaded front of the main building beside a narrow water feature with fountain jets, the Blue Lagoon Princess sign on the wall and a golf buggy parked on the drive.
The main entrance to the resort
A long reception counter against a textured timber wall, staff behind it, with a polished marble floor and a potted plant in the foreground.
The reception desk in the main building
Two-storey guest buildings around a wide paved square planted with fan palms, rows of white tables and chairs to one side and a long narrow pool beyond.
The Plaza, where the snack stalls are
A white two-storey guest building with arched balconies and pale green glass screens, seen across a mown lawn with a young tree and a paved path.
One of the 18 guest buildings, set through the gardens
More in the photo gallery →
Three restaurants and the snack stalls

Every restaurant and bar

What the all-inclusive covers, each restaurant and bar, and how the à la carte dinners work.

The board is all-inclusive. It covers buffet breakfast, a late continental breakfast, buffet lunch and buffet dinner at the main restaurant, plus one dinner a week each at the two à la carte restaurants, Green & Grill and Mylos. Selected local and international drinks are included at the bars until midnight, the Plaza snack stalls run through the day, and the sauna and steam room are included too. Gluten-free, lactose-free, vegetarian and vegan options are available across all three restaurants, and there’s room service from 11am to 9:30pm.

The Aegean is the main restaurant, an international buffet with show cooking. Breakfast runs from 7am, lunch from noon and dinner from 6pm to 9pm, with themed evenings including a weekly Greek buffet. For families the useful part is the dedicated children’s dinner buffet through the evening, with fries, schnitzel, fresh fruit and vegetables and puddings, plus steamed vegetable purée for babies and high chairs. There’s no booking and no dress code, and the seating spreads across three glass-sided wings, with the rear sections the quieter place for a calmer table. It gets busy and can queue at peak mealtimes, which is the main gripe about it.

Green & Grill is the barbecue restaurant, open-sided and alfresco. Lunch is a buffet and dinner is à la carte, from 6pm to 9pm, and your all-inclusive covers one dinner a week here. At dinner you can grill your own meat and fish at a central stone oven alongside a salad and cheese buffet, though the service runs slower than the main restaurant. Dress is smart-casual, with no sportswear, swimwear or flip-flops at dinner. Because it has no walls, a light jacket is worth having for a shoulder-season evening.

Mylos is the Greek tavern, near the beach, serving a buffet lunch and a three-course à la carte dinner from 6pm to 9pm, again with one dinner a week included. The dinner opens with four Greek meze served together, then a main and a pudding, and the lunch is well liked, with quick, friendly table service. High chairs are on hand and the dress code matches Green & Grill.

The Plaza snack stalls are the children’s highlight, a casual outdoor station serving crepes, waffles, ice cream, hot dogs, sandwiches, pastries and slushies through the day. They come as part of the all-inclusive, though the odd premium item may carry a charge.

There are four bars. The Sithonia Main Bar in the lobby keeps the longest hours, roughly 9am to 1am. The Thalassa Pool Bar serves the activity pool and the Mylos Pool & Beach Bar serves the beachfront, both 10am to 6pm, and the Entertainment Bar opens for the evening shows. All the bars pour selected house-brand drinks, included to midnight. The two pool bars stop at 6pm, so evening drinks mean the lobby or the show bar rather than the poolside.

How the à la carte dinners work

Green & Grill and Mylos are à la carte for dinner and both need a reservation. Your all-inclusive covers one dinner a week at each, and they fill up quickly, so book both as soon as you arrive rather than leaving it. Wine at dinner costs extra. If you land after dinner service has finished there are cold sandwiches to tide you over, and a welcome drink on arrival.

An indoor restaurant with round and square tables and wooden chairs, arched glass partitions along one side opening to a terrace with more tables.
The Aegean, the main restaurant, where the buffet meals are served
A long white buffet counter set with domed silver chafing dishes and a crate display of apples and oranges, guests serving themselves from the far side.
The buffet counters at The Aegean
A poolside bar with a white counter, glasses and bar stools, a shaded pergola with tables alongside and the blue pool beyond.
The Thalassa pool bar, open from 10am to 6pm
White tables and chairs under a timber pergola hung with woven lanterns, on a lawn above a beach lined with straw parasols and calm blue sea.
Tables on the lawn above the beach
A snack kiosk with ice cream and pastry display cabinets and slush machines, a member of staff scooping a cone at the counter.
The Plaza snack stalls, serving ice cream, waffles and slushies through the day
More in the photo gallery →
Rooms, pools and the sand

Rooms and suites

Every room and suite with its official size, the six pools and the Blue Flag beach below.

