Greece

The Naxos Apothecary: A Portara View Restaurant in Chora, Naxos

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For those familiar with the Greek beauty and skin care brand Korres, you may have heard of its owners’ upscale beauty and skin care brand, The Naxos Apothecary. Inspired by Greece’s oldest homeopathic pharmacy, The Naxos Apothecary brand makes lovely beauty products, skin care, and scents. The brand is somewhat difficult to find outside of Greece, so I definitely recommend picking some up when there. In any case, The Naxos Apothecary also has a restaurant and store combination located right in Chora, Naxos. This post reviews my lovely dinner at The Naxos Apothecary in July 2025.

The Naxos Apothecary Restaurant.

First off, The Naxos Apothecary is located at the far end of Chora port’s restaurant row, very close to the entry way to the Portara. It can be a bit difficult to find unless you are walking to the Portara. The establishment itself is both a restaurant/wine bar/tea cafe and a shop selling some of the brand’s most famous products (although the selection was not that great in my opinion). We did not make a reservation and were able to snag an outdoor table just after sunset on a Friday evening, which was pretty lucky. I suggest making a reservation. The restaurant is small and also offers, at least from the outside tables, a slight glimpse of the Portara and an excellent sunset view.

View from our table.

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Iliada Sunset Suites Review: Best Boutique Hotel in Naxos

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If you read my previous post, you know that Dan and I had a lovely stay at Iliada Sunset Suites during our time in Naxos last summer (July 2025). And by lovely, I really, really, really loved this boutique hotel. I found it quintessentially Greek and incredibly charming. This post reviews Iliada Sunset Suites in detail.

Beautiful pink flowers at Iliada Sunset Suites.

The view of the Mediterranean from Iliada Sunset Suites in Naxos, Greece.

ILIADA SUNSET SUITES LOCATION

Iliada Sunset Suites is located in Chora, or Naxos Town, in Naxos, Greece, which is the island’s main, and largest, town. It is set on a hill above Grotta Beach, offering stunning views of the heart of Naxos Town and the famous Portara (aka the Temple of Apollo). The area directly surrounding the hotel is comprised of other, small hotels/rentals and a hill/turned parking lot that tourists walk down to get to and from Chora (although there is a longer, less steep route, too). It’s location is pretty quiet, without much to immediately walk to. Lots of restaurants and shops are located in Chora’s heart, which is about a 5 – 10 minute walk from the hotel.

Iliada Sunset Suites is a classic blue and white Greek boutique hotel. .

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Naxos Itinerary: A Relaxed Greek Island Escape.

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As you may know, last summer’s July 4 vacation took us back to Greece,this time to Crete and Naxos. I shared a lot about our time in Crete and how you can recreate it our trip for yourself, but I haven’t shared much about Naxos. And quite frankly, that is because I absolutely LOVED Naxos and simply cannot put into a blog post how much. We also didn’t do anything too touristy or fancy; we just relaxed and enjoyed the island. In this post, I will share what we did with our time in Naxos, including what we loved, what was meh (very little), and what I will do again. If you are considering Naxos as a vacation destination, I highly recommend it!

Chora, Naxos, Greece.

NAXOS ISLAND – LOCATION & GENERAL INFORMATION

The Cyclades are a group of famous Greek islands that are well know for being the “blue and white islands” made famous by the likes of Mama Mia and the legends of Santorini. The Cyclades are also home to the party-centric Mykonos and the recently popular Milos. Naxos is the largest of all the islands in the Cyclades. We have been to 5 of the Cyclades (Santorini, Mykonos, Milos, Paros, and Naxos), and we love this island group.

Naxos, Greece on a map.

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Hotel Review: Domes Zeen Chania, Crete.

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Dan and I spent a lovely and relaxing week just outside of Chania, Crete last July (2025). We stayed at Domes Zeen Chania, a Marriott Bonvoy property (making it ideal for those looking for point redemptions). While it is not in Chania proper, we had a wonderful stay at Domes Zeen Chania would easily return. This post details our stay at Domes Zeen Chania in July 2025.

Our private terrace at Domes Zeen Chania.

Pros of Domes Zeen Chania: Beautiful property, spacious rooms with excellent air conditioning, natural beauty, especially at sunset, possible to use Marriott Bonvoy points, American style mattresses (IYKYK).

Cons of Domes Zeen Chania: Lots of families with children, pricey compared to other hotels in the area, more Western International than Greek, located far from Chania town.

Sunset from the main pool at Domes Zeen Chania. The sunsets were consistently outstanding. 

THE DOMES ZEEN CHANIA PROPERTY

Domes Zeen Chania is located in greater Chania town – a 15 minute drive, or a 45 minute walk, from Chania’s famous Old Venetian Port. As it is outside of Chania, the hotel is somewhat secluded, abutting the sea on one side and being pretty closed off from the public otherwise. There are a few businesses – beach clubs and restaurants – within a short walk, but you will likely spend most of your time at the hotel unless you venture into Chania proper. In other words, this is a good spot for those just wanting to enjoy a relaxing vacation without too much sightseeing.

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A Foodie Adventure Through Monastiraki & Psiri, Greece!

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After spending time in Crete and Naxos earlier this year in July, Dan and I had just one night—24 hours—in Athens. Since we’ve visited the city several times before, we decided to skip the major tourist sights and instead focus on something we never tire of: food. We chose Eating Europe’s “Our Big, Fat, Greek Food Tour,” which led us through six delicious stops across Athens’ Monastiraki and Psiri neighborhoods.

Looking up at the Acropolis at the beginning of our food tour.

One thing to note: we took the tour on a Sunday, when many places in Athens are closed. We were informed of this beforehand but decided to go ahead—it was, after all, our only night in the city. Would I do it again on a Sunday? Absolutely. Still, I suspect the experience is even better on other days when more spots are open and bustling.

THE BIG, FAT, GREEK FOOD TOUR

Our tour began in the Monastiraki neighborhood of Athens, which is a very old Athens neighborhood – dating back 6,000 years. This area is located in the shadow of the Acropolis, filled with far too many super touristy shops, and contains its own historical treasures, including the Roman Agora, Holy Church of the Virgin Mary Pantanassa, and Hadrian’s Library. All tourists should come to this area, regardless if you take a food tour.

Monastiraki, Athens. A very ancient Athens area.

STOP ONE: GREEK COFFEE

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