Hello!
We're going to be in Naxos in 2-3 days and are on the tail end of what's been a pretty active vacation. At this point, we just want to sit on a beach for 2-3 days. We'll be with our 17 month old toddler, so Agios Prokopios seems like a good fit - calm, clear water and nice sand.

I'm having problems finding anything nice and directly on the beach, though. We don't mind paying more for a nicer place, however everything with good reviews on TripAdvisor seems to require a walk or not be in "the nice part" of the beach. We'll probably rent a car, but with the baby, it'd be a lot easier to be able to just walk out of our room and onto the sand.

Our minimum requirements are a/c and wifi. A view, balcony/living room (to hang out after bed time), and maybe a kitchen or good breakfast would be a bonus.

Let me know if you have any suggestions or ideas...thanks!!!

Hi

The only one I can think of with direct beach access is Hotel Galini - http://www.hotelgalini.com. It's not in Agios Prokopios but in Naxos town or Hora. It does tick all your boxes though. Their website states "The waters are shallow and the sea is absolutely safe for the kids."

Wow, OK if it's not on the sand, then maybe just a place with really easy beach access?

Beachfront hotels are not the norm in Greece, and certainly not at Agios Prokopios, which has a large salt marsh directly behind the beach. Furthermore, although Agios Prokopios is my favourite beach on Naxos, it is not the one I would pick if I had a toddler, because it drops off fairly quickly.

It will be quiet on Naxos in the last half of September, and you would be best off staying in St George, which does have hotels directly off the beach. St George Beach is gently sloping, perfect for small children. You will have a better selection of restaurants in Naxos Town, which is only about 10 minutes walk on stroller-friendly streets from the St George hotels.

Thanks, Heimdall.

I've heard St. George's beach is a bit gritty and the water isn't clear. Has that been your experience? Otherwise, it sounds great because of how shallow it is.

Our daughter tends to play mainly along the shoreline, so nice sand and calm waves are more important for her than the depth of the water. If she goes in the water, she'll want to be held.

Also, I wonder if anyone has opinions on Hotel Kavos. It's 10 min from the beach, seems pretty comfortable, and has a chef onsite. That might make for a nice relaxing stay...
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev..._Cyclades.html

The water is clear on all the beaches of Naxos. St George Beach does get some runoff from the streets when there are rainstorms, and that is probably the source of what you have heard. That's not really a problem, though, and shouldn't put you off staying there.

Actually, even though I usually swim at Agios Prokopios or Plaka, I prefer to stay in St George for it's convenience to town in the evenings. The season begins to wind down in late September, and some tavernas in the beach resorts may already be closing. Naxos Town has a good selection of restaurants and tavernas, even the best Mexican food I have had this side of Texas.

Those are big words, Heimdall. We're both native Texans and have been missing our Tex-Mex.

Your advice so far for our trip has been spot-on, so I think we'll stay in St. George's. I'm off to look into hotels, but let me know if you have any favorites...it's our last hotel of the trip, so we're OK with splurging (for us, that's like ~150 euros/night) if something is really worth it. In general, we don't like the stuffy high-end places (and they usually aren't toddler friendly either).

We loved our hotel http://www.hotelspiros.com/

Lovely pool, room had kitchenette and a balcony and ac and wifi, and it was a short walk to the beach and town.

Enjoy!

Well, I'm still a registered voter in Texas, but now live in England. I got my first taste of Tex-Mex in San Antonio and Laredo many years ago. There is a restaurant called Picasso http://www.picassoismexican.com on the street leading up to the square from St George.

Since you are native Texans I don't want to build up your expectations too much, but after many years away from Texas I enjoy eating at Picasso. There are many good restaurants in Naxos Town, and I love Greek food but sometimes want a change.

I always stay at Hotel Argo, which is very nice, but one street off the beach. It is near http://www.naxosresort.gr which may be more what you are looking for. Frankly I don't go around looking at hotels I don't plan to stay in, but a Naxos regular, stanbr, has checked out quite a few. If he doesn't see this post, do a search on Fodor's for his St George hotel recommendations.

