pamela8

Hi,

Has anyone stayed at this hotel? We're looking to go late May/early June. I'm specifically looking for information on the beach, which I believe is called Choelakis. What is that beach like?
thanks.

Heimdall

You aroused my curiousity, as I have been to Naxos several times, but never heard of a beach by that name. Looking on a detailed map of the island, I couldn't find it there, either, or even a beach with a name anything like Choelakis. Most of the good beaches on Naxos stretch south of Naxos town, and are Ag. Georgios, Ag. Prokpios, Ag. Annas, and Plaka, in that order.

It is totally unnecessary to book a hotel in late May or early June. When you arrive on the island there will be many people at the port competing for your business. You can be as choosy as you wish, ask to see the room first, and try somewhere else if you don't like what you see. Doing it that way is much better than booking in advance and then being disappointed if the hotel doesn't measure up to expectations.

pamela8

According to the hotel owner, it is a small secluded beach. You can go to a map on their website to see the exact location. It looks like it faces Hora. It is on the opposite side of the peninsula from Prokopios. Thanks for your advice, and if you figure out where it is, let me know your thoughts.

Heimdall

I looked up their website, and now know where you mean. The hotel is located on the peninsula just past Ag. Georgios (St Georges) beach. My guess is it would be about a 20 minute walk into town, but there are buses stopping at Prokopios on the opposite side of the peninsula. From the pictures of the hotel, it looks like an excellent choice. This is an A class hotel, so room prices are a lot higher than average. I usually pay about ?15/night for a pleasant room in a small hotel near St Georges, but it doesn't have a pool or rooms as nice as Villa Marandi. There is a huge surplus of rooms in May/early June, and hotel owners are usually willing to negotiate if you just turn up without reservations. There is no incentive to give you a discount if you book in advance. Have a wonderful holiday - Naxos is one of my favorite islands.

Heimdall

In my last reply, the ? is supposed to be a Euro sign. It appeared as a Euro when I wrote the reply, but somehow ended up as a ? after posting.

pamela8

Okay, great news. Do you think what you're saying about having a choice of rooms that time of year is true for the class A hotels too? (10 year anniversary celebration...)If so, then we will take your advice and wait till we get there. We're also interested in Porto Naxos, so if you've got an opinion on that one we'd love to hear it. Although it looks less charming (but very nice) we like the edge-of-town location. Thanks for helping us!

Heimdall

I have to confess I don't have personal knowledge of either hotel, but did Google searches to find out a little about them. When in Naxos I don't spend much time in my room, so tend to look for something clean and comfortable, but simple and inexpensive. Both of these hotels are clearly well above that category. Many of the travelers to the Cyclades are on a budget, so my advice was geared toward them.

Since you are going for a special occasion, you may want to eliminate any uncertainties by booking in advance rather than trying to save a little money. One advantage is that if you phone ahead with arrival details, they will meet you at the port or airport, and take you straight to the hotel.

I don't think you will go wrong with either of your choices. The Porto Naxos, from what I could see from their map on the website, is in the middle of the St Georges (Ag Georgios) area, which is filled with small hotels, and an easy walk into town. The Villa Mirandi is a little further out, so it would take longer to get into town in the evenings, but it might be worth it for the location. It will be quieter, and having a small beach at your doorstep can only be an advantage.

Now for the beaches: they get better the further you go from Naxos Town. Ag Georgios is the town beach, not very attractive, but popular because it is so easy to get to. Ag Prokopios and Ag Annas are nicer. The best of the lot is Plaka, which is a couple miles long, and in parts you can have the beach almost to yourself that time of year.

If you want to see some good photos of Naxos, go to http://www.islandstrolling.com/. This is a private website run by a Norwegian who has been going to the Greek islands for years. It has lots of info and some stunning photographs. Have a wonderful 10th anniversary.

Grotheur

We stayed at the Villa Marandi last summer and enjoyed it. The hotel is family-owned and the staff very friendly (they all all stood outside and waved good-bye as we drove away in our taxi!). The food was quite good and we actually had our best Naxos meal right at the hotel (Red Snapper grilled over olive-wood charcoal).

Unfortunately, we weren't very thrilled with their beach and felt that the pictures (of the beach) on their website are misleading. It was small and didn't seem to be "tended to" very well. There were even small pieces of garbage strewn over the sand, but this could have been caused by a rainstorm that occured earlier that morning. We weren't very concerned, however, because we had rented a jeep and were more interested in exploring the island and finding secluded beaches anyway.

Except for their beach, the hotel was was great.