Kavos Naxos, Naxos, Greece - Explore & Book

"People often ask me, as someone who has been visiting and writing about Greece for 15 years, what my favourite island is. And I always answer Naxos, for its combination of gold-sand beaches and lush mountainous interior, of sleepy white pueblos and a lively seafront hora (capital). And my favourite beach on Naxos? That would have to be Ayios Prokopios, a long arc of sand and turquoise water placed just far enough from Hora to feel blissfully secluded, yet near enough (10 mins’ drive) to piggy-back on its engaging and unfancified restaurants, bars and boutiques. And my top tip for where to stay? You guessed it: the beautifully designed and immaculately run suites and villas of Kavos, with their rampantly exotic gardens, their spacious Cyc-chic interiors and their private verandas looking across sparkling seas to neighbouring Paros. There's a much-loved restaurant looking onto a pretty little pool, and it's a seamlessly run by English-speaking manager Loukas. Prices - especially out of season - are very fair. All of which, for a couple or family seeking a tranquil and stylish island escape, puts it squarely at the top of the heap. Highs Unbeatable location, on a sheltered. sunset-facing hillside above the bay of Ayios Prokopios You get the freedom of a rental (kitchen, private patio or roof terrace) plus the perks of a small resort (restaurant, bar, staff) We loved the colourful gardens - rose and herb bushes, lawns and bougainvillea-shaded patios If you tire of swimming and sunbathing, there's wind- and kite-surfing nearby, plus mountain-biking, horse-riding and hiking Naxos is well served by planes, ferries and hydrofoils from Athens, and links well with Paros, Santorini, Mykonos or Syros Lows You’re not right on the beach, but 15-20 mins’ walk above (away from any road or bar noise) Although you could manage without, life will be easier with a hire car, for shuttling to the beach and into Hora The area can get windy in summer when the meltemi blows" - Michael Cullen