Naxos Recommendations Please!

Congratulations on your wedding.
You should start to think in Euros so everyone understands what your budget really is.
There will be lots of choices of hotels in your range but it is starting to get late for new bookings. I suggest you go to booking dot com and put in your dates and you will bet availability price and reviews. This will help you narrow down your choices.

Where to stay. Personally I prefer to stay at St George beach. It is part of Naxos town so you get the beach holiday plus all the activity of Naxos town. St George is just far enough away from town that it is quiet at night for sleeping. Greece can be very noisy at night.
St George Beach Naxos http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/sets/72157632113170279/

St George is a good beach but there are better ones out on the west coast about 7km from Naxos town. These include Agia Anna. A small narrow beach with hotels right up to the sand. Ag Procopios a long crescent beach with a village.
Aggia Anna and Ag Prokipos beach areas https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/albums/72157656297072028

Lastly Plaka my favourite. It is about 3km long with hotels and tavernas across the shore road. The further out you go the less amenities there are but the more free space there is on the beach The further out you go the skimpier the bathing costumes as well.
Plaka beach tavernas hotels https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/sets/72157655106193251

If you stay at St George there is no need of a car. Everything is within walking distance, including the bus stop to the west coast beaches. You will want to rent a car for a day to visit Naxos mountain villages and interior. There are lots of rental agencies at St George just book a car the night before you want to head out. You will need to know how to drive a stick shift.

The beaches are well serviced by local bus which is inexpensive and frequent so you don't really need a car until you want to explore the island. There is a rental agency in Procopios. You hotel can also probably arrange a rental for you.

Here is what you will see on Naxos
Naxos Town http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/sets/72157632094558042/
Trip around Naxos http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/sets/72157634605629689/

We are ending a one-week stay in Naxos tomorrow, staying at the wonderful Studios Kalergis right on St George beach. We love it here but in late June this part of St George beach won't be very tranquil and romantic. More like fun & busy. Lots of great restaurants nearby & a short walk into town.

Another option if you decide to stay around Naxos town: We just discovered Sportclub Flisvos, at the far end of St George beach. If you like windsurfing & watersports (jet skis, etc) this could be a great place. They have a wonderful restaurant with a front "porch" lined with couches where you can have a drink or eat dinner & watch the sun set. Very romantic! Big "cushions" on the beach instead of chairs. It's windier at that end of the beach but also way less crowded. I have not seen the hotel rooms so can't comment, and it didn't look like they would have sea views, but you have the whole sea a few steps away. I believe the rooms include the breakfast buffet, which is 9 euros each for non-guests. On a honeymoon, an included breakfast might be welcome. And even on this end of the beach, the restaurants & activities of Naxos town will be walkable -- you won't need a car.

If you are in Naxos town and decide against staying at Flisvos or can't get a room there, I hope you will at least walk down & enjoy a sunset.

We have really enjoyed Naxos and hope you have a wonderful trip!

First of all, congratulations!

For a stay on Naxos, I would highly recommend Hotel Grotta. The rooms are very comfortable, the staff are great and they serve a nice breakfast. They also have a small indoor pool which is great to cool off after a day of touring, and great views over the ocean. It's easy to walk from the hotel to the main part of town around the harbour, where there are lots of restaurants.

You'll probably find that you won't be able to drink the tap water there, so plan to buy bottled water (it's readily available). If you haven't travelled in Greece before, you'll also have to get used to the slightly different "bathroom etiquette".

GRotta IS very nice, providing you have the budget & the inclination to rent a car the whole time. Otherwise it's either a looong walk to St George beach, or take the bus... and coming back up that hill in the dark after dinner can be a challenge. I also found that you have to pay more to get a room with a sea view, otherwise it's the courtyard.

The tap water in Naxos is excellent. Two years ago it tasted funny but last year it was fine again. As you walk around Naxos town you will see marble fixtures on walls with a tap. This is a completely different water system fed by natural springs. You will see lots of people filling up two liter water bottles. That water is sweet and pure.

stanbr,

I should have been more specific about the water. The hotel staff told me when I arrived not to drink the water out of the taps in the hotel, but to use the fixture in the street just outside the hotel. I'm assuming the outside fixture is supplied by the springs that you mentioned. The hotel staff indicated that the warning about the water was because of high lead content in the piping.

Thank you to everyone for your incredibly helpful responses! We booked the Villa Naxia, which appears perfect for us. It is close to St. George beach, walking distance to town, and the right price. We'll probably rent a car for a day to explore the island, and will definitely check out Flisvos for sunset drinks.

Thanks again!

You will not be disappointed at villa Naxia. We just cam back from 5 nights at Villa Naxia (thanks to the advice from this forum) and it is a beautiful and comfortable place, recently renovated with top of the line fixtures and is as cl;ose to the beach as you want to be. The units have small kitchens and there are several food markets close by, so you can easiy make breafast and coffee at your lesure. Pick up a beach towel at a tourist shop as Kikos does not want you taking his plush bath towels to the beach. congrats and have fun. Our fave restaurant was To Elliniko.