Welcome to the beautiful island of Paros! With every trip to Greece we like to try to carve out a few days to escape to the islands and usually like to choose somewhere new.  Our last trip we did Mykonos and Santorini so this time (being our first trip with the little one) we picked something a bit more low key, slow paced and equally beautiful.  Paros!  It was Kosta’s first time but I traveled here with my family years ago when I was little girl.  We chose to stay in the norther village named Naoussa (maybe I’m biased but I think it’s the most beautiful town in the island).

I also turned 30 while we were on the island (another reason why we went)  it was the perfect way to welcome a new decade of life.  I wanted a beautiful island with my family – that’s all.  You can read more about that here.

ABOUT NAOUSSA, PAROS

For most people (including us) this village is the place to be.  It was white washed houses and store fronts.  So many winding passages leading you from store to restaurant to bar to cafe.  Naoussa has just about everything you’d be looking for in a Greek island.  You can even spot the remains of the Venetian fortress at the entrance of its harbour.

WHERE WE STAYED

Manis Inn

We stayed at this lovely hotel just a few minutes outside fo Naoussa by foot.  We loved the quiet pace of this hotel, the staff were so lovely and welcoming and made our stay so easy with Yianni.  It also has a beautiful view of the ocean, a pool and a restaurant (which we ate at a few times and was so convenient).

We’d either eat breakfast at the hotel but would usually like to stroll into Naoussa for a morning tiropita (cheese-pie) and coffee.  I love waking early when traveling and usually when you have little ones this happens anyway.  Walking through the town as everyone was waking up and getting started on their days makes you feel part of the island.

After the first night Ko and I learned what to do.  We would get Yianni ready for bed – PJs and all – he would drink his milk as we walked into the town and then we would walk around until he feel asleep in the stroller – that’s when Kosta and I would sit down for a nice dinner, some wine and walk back to our hotel!  Yianni was such a trooper this whole trip and it made it easier that he was good with sleeping anywhere.

BEACHES

Every day we would get out to a beach to enjoy.  Kolympethres quickly became our favourites since it was close to Manis Inn.  It was beautiful white sand, warm shallow waters and a was pretty quiet which we loved.  We also rented a car for our entire trip (we drove it onto the ferry and then drove it off on the island so we had transportation – there are buses that go around the island to take you from beach to beach if you don’t have a car!).

Another favourite of ours was Santa Maria beach – it’s definitely a larger organized beach including beach bar and music but was fun for a more lively beach day. You can also see the island of Naxos from this beach which was pretty cool.

WHERE TO EAT

Axinos + Mario were two places we really enjoyed eating at.  They are known for their delicious seafood and we loved that they were both located right next to the local harbour – it made for a relaxing view to end our evenings at.  Marmitta was another place we loved, it’s known for its more traditional meals (so so good!).

This is the perfect family friend island.  We decided to spent almost all our time in Naoussa – there was so much to explore and was so easy to get around with Yianni.  There are so many more villages and beaches you could visit including: Parikia, Aliki and Drios – they are all beautiful villages and rich in their own unique history.  Other beaches to try: Golden Beach, Monastiri and Parasporis
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