Naxos in May with a baby?

Either Naxos or Paros seem to be perfect for what you want.

Thanks, Suki, I'm glad to hear we're on the right track! I see those two islands are very close, would you recommend staying on one and doing the other as a day trip? Are there any "feels" of difference between them to consider?

I have the experience of going on a beach vacation with a child under age 1 -- so I can speak from solid experience (remembering SO well, decades later!!) --- that there are 2 important MUSTS for a location if your daughter is to have any quality time at all.

(1) ROOMS directly ON the sands, AND if possible at the patio level, Here's why; a child under age 2 or 3 always involves lots of equipment (stroller, toys, tent/shade, etc etc), so you don't want to carry it for blocks, or even up/down steps. AND there are all those NAPS... if tot cannot nap on beach but must be indoors or in shade, if you have a patio unit, the mom or dad "on duty" still can relax on a sunbed outside.

(2) LOCATION where you can WALK to interesting sights, cafes, shops museums without need to get into a car, wrangle a carseat, load up all that equipment (see item 1). St. George is an easy stroll on level walkways to the portside crescent with attractive tavernas & cafes. BRing a cheap "cane stroller" for the walk... and feed the babe her own food or treats while you enjoy a real dinner. I'm there in late may almost every year & see couples lingering over coffee or a glass of wine, while a baby snoozes beside them in a stroller. Of course u can rent a car for a day to drive around the island (it has stunning drmatic landscapes, hillside villages, mountainside of MARBLE, ruins. vineyards, farms with flocks of sheep/goats... the list goes on!

Naxos has long been favored by families with toddlers, for both those reasons. and The BEST location is St. George (Ag Giorgios) beach, located directly adjacent to the port town. I suggest you go onto booking.com for this beach, and click on "map view" which shows exact location of many lodgings (often hoteliers will exaggerate and claim beach-side when they're not). THe 2 that I like best for PATIO-LEVEL units are STudios Kalergis and Studios Thomais. It may work best for the young family to have its own unit (with BR, bath main room & kitchenette), while grandparents have unita on a floor above. I believe that duplicate bathrooms aid family harmony! PLUS a bit of distance in general. Two others are Villa Naxia (upscale, must book direct) and Sun Beach. THere are a number of other hotels right on beach or a few yards off, but perhaps not with patio access to the sand. I recomend you do some good research, and if you like what you see, book as SOON as they'll take reservations (some smaller family-owned places like this will say "unavailable" until later in the fall, when they have time to work out their 2010 rates). But DO book waay ahead for units like these ... they're in great demand by families.

If you cannot find what you want on Naxos, then the other island that has the relaxing combo of lodgings directl on a beach, plus walkability to restaurants and cafes, is Antiparos. But Naxos has so much more of history, landmarks etc., try it first.

Janet,
Fabulous post, thank you so much! Clearly, you've been there! We had traveled with our daughters when they were toddlers, which is probably why they're travelers today, but you have laid out the logistics for this particular type of trip in a wonderfully helpful and detailed way. I have booked the Kymata Hotel (cancellable), do you have any experience with them? If not, at least now I know the things to look for and can book something better if I find it.
Thanks so much!

Kymata has lovely views IF you get the top floor, and it's only about 15 yards off the sands... I only mentioned the others because they have the patio-level units (when we were on the beach with a baby just under a year, I remember having to lug things downstairs to the beach, and having to be inside with the baby for a nap, when all the others were out in the sun). Check out everything, go on their websites for photos before deciding, or even book several ... when u book at the cancellable rate, it's no-risk.

No, we did not get the top floor with Kymata, and it looks like the other two might be booked already :( But I will continue to research the hotels in that area and see what I can come up with. Thanks for the tips!

Don't give up Barbara, if booking.com says no availability ... hotels don't list all their rooms with online agencies (because agencies take 5%+ off the top)... try contacting all 4 I told you about, on their direct sites. Do NOT just fil out a form on the sites, use the email to write a polite e-letter. Use Flattery ... say that you have wanted to visit their beautiful issland for so long... and have heard so may wonderful things about your hotel ... etc etc. Give EXACT dates, say what kind of units you hope to book, and say if they have availability for your dates, you'll supply credit-card information to hold a reservation, but will plan to pay cash at the time of your stay.

Great idea, Janet. I did not know that about not all rooms being represented by booking.com. I will definitely try this approach. Thanks again for all the great advice!

Kymata is lovely. We even had the suite on the roof. But there is no elevator and a bit of a walk to the beach. I think Janet is right about what would be logisically easiest and thus most enjoyable.

St. George beach I think would be perfect for what you want and if you get bored there is a lovely town and rest of the island to explore! We were there in late May in 2018 and the water was warm enough to swim in but the beaches were not crowded.

We rented cars on the spot if you do want to explore the island a bit.

Janet and Beth, thanks so much for your thoughts on accommodations. I tried Janet's email approach, and was able to score with Studios Thomais! And you were right, there was no availability at all on Booking.com for our dates. So I didn't hold out much hope because as it turns out, we now need three rooms - our single adult daughter wants to come as well and she will need her own room. So I asked for two double studios and one triple, for the baby and her parents. The owner herself replied to my email first by thanking me for all of the lovely comments!! And then said she'd be happy to accommodate us. One thing I like about Thomais is the kitchenettes, which will be very handy for all of us. And with its great location right on the beach, I think it will be perfect for us and the baby. Yay!

Barbara I am SO delighted that Thomais worked out for you! And if you have a good experience, it's always nice to put a review on Trip Advisor. These review sites are bedeviled by fake reviews, so it always helps when there are reviews by families that give specifics; builds the trust. As for booking.com, I continue to recommend it for an Overview, just to see what's out there, and the exact locations.... then follow up with direct contact.

PS: having another daughter around will spread the child-minding around, giving more relaxing time for everyone. I won't be there next may-june but I'll be thinking of you. One of my favorite pastimes is lying on a sunlounger with a good book, and watching all the Scandinavian toddlers staggering around at water's edge with sandpails.

Barbara, I just booked a studio today at the Studios Thomais - one of Janet's suggestions. Their website looked super although I was unable to use it for booking I emailed Sophia Veroni directly and received a quick reply, also telling me that she gave a good discount (from the already very reasonably priced rooms) for cash. We'll be there in late May for our 40th wedding anniversary. Naxos looks great and your holiday with the grand baby sounds really special.

Sharon, Sounds like you will be there when we will! You won't be able to miss us I think, and please feel free to introduce yourselves. I love talking to other travellers, especially those from the forum. Happy anniversary, hope you have a great trip!!

Janet, you do not have to worry about our submitting a review. On Tripadvisor, I am one of the top ten reviewers of a rather large city, and I am very conscientious about writing reviews. I use these forums a lot and I feel, as you do, that it's important to give back.

You are also quite correct that our younger daughter's presence will help to give everyone some breathing space. She went with us when we went over to Spain for the baby's birth and she fell in love with her little niece. We will probably have to fight her for the baby's attention!

Thanks again for all your tips and advice - they have been invaluable!