Just wondering for all you Naxos devotees which beach is your favorite. From my research I am down to Agios Prokopius and Plaka. If you were to spend the afternoon at the beach, which would you choose and why.
And what amenities are available? For example, are bathrooms available? Can you buy food?
Beth
I should add that we also are staying Agios Georgious Beach also but for four nights (wish it was a week!). We will be in Naxos the first week of June (in a month!) and we are a family with young adult children in their 20s. I have seen pictures of Agios Georgious and frankly it is a bit too urban and crowded for my taste. I am hoping for few less people and more of a natural feel.
Beth
Beth, Ag. Giorgios is not that crowded in June ... the photos just make it seem so .... It's not "urban" whatever that means ... only little teensy groceries, and tavernas on the sand. Around the corner from my tiny place (Studios Naxos), the little grocery has eggs on the counter, in a basket. A farm lady drops them off every day. Urban??
In May-June it's very quiet at night, just the cafes and 3-4 tavernas for dinner ... yet in 15 minutes you can stroll along the seafront into the port town for all its attractions. You tell us you have a party of 6 ... to get them to agree on what to do together is like herding cats. But staying in Ag. Giorgios, each can do his/her thing .... go windsurfing, lie on beach, go into town, shopping in the maze of lanes or up to the Kastello at the tippy-top. No coordination necessary, so you can relax for once.
As for favorite Swimming ... I like a quick dip in Ag. Giorgios at breakfast time .... you have to wade out about 150 yards to where it drops off, but it's SO convenient, and there are trees right up to the sand. When I want more of a "Beach day" I take the bus out to Plaka ... a bit windier, in June very sparsely populated ... rent a beach chair & sunbrella for about €7, swim read etc, I take it to the 3rd Plaka Bus Stop, by nice Aronis taverna with deep cool roofed terrace, for lunch... if you order beverages from them, i think their beach chairs are free. Only beach I'd avoid is Ag. Anna -- very narrow & even in June hardly a place to lay a towel, a line-up of cafes right on sand that blare music.
The thing about the outer beaches is that they're sorta strings of housing along the shore, and Ag. Giorgios is more established. Those 3-4 outer beach places (for staying) were built right at the edge of fields ... thus they are mainly treeless and dusty, greenery is mainly bushes & stands of bamboo (and brave patchy lawn). Ag. G seems greener & shadier by comparison. The sea of course is lovely... and the bus will get you there.
We are staying at Ag. Giorgios because we do have a large group and it is convenient for many things. I was looking for advice for a beach day somewhere else.
It seems that Plaka has more wind than Agios Propkopius so maybe it will just depend on the day what is best.
How far down the coast do the buses go in early June? I saw pictures of Kastraski and liked it but thought we would probably need a car to get there. We actually are planning to rent a car for part of the time and had thought of going to Alyko or Kastraski beach for an afternoon. My husband is partial to Alyko because of the cedar trees in the pictures we have seen.
Beth
Just my opinion but Plaka is our favourite beach in Naxos. We stay at St George because of the proximity of Naxos town and spend an hour or two on the beach each day. However when we want a full beach day we just hop the bus and go to Plaka. Prokopius has a village so tends to be a bit more crowded than Plaka. The further out you go on Plaka the fewer people. The bus turns around at Plaza hotel. However the road continues further and there are large sections of beach with no one. One caution, the further one goes, the skimpier the bathing suits.
We have used the beach beds at Patrino taverna. They are about 7 euros and there is a person on duty all day who will serve you food and drinks from the taverna. If you rent chairs from a taverna there is bathroom facilities. If you rent from an independent you won't have access to bathrooms.
Recently though my wifes back has gotten tweaky so we have moved to Agean Palace beach club. It is free as long as you are buying drinks. I can make an ouzo last an hour and a half..
Perhaps images of the beaches will help. These photos show you all the infrastructure plus the beach.
St George Beach Naxos http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/sets/72157632113170279/
Plaka beach tavernas hotels https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/sets/72157655106193251
Aggia Anna and Ag Prokipos beach areas https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/albums/72157656297072028
Stan--thanks so much for the information on beach beds and bathrooms! That is something that a newbie would not know (although it makes perfect sense).
I like the fewer people idea of Plaka.....
Love your pictures too!
Beth
Beth, yours and my plans sort-of overlap. So, here is a link to beach-descriptions I found for all beaches on the island. We are staying on Plaka, but I am keen to find a more hidden and/or off-the-beaten-path beaches, perhaps on the opposite side of the island from the port, or further down the coast from Plaka. I liked this website because it shows a thumbnail picture of the beaches it describes. What I want to find now is a detailed map of the island that tells me where they all are (I know I can zoom in on google maps but I like to be able to see the whole island and each part in one view)...
edited to add: Im so dumb: when you click on an individual beach, it shows you where it is on the island
Jessica,
The "deserted" beach that we hope to visit is Aliko. It is further down the coast from Plaka. It has cedar tress which has enchanted my husband who is a horticulturalist.
The beaches on the other side of Naxos are a lot harder to reach because there is not a road that goes around the coast the whole way. You have to go to the mountain villages in the center and then drive to the coast. Frankly, in looking at pictures I didn't think they were quite as pretty either.
There are also some u-tube videos that visit the beaches that you might watch too. I had leaned towards Plaka for a bus to the beach day and the only video that evaluated the beaches preferred Agios Propkopios over Plaka. Hence my question. I think from what I have put together it has less wind and more facilities. The man in the video talked about sand blowing from the road. I am looking for as deserted as I can get to on a bus for that day so I think Plaka will be better for us--unless it is an unusually windy day.
When are you going? We will be on Naxos starting May 30 of this month!!!! I have been planning for a year so hard to believe it is almost time to go!
Beth
We are not really beach people - at least husband and I are not, so a small out-of-the-way beach would be better (for me certainly - a nice place to read while the kids do their thing!).
I think I forgot the link last time:
http://www.naxos.gr/en/naxos/naxos-beaches/beach-finder/
Jessica,
26 days in Greece! How fortunate for you! We will be there two weeks but with our young adult children so two weeks may be plenty. You can't quite dictate in the same way when they are adults which makes it more work in many ways.
My husband and I were in Naples and the Amalfi coast in July a couple years ago. It was very hot some of the time--we ended up taking an underground tour of Naples to get away from the afternoon heat, for example. But it actually cooled off and we hiked the three hour hike Path of the Gods in the afternoon in pleasant weather. Hopefully, you will have some of the same. Italy is not necessarily air conditioned which was a shock for us coming from S. Florida where every thing is. We went to the main archeological museum in Naples and it was broiling hot! I know the air bnb we are staying at on Santorini is not air conditioned but it will be May not July so I am not too worried. But you might double check your accommodations for a/c. I just assumed that the house was air conditioned and later saw a review that said it was pleasant in July even without air conditioning.
Naxos is very mountainous in the interior and some of the bike rides I saw looked pretty difficult. I think I was looking at Naxos bikes and there is a video. It was biking fairly vertically up a gravel road. Way beyond our skill level. We too are thinking of renting bikes but will stick to routes that they label easy and very easy treks.
I had looked at that website for hikes but not the beaches so I will look at it too.
I will be back before you go and will be glad to share anything that might be useful to you.
Beth
