Just steps away from the sea, the boutique hotel Naxian on the Beach has a low-key, relaxed feel providing something a little more up market on a back-to-basics island. Filled with natural woods, textures and colours, it has more of a glamping feel than that of a luxury Mediterranean beachside hotel.

With no reception area, you enter through Tortuga restaurant on the side of the beach road running along Plaka Beach. Hotel rooms incorporate the beach feel, full of wicker light shades and chestnut branches. All rooms have either an indoor or outdoor tub, the reality of which is a little less appealing than it sounds, and with ours being located at ground level above the staff entrance to the kitchen, we never used it. Finishings are a little disappointing relative to the price of the rooms and luxury it just isn’t. 

What it is, is a pleasant stay on the beach. The hotel has rows of four-poster wooden lounge beds perfect for days of soaking up the Greek rays. The front row is reserved for hotel guests so you’re guaranteed the best spot every day.

A la carte breakfast is at the Tortuga restaurant. Waiters here are friendly and seem to magically appear at the exact moment that you feel like you want a coffee refill.

All rooms have a balcony and the highest rooms may have views of the sea, but over and past the restaurant and the beach road, not quite what you would expect for the price. But on an island that has a complete lack of luxury accommodation, the Naxian team are asserting themselves.

Make sure to hire a car, this can be done at the hotel but at a higher price than doing it yourselves. The hotel have maps and can show you a loop to take so that in one day, you take in most of what Naxos has to offer.

Naxian by the Sea is a pleasant hotel, but, in my opinion, really not worth the price. There are a lot of similar but much more fairly priced hotels all along the same beach road as Naxian and if I go back, I’ll be heading to one of those.