Naxos is such an underrated island in my opinion. We first heard about this gem after an episode of an Anthony Bourdain show. Charles had mentioned he wanted to go here on our honeymoon between Santorini and Mykonos. I had heard about the island when looking at some Greek travel guides, so I happily agreed. We love exploring off the standard tourist path, so this was the perfect way to explore Greece further.
I can’t recommend visiting this island enough! This island was Charles’s favorite because it is so laid back and easy. The beaches have actual sand and there are countless adorable and delicious restaurants, beach clubs, and hotels that fill the island. People often wander off the beach into a restaurant for dinner, which gives everything such a relaxing vibe.
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WHERE TO STAY
We stayed at the Iria Beach Art Hotel, which is located on Agia Ana beach and is surrounded by amazing restaurants. The breakfast at the hotel is delicious and the hospitality is amazing. It’s incredibly affordable and the perfect little vacation spot. If you are wanting to stay in actual Naxos town, there are also some amazing options for you to consider below. I don’t really think you can go wrong with any of these, it just depends on what you’re looking for! We wanted to stay right on the beach, so our hotel choice was perfect for our plans in Naxos.
- Hotel Grotta: this beautifully decorated hotel is repeatedly raved about. It’s a ten minute walk from the city center, which is just enough to keep it a quiet and romantic option for your stay.
- Nissaki Beach Hotel: this hotel is located both near the city center and the beach. It’s just a few steps away from Saint George beach, but also has a beautiful pool. This boutique hotel has great reviews for it’s service and hospitality.
- Boutique Hotel Garos: this hotel is a one minute walk to the beach and a ten minute walk to the city center of Naxos. The staff is known for their service which perfectly compliments the modern and comfortable decor.
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WHERE/WHAT TO EAT
When we arrived, we kept hearing about how wonderful all the cheeses were on the island. It’s never hard to convince us into eating cheese, so we had to try it at almost every meal. I agree that it was all really good! The seafood here is so delicious and we loved getting more of our Octopus fix. As with the rest of Greece, every meal was delicious. I don’t think you can go wrong here and could wander into any restaurant and end up happy. They were also all incredibly affordable! Naxos also produces olives, grapes, figs, citrus fruit, corn, and potatoes– so be sure to get your fix of these. Be sure to try some Pastitsio, too. It’s like Greek lasagna and ohh my gosh it’s amazing.
- Banana Beach Bar + Restaurant: we hung out here in the day, as its just a few steps from out hotel. It is adorable and all the drinks were so good. We ate lunch on the beach from here and everything we had was great!
- Yazoo Summer Bliss: this is an adorable restaurant serving up Cretian-Naxian food with a stunning sunset view. We had several courses here, including the most delicious (and huge) cheese board and octopus.
- Taverna at Naxos Island Hotel: this adorable restaurant has a great ocean view and serves up amazing, traditional Greek food.
- L’Osteria: this restaurant is actually Italian and is a wine bar, so it’s a great option if you want to change it up from the Greek food.
- Meltemi: this is a family owned restaurant serving up authentic Greek food using recipes that have been passed down for generations.
- Waffle House: the go-to spot in town for homemade ice cream and of course, waffles.
WHAT TO DO
Naxos is super laid back, so the ‘go with the flow’ attitude is alive and well here. We relaxed on the beach at beach clubs during our days in Naxos. If you want some other activities to do, you can explore more of the island by visiting the ruins or taking a boat around the island. If you want to go out at night, a lot of the beach bars have fun night scenes. Try Island Bar for some dancing and good music!
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TRAVEL TIPS
- We didn’t find that reservations were needed here. Every restaurant was laid back and very accommodating!
- Its very easy to get around the island by foot, but if you need a cab your hotel can easily call you one and they aren’t too expensive. You can also ride bikes or rent a four wheeler or car.
- Naxos is super affordable. Our dinners were much cheaper than even our most laid back lunches in other places we visited along our honeymoon like Positano or Santorini.
I hope you all love this island as much as we did! It was so fun to explore a lesser-known Greek island with a true local life. It’s the perfect place to go relax without any set plans. If you’ve been and have any things that we must do or restaurants to try for next time, please let me know! I’d love to add to our list for next time. XO