There are rooms and suites across several tiers, from compact twins up to a two-storey maisonette, and most face the sea. The table below lists every category with its official size, and the guidance after it is which suit a family with a baby or toddler, and why.

TUI BLUE Lagoon Princess room and suite categories with their official sizes, occupancy and layout
RoomSizeSleepsLayout
Twin Standard30 m²2 adults, 1 childSmallest rooms; garden or sea-view versions
Twin Standard Limited Sea View30 m²2 adults, 1 childPartial sea view
Twin Standard Limited Sea View, Jacuzzi30 m²2 adults, 1 childPartial sea view; jacuzzi on the balcony
Twin Room with Whirlpool35 m²2 adults, 1 childSea view; outdoor jacuzzi on the terrace
Family Room37 m²4Two separate bedrooms with a sliding door between
Family Room Sea View37 m²4The two-bedroom layout with a sea-view balcony
Junior Suite45 m²4Separate bedroom and a living area with a sofa bed
Junior Suite Sharing Pool (swim-up)45 m²4, incl. infantsTerrace onto a shared swim-up pool; two bathrooms
Junior Suite Private Pool45 m²4, incl. infantsTerrace with its own plunge pool
Suite Sharing Pool (swim-up)53–57 m²5, excl. infantsBedroom and living area, two bathrooms; terrace onto a shared swim-up pool
Suite Private Pool53–57 m²5, excl. infantsBedroom and living area; its own private pool
Swim-Up Family Room72 m²4Three rooms with a king bed and bunks; direct access to a swim-up pool
Deluxe Suite / Maisonette72–78 m²5, excl. infantsTwo storeys, a private pool and a direct sea view

For a family, the room is really a choice about layout. The twins at 30 m² take two adults and a child but are the smallest rooms, so they aren’t the ones to book if you’ll spend much time inside with a baby. The best-value family choice is the Family Room at 37 m², which has two separate bedrooms with a sliding door between them, so a baby can nap or go down early without silencing the whole room. If you want pool steps straight from the terrace, the Junior Suite swim-up at 45 m² and the larger, three-room Swim-Up Family Room at 72 m² (a king bed and bunks) open onto a shared swim-up pool, and families single these out as good for naptime, since a parent can stay out on the terrace while a child sleeps in the room. For the most space and privacy, the Deluxe Suite, or maisonette, at 72–78 m² runs over two floors with its own private pool and a direct sea view. The 18 buildings all have three floors, so ground-floor rooms exist, but the hotel can’t guarantee you one, since rooms are allocated in advance rather than assigned on request at check-in.

One detail worth pinning down is how infants count towards occupancy, because it varies by tier. The Junior Suites, whether swim-up or with a private pool, take four people including infants, so a baby fills one of the four places. The Suites and the Deluxe maisonette take five not counting infants, so a baby is extra to that limit. Standard in-room kit runs to air conditioning, a satellite TV, a mini-fridge, a kettle, a safe, Wi-Fi, a bathrobe and slippers and a hairdryer, with an espresso machine in the suites.

For a baby, a cot comes as standard for under-2s, with a wooden cot on request for a charge. A steriliser and bottle warmer are available for the room at a weekly charge and a returnable deposit, and the linen is changed every two days. The mini market on site stocks baby food and nappies if you’d rather not pack them all.

A room with a large bed, a desk and television, and open patio doors to a balcony with chairs and a view over beach parasols to the sea.
A sea-view room, the outlook most rooms have
A room with a bed, desk and television, its balcony doors open to a small table and chairs above a blue pool.
A room with a balcony over the pool
A children's bedroom with white wooden bunk beds and a ladder, a built-in desk with a small television and a turquoise floor cushion.
Bunk beds in the children's bedroom of a family room
A suite living area with a turquoise sofa and armchair, a round coffee table, a desk and butterfly artwork, with terrace doors onto a pool.
The living area of a suite, where the sofa bed sleeps the children
A covered room terrace with a dining table and chairs and a cushioned daybed, and a free-standing jacuzzi with steps up to it on the paving alongside.
The private jacuzzi on a room terrace
A bathroom with twin basins on a long counter and a mirror above, a glazed shower cubicle, a toilet and a bath with folded towels.
A bathroom with a bath and a separate shower
More in the photo gallery →
Six pools, two for the littlest

Pools and water features

There are five outdoor pools and one heated indoor pool. The two that matter most with little ones are the shaded baby pool, which families praise for its cover in the heat, and the fun pool, a splash pool with a mini slidepark, a spraypark and fountains and a tow-boat feature. The dimensions, depths and age limits are in the table.

