Naxos accommodations

No where on Naxos will be noisy party scene at that time. We were there late September last year.. and its quiet by then.. still lots to do.. just not a party scene.. Weve also been in May.. and its not a party scene then either.. I think its not even the time but maybe just Naxos is not a rowdy party island.. There are tavernas and shops open.. but I dont recall nightclubs being a big thing there ( unlike Mykonos)

I don't know these 3 places, but I loved my place at Santa Katerina Apartments. I had the top floor apartment, which included a living room with a full wall kitchen, a good sized separate bedroom, a very nice and modern bathroom, plus a small private patio area, with table and chairs out there. I thought the cost was very reasonable. The owner was very available, provided fresh baked goods every day (his own baking, I think), and was very helpful in arranging a guide with driver for an excursion around the island I wanted to take. It was a short and easy walk into the center of town, then on to the port area and old city. Also a short walk to St. George's Beach, which was OK. Little grocery store almost next door, and a little cafe for breakfast or other meals very close too.

Thank you, Larry and Pat, for your input. Good to know that Naxos is not a party island, and also, thanks for the tip about Santa Katarina apartments - I will definitely check it out!

Being right on St. George Beach may not be a priority for us, as the beach itself does not look as nice as other beaches we will want to visit.

Thanks again,
Rachel

rachel.. we had one of our best meals in a taverna on St Georges beach.. it was the second or third place down from the beach access closest to Kymata hotel.

St Georges really is a nice beach.. but you have to go out so far for deep water.. if you are a swimmer that might be annoying.

I would not spend a ton of money on a place.. you'll be out most of the day.. but a nice balcony is great for morning coffee or an after dinner drink.. one with a view ( Like the Kymatas roof top ones) is bonus .

Thank you, Pat. Did you stay at Hotel Kymata, or can you recommend a place?

Pat, I think you are right: Better not to spend a lot on a room. However, I have noticed that Kymata, a "budget hotel," where we booked the top floor (for the view, but it's pricey), is actually more expensive than the Kalergis (right on the beach) . Meanwhile, St. Katarina looks lovely - a bit of a walk to the beach, but looks more homey Greek style, and is more in the range of what we want to spend. Even if we go with their "Penthouse," it's still cheaper.

So I am still debating, and need to discuss with my husband, but leaning toward the St. K....while Greece's economy is not great, the euro-dollar exchange is working against us (we're from the US), so....

I have a tendency to debate these things endlessly with myself, but am appreciating everyone's input!

R

The room you booked at the Kyamata is much bigger than the room you looked at the Kalergis. Although I like that they have kitchenettes at the Kalergis.. Kymata just has fridges.. ( which we didnt mind as we loved eating out ) You did book the most pricey room at the Kymata..

I have stayed at the Kymata.. twice.. once in the roof top room.. loved it.. and once in the standard rooms. The standard rooms are half the price.. and of course.. half the size.. the balcony in the standard room fits two chairs and a tiny table.. the roof top terrace is huge.. has rattan couch and chairs.. a dining table and a coffee table.. plus room for loungers.. so two different rooms for sure. Both were clean and comfy however. I do think the bathroom in the standard room seemed a bit bigger then the bathroom in the roof top room.. so there is that weird difference.

If you look up the ratings for both hotels they are almost identical.. with the Kymata scoring 94% excellent to very good reviews and the Kalergis scoring 90 % .. so close.. .. .

Honestly I would stay in either hotel .. I love the Kymata but the Kalergis looks nice too.

Thank you, Pat - you are right, it is the priciest room at the Kymata. We don't need the space - just 2 of us - but the rooftop balcony and view looks awesome....

I like the idea of having a kitchenette, but like you, we will probably eat out most meals. I do like having snacks and breakfast items in the room, however, but a fridge is good enough for that.

Generally, people seem to really like the Kymata. The owners must be very friendly and helpful. BTW: where are you seeing these ratings you refer to?

Thanks again for your input, very helpful as I am driving myself crazy with this decision ;-).

Rachel -- We are about your age, and we were also debating between the Kymata and Kalergis for our visit to Naxos in May 2016. We chose the Kalergis and had a wonderful stay.

On our travels we almost always book balconies, for the view. But here, because the hotel is right on the beach, we chose one of the ground-floor patio rooms. How often do you have the opportunity to walk a few steps from your room to the sand?? We still had a beach view, from our patio. The patios aren't totally private from each other; they are separated by low walls. But the hotel is set back from the beach, behind a low wall, and patios are screened from the beach by plantings. So you have privacy from people walking by.

At the Kalergis, you don't get a wonderful breakfast like at the Kymata. But you do have a little kitchenette with refrigerator and stove. So we stocked up on fruit & yogurt from one of the many nearby markets. And a couple of times we got wonderful fresh croissants from a bakery up the street. And then we'd have a lovely, quiet breakfast on our patio.

In mid-May the beach was very quiet. Very few people. No noise at all. Next door to the Kalergis is a restaurant/beach bar with sunbeds and umbrellas available for customers (including hotel guests) at no charge (at least when we were there). It was wonderful to relax there after a long day of sightseeing.

Wherever you stay, I highly recommend walking down the beach (away from town) to Flisvos Sportscenter for happy hour. We walked by it every morning and saw jet skis & windsurfers lined up to rent along the water. But on our last evening, we walked up to its hotel and found it had a lovely "front porch" with couches and comfy chairs facing the sea. We settled in with our ouzos for a spectacular sunset and wished we had found it sooner!

I hope you have a wonderful visit to Naxos.

Thank you Charlene, and everyone else. Charlene, your response was the straw that persuaded me and I booked Kalgeris today. Very happy with the decision and look forward to Naxos.

Also appreciate everyone's restaurant recommendations. I will be asking in another thread about that, beaches, villages to visit, buses, etc...

Thank you all again,
Rachel