We are spending 3 nights in Naxos next May after a cruise. We arrive by ferry and I'm told we should stay close to or in Naxos Town. We are looking for a hotel with breakfast included. We are not looking for a hostel, but a nicer hotel and balcony would be a plus. Also, we would like a refundable rate if we book in the next few months since we are pretty far out from May. Any recommendations are appreciated.
We were just in Naxos 3 weeks ago and spent 3 nights there. We stayed in the Naxian Secret which is in Chora (Naxos town). It isn't exactly in the center of the town but it walkable from the ferry. An alternative would be to take a taxi; the hotel contracts with a local taxi service . The hotel will contact you by email a few days before your expected arrival to see if you want that service.The driver will pick you up from the ferry and will be cheaper than one you can get yourself. The Naxian Secret is one of the best hotels I've ever stayed in. Not only do they have one balcony but 2. They also make you a cooked to order breakfast and you can eat it in your room ( on the balcony) or by the pool .I don't know if they have a refundable rate because I always choose the nonrefundable as it's usually cheaper and I don't book months in advance.
Booking. com is probably your best bet. Lots of apartments to filter out if you really want a hotel. I think Trip Advisor is related.
You may have difficulty making a reservation this early. In our experience Naxos hotels do not accept reservations until February. Mind you we book directly with hotels we know. Booking dot com may be able to take bookings sooner.
One hotel where we have stayed several times is Boutique hotel Glaros. All the rooms have sea view at St George beach./Agio Georgio They serve a gourmet breakfast which is different each day. The breakfast is not included in the price of the room so it is optional. Glaros was named as one of the top ten Boutique Hotels in Greece several years ago by the Times of London.
They are not on booking.com you have to book direct with them.
St George beach is part of Naxos town a 15 minute stroll around the headland into the waterfront promenade.
Right next door to Glaros you will find Hotel Palatia. It too has sea views from the balcony and serves breakfast. I have heard good reports on this hotel. You can book directly on their web site.
If I might make a suggestion since you have so little time you may want to consider taking a flight to Naxos. It will take you an hour to get to the airport and you will be in Naxos by mid morning. The ferry will take about 5 hours. You can be on the beach a couple of hours before the ferry arrives.
For fun here are some images of Naxos
Naxos town 2024 https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/albums/72177720318203165/
Naxos sunsets https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/albums/72157700728046481
St George beach hotels. https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/albums/72157632162394787
We just spent nine nights on Naxos in mid May. We stayed at the Hotel Grotta and highly recommend it if you're a walker. This might be the cleanest and friendliest hotel we've ever stayed in in Europe. It has a great breakfast with lots of sweet and savory options. We had a sea view room with a terrace and the view of the sea, the temple and the town was very nice. If you don't want to spring for the terrace you can make use of the rooftop terrace. We're walkers so we enjoyed the short walk up/down the hill to/from town. Search Hotel Grotta on this site and you'll find lots of comments. Search Naxos and you'll find lots of hotel comments.
Another vote for Hotel Grotta! Great service, immaculately clean modern rooms & "Mama's Breakfast" is fabulous! Easy walk to town.
Book direct for the best price.
I also recommend Hotel Grotta – a room with a sea view and balcony is a must, as you can see here: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/s4hXq3qUHXY
The breakfasts are top-notch!
ONe thing to know about Grotta ... it is not near a beach,,, it is on a high bluff, straight up the West Shore from Naxos Town ferry pier. So you don't have the thing of stepping onto a beach.
However, when you take that dowhill walk, right at the base of the pier is the "Bus circle" where in May busses go hourly to the wonderful sandy beaches of the SW shore... In Order, they are Ag. Prokopios, Ag. Anna, and my favorite, Plaka.. which is miles long, many stops ...you can tell driver where to stop. A good stop to choose in May (when it will not be crowded is At Aegean Palace hotel... they have nice sunbeds/umbrellas and -- at least the last time I was there in may -- if you order beverages & snacks, there is no charge. Up fr om the beach, their property also has a large front pool that one can use, a snackbar, and a separate small bldg with restroom-changing room facility... & outdor spray for rinsing off post-swim. Bus tickets need to be purchased in advance, in kiosk right by the pier.
If you stay at Ag. Giorgios/St George beach at either place recommended, and want to visit an outer beach by bus, you either walk into town, OR walk to a stop inland from beach; ask your landlord to mark the way on a map. In high season the bus will be packed and sail by, but iin may, it should be OK.