August's supermoon on Naxos

Celebrate the full moon tomorrow on Naxos, it will be a supermoon! 

What is a supermoon? Well, it is a popular term for perigee full (or new) moon, meaning a new or full moon which occurs with the moon at or near (within 90% of) its closest approach to Earth in a given orbit.

The supermoon of this August is one of the largest and brightest full moons of the year. The U.S. Naval Observatory says the moon will be 12% bigger and 30% brighter than it was in January 2014. Let me remind you that, according to NASA, the full moons of this summer, on July 12, August 10 and September 9, are all supermoons - so you will still have a chance in September :-) .

So, how will you enjoy the phenomenon?

• 21:00 at the Ancient Sanctuary of Dionysus at Yria, a tribute to the nobelist poet Odysseus Elytis. Poetry and prose performed by the Naxian actress Anastasia Marmataki.

• 21:30, Bazeos Tower a concert by Nikos Portokaloglou. A journey through the world of Greek music led by a group of excellent musicians: songwriter and singer Nikos Portokaloglou, Vaggelis Markantoni, bass-guitar-vocals and Haris Michailidis, guitar-vocals

• 22.30, Full moon party at Plaka Beach

• Or any other beach or simply at the port of Naxos! And you could post your photos on our Facebook page 

Enjoy!

Testing our new Naxos Apartments / guide application

Well, we are vigorously going on developing our naxos-apartments smartphone application!

The application, like our website, provides access to booking with one of our partners on the island and offers a variety of tourist information on how to access Naxos, what to do and what to see on the island.

All accommodation, rent a car, attractions etc are accompanied with text and photos and most importantly are tagged on google maps so you can find your way when on the island.

In addition we have an RSS feed to this very blog so you will always get the latest news on offers, events, activities and whatever!

We shall keep you posted! We expect it to be available in itunes store in June 2014.

Good news!

At 21-22 degrees Celcius today, on a sunny spring day, one can only be positive and think of good news!! So, here we go:

1. Our guests can benefit of a 15% discount in car or motorbike rentals in May, June and September when they book with our partners on the island. Remember, Naxos is the biggest island of the Cyclades and in addition to the majestic beaches, it offers visitors a variety of landscapes and picturesque villages as well as a rich cultural heritage with ancient and medieval monuments. Therefore, to fully grasp the beauty of the island (especially when everything is blossoming in spring), no matter at which of our partner hotels you stay, we strongly recommend you to rent a car or a motorbike for at least some days of your holidays.
2. Plaka Watersports offers our guests a discount of 10% in May, June and September in any of the watersports or other activities  they provide (biking, horse riding etc). Remember,  the Cyclades are famous for the wind "meltemi", a strong, steady northern wind and Naxos is a hot spot for windsurfing or kitesurfing (check our post in 2011). Apparently, our partner hotels on Agia Anna and Plaka beach  provide an easier access to Plaka Watersports
3. There are still some vacant seats for Olympic Air flights Athens - Naxos during summer. As many of you know, the aircraft is very small, so if you consider the option of flying (30 minutes) instead of taking a ferry, (5 hours), book quickly. Besides, high speed ferries have not yet published their itinerary - Blue Star is as every year sailing to Naxos twice daily, at 07.25 and at 17.30  
4. If you fly to Santorini on the way to Naxos or if you simply want to visit this volcanic island, we can help with your hotel accommodation there and give you the opportunity to book a studio or apartment at the Ambelia Traditional Villas in Finikia, at 15 walking minutes from Oia. And in this case, you will experience 2013 Year of Gastronomy  in Santorini!
5. And some general good news for the Greek tourism: the Greek National Tourism Organisation's stand at ITB Berlin 2013 came in second place in the Europe category of the Best Exhibitor Awards for booth construction, information contents, service quality, friendliness and special effects. The Region of Southern Aegean (Naxos included of course) was co-exhibiting as well as the campaign "Green Tourism in Greece". 

And last but not least, we remind you that the Greek Orthodox Easter is on the 5th of May this year. It is a splendid opportunity to get to experience a very different, rather mystical, kind of Easter and to more intimately get to know Naxos and its people at very competitive prices. Contact us for more info on hotels, apartments and studios! 

Combine a visit to a village with some local liqueur tasting

One of Naxos' finest experiences is a visit to the historic village of Halki, about 20 minutes' drive from Naxos town (Chora).

Halki is a vivid reflection of historic Naxos and is full of the handsome façades of old villas and tower houses, legacy of a rich past as the one-time centre of Naxian commerce. Since the late 19th century, Halki has had strong connections with the production of kitron, a delicious liqueur.

The Vallindras Distillery in Halki's main square, still distils kitron the old-fashioned way. There are free tours of the old distillery's atmospheric rooms, which still contain ancient jars and copper stills. Kitron tastings round off the trip and a selection of the distillery's products are on sale.

To arrange a tour you need to phone 22850 22534 or 694255116.

And don't forget to refuel in the shady square of the village or take a look at the small shops around, such as the ceramics gallery-shop, L'Olivier.

Source: Lonely planet