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