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Naxos Greece reviews |
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Reviews of resorts, beaches, apartments, tavernas and all aspects of holidays from people who have visited the Greek island of Naxos | ||
| NAXOS BOOK REVIEWS |
| Which? Guide to the Greek Islands | ||
| Good: The beauty is no romantic fiction. It lies in the exceptional variety and richness of the island's landscapes, way of life and historical interest, which add up to a deeply satisfying holiday. | ||
| Bad: The roads are in a very bad state in places: potholes; signs lacking, or hidden or faded into blankness; blind corners (bamboo); unannounced narrow bridges on otherwise good stretches of road; exposed drops and lots of buses, lorries and tractors on the main Naxos to Apollon road. |
| Greece: The Rough Guide | |
| Good: Naxos is the largest and most fertile of the Cyclades, and with its green and mountainous highland scenery seems immediately distinct from its neighbours. The difference is accentuated by the unique architecture of many of the interior villages. | |
| .Bad: Naxos could easily support itself without tourism . . . but has thrown its lot in with mass tourism, so that parts of the island are now almost as busy as Paros in season. |
| Cadogan Greek Islands | |
| Good: Naxos was Byron's favourite island, perhaps because it comes in romantic proportions; rugged mountains and lush valleys, sprinkled with the ruins of the ancient Greeks, the gilded Byzantines and his beloved Venetians | |
| Bad: Not a lot. | |
| NAXOS VISITOR REVIEWS | |
| Agia Anna |
Your Naxos review here |
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| Mail Me |
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Naxos has variety |
| What I like about Naxos is the variety - good sandy beaches to mountains, less spolit, not so commercial, good value, lack of tour operators and 18-30's, feels "more Greek", good selection of accommodation near to good beach (St Georges) and the town, near to other islands to visit - relaxing. Admittedly we go last 2 weeks of Sept and it is a bit of a hike to get to but not too bad - Heathrow is near to me so 2230 Friday night flight is excellent. Home from work change clothes pick up bags and off to the tube at South Ealing. Arrive early morning, bus to Piraeus, early morning ferry (slow will do) to Naxos - dive for the airline seats upstairs and a nap en route. - Arthur |
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Naxos not too wild |
| Naxos isn't wild but there are lots of music bars and dance nightspots mainly in Naxos town. Get rooms near the centre or south to be close to clubs. Bar happy hours can last up to three hours. Biggest nightclub is Super Island at Grotta 11am to sunrise but the waterfront is full of nightspots - and pestering touts. Cream, Ocean and Veggera are at the southern end of the harbour. Huge number and large variety of restaurants - fresh fish to fast-food. Nikos on the Paralia above the bank is good for fish. Apostolis in Old Market Street is also good value. The Dolfini is above a bank and East West is stupidly at south end of town. Beaches at Agios Prokopis and Agia Anna have bars and cafes that open late in the summer. - Katy |
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Spiros Studios, Naxos |
| Spiros studios are on the edge of Naxos and our rooms were great, big and airy though the views were not up to much, just other apartments and scrub land all around. Breakfast was by the pool and the tables were small but there was always plenty to eat. The pool itself was new when we arrived and very nice. Some people were happy to spend all day there though we went exploring the island every day. We liked the showers which had more room than most we have seen and the beds were quite comfy too which we haven't found all that much in Greece. It was a long way to the beach at Giorgios though and the walk into Naxos was quite a trek although well worth it when we got there as Naxos town is a great place to be.- Ken and Margaret Bailey, Glasgow |
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I would recommend Naxos |
| I would recommend the island of Naxos. A great hotel there is the Asteria. It is well priced on the beach and very clean. In September it is easy to find accommodation it is not usually necessary to book ahead. We also found that Delos was a day well spent. You can only go for a day trip from Paros or Mykonos. Paros is a pleasant island with some great beaches. Also it is much cheaper than Mykonos.- Sheila |
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Several good beaches for nudists |
| There are several nudist beaches on Naxos. Although they are mixed. Do not use the beach just outside town Ag. Georgios as although it is a lovely beach (busy even in end May when we were there) it is strictly family. Travel further afield (car / motor bike needed) and visit Plaka, which has many dunes at the back where nudists can bathe, we saw plenty there, and further along there is a beautiful beach just outside or Orkos think it is called something like Mikra Vilga or Villiagar. This is a really lovely beach, very large and the sea is great all colours from pale blue through to aqua. Again, a fair number of nude bathers, when we were there there was only six other couples on the whole beach mostly nudist. Two tavernas up on the top road and a very small supermarket/shack selling drinks etc.- Heather |
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Good outweighs bad on Naxos |
| I think your remarks on Naxos are a bit heavy handed. I found the local people extrememly friendly and the landscape idyllic. The only problem was the large distances - Naxos is a big island with a big mountain inthe middle. But the beaches are excellent, the facilities plentiful and the tavernas as good as anywhere you will find. You should pay more attention to the good things the island has to offer, they far outweigh the bad.- Roger Smythe |
Naxos Town accommodation |
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Sun Studios, Naxos |
| We recently spent 11 nights on Naxos and really enjoyed the island. We stayed at the Naxos Sun studios which were clean, basic and the towels and bedding were changed every day there was a small pool. We were about 5mins walk from the square. At the end of the road was a good bakery opposite was the bus stop for nearby beaches. also the cinema. We found the hora(town) very good with plenty of tavernas and bars but not to touristy. we had a excellent meal in taverna called "OCEAN" which serves only fish. The owner caught the fish cooked it and served it we had sea bass which we can recommend, along with the village white wine served in a tin jug! we visited Plaka beach, sandy and not busy, need to take drinks and food as nearest taverna/hotel quite a walk and expensive. Also visited Alyki beach found a sandy cove all to ourselves. Some good resturants in square where the fountain is. Most enjoyable holiday.- Mr & Mrs N Brand, Fleetwood, Lancs |
