If you’re travelling from North America all the way to Greece, you may be wondering if it’s worth adding complexity to your itinerary by adding a boat or plane ride to the Cyclades islands. While it was all fine and dandy before we had kids, this year the debate was real, since we were visiting family in the Peloponnese and had never taken our two year old on a plane or trip before.

With so many beautiful spots on the southern mainland regions of Messinia and Mani, and beautiful spots in the North like Halkidiki, it’s a tough question to answer. And if you ARE committed to the Cyclades islands, how can you choose just one?

I knew I didn’t want to go to Mykonos (party vibe) or Santorini (romance vibe) from trips past, but I was torn between Paros and Naxos. In the end, we went with Naxos, which came recommended for families, good food and beautiful beaches.

 

Rest assured, Naxos is a kid friendly island

I saw a ton of families with kids and babies on Naxos Island, much more than I recall seeing on the other islands. The locals are super friendly, and it is a quieter, low-key island with a lot of apartments and family suites available. You can actually hear the ocean waves on organized beaches, instead of loud, pulsing music.

It’s also close enough to Paros, Koufonisia and Mykonos that if you wanted to be ambitious, you could rent a car for 24 hours and ferry yourselves over.

Where to Stay on Naxos Island with a toddler?

We ended up basing ourselves in an apartment in Agios Prokopios beach for six nights, without a car. We figured as long as we stayed a stone’s throw from the beach, we’d actually get to swim in it every day and this turned out to be true.

However, we were a little bummed about the mandated cost of taxi / limo transfers : $35 euro one way to the airport and $25 euros one way to Chora main town, which were both a 10 minute drive from Agios Prokopios beach. On the plus side, pre-arranging a car seat was no problem (shout out to George, the nicest driver in Naxos).

While there is a reliable bus service every 30 minutes that connects the coastal towns with Chora (the main city), the line ups get long and I just couldn’t imagine taking my 2 year old on there (but we aren’t the most on the-go, baby wearing family).

If I were to do things again, I would either rent a car to be more mobile and base myself in Agios again OR I would spend 2 to 3 nights in Naxos Town / Chora before switching to Agios Prokopios Beach for the remaining nights. If you rent a place with a kitchen in the beach side towns, be aware that supermarket options are limited. They literally ran out of chicken in Agios Prokopios for days, which we needed for soup when we got sick. For that reason, I would do a grocery haul in Chora and bring it down, if you stay in both places.

 

Why We Recommend Agios Prokopios Beach over Agia Anna Beach

I debated and researched staying in both places. After all, they are walkable and side by side, so I didn’t think one could choose wrong. While we didn’t spend a lot of time in Agia Anna, the beach felt a bit more worn down relative to Agios Prokopios.

The sand was darker and reminded me of Ontario beaches. the sun beds were more cramped together because of the narrower distance  between the ocean and the beach bars. The sun beds, in large part, looked worse for wear (stained). There was a small port with some boats in the water, making the view less expansive. On the plus side, there is no road behind Agia Anna beach, making the atmosphere quieter and the beach bars were cooler.

The beach in Agios Prokopios is expansive and spacious, with white coral sand and crystal clear, calm turquoise waters. You can literally see your feet no matter how deep you go, pretty much any time of day. The town is small, cute and easy to navigate on foot.  Note that in September, the water was a bit fresh and the breeze picked up by the shoreline.

 

Recommended Hotels and Apartments in Agios Prokopios Beach with a Toddler

For a hotel experience (all with pools):

1. Naxos Island hotel
2. Melidron Luxury Hotel & Suites (a bit of a walk to the beach – has family suites, I heard good things about it)
3. Liana Beach hotel & Spa (on the beach – more of an adult romance vibe)
4. Perla hotel (bit of a walk to the beach)

For an apartment experience:

1. Nikos apartments & studios (beachfront)
2. The Nine Graces (beachfront, no kitchen)
3. Erato Inn (beachfront)
4. Ocean Breeze apartment we stayed here, 50 m from beach – two 2-bedroom units separated by a small hallway – good for traveling with grandparents but a bit pricey for what it is

For a studio experience:

1. Naxos Petite Studios (very cute inside but small, no view, cheap limo transfers and great price – could be good with an infant check out triple luxury room)
2. Golden Coast Naxos (similar to above)
3. Amalia Studios (beachfront but basic inside)
4. Deep Blue Hotel (beachfront, run by the kind people of café Barbounis)

 

Where to Eat in Agios Prokopios Beach with a Toddler

I can only speak to the restaurants that we ate at or heard good things about (we also used our kitchen a few times). Food prices were actually very reasonable in Naxos.

• Barbounis: Yia Yia approved sausage, meatballs, grilled vegetables, sea bream and oven roasted potatoes were found at this beachside resto, run by the nicest people (associated with Deep Blue hotel). They charge $20 – $25 euros for two chairs but were flexible based on food orders. On the downside, their stuffed peppers, grilled chicken and pork were not the best.
• La Trattoria: Beet salad was great (associated with Ostria hotel)
• Johnny & Co: delicious chicken gyros pita for 4.50 euro
• Colosseo: yummy goat-based baked feta (most places had local cow-based Naxos cheese – no bueno for lactose intolerance)
• Symposium Greek Cuisine: I heard great things about the lamb (associated with Liana hotel)

OVERRATED:

• Giannoulis – always had a line outside and great google reviews but had worst calamari of my life there (meatballs were good)
• 18 Grapes Hotel – Sous-vide short rib had lots of chewy parts + very red inside; tasty but not worth it and the goat pesto pasta was nothing special (Asian inspired calamari was good though)

There was a vegan café up the street and yummy juice / coffee bars all around.

 

Honourable Mention for Family Travel: Paros Island

Paros is a 25 to 45 minute ferry ride from Naxos and totally doable as a day trip. While I did not personally visit Paros, I’ve heard great things about Chrisi Akti beach area, which is in the South and 30 minutes from the airport.

Chrisi Akti beach is known to be wavier for kite surfing but still swimmable and beautiful. Nearby Piso Livadi is great for food too. If staying in the south, you’ll need a car as food options are limited on foot. That being said, the island is smaller and easier to see by car than Naxos. Here are a couple hotel recos:

1. Boudari Hotel Suites & Villas (various room types)
2. Saint George Hotel (very pricy in peak season, but with its own beach)
3. Nomad’s house

So tell me, have you travelled to the Cyclades islands with or without kids? Is Greece or its islands on your family travel bucket list? Any hidden gems to share?