My husband, 18 year old son, 16 year old daughter, 12 year old daughter, 3 grandparents (ranging in age from 64-70) and I all stayed very comfortably in this pristine villa with Popi and her husband living in the space below. We had the opportunity to meet their eldest daughter before she left for volleyball camp and she was delightfully honest and personable. Popi and her family were friendly, but gave us our space. Popi brought us breakfast cake one morning (delicious!) and we were able to rent one of their cars a few times to supplement the one rental car we had for the week. Popi recommended a drive to some villages in the mountains, culminating at a restaurant called Rotonda where we had cocktails and dinner at sunset — the most gorgeous view! The house itself is about 15 minutes outside of Naxos City and you will want to do most of your grocery shopping there as the village near the house is much smaller. Popi’s husband recommended we buy our fruits and vegetables across the street from the grocery store, which we did, and they were magnificent. We walked into Glinado one night for dinner and ate outside in what appeared to be the town square. It was wonderful and although the locals spoke no English, we managed and, as we found everywhere in Greece and Turkey, everyone was so hospitable and kind. We ate many dinners out, but the kitchen is well appointed and you could certainly prepare dinner at the villa.
The view is gorgeous and the breezes at the villa are fantastic. We enjoyed watching the neighborhood goats escape and listening to all of the local tractors drive by. We felt very safe — the grandparents walked/ran every morning on the rural roads and the entire estate is enclosed by a wall or fence. The home has an automatic gate that requires a remote to open and close it. We spent a lot of time in the pool, which was beautifully kept, and there are numerous nooks and spaces to spread out and read or nap or lounge. The home is spacious and lovely and even features some of Popi’s art! Every room has an air conditioner, but the breezes were so pleasant, most nights it wasn’t necessary for many of us.
If we are ever able to return to Greece, we would return to Naxos and stay at Popi’s place. It was a fantastic place to celebrate our son’s high school graduation!