Reflections on Naxos

Dave, Marie, Jan, Frances

Front: David, Nigel, Sue, Dave; back: Anne, Peter, Richard, Sue, John

Hotel Grotta was very clean.  Nicoletta and Marina were always cheerful and helped us out many times with printing, directions and problem-solving.  The dining room had lovely views. A wide selection of food was offered at breakfast, although the only hot dish, scrambled eggs and tomato, was the same every day. We bought fresh bread, meat, cheese, etc for lunch from nearby bakery and supermarket.  Unlike our previous Hf holidays, we ate in the hotel every night because the 10 minute walk to cafes in the town was considered unsafe at night (narrow footpaths, no footpath).  Salad was a good option for the first course; all desserts were good (except for the pith on oranges).  Main courses were generally overcooked, underflavoured and   over-large.
Our Hf companions were all British, not the mix of other nationalities which we had encountered previously.  Consequently, the conversation with us sometimes concentrated on Britain and Australia. However, everyone was very friendly and interesting.  The two leaders, Dave and Jan (pronounced Yan = Dutch, but he's Scottish), were very competent.  Dave shared his botanical knowledge; Jan's sense of humour kept me smiling.
We were most impressed by Naxos, the scenery, the people, the cleanliness.  It was far more fertile and lush than we expected.  A booklet showed wonderful beaches which we only saw in the distance, except for the first walk along Plaka Beach.  The swimming season has not yet arrived and tourists tend to be older at this time.
Blue Star ferries are very well run, spotlessly clean and comfortable.  The two five-hour journeys to Naxos were punctuated by walks around the decks, visits to cafes and on the return trip, the pleasant company of Marie (though I probably bored her with photos from our netbook!).