Hello there, Gianni is here as mentioned above! lol!
Both at Sithonia and the "pre" Mt. Athos area you will find beautiful and peacefull destinations surrounded by magnificent green scenery and amazing beaches.
Regarding Sithonia, you should definitely give a look at Parthenonas, which is a traditional settlement, situated on the hill overlooking the Aegean sea, and is surrounded by olive trees and pine tree forests. It is just 5km from the sea and the busy town of Neos Marmaras, which gives you the alternative of a quiet place on the one hand, but very close to stores, restaurants , cafes as well. The architecture of the village is unique as it is strictly old Macedonian. There are two restaurants, two coffee bars and a handfull of guest houses (B & B's).
If you like being closer to the sea, you could check Porto Koufo, situated on the water and surrounded by a beautiful natural harbour and a beautiful beach. A few nice restaurants on the promenade and a few nice B& B's as well. There is also a larger hotel at the one side (south ) of Porto Koufo, whose name I can't recall now.
Apart from these two places , Parthenonas and Porto Koufo, you could also give a look at Sykia, a larger village, not very touristic though, also surrounded by beautiful beaches in the area.
Now, if you look at the Mt .Athos area, around Ierissos which is a larger town, you will find many nice places to stay close to the sea. I very much like the area around Kakoudia beach and there are definitely some nice small hotels in the area as well there. There is also Nea Roda, a smaller and quieter place, than Ierissos and the near by Ouranoupolis, which has a few large hotels and nice restaurants, but overall it is a pretty small village. Don't forget to chech also the island of Ammouliani, which is exactly across Ouranoupolis. A small place, with beautiful beaches, and food , and frequent ferry rides from and to its port, towards Trypiti.
I know this might be a lot of information, but we needed to cover a large area. Since you are staying for three weeks, I would suggest that you split this for half of your stay at Sithonia , so that you can explore the whole area, and half of your stay at the side of Mt. Athos, so that you can explore both that area and mainland Halkidiki.
I would be glad to help you out with your itinerary, things to do and see, beaches, monuments, hotels, even restaurants at some of the areas, that I have personally visited, if you need any further help.
Best Regards,
Giannis.