Wow, Hotel Argo is 30 euros per night...that's a nice change from the Santorini prices! I've emailed to see if we can get internet from our rooms as we use it a lot for trip planning while the baby is sleeping. The website says it's just in the reception area.

I've also emailed Glaros / Glaros Studios where stanbr appears to stay, Hotel Spiros (jamikins's rec), and a few others in TripAdvisor that seem to have easy beach access. BTW, the Nissaki Beach Hotel is full.

If anyone else has any recs, please let me know!

Sorry I have been away for a few days. I hope I am not too late.
One of my top recommendations is Hotel Spiros because it has kitchenette and a pool. It is about a two minute walk to the beach and is reasonably priced. Right on the beach try Kalergos Studios. Both these hotels will be similarly priced around 50 euros.
Spiros
http://travel.webshots.com/album/577937409BloLVg
Kalergos
http://travel.webshots.com/album/580735284drIZms
Hotel glaros is our favourite hotel and it is 10 meters from the beach and very room has ocean view. It is directly beside Nissaki and is very nicely appointed but no kitchenette facility
http://travel.webshots.com/album/65008339YYjlTb
Glaros Studios is not for everyone. It is in a residential neibourhood just behind Naxos resort and is about a 4 minute walk to the beach. It is inexpensive and has kitchenette. We stay there for the price, kitchen and because we wanted to immurse ourselves in a residential neibourhood so we could experience how the Greeks live.
http://travel.webshots.com/album/577946185GJDbmo
All the hotels I have mentioned are family run.

For upper end accomodation more commercial operations in your budget try Naxos Resort or Hotel Galaxy. Neither have kitchenettes.
Naxos resort
http://travel.webshots.com/album/577946187UCiqtL
Hotel Galaxy which is beside and behind Naxos Resort and is also basically beside Hotel Spiros.
http://travel.webshots.com/album/577938219xWoGvP

For what it is worth I totally agree with Heimdall St George is the best place for toddlers and it is good sand. There will be lots of little kids around or at lest there have been in May and June when we normally visit. Lots of hotels to choose from very close to the beach and bonus it is such a short stroll town to all the shopping and dining at Naxos town waterfront promenade.

Hi stanbr! Good to hear from you...wow, this is helpful!

Studio Kalergis sounds perfect (on the beach, wifi, great rooms, good reviews, etc.), but it looks to be sold out.

Glaros also looks great, but they haven't responded, so they may be sold out.

That leaves these options:
- Naxos Resort: amazingly enough, doesn't appear to have wifi. I found buried in one TA review a mention about internet access just being on 2 laptops in a common area. We need to be near the room when we use wifi while the baby is asleep. Strange b/c they seem to have everything else. Plus, their rate, on the booking site at least, is 150/night and their TA reviews are mixed...so we've nixed that one.

Hotel Galaxy: 110/night also with mixed reviews, but rooms look nice.

Hotel Spiros: 45/night, but mixed reviews and several mentioned the pool isn't good for kids (small and deep).

Hotel Argos: 30/night, not as nice, but great reviews and a good pool for kids.

So, I think we're going to end up going with Hotel Argos. They seem to have solid reviews, will pick us up from the port, have confirmed that wifi will reach our room, and are at a good price.

BTW, there's lightening in the distance and it's windy tonight in Santorini. Hopefully all ferries are operating as planning these next few days!

I did see someone mention Hotel Galini. It is about 50 meteres up the road from Glaros but has minimal ocean view. Nevertheless it is also a good option if for some reason Argo does not work out. Have a great trip.

You really want to try hotel liana on agios prokopios beach. It is across the street from the beach, has a lovely swimming pool with kiddie corner, nice apartments and a great breakfast spread. The hosts are extremely helpful, we LOVED our week there. The beach is perfect for kids, sandy beaches and no waves.

Since you seem to be decided on Argo, let me say a little more about it. The hotel is owned by a very nice Greek - Swedish couple, Georgios and Katerina, if memory serves. Their children are also involved in the business, so it is very much a family-run hotel. The rooms are spotlessly clean, and the showers powerful. The owners go out of their way to help, having picked me up at the port and driven me to the airport at no extra charge.

