Naxos Island, Greece
We have loved traveling through Greece the past 12 days…
We’ve found that each island has its own feel, culture, and even food.
People are proud of the islands where they are from, and we loved
getting a taste of 3 of the islands. It has left us wanting to explore more!
Some of our best friends honeymooned in Greece this time last year
and suggested Naxos to us as a smaller, quieter, and more romantic
island off the beaten path. They were so right, and we would have never
gone here without their suggestion! It was a perfect stop between Mykonos
and Santorini, both in location and in the calm and relaxed feel of the place.
We arrived on the ferry from Mykonos on the most gorgeous morning ^^
We grabbed breakfast at Nostimon Hellas, yum. Best Greek omelette we had
by far, and of course that amazing Greek yogurt is so much better in Greece :)
They do their smoothies a little different here, more like shakes
made with milk… But I’m not complaining! We got unique
walnut + banana and pistachio + pear smoothies to start the day off.
Cutest place with all things mint colored! ^^
The sun was shining making the sea sparkle before rain clouds arrived later.
We were happy to cozy up in this already-cozy town and enjoy it!
We checked into a tiny little apartment- hotel called Korali Boutique Hotel.
This island is so cheap, especially right now before summer! It was the cutest
place with simple, stylish rooms and we felt like we were locals living there!
The clouds came in suddenly, so we were ready for a jog in the cool weather!
We ran out to the Portara monument, which is believed to be
the gate of an ancient temple dedicated to the God Apollo. It
is the first thing you can see when arriving to this island.
The view looking back from it to town is the best part!
We continued our run through the winding old town Hora,
which is a labyrinth of steep cobbled tiny streets. Each turn is a wonder
within these walls and we were the only people wandering through!
Straight from our run we opted for a late lunch at Antamoma
which was a favorite meal in Greece for both of us – wow!
The salads, the fava, every single detail was amazing and fresh.
After a few days of classic Greek food, this more modern take
hit the spot and was a favorite! It’s family owned and closed for
a decade before the son reopened it after attending culinary school
in Athens! Now he cooks with his mom and gives a more modern spin.
^^ Chase matching George in town :)
We caught the spectacular Naxos sunset which ended up being our
favorite in all of Greece! (It even beat the famed one in Santorini!)
It was just so unexpected after a cloudy day and we were the only
people on this entire beach watching it. Memorable and so beautiful.
We strolled a few minutes back along to town afterwards ^^
Confession – we loved Antamoma so much we went BACK for
the dinner menu! That is when you know a place is good :)
We loved their Greek spring rolls, stuffed chicken, and
the traditional ORANGE CAKE. Oh. My. Goodness.
Still dreaming about this beauty ^^
I don’t like fruity desserts but you don’t understand how special this is!
I have to try to re-create it when we are back in the states somehow.
Naxos, you were a delight! We had no expectations so you exceeded them all.
The funny part is that this island itself is actually one of the bigger ones when it comes
to size, but it feels like one of the smallest. It’s local & outdoorsy and we loved it!
xo