A secret island in the Mediterranean, where prices are lower, than the main competitors, and the rest is better, the British newspaper The Sun presented to tourists. According to the experts of the publication, the Greek island of Naxos “gathered all the best pieces of the Greek islands, like juicy stuffed dolma” – the island has everything to charm even an experienced traveler, while there are few tourists themselves, and prices are extremely low.
< p>And then the experts of the publication describe this “everything” from personal experience: according to them, the island is known for some of the best sandy beaches in the Mediterranean, it can offer tourists the whole range – sea, educational, gastronomic and other excursions, beach bars and nightclubs … However, with In this regard, the island “remains self-sufficient agriculturally” and, according to experts, “successfully resisted” mass tourism until the 80s, relying on agriculture, and still retains its authenticity and lack of crowds of tourists, which also affects prices – Naxos is “much less luxurious” than other islands – primarily Mykonos and Santorini, which are part of the same archipelago of the Cyclades, and from where ferries go to Naxos daily.
“20 thousand local residents of the island and about four times as many goats. Here, shepherds still roam the mountain paths, where tourists also wear out their hiking boots. And boats for one-day excursions are moored next to the fishermen unloading their catch, ”the expert of the publication paints. And the “demonstration beaches,” he says, are “endless tiny, secret beaches, many of which can only be reached by SUV jeeps, on foot or by boat.” On one such excursion, the expert was shown a small pebble beach on the neighboring island of Kato Koufonissi, where tourists snorkeled, as well as the tiny chapel of Agios Sozon, which can also be reached only from the water – according to legend, it was built by shipwrecked merchants, in gratitude for that they survived, and the walls of the chapel are made of clay mixed with a load of wine carried by merchants. Also, no boat trip is complete without a good cave, such is Rina's cave with its luminous “green” water, hidden under a wild hillside and “keeping pirate secrets”. At the same time, such a full-day excursion on a sailing boat costs £70 per person, writes a British expert, that is, a little more than 6,000 rubles. with our money. “But it's sure to be the highlight of your holiday,” adds the expert, also saying that the itinerary includes a BBQ lunch and “limitless free wine.”
However, the expert adds, in general, if you want to save money, there is no need to go to sea, because there are many more easily accessible beaches that you can enjoy from land. The main town of the island, ancient Chora is “a wonderland of traditional streets, bars and restaurants that also knows how to party big at The Ocean Club rave club – and is adjacent to the wide, golden sandy beach of St. George's Bay.” “A short bus ride down the coast and other perfect sandy beaches await you – naturist Maragas, wild Plaka and Agia Anna, where beach bars come alive in the summer, it gets cool in September and October, and the Gorgon family tavern serves squid and small fish of a fresh catch,” the expert continues to describe.
In terms of hotels, two of the hotels he reviewed – the adults-only Princess Mare and the Astir, a family-run hotel with a swimming pool – are family-run and recently refurbished. For a double room with breakfast, tourists paid from 65 pounds in Princess Mare and 80 pounds in Astir (that is, from 5 to 7 thousand for our money). Prices are slightly higher during the season, the Brit adds, but still lower than the competition.
He also recommends sightseeing tours of the island, which include the Temple of Demeter, carved in local marble, dating back to 580 BC. an ancient mathematician whom everyone remembers from geometry lessons. The peculiarity of the bowl is that it has a hole that “drains your wine if you refill too greedily.” Tourists will also be shown “the world's oldest olive tree”, which is supposedly 5000 years old, a traditional family olive press and mountain villages – Halki with a distillery and church frescoes, the marble village of Apiranthos and Filoti.
He warns gastronomy lovers that the food in Naxos is huge and restaurants can be found for every budget. They “feasted like the Greek gods” for about £50 a meal. “Homemade taramasalata, Greek salad with mountain herbs or rustic potato salad with capers often drove us crazy even before the main dishes were brought from local pork, lamb or beef,” the British expert assured.
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