Greece 2022 - Day 10: A lazy day on Naxos

After such a full day yesterday, we decided to gear down a bit today.  We started the day with a walk along the water of Naxos Town stopping by Agios Georgios Beach just on the western edge of town.  This is a highly organized beach framed by hotels and beach side restaurants and bars…definitely not our scene.  On our way back through town, we stopped by a bakery and purchased some pastries to have with our breakfast back at the apartment. 

Looking out from Agios Georgios Beach

Breakfast!

Our next task was deciding which beach to visit today.  Naxos has a plethora of beautiful beaches to choose from, so it was a tough call.  We ended up settling on a beach called Mikri Vigla which turned out to be amazing.  Mikri Vigla is located on the Southwestern side of Naxos about 12 km from Naxos Town which is about 25 minutes by car.  The beach is semi-organized with only a very small number of beach chairs and umbrellas for rent.  There is a quaint family run taverna at the northern end of the beach that has been operating since the 1960’s.  With 4 km of uninterrupted golden sand, turquoise waters and very few people, this beach was like paradise for us! 

After several hours of soaking up the sun and swimming in the crystal-clear water, we popped into the little taverna for a snack.  We ordered some beers and a selection of Greek mezes, or appetizers, including fresh baked bread, Tzatziki, olives and baked feta with spicy peppers and tomatoes.  

After lunch, we hiked up over the interesting rock formation at the northern of the beach to get a bird’s eye view of the beach.

 

It was around 5 o’clock when we reluctantly decided it was time to head back to Town.  Back at the apartment, we cleaned up and enjoyed the last of the evening sun on the balcony with a cold glass of wine while contemplating where to have dinner tonight. 

We ended up trying a restaurant called To Elliniko with the most beautiful outdoor terrace.  We had spotted this place while wandering around Naxos Town on our first day.  The thing that had piqued my interest was a quote painted on one of the walls of the restaurant. 

The meal was nothing short of fabulous.  The restaurant focuses on traditional Naxian recipes with a bit of modern flare.  As has become our tradition here, we shared a Greek salad to start.  Then, I ordered the fish special, a whole grilled Sea Bass cooked simply, but to absolute perfection.  Ian had the goat Kleftiko.  Kleftiko is a way of cooking meat, usually lamb or goat that has been marinated in lemon juice, along with potato, vegetables and feta, all sealed up in paper.  Both of our meals were out of this world delicious!

At the end of the meal, we were presented with a complimentary dessert of coconut cake accompanied by a digestive drink made from Geranium flowers.  The drink had the most amazing floral taste and the prettiest pink color.  To Elliniko was hands down one of the best meals we’ve had in Greece, not to mention, the service was top notch.  A perfect way to end a perfect day!