Heaven on an island: Naxos

Written By Nik C

Golden beaches, sun-kissed cheeks, relaxed smiles and crystal-clear waters. In the Australian autumn of ’23, when here the leaves began browning and I was whipping out the hoodies and blazers despite the rest of my family overseas telling me “Australia never get’s cold”, I was daydreaming of rocky shores and cocktails. Like many other’s, my TikTok and Instagram feeds were flooded with videos and photos of people starting their Euro summer, or reminiscing of Euro summer’s past. It’s safe to say, every fibre of my being was being called to a Greek island.

 

And so it went. One by one, everyone I knew began booking their Europe trips for June – July 2023, including a token Greek island to really hit that relaxation criteria. After all, Covid stole some of our most significant years. So many people felt stuck, disconnected from the rest of the world, burnt out from working themselves so hard. It was time to steal all that time back. So what did I do? I booked a Greek island holiday as part of my Euro summer trip too.

 

You don’t have to be Greek or have ever been to Greece to know how beautiful the country is. Delicious and authenticate foods made from the most natural ingredients, blue as far as the eyes can see, and culture so rich you are fully immersed the second the plane wheels hit the ground. I knew it was somewhere I had to visit again. There was one thing I knew for certain though, and it was that I had to visit an island I’d never visited before.

 

But how on earth do you choose a particular variety of heaven? I considered Santorini, Mykonos, Zakynthos, Milos, Crete (and they’re all places that are still on my bucket list) but after extensive research I finally settled on something that wasn’t necessarily mainstream or “TikTok trending”.

 

Naxos.

 

And boy, did it become one of my favourite places on earth from the second we arrived. Naxos was the perfect combination of relaxation, adventure, exploration and romance for me. It was everything I wanted out of the Greece portion of my trip in a single island!

 

Naxos is filled with beaches, all slightly different but all complete with beautiful clear water in too many gradients and hues of blue to count. Pink flowered trees lined the streets, octopuses hung in front of restaurants, and the smell of the sea filled my nose on long walks. I am quite fond of walking, so I was really pleased when staying 15 mins walk from the port that there were so many stores, restaurants and sites to see on my walks, as well as strolls through the old town.

 

I found that this island was less inundated with tourists than the others during that peak time, but still had all the features of the really busy ones. I spent days laying on the beach all day with a good book, walking by the water and visiting sites like churches and the Temple of Apollo (pictured), shopping in the old town, and enjoying a wine with delicious food by the water. One day was spent hiring an ATV and beach hopping, exploring all the different beaches and taking the chance to take a dip in every single one.

 

Naxos is an island I constantly recommend to all my friends and family, and I would visit again in a heartbeat!

In an attempt to be objective, I’ve listed some pros and cons below when considering a trip to Naxos.

 

Pros:

  • Lots of food options, great views, and a clean hotel in a great location.

  • Lots of opportunities to explore due to the size of the island.

  • Great photo opportunities for those who love their pictures!

  • Beaches were stunning!

 

Cons:

  • The ferry ride was quite long to get there from Athens (although, bad weather hit during my journey and hence I was on the ferry for double the amount of time).

  • If you’re looking for nightlife, I wouldn’t say that Naxos is a party island. For me this didn’t matter, but you may want to consider a different location if this is what you’re looking for.

 

Recommendations:

  • Stay in Chora (or close to the port) for optimal food options and site seeing opportunities!

  • Rent a quadbike or moped and spend a day or two just exploring the island and all the different beaches (I highly recommend Agios Prokopios beach).

  • Spend a day or two just relaxing on the beach and looking out over the water, and feel your stress just melt away.

  • Try the wine and the Lamb Kleftiko (they were to die for!).

  • Explore the old town. It’s a beautiful and romantic place!

Nik C