meliss35

My husband and two kids (9 &14 yrs old) are planning on going to Greece in June. We are going to Athens, Meteora, Delphi, Corinth, Mycenae, Nafplio, and to the cyclade islands. We are definitely going to Santaroni and Paros. We were thinking of going to Mykonos but not sure if that was a place to go with kids. We were only planning on going to Mykonos for one night. The other option is to go to Naxos instead of Mykonos. Can we go there for one night or do we need 2 nights in Naxos? Which is nicer Mykonos or Naxos? Any advice would be great?

brotherleelove2004

I suggest skipping Mykonos altogether and spending more time between Santorini, Paros and Naxos. You can fly to Santorini or Naxos and you can take the ferry to all three.

stanbr

We have been to Paros twice and Naxos 5 times. We will be doing a driving holiday of the Peloponnese in May and then returning to Naxos for two weeks in early June.
Although we enjoyed Paros, Naxos is a much more well rounded destination.
The countryside is diverse with small villages, archaelogical sites, mountains and probably the best beached in the islands.
The town has a busy taverna lined waterfront with good eating and people watching. The town is built into a hillside in a tourist stumping maze that leads to a fortress. It is an absolute delight to explore this area both in the day and after dinner.
Two nights in Naxos will leave you wishing you had stayed longer.
Naxos is also much more of a family destination.

repete

Stanbr, I'm with you all the way. I'd dump Mykonos and get a place on the beach in Naxos. There are big, wide beaches with plenty of sand for the kids.

Mykonos is more tuned for the U.S. tourists -- which appeals to some and turns off others -- while Naxos has such a diversity of diversions it's tough to beat.

repete

Not to hijack this thread, but does stanbr or anyone else with Naxos experience know if there's a way/place to get that fabulous Naxos-produced Kitron in the U.S.?

PurpleNeon

I too had wanted to plan only one night on Mykonos. My husband vetoed that idea and we ended up staying 2 nights. And that is one of the few things I wish I could go back and redo as I would have stayed 3 nights! I was leery of Mykonos reputation, that's not really our style. However, we arrived mid afternoon, spent 1/2 day at the beach. The next day we took a day trip to Delos (which was amazing) which left that evening to explore Hora. No time at all for an island tour and we really didn't get to spend much time in Delos or in town. I personally wouldn't even bother with just one night--I would guess that you would get there and then just feel a little sad that you really didn't get to experience much of the island. If you are wavering also because of your kids, and think that you really want to go, I would recommend looking at hotels in Ornos Bay. Its a 5 minute cab ride into Hora but is away from the hustle and bustle. We stayed at the Deliades hotel which was by far and beyond my absolutely favorite hotel.

Naxos was personally my least favorite Cyclades out of Mykonos, Paros, Naxos and Santorini that we visited. Which is interesting to me to read how much so many people on this forum love Naxos. Just goes to show that everyone is looking for different things on their holiday! Perhaps I felt this way because we visited Naxos right after Paros which was my favorite. For me, Naxos was stunning geographically, but I found the inhabited areas to be just a little less picturesque than some of the other islands.

Depending on what kind of lodging you are looking for on Naxos--we stayed at the Birikos, which is not in the main town, but a 15 minute drive away and is in a beach-town, resort area near a major beach (I forget it's name). Birikos is a motel-like place, our room had a separate bedroom with a kitchenette and a wonderful balconey. It was clean and quiet. There is a pool too. You can walk right into the beach-town area where there are lots of tavernas, a very reasonably priced laundromat and (our favorite) a little grocery store. We had a great stay there and I don't think it was too exorbitant.

Hope that helps. Let me know if more info would be helpful!

brotherleelove2004

Yeah, Kitron.....I'd love to be sipping some right now!!

repete

Naxos certainly is a bit less polished that Mykonos. It's an island with more things going on than tourism (and maintaining the iconic vistas). For some that's part of the appeal.

One of the things on these boards is that you see the full spectrum. Some folks want to go to visit postcards fantasy. Others seek the impossible dream of going where no tourist has ever tread. And most of us are negotiating the muddled middle.

For me, Naxos struck the right chord, especially after a pampering in Santorini. (I didn't spend enough time on Paros to get as much of a feel for it. That, hopefully, will change sooner rather than later.)

I think Birikos was at Agios Prokopios beach, a wonderful beach with a number of tavernas -- but neither as charming or as relaxing as a lot of Naxos options.

IMHO, the convenience of getting to Delos is Mykonos' biggest drawing card.

And I'd take any color of Kitron right now ...