The five outdoor pools at TUI BLUE Lagoon Princess with their sizes, depths and age guidance
PoolSizeDepthFor families
Baby pool3 m × 3 m0.40 mAges 0 to 6, shaded and joined to the family pool
Fun pool (splash pool)10 m × 8 m0.40 mAges 5 to 12, with slides for 5 to 10s and a spraypark and fountains from age 4
Family pool36 m × 22 m1.40 mJoined to the baby pool, with water jets and the Thalassa bar alongside
Second family pool25 m × 8 m1.40 mA smaller second family pool
Main pool40 m × 15 m1.60 mThe largest pool on site, with free loungers and parasols

The fun pool takes children from 5 to 12, but the slides within it are only for 5 to 10s, and the spraypark and fountains suit younger ones from age 4, so it’s worth checking which part your child can use. Inflatables are allowed in all the pools, with a pump available after 10am. The sixth pool is the indoor pool, part of the health club and heated for the whole May to October season, open to families in set windows, 10am to 11:30am and 2pm to 3:30pm, with the water for adults outside those hours.

The outdoor pools run 9am to 6pm and none of them is heated, so the water is cold in May and early October, something to weigh if you’re travelling in the shoulder months. Loungers and parasols are free at every pool, with towels from a kiosk between 9:30am and 5:45pm, and Balinese day beds are available at the pools and the beach for a charge, which includes drinks and a fruit platter. There’s no adults-only pool, and the outdoor pools close at 6pm. Whether guests in the swim-up rooms can still use the pool their terrace opens onto after that isn’t something the resort spells out.

A long pool fed by a row of small waterfalls from a stone wall, with fan palms and white tables and chairs along the terrace above.
The Plaza pool, alongside the snack stalls
A red and blue tow boat play feature spraying water in a shallow pool, with small white water slides and a play frame behind.
The tow boat in the fun pool, the splash pool for children of 5 to 12
A pool running up to the tiled terraces of ground-floor rooms, with sun loungers, a folded parasol and metal steps into the water.
The communal swim-up pool the swim-up rooms open onto
A circular shallow pool with a timber deck around it, a large woven shade canopy over the deck, and a larger pool, loungers and parasols behind.
A shallow round pool and the shaded deck beside it
More in the photo gallery →
A Blue Flag beach across the road

The beach

Kalives Beach is Blue Flag certified and faces the calm Toronian Gulf, and the water shelves in gently, which is what you want with toddlers paddling at the edge. The substrate is sand mixed with pebbles rather than pure sand, so it’s worth packing water shoes for small feet; it’s not a drawback so much as a thing to come prepared for.

Loungers and parasols are free for guests, and towels work on the same card system as the pools, changed once a day. There are no toilets on the beach itself, with the nearest by the Mylos Pool & Beach Bar. Water sports run from the sand through a separate operator, charged rather than included, and cover banana boat, jet ski, waterski, kayak, catamaran, windsurf, paddleboard and parasailing.

A mown lawn running down to a low wall, with a row of straw parasols on the sand beyond and the sea past them.
The lawn between the resort and the beach
Straw parasols and sun loungers on a beach of coarse sand and pebbles, with calm blue water and hills across the bay.
Kalives Beach, where the sand is mixed with pebbles
A white curtained daybed on the sand piled with cushions, a small drinks table beside it and the sea beyond.
A Balinese day bed on the beach, charged for the day and served with drinks and fruit
More in the photo gallery →
For the little ones, and everyone else

Babies and toddlers

The Baby Lounge, the clubs and their ages, the baby kit, and everything else that fills a family day.

The baby and toddler provision is the resort’s strongest suit, and families say so. The Baby Lounge is a free, air-conditioned room with a microwave, a bottle warmer and changing tables, open daily, and you can use it whenever you like rather than only during a club session, which makes feeds and nappy changes easier without trekking back to the room.

The clubs split by age, and the cost split is the thing to know. The Baby & Tots Club for under-3s, roughly birth to three years, is a paid extra, running six days a week with at least two two-hour sessions a day, and it covers sensory play, music, puppet stories and toddler swimming with trained, multilingual staff. The kids’ club from age 4 is free and part of the all-inclusive, about two hours a day, six days a week, with the @611 club for 6 to 11s and The Hangout for 12 to 15s. The Hangout is also free, with beach and pool games through the week and one evening party; beyond that, extra evening sessions for the younger clubs are bookable at a charge. Reviews are warm about the club staff, especially with first-time little ones, though a few guests found the advertised toddler pool sessions didn’t always run.

