Naxos question...

We had lunch at Plaka beach but I would not want to stay there. There really isn’t much there besides the beach, and a few hotels and restaurants.

We stayed in St. George’s beach which is part of Naxos town. Naxos town is the center of a activity on Naxos. I would not stay anywhere else. We did rent a car for part of our time but there are buses and tours as well. Naxos town has an old castle district which is totally charming. There a wide variety of restaurants and other commercial establishments (like the bakery we visited every day.)

Beth

If you don't get rooms in Naxos Town then St. George Beach is a good option. It's just an easy, short walk from town.

Travel agents are extremely likely to put you in a large hotel that pays them a significant commission. You are smart to question whether the travel agent is acting in your best interest.

Plaka beach is certainly one of the best beaches in Naxos. Many people who give priority to beaches are quite content to stay there. These days there are several good tavernas out at Plaka two of our favourites as a matter of fact ,Nikolas and Marias and Petreno.
Plaka beach tavernas hotels https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/sets/72157655106193251

Having said that if you are not a beach first person then St George beach makes the best choice for you. It is a decent beach ( we like to spend an hour or two each day lounging in a beachside taverna ) but the main activity is always Naxos town which is just a 10 minute stroll away along the waterfront. You get a beach holiday with all the activities of town. When we want a full beach day we take the bus out to Plaka but are always back at Naxos town for dinner.
Naxos Town http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/sets/72157632094558042/
St George Beach Hotels Naxos http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/sets/72157632162394787/
St George Beach Naxos http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/sets/72157632113170279/

St George is lined with mostly small family run hotels in ever price range. In the album above are some of the hotels we have visited over the years. If you tell us what hotel style, number of rooms and budget we can recommend hotels for you. You can easily contact the hotels directly and do you own booking. They all accept credit card these days. DIY is easy and fun.

Most travel agents have pre-booked rooms with various owners throughout Naxos and other Islands and sometimes limits what you want and where you want to stay.

It's very easy to book your own trip via the internet. You can book a flight or a ferry, you can contact accommodations owners on your own and probably get a better price and customer service.

I stayed at St. George Beach just a short walk from the waterfront and Naxos Town. There is a good beach and a small town square with shops, markets, and tavernas nearby if you don't want to walk to Naxos Town or for a change of pace.

I think St. George Beach would be your best bet. In addition the bus station to get to a number of villages and areas of the island is just on the far end of Naxos waterfront.

I've never used a travel agent and found it's really easy for a do-it-yourself trip. However, I understand the convenience and less stress of using a travel agent but if you haven't booked as yet just do a bit of research for your trip to Naxos. It will be enjoyable, fun and educational.

You can use the below websites for info on Naxos:
http://www.naxos-island-greece.com/

https://www.naxos.net/

For a lot of choices for St. George Beach go here:
https://www.gtp.gr/AccomodationResults.asp?ID_Loc=11979

Thank you all for such wonderful advice, if it was just me and my husband I would do it all myself and would of been done by now. but it's 3 couples and two of the group want it all taken care of... I did find on RS forum Hotel Kymata highly recommended even thou a budget hotel, and was able to get the entire rooftop area, what do you guys think, some of the reviews I read sid "A bit tired"???

Thanks,
Monica

We stayed at Kymata in May and everyone in our group (we had four different rooms) loved it. The best thing about the hotel is the people who run it. They are beyond helpful. The breakfast is also wonderful and cheaper to get once you arrive than online.

Some of the rooms have been renovated and some have not. The ones that have not have a traditional Greek shower. We stayed one night in a regular room that had been renovated and it had a wonderful shower and a nice bed. The second night we moved to suite you have reserved and stayed three nights. The room itself was bigger than the one the first night but shower was actually nicer in first room. There is also a second room off the bedroom with couches and a second tv in it. I also preferred the bed in the first room as it had a topper on it to make two beds into a king bed while the bed in the suite was a king bed already. It was harder, like most Greek beds in my experience. The roof top deck we loved. We were a family group of 7 and it was wonderful to have a place to gather. We actually ordered food in 2 nights and enjoyed it while watching the sunset. The view is splendid. There is a table that we were able to lay out a buffet on each night.

Beth

We have not stayed at Kymata however I took the opportunity to visit it and met the owner and got a tour of the hotel. Its actually set back from the beach around 100 meters or so but the second floor rooms have a great sea view and the third floor rooms described by Beth have a 180 degree view over the sea and all the way to the port. If we ever have to change our Naxos hotel I would go to Kymata. Images are in the St George beach hotels album I posted earlier.

More agreement here. We LOVED staying about 15 minute drive from Naxos Town (near Mikri Vigla) as the peace and quiet and proximity to uncrowded beaches was amazing and it is an easy drive to town and closer to the roads up to the mountain villages. BUT, would not have done so without a car as the public transportation to Naxos Town was spotty at best and while there were some pretty good restaurants within walking distance - there was nothing else to do but chill.