Naxos or Paros - Greece

We visited both in 2003 and preferred Paros. There's a lovely little area with great restaurants behind the main waterfront street ... we had fabulous (and inexpensive) dinners topped off with authentic gelato from a little shop along the main street (I wonder if she's still there?). We rented a car for a day and found a lovely totally deserted beach. It was a peaceful little island.

I visited Paros many, many years ago and your post prompted me to look online and see if the current reviews would match my memories. http://www.greektravel.com/greekislands/paros/ I think that it's likely that I would still like Paros.

My friend and I traveled to Paros from Santorini. Our policy was to divide our time between beaches and ruins and the occasional museum. Paros met that challenge. I'll always remember being told that there were three beaches and we had to catch a boat to each of them. The first was a family beach, the second a beach with a Taverna and the third a wild beach. Well, being 20 somethings that were working on perfecting the fine art of cafe sitting we went for beach number 2. It wasn't until we were half way there that we found out it was the nude beach! Ah, it was an adventure. We liked the Taverna too. ; ) I can't figure out now where these were, but my friend and I still laugh about that visit to the beach.

I know too that we visited a monastery and I think we went looking for the valley of the butterflies, but I don't know if we found it! ; ) Pam

I couldn't comment on Paros, since we didn't see it. But I will say that we had a great time on Naxos, with plenty to see. You won't go wrong if you go to Naxos.

Pam, everyone seems to rate Santorini as a "DON'T MISS" for the incredible scenery, but how do you rate it vs. Paros? How would you recommend we divide our time? (I can just about imagine 2 Badger 'hotties' on a Paros beach wearing nothing but a Cheesehead!)

Oh Santorini is spectacular. Now, even bearing in mind that I was geology major and fascinated by the geologic situation, it is magical. One of the best days of our trip was spent at a cafe near the top of the donkey path to top. (Bear in mind that this was prior to the Gondola so everyone came up the path either on foot or on donkey back in those days. What fascinated us were the people we met in the cafe and watching the Greeks prepare the descent of the tourists from the cruise ships. I can still remember hearing the exclamations in broad Brooklynese coming up the path. We particularly admired the way the ten year-old manned the soft serve ice cream machine that was perfectly positioned at the top of the path. This day may have been our thesis on cafe sitting.

From all I've read and seen, it's still a place to spend some time. We also rented mopeds. We headed toward the black sand beaches and spotted around lunch time that was an arrow pointed down toward the shore with simply the word Taverna on it. We had a wonderful lunch with a couple who had a terrific dog. We went on to see the ruins and the beach. I also did the volcano walk. I think we were three nights on Santorini and two on Paros, but it may have been an even split.

The best advice I would have is to slow down and get into the Greek pace. It was the slowing down that made my trip to Greece one of the best trips of my life. It remains that way after more than two decades. The think that the only reason I haven't gone back is that I might start smoking again. Smoking, in those days was part of the fine art of cafe sitting. Pam

I'd also recommend Paros, although I haven't been to Naxos. My husband and I visited Paros first on our tour of three islands (Mykonos and Santorini were the other ones). We loved the laid back, slow-paced attitude of Paros. We spent a lot of time exploring the island and even more time sipping Mythos beer at the seaside tavernas.

Don't give up on Santorini! I know it seems that it might be touristy... it is. But for good reason... it's incredible. I can't speak for Paros but I really enjoyed Naxos. Laying on St George Beach during the day and clubs along the harbor at night.. I hear the villages inland are supposed to be very untouristy but I never made it myself. I have heard that Paros is better connected by ferry but Naxos is not hard to get to at all. Plaka beach on the southern coast was a nude beach when I was there in 2001 (if your into that sort of thing... what can I say my wife dragged me).