Two coached programmes run in the school holidays for a charge and by advance booking. The swim school, mainly July and August, goes from a parent-and-toddler class for babies through Splash4Fun for 4 to 7s, a swim school for 5 to 9s and a rescue academy for 9s and up, with one-to-one lessons too. The Blue Lagoon Football Academy runs First Kicks from age 2, Youth 1 for 5 to 8s, Youth 2 for 9 to 11s and Teens for 12 to 15s, plus family sessions parents can join. There’s a free playground near the main building, which can get crowded in peak season, and an indoor playroom open daily that children use with a parent, with staff supervision on request. A Children’s Healthy Eating Challenge, a lanyard and stickers for trying new foods at the buffet, is a small nudge for fussy eaters.

On the baby kit, a cot is standard for under-2s and a wooden cot is on request for a charge, a steriliser and bottle warmer are available for a weekly charge and deposit, and the mini market sells baby food and both regular and swim nappies. High chairs are in all three restaurants, and the buffet has vegetable purée. Babysitting is available for an extra charge, so ask about the cost and how it works when you book.

Sport, fitness and shows

Things to do

Away from the pools and beach, the free sports run to a gym for over-16s, an outdoor fitness platform, group classes from aerobics and aqua sessions to pilates, yoga, stretch and functional workouts, and family fitness sessions, all for age 12 and up. On the courts there’s one tennis court, with a charge to use it floodlit in the evening, a basketball court, pickleball, touch tennis, beach volleyball, a football pitch and table tennis, of which the tennis floodlights and the table tennis carry a charge. The beach water sports are covered above and run through a separate operator for a fee.

The free entertainment programme mixes children’s animation with adult evenings: BLUE Tots and T-bots Adventures for younger ones, daily Bamse and Captain T parades, then quizzes, a silent disco, cocktail, cooking and language sessions, live performances and professional evening shows in the theatre, with themed party nights. Over a longer stay some guests find the shows repeat.

Grown-up time

Spa and wellness

The Armonia Spa is the one adults-only corner, for over-16s, open 9:30am to 6pm, with massages, facials, manicures and pedicures and anti-ageing treatments using Germaine de Capuccini products. Treatments are charged and need booking, so it’s a spot for an evening to yourselves rather than a family facility. The health club’s Finnish sauna and steam room are included free for over-16s, and the heated indoor pool sits alongside them, with the family swim windows noted in the pools section above.

Off the park

The area and days out

Map of the area around TUI BLUE Lagoon Princess, showing the resort, the nearest airport and the main family days out

Kalives village is about 500 metres away, under a ten-minute walk, with tavernas, bakeries and a few shops. Gerakini, the nearest town of any size with more shops, pharmacies and restaurants, is about 3 to 4 miles (5 to 7 km) away, and Nea Moudania, the main shopping hub with larger supermarkets, is about 7 miles (12 km). Beyond Kalives itself there’s little within walking distance, so this is a resort where outings mean a car or a taxi, which is the main reason its location scores lower than the rest of the hotel. The resort doesn’t arrange excursions itself, though a TUI rep may offer local packages, and there’s a doctor on site daily with pharmacies and a clinic in Gerakini or Nea Moudania.

Next door, the Blue Lagoon Queen has a waterpark that Princess guests can pay to use. The adult slides need children to be 10 or over and 120 cm or taller, and the kids’ slides are for 5 to 10s, so check your children clear the limits, and confirm the current entry rate locally. For days further afield you’ll want the car.