The pool must be new since I was last there, since I don't recall seeing it. With the beautiful beaches on Naxos I prefer swimming in the sea anyway. Another advantage of St George Beach is that the water is a little warmer than at Ag Prokopios, since it is in a shallow bay with little water circulation. Sea temperatures are at their warmest in late August to mid September.

Have a great time on Naxos!

We're here! Thanks everyone for the wonderful recommendations!

Heimdall - The Hotel Argos driver (Apostolis) did pick us up at the port and Katerina has been very flexible with the rooms - she let us commit to just one night with the option to stay for three (it's also low season and they're at a little more than 50% capacity). She had a two bedroom unit open up in the adjacent building for 40 euros, so we've taken it. While basic, it's actually very handy with the baby because we can come and go while she is napping.

Stan - After checking at Kalergis (they had a triple in a building one block inland w/o a view for 40 euros) and Hotel Asteria which is next door to Kalergis (75 euros for a quadruple family room and tiny bathroom or some triples and doubles all with views for 50-60)...we've decided to just stay at Argos for all three nights. The service and prices are great and the room is functional. If they had room though, I would've definitely taken it at Kalergis. A British family I spoke to while waiting in the lobby for the receptionist to show up said they negotiated 2 rooms for 65 euros total...they have a beautiful view of the beach.

Btw, I walked the grounds at Naxos Resort, but don't really like the vibe as much. The pool is crowded and you're still not on the beach. I did notice that they have a wifi signal though!

St. George's beach does look nicer than expected. Yes, there is seaweed, but it mostly been swept up into piles and it's very calm, clear water. The baby will love it.

We're here! Thanks everyone for the wonderful recommendations!

Heimdall - The Hotel Argos driver (Apostolis) did pick us up at the port and Katerina has been very flexible with the rooms - she let us commit to just one night with the option to stay for three (it's also low season and they're at a little more than 50% capacity). She had a two bedroom unit open up in the adjacent building for 40 euros, so we've taken it. While basic, it's actually very handy with the baby because we can come and go while she is napping.

Stan - After checking at Kalergis (they had a triple in a building one block inland w/o a view for 40 euros) and Hotel Asteria which is next door to Kalergis (75 euros for a quadruple family room and tiny bathroom or some triples and doubles all with views for 50-60)...we've decided to just stay at Argos for all three nights. The service and prices are great and the room is functional. If they had room though, I would've definitely taken it at Kalergis. A British family I spoke to while waiting in the lobby for the receptionist to show up said they negotiated 2 rooms for 65 euros total...they have a beautiful view of the beach.

Btw, I walked the grounds at Naxos Resort, but don't really like the vibe as much. The pool is crowded and you're still not on the beach. I did notice that they have a wifi signal though!

St. George's beach does look nicer than expected. Yes, there is seaweed, but it mostly been swept up into piles and it's very calm, clear water. The baby will love it.

And Heimdall, a separate post to thank you for the Picasso restaurant recommendation. It's was pretty good and pretty close to true TexMex. Their guacamole was spot on and I had no idea we'd miss avocado so much. Thank you. Thank you.

Our lunch today down the street from Argos at Sergiani was OK. My husband's fried seafood plate was good (but hard to mess up), but my beef in tomato sauce was way too tough. It had good flavor, but I have a feeling it was intended to stew until dinner. They were packed at dinner and we were the only lunch customers, so maybe we caught them at a bad time.

Any other restaurant suggestions would be great though!

We are also renting a car from Naxos Vision to drive around the island tomorrow - probably down to Agios Prokpios and Plaka beaches for a morning swim. Back here for naps. And then inland to the center. We're excited!

Hey Vmonk hope you have a gret trip into the mountains tomorrow. That is always a highlight day for us on Naxos. As you drive in Naxos you will notice that there is a lack of cows around. Its no wonder that your beef in tomato sauce wasn't top notch. Better to try lamb and pork and seafood.