| AGIA ANNA VISITOR REVIEWS | |
Your Aghia Anna review here |
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| Mail Me |
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Best beaches on Naxos |
| Definitely Agia Anna has the best beach on Naxos. We stayed in Naxos town but took the bus to Agia Anna every day. The beach is smaller but soft sand and the tavernas much cosier. I found the beaches on Naxos stunning but most of them were just too big!!! Sand as far as the eye could see, which is OK but I prefer a more intimate setting and Agia Anna was just right. You can walk to Prokopios beach in one direction and Plaka in the other if you want more wide open spaces and a bus or taxi pops you into Naxos town for some more lively nightlife. - Sally M |
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Aghia Anna a lovely quiet resort |
| Agia Anna is a lovely quiet resort with a small selection of tavernas and bars and a couple of minimarkets. A regular bus service goes to the main town or you can get a taxi. The beach is narrow but sandy and around the headland in one direction is the huge Prokopios beach and in the other, beyond the tiny harbour is Plaka beach, a glorious stretch of dune-backed sand for several kilometres. Occasional bars and tavernas are hidden in the bamboo groves behind the beach. In Agia Anna itself there are some good tavernas - I'd recommend the Gorgona, Faros and Agia Anna. As for walking as Ouzo says its not great walking country - salt pans behind Prokopios and flat farmland in the other direction - dolMades |
Agia Anna accommodation |
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Marroussa Studios, Aghia Anna |
| I'd recommend the Marroussa Studios at Aghia Anna - just up the coast from Naxos town. It's a lovley resort with a small selection of tavernas with a regular bus to Naxos town till late or a taxi for 8 euros Marroussa studios are set in great gardens and run by a Greek girl and her mother who gave us fruit and veg from her garden. The rooms are clean, some with air con, and only two minutes walk to the beach. -Ellen |
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Sea View Studios, Aghia Anna |
| I've stayed here at Agia Anna several times and it is very good. Run by two brothers http://www.seaviewstudios.gr/ - Susie |
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Plaza Studios, Agia Anna |
| We stayed at the Plaza studios in Agia Anna. It's up a side street about 100 yrds from the resort centre and the rooms are fine and cleaned daily with sheets and towels every other day. I'm an independent traveller so turned up on spec and was able to haggle a very good price for the room when I decided to stay longer than one night. Agia Anna is very peaceful with a handful of tavernas - best is Gorgona and another good one is the Faros. The local wine is very good but than Naxos is known for its wines. - Mark |
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Antonina Studios, Aghia Anna |
| My husband & I stayed at the Antonina in July last year & loved it (and Naxos) so much we went back for another week in October and we're visiting again this July! It's a pretty little property with a quiet pool area & well-kept gardens, close to the beach. Nikos & Julia, the owners, speak little English but are helpful & friendly. There are quite a few cats at the property (most of them tame and charming). Each room has a tv and there's a small charge for air conditioning - most amusing as it's more like a lukewarm fan, but welcome nonetheless. Also I think most if not all rooms have some kind of sea view. I'd agree with the taverna recommendations. Nikos taverna (as you walk into Agios Prokopios) is another good one. The main town is buzzing with plenty of really good tavernas and bars and some decent souvenir shops amongst the usual tat. In the centre of the island Filoti & Chalki are villages worth seeing. I could sing Naxos's praises all day but I'll stop now. Enjoy! Their website is www.antonina.gr - Polikala |
Other accommodation |
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Angeliki Studios, Plaka |
| http://www.angeliki-apartments.gr/ Hey
Angeliki studios are very nice.
They are on Plaka beach near Aghia Anna. The beach is many kilometres long.
They apartments are big and there are good balconies overlooking the beach.
Rooms have a telephone, radio, shower, kitchenette, small fridge and safe box. There is also a garden and a car park. Naxos town is about 6km with buses every 10 minutes or taxi late at night. There is a supermarket a few steps away and many more facilities in Naxos town |
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Acti Plaka Apartments, Plaka |
| I stayed at http://www.actiplaka.gr/ a family run set of apartments. We were there in May. Plaka is south of Agia Anna along a bumpy road, it is very nice and very quiet (at least it was in May) and you can take your kit totally off. The apartments are new and they come and clean everyday, it has all the usuals plus a TV, the main front apartment where we stayed has an uninterrupted view of the sea (you can still see the sand dunes but also the sea) It's 15mins to town by car 5 mins to Agia Anna, a lovely beach. + The owner will pick you up from the port and drop you to it when you leave. (Get the price for the room in writing) - Kyle |
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Hotel Agios Prokopios |
| We found this a great hotel. Basic but comfortable and rooms cleaned daily. Its in a good location off the main road and very peaceful plus NO NOISE AT NIGHT. The beach is about five minutes away but to be honest we spent most days by the pool which was also kept very clean. There are several tavernas in the village but a trip to Naxos Town (highly recommended) was 7 euro by taxi and less than 1euro on the bus and taxis run into the early hours so no problem getting back to the hotel. Naxos Town has a lot more to offer than Agios Prokopios with tavernas all along the promenade and some great little craft shops up the back streets plus all the liveliness of a capital port. There was even a small fair with dodgems while we were there. Some of the rooftop restaurants are worth trying too. On the beach front we found Agia Anna beach nearby to be a lot nicer with better sand and good tavernas. One of the best holidays we've had. Loved Naxos. - Islay |
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| Naxos |
A tourist survival guide to the Greek island of Naxos |