Kavos Naxos

This small resort overlooking the sandy sweep of Ayios Prokopios has secluded studios, a sleek swimming pool and spadefuls of style

People often ask me, as someone who has been visiting and writing about Greece for 15 years, what my favourite island is. And I always answer Naxos, for its combination of gold-sand beaches and lush mountainous interior, of sleepy white pueblos and a lively seafront hora (capital). And my favourite beach on Naxos? That would have to be Ayios Prokopios, a long arc of sand and turquoise water placed just far enough from Hora to feel blissfully secluded, yet near enough (10 mins’ drive) to piggy-back on its engaging and unfancified restaurants, bars and boutiques.

And my top tip for where to stay? You guessed it: the beautifully designed and immaculately run studios and villas of Kavos, with their rampantly exotic gardens, their spacious Cyc-chic interiors and their private verandas looking down across a seamless pool and sparkling seas to neighbouring Paros. It's impeccably run by English manageress Barbara and her team, and very fairly priced. All of which, for a couple or family seeking a tranquil and stylish island escape, puts it squarely at the top of the heap.

Highs

• The location, on a wind-sheltered slope above the limpid waters of Ayios Prokopios, with wine-red sunsets over the straits of Paros, is unbeatable
• We loved having the freedom of a villa (our own kitchen, plenty of breathing space) along with the facilities of a small resort (restaurant, bar, local advice)
• The gardens are stunning - fragrant roses, rampant bougainvillea all year round - and some houses have a lovely roof terrace
• If you tire of swimming & sunbathing, they can arrange mountain-biking, horse-riding & hiking trips; and there's excellent wind- and kite-surfing nearby, too
• Naxos is well served by planes, ferries and hydrofoils from Athens, and links well with Paros, Santorini, Mykonos or Syros

Lows

• You’re not right on the beach, but 15-20 mins’ walk above (away from any road or bar noise)
• Although you could manage without, life will be easier with a hire car, for shuttling to the beach and into Hora
• The area can get windy in summer when the meltemi blows
• Since our first visit, 2 resorts have opened between Kavos and the sea, but they are low-rise and relatively inoffensive