Family day trips from TUI BLUE Lagoon Princess, with driving distances
PlaceDistanceFor families
Ancient Olynthosabout 6 to 9 miles (10 to 15 km)Greek city ruins with well-preserved mosaics and a 2024 multimedia room; better for older children
Petralona Caveabout 25 miles (40 km)A prehistoric cave with stalactites and an ancient skull, cool inside on a hot day
Thessalonikiabout 39 miles (63 km)Greece’s second city, with museums, a seafront and a strong food scene; a day out with older children
Ancient Stagira and Aristotle’s Parkabout 43 miles (70 km)Aristotle’s birthplace, with hands-on science models in a hilltop park
Kassandra peninsulaabout 12 to 19 miles (20 to 30 km)Livelier resort beaches and beach bars
Sithonia peninsulaabout 9 to 19 miles (15 to 30 km)Wilder coves, and boat trips from Vourvourou bay
Halkidiki boat cruisesfrom Gerakini or Nea MoudaniaFamily cruises to the Blue Lagoon and Diaporos Island, with swim stops
An aerial view of a wide turquoise bay with sandy shallows, a wooded headland and villages scattered along the shore.
A shallow turquoise bay of the sort the Halkidiki boat trips stop at
A sandy beach at the foot of green hills with clear turquoise water, and a mountain rising across the water in the distance.
A beach on the Halkidiki coast
More in the photo gallery →
The verdict in detail

Loves and gripes

What guests rate and what they flag, how it compares with its Halkidiki rivals, the journey in and the weather by month.

Across the review sites the picture is consistent: around 4.0 out of 5 on TripAdvisor and 4.4 on Google, from well over a thousand reviews each. Guests rate the rooms, service, cleanliness and sleep quality highly, at about 4.5, with value a little lower and location the clear weak spot at 3.5, which reflects how rural it is.

What families love

  • The staff, singled out again and again for warmth and care with the little ones.
  • The cleanliness of the rooms and the grounds.
  • The baby and toddler provision, the Baby Lounge and the shaded baby pool.
  • The splash pool, popular with children alongside the shaded baby pool.
  • The swim-up rooms, which families rate as an upgrade worth paying for.
  • The quiet, no-sunbed-wars atmosphere and relaxed pace.
  • The main-restaurant food and the dedicated children’s buffet.
  • The Plaza snack stalls, a hit with children in almost every review.
  • The value for a five-star all-inclusive.

Common gripes

  • The pools and pool bars closing at 6pm.
  • The remote location, with little to do nearby without a car.
  • The unheated outdoor pools, cold in May and October.
  • Buffet queues at the busiest mealtimes.
  • Watery cocktails and variable house spirits for some.
  • Evening shows that can feel repetitive over a longer stay.
  • The sand-and-pebble beach, where some expect pure sand.
  • Activities and staffing scaling back at the end of the season.
  • Building work noise reported in 2024 from a neighbouring hotel.
Against the other Halkidiki family resorts

How it compares

Sani Resort is the more premium and more expensive option, a much larger estate with Annabel Karmel children’s menus and a paid crèche from six months; Lagoon Princess is more affordable, leans on TUI’s family infrastructure and takes babies in its club from birth rather than six months. Miraggio Thermal Spa has a bigger dedicated children’s zone with indoor soft play, while Lagoon Princess offers more room variety and the TUI BLUE backing for UK families. Eagles Palace, further from Thessaloniki on the Athos peninsula, is more boutique with a paid kids’ club from four months, where Lagoon Princess is more convenient with TUI’s rep and transfer network. Within its own group, the Princess is the family hotel, the Queen adds a waterpark and the Palace is adults-only, and Princess guests can pay to use the Queen’s waterpark.

The journey in, and the season

Getting there and when to go

The nearest airport is Thessaloniki (SKG), about 45 minutes away. A TUI or package coach handles the transfer for most guests, but it must be requested in advance rather than laid on automatically, so arrange it when you book. A private taxi or transfer covers the same 45 to 55 minutes and costs more than the coach; local firms including Taxi Thessaloniki Airport, Greek Transfer Services and Flexitransfer all run the route, so it’s worth comparing a quote if you’d rather not wait for the shared coach. There’s a car hire desk at the airport and on site if you plan to explore, with Gerakini 3 to 4 miles (5 to 7 km) away and Nea Moudania 7 miles (12 km). The public bus is possible but involves a change and a walk, so it isn’t practical with young children and luggage.

The resort opens from around May to October. June and September are the best months with young children, warm with a swimmable sea and thinner crowds. July and August are the hottest and busiest, with the warmest sea for paddling, while May and October are cooler, with a chilly sea and some activities reduced.

Month by month

Weather

Kalives sits on the same gulf coast as the rest of central Halkidiki, so the regional figures hold here. The season runs from a cool-sea spring through a hot, mostly dry midsummer to a milder, wetter autumn. The sea is warmest in August, around 26°C, and stays swimmable into September, but it’s bracing in May, and the unheated outdoor pools feel cold in the shoulder months.

