Greece Trip Report

My family & I recently visited Greece (June 2024) using a combination of points/miles and regular spend. Below you can find our itinerary and links to additional blog posts for other islands & our flight information.

Greece Itinerary

Mykonos 2 nights – Mykonos details
Naxos 3 nights
Paros 3 nights
Athens 2 nights

Naxos, Greece

We fell in LOVE with Naxos 7 years ago. It’s a much more laid back, quiet island just a quick 1 hour ferry from Mykonos. Cruise ships do not dock here so the crowds are minimal. The island is quite large and it’s a wonderful place to rent a car and explore. We were absolutely thrilled to be back.

Last time we stayed at Nissaki Beach hotel which is on Agios Georgios. This hotel is walkable to downtown, which we loved. At the time, we loved that it was on Agios Georgios because this beach is incredibly shallow and no waves.

This time we chose to focus more on the beach portion of the trip and stayed in Plaka Beach. A GORGEOUS beach about 20 minute drive from downtown Naxos.

Where we stayed: Athina Studios & Suites
Rating: 5*
How we booked: Paid directly. This hotel is incredibly affordable.

This hotel is one of the most magical, whimsical places we’ve ever stayed. It appears that each room is different. There is a large pool. The most beautiful breakfast area. Directly across the road to the beach. And the hotel has its own beach club/chair rentals with the BIGGEST most amazing shade umbrellas. While we were there, chairs were included with $15/person food & drink spend. They said later in the season they do charge for chair rental. It is full service with fantastic, fast service.

hotel’s restaurant night dining under this tree!

Naxos Highlights

-The Plaka beach area where we stayed feels like the most magical movie setting. We ended up spending all 3 of our afternoons at the beach. 1 side of the road is filled with beautiful restaurants with tiny boutiques tucked in the back. The other side is the most pristine, gorgeous beach. When I booked I imagined there’d be casual/divey type restaurants… but no… these were stunning and obviously incredible views.

-Naxos Town is a must. So much less crowded than other islands. The waterfront is lined with restaurants, ice cream shops (Waffle House is a MUST) and bars. Then as you weave back into the town there’s more restaurants tucked in allies and lots shops that aren’t crazy expensive. And of course, you must visit the Portara (or Temple Of Apollo).

From Plaka, we took the bus ($2.60 roundtrip from Plaka to Naxos town, buy your ticket before you board the bus) and it takes about 25 minutes. A rental car would be better and there’s a parking lot near Nissaki Beach Hotel you may be able to find parking at. We did not rent a car since we only went into Naxos Town once.

Getting lost on the windy sidewalks is the best

Grab a cocktail at Avaton 1739 for amazing views

Greek Island Hopping

After spending 3 fantastic days in Naxos it was time to visit Paros. I purchased our ferry tickets from Ferry Hopper about 1 month before departure. I always choose the large, slow ferries as I get very seasick. We chose the BLUE STAR 1 ferry. I purchased “numbered seats” for $17 each. Numbered seats mean you will have a designated spot to sit and are only $1 more than normal seats. This very was much more crowded than our last and there will be many people already on the ship when you board – so having seats was actually helpful.

With Ferry Hopper, your ticket is on your phone. You will board the ferry, all the luggage stays in the bottom level, then show your phone/ticket, then walk up the steps to the seating area (or sometimes there’s an escalator – but not always).

Leaving your luggage with everyone else’s at the bottom of the ship is very standard but definitely feels weird.

Next up… Paros

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