Luxe Beat Magazine May 2014 | Page 23

H opping off his bicycle, Thomas Sidinalsa bounded into the cool lobby of the Alexandros Palace Hotel and Spa on a hot July day in Ouranoupolis. He apologized that his daily ride kept me waiting. We didn’t have an appointment; I was just checking in. Would I like to see the excavations of the Monastery of Zygou? Thus began a whirlwind two days of exploring the western Halkidiki coast and northern Athos with the energetic heirs of this village by the sea. Thomas and his brother John are both into music and people. They’re hands-on managers of the 250-room Alexandros Palace Hotel resort complex started by their parents in the 1990s. They grew up in the hotel as it expanded from a modest seaside hotel into a veritable village on the 90-acre hillside location just outside the center of Ouranoupolis, gateway to sacred Mount Athos. Thomas and John attended the prestigious and rigorous Swiss hotel school, the Glion Institute. Thomas and John greeted repeat guests by first name. Casually dressed, they’re found at the hotel’s private beach facilities, cycling the extensive grounds paying attention to gardening details, consult