Latest news with #Kassandra
The Independent
06-08-2025
- The Independent
This overlooked region of Greece is perfect for a chilled-out short break
There are three peninsulas that stretch, finger-like, from Thessaloniki, Greece 's second city, into the Aegean Sea. Together they make up the region of Halkidiki, and each has its own flavour. Athos is known for its monasteries and subsequently its pilgrimage routes (though only men can enter the monasteries here), Sithonia is wild and family-friendly, with campsites fronting sheltered beaches and backed by pine forests, and Kassandra, which historically has had a reputation as a party peninsula, home to a clutch of super clubs and upmarket hotels set along a sparkling, calm coastline. One such hotel, Domes Noruz Kassandra, has recently undergone a renovation, adding fresh allure to a region well known among weekending Thessalonikians, but relatively unknown to British and other European travellers. Domes Doruz Kassandra's position, overlooking the calm, crystal clear waters and soft sand of Pallini Beach, is perhaps its trump card. Two hours by car from the airport and a good 45 minutes from the thumping dance music of most of the larger clubs and resorts, you can totally avoid the party people should you choose to. At the heart of this adult's only hotel is its infinity-edge pool, with its white fabric beds and loungers facing the sea it's a serene spot to spend the day sunbathing between spa treatments in the award-winning SOMA spa and Greek-Italian dishes at Antonino's (think wood-fired pizzas, dakos salads, cacio e pepe and grilled local fish, all served with local Halkidiki wines.) Suppose you want to explore away from the hotel. The peninsula is renowned for its cuisine, with specialities such as Halkidiki olives, spanakopita (a flaky filo pie filled with spinach and feta or kefalograviera cheese), moussaka, and fresh fish. Just half an hour's drive from the hotel is the popular town of Afytos, with its cobbled streets, souvenir shops and picturesque setting perched high above the sea, it gets a fair amount of foot traffic from locals and tourists alike, so it's worth booking ahead for popular spots such as Notos cocktail bar, where the sunsets are as legendary as the cocktails, and Thea Thalassa restaurant, where expertly cooked fish and seafood is as fresh as it comes. Closer still and much more focused on land-based dishes is Mnēmes, a farm-to-table restaurant in the village of Pefkochori, where rustic solid wood tables are set amongst ancient olive trees strung with fairy lights, and dinner – slow charcoal-roasted salt-crusted lamb that falls off the bone, chicken souvlaki and giant pans of orzo topped with pulled beef shin are on the menu – is served in the most romantic of settings. Save room for dessert, a decadent smorgasbord of baklava, honey-soaked orange sponge cake and profiteroles filled with rich local cream and drenched in chocolate or honey. After a day at the hotel, my friends and I took a recommendation from the friendly hotel staff to try out a new venue on the peninsula, a recently opened beach club that had been full since opening, just a few months before our visit. Casa Mercedes wouldn't look out of place in Ibiza, with its monochrome theme extending from the interiors to the staff uniforms and a trendy menu of sushi, sashimi, tacos and Greek meze accompanied by fine wines from estates across the Peloponnese, Burgundy and Provence. A DJ spins tunes on the decks from midday to midnight, and while we were told it gets lively here, on our Sunday daytime visit, the vibe was decidedly laid-back. Showers stocked with luxurious Greek toiletries mean guests can go from beach to club should they wish, or even hire the private space adjacent to the main restaurant, complete with pool, day beds and its own DJ decks. Back at Domes Noruz Kassandra, and a massage with soothing ELEMIS products later, we were ready to hop into a taxi bound for Thessaloniki. We flew in from London Heathrow on the very respectably timed 9.05am flight and were eating Greek salad by the sea by 4pm Greek time. Our flight home on a Sunday afternoon meant we'd squeezed in rather a lot of R&R (and delicious, local cuisine) in just 48 hours, and this feels like something of a rarity for a Greek holiday. While the Greek islands might be on most people's wish lists, I think I've discovered a hidden gem on the Greek mainland that's perfect for a weekend escape. How to get there British Airways flies from London Heathrow to Thessaloniki, easyJet flies from London Gatwick to Thessaloniki and Ryanair flies from London Stansted to Thessaloniki. The flight time is 3 hours and 20 minutes. Hire a car from the airport or book a taxi for the under-an-hour drive to the Kassandra peninsula. Where to stay Domes Noruz Kassandra is a stylish and recently renovated adults-only resort set right on the beach.
Forbes
25-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘Assassin's Creed Shadows' Has A Yasuke Problem, No Not That One
Assassin's Creed Shadows Ubisoft It is hard to remember a more exhausting set of controversies than the ones that have surrounded Assassin's Creed Shadows since it was announced, focused on culture war-centric issues that have only become more inflamed in recent months. Much of that focus is on the inclusion of Yasuke, a black samurai pulled from history. The accusations have ranged from the claim he wasn't a real samurai to the idea that the game just should have starred a Japanese man instead. Now at launch, they range from the fact that he can seduce a royal ancestor or a non-binary character. All of this is nonsense. Yasuke is a great character in the story and a net benefit to the narrative. But there are certainly criticisms to be had about him from a gameplay perspective specifically. Throw all that other stuff in the trash and you have the real problem: Ubisoft has done it once again with a dual-character setup in a game that doesn't need one. This time, they split it not just by gender, but by an entire playstyle, with the second creating some awkward design moments, frequently. Yasuke is a sledgehammer. He runs into bandit camps and castles and just starts swinging giant katanas or maces around. He has close to zero stealth capabilities, even his one assassination move has him yelling at an enemy to get them to turn around before he drives a blade completely through their chest cavity. This can be fun! If you temporarily forget what kind of game this is supposed to be, it turns encounters into sort of an action brawler. Yasuke ragdoll kicking enemies into walls will never get old. AC Shadows Ubisoft But the world is not built for Yasuke. He's incredibly slow in traversal, huffing and puffing down paths, unable to skip across rooftops or grapple hook his way to high perches. He can't even fit through cracks in walls. This creates so many uncomfortable moments. For instance, I cleared out an entire hostile temple with Yasuke's brawling, but then tasked with getting high-up lost pages in the arena, I simply couldn't climb to get them. I had to change to Naoe, but because it was a restricted zone, I had to literally run outside, change to Naoe, then come back in and start climbing around for pages. Then leave and go back to Yasuke to keep playing with him. This happens with a lot of vision towers as well. It's true that Assassin's Creed, in recent entries, has gotten more and more friendly with open combat with characters like Kassandra or Eivor. But the point is, they could do both. No character switch for quests or even within the same literal encounter. Here, while Yasuke can be fun, he feels like he's pulled from an entirely different game, and they had to design like 20% of Shadows specifically for him, while the rest seems far more suited to Naoe. It's a really weird dynamic. Yasuke is a great character in the story. Combat with him can be fun in a vacuum. But in the larger context of the game's design, he's an puzzle piece that doesn't quite fit. Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram. Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