Typical monthly weather for Halkidiki
MonthDaytime highOvernight lowRainWet daysSea temp
May25°13.5°37 mm818°
June30°18.5°31 mm723°
July32.5°21°24 mm626°
August32.5°21°21 mm527°
September28°17°22 mm525°
October21.5°12°25 mm422°

Typical monthly averages from weather-station records. Sea temperature is the open-water figure, so a sheltered bay can feel a degree or two warmer. The resort is open from around May to October.

The small print, and your questions

Practicalities

Health, money and the on-site services, then the questions families ask most.

Greece is a standard destination for UK travellers, and the Foreign Office doesn’t advise against travel there. The EU’s Entry/Exit System, which records a biometric registration on arrival, is now in force, and you’ll want travel insurance with medical cover and a GHIC card for healthcare. Wildfires can occur in Greek summers and the country sits in an active seismic zone, both worth a moment’s awareness rather than alarm.

On site there’s a doctor daily, a mini market stocking baby food, nappies and sundries, an ATM in the lobby and currency exchange at reception. Wi-Fi is free throughout and outdoor parking is free, without reservation and subject to space. Pets aren’t allowed. Check-in is from 3pm and check-out by 11am, with late check-out subject to availability if you apply two days ahead, and a courtesy room for showers and a change before departure. A Climate Resilience Tax of €15 per room per night is payable on arrival at reception. The nearest pharmacies and clinic are in Gerakini or Nea Moudania, and the resort’s reception is at Kalives Beach, Polygyros 63100 (40.2726949, 23.3814382), on +30 22420 54562.

On accessibility, there are three adapted rooms with a step-free walk-in shower and turning space, and lifts in the main building. The pools are entered by steps and ladders rather than a ramp, and the sand-and-pebble beach isn’t ideal for a wheeled mobility aid, so those are the practical limits to know.

The questions parents ask

Questions

Is the children’s club free?

The kids’ club for age 4 and up is free and part of the all-inclusive. The baby and tots club for under-3s is a paid extra, booked per session, so if you’re travelling with a baby or toddler, budget for that or plan to lean on the free Baby Lounge and the shaded baby pool instead.

What age does the free club start?

The resort’s own programme runs from age 4. TUI’s Bamse Club is sometimes listed from age 3, so if your child is on the cusp, check the schedule with the hotel rather than assuming a place before you travel.

Is the beach inside the resort or across a road?

It’s about 50 metres away, across a quiet pedestrian road rather than a main one. It’s an easy crossing, but it is a crossing, so it’s worth knowing before a toddler bolts for the sand.

Which room suits a family with a baby or toddler?

For a door to close on a nap, the Family Room at 37 m² is the best-value pick, with two separate bedrooms. For pool steps straight from the terrace, look at the Junior Suite swim-up at 45 m² or the Swim-Up Family Room at 72 m². Book the room type when you book the holiday, as the layout is what matters most here.

Are there any adults-only areas?

No adults-only pool: every outdoor pool is open to all ages. The spa, sauna and steam room have a minimum age of 16, so they’re the one grown-up corner, and you’ll need to book spa treatments.

Are the Plaza snack stalls included?

The snack stalls, with crepes, waffles, ice cream and the like, come as part of the all-inclusive and are a firm favourite with children. A few premium items may carry a charge, so check at the counter if you’re unsure.

When does the swim school run?

In the school holidays, mainly July and August, at extra cost and by advance booking. Levels run from a parent-and-toddler class for babies up to lessons for older children, with one-to-one sessions too, so book early if it matters to your trip.

What watersports are on the beach?

A separate operator on the sand runs banana boat, jet ski, waterski, kayak, catamaran, windsurf, paddleboard and parasailing, all charged and none included in the board. There’s a deposit, so take a card or cash to the beach.

Can we use the Blue Lagoon Queen’s waterpark?

Yes, but it’s a separate paid ticket rather than part of your all-inclusive, so treat it as a day out to budget for. Confirm the current rate at reception, and check your children clear the slide age and height limits before you pay.

Is the resort easy with a pushchair?

The grounds are flat with gentle ramps, so it’s broadly pushchair-friendly, and staff run golf buggies to move guests and luggage across the site on arrival and departure. You can hire a pushchair on site for a charge if you’d rather not bring your own.

When is the best time to go with young children?

June or September for the weather, warm with a swimmable sea and short of the peak July and August heat and crowds. The one thing that might pull you to July or August instead is the swim school, which only runs in the school holidays, so if that matters, weigh it against the quieter shoulder weeks.

Last updated 17 July 2026.