Escape for a few days to a family-friendly, tranquil island in culturally and naturally scrumptious Greece.

Naxos island is just as famous for kids as it is for its sandy beaches along the road, not to mention the colorful flowers and trees surrounding the blue door sills of white houses.

An ideal holiday for beach lovers, this family-friendly island has endless sandy beaches, turquoise crystal clear water and calm waves.

One such beach is Agia Anna. Yet each beach has different features.

If you want a calm haven, go to Plaka beach. For wind or kite surfers, however, the windy Mikri Vigla beach is the place to be.

Agios Georgious beach, by contrast, is where the crowd is.

Numerous restaurants and cafes overlook the beach, where you can enjoy a variety of fresh juices and have your lunch served on your sun bed.

Get a relaxing massage along the shores. You will have no trouble finding masseurs offering to melt away your tension as you laze about.

The weather in June is mild. Temperatures are around 24 degrees Celsius, making a swim refreshing in the summer breeze.

In July and August, however, the weather usually gets very hot and the beaches become overcrowded.

You certainly won’t be stuck for choice on what activities to take up on Naxos island, whether windsurfing, canoeing, sailing or simply, whatever kind of sport you prefer.

Enjoy exciting water rides with the family or join the local horse-riding club, where you can ride your own horse in the sea.

This novel activity can be done by beginners and experts alike.

Sailers can go on exotic cave tours and experience dolphins swimming along the boat.

Even cinema-lovers can indulge in their favorite past-time on Naxos island thanks to the highly original open-air cinema that is surrounded by trees and flowers.

New films are shown in their original language with Greek subtitles.

Naxos island also offers an aqua park.

This small water park has two pools and four slides that are well-supervised by lifeguards, while parents can get pampered within the park’s very own spa.

Fun is only part of the story. The island boasts rich heritage and tradition that can be experienced first hand in the little village of Filoti, a haven of olive trees and marble.

At night, most cafes and bars are open, providing shisha and drinks while watching a football game on the big screen.

Because Naxos is a small island, most hotels offer a shuttle service to Chora, the downtown area. You can also easily rent a car or a scooter to make your journies more fun.

Chora is Naxos’s main harbor. There, you will find many a fish restaurant and tavern lining up the waterfront.

Chora contains everything you will ever need, from food to souvenirs and from colorful slippers to dynamic stones.

Naxos island is certainly not short of historic elements.

Enjoy unique ancient monuments, such as the “Portara,” or the Great Door, a massive marble doorway that was dedicated to Apollo.

Tourists visit a vantage point at sunset to capture a snapshot of the sun framed in the huge door. The climb is well worth the view once you get there. In fact, you can see the Portara from wherever you are standing in Chora.

Bazeos Castle, meanwhile, offers a traditional dance up in the castle’s upper floors, where you enjoy a marvelous view of the island against a backdrop of Greek music and folklore. Performers often encourage bystanders to join in their traditional dance.

Naxos island is located in the Cyclades islands of Greece.

You can get there by ferry in six hours or by high-speed catamaran in three to four hours from Piraeus, Athens.

Various shipping companies sail to Naxos, including Blue Star Ferries, Hellenic Seaways, Sea Jets and NEL Lines.

Luckily, there are many nearby islands you can visit, such as Santorini, Mykonos and Paros. In fact, day trips to any island are easy to book.

Getting to Santorini takes two hours by normal ferry.

Keep your eyes on the window and you might get lucky and witness dolphins swimming along the boat.

You can also visit Paros, the nearest island to Naxos, which is larger and has more shops and restaurants. If you want to party all day in the Cyclades, all you have to do is catch a 45-minute ferry to get to Mykonos.

Food in Greece is a simple affair. Go to any family-owned tavern and you’ll be sure to get an authentic Greek experience.

From grilled zucchini balls to kalimata olives and from village-matured feta cheese to tzatziki dip (yogurt with cucumber and garlic) and saganaki (fried cheese), you won’t be stuck for choice.

In fact, many of their dishes are akin to Arab cuisine. Traditional bean soup is called “fasolada,” while eggplant is the famous “moussaka.”

Other Greek dishes include “souvlaki” (grilled meat and veg with fried potatoes and authentic sauces) and “kavkavia” (seafood soup).

Needless to say, “kataifi” and “baklava” are also almost identical to the Arab version and won’t come as a surprise to any Middle Eastern resident.

In short, with a visit to Naxos or any of the other Cyclades islands, you’ll be sure to savor both scenery and scintillating culture and cuisine. With such an all-rounded itinerary, who needs a better deal?

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