8-day Naxos Workation Package

Naxos is the largest of Cyclades and captures the dream of the Greek islands with buildings glowing from the whitewashed walls against foregrounds colored by the turquoise Agean Sea and backgrounds shaped by rustic and rugged hills. The island can feel like a secret, overshadowed by more popular places to visit along the archipelago like Mykonos and Santorini. 

Your Workation representative will meet you at the airport and introduce you to the beauty of the island and the comforts of your pre-vetted accommoadtoins possessing the amenities you need to fully enjoy your Greece Workation package. For your welcome to the island, you can visit Portara and view the ancient monument between the remains of the old castle and the winding streets of Chora. Thel landmark doorway was made from centuries-old marble and frames the sunset as the sky turns golden before the night. 

Focus:
Practice mindful observation at sunset. Don’t just watch the sunset, experience the moment by paying attention to what you see, hear, smell, feel, and even taste.

Suggestion:
It’s a better experience if you disconnect and turn your phone off until you return to your accommodation.

With a full day on Naxos, you could dive into the beauty of the beaches and experience the famous coastline for which Greece and its islands are known in season or experience the year-round beauty of the ancient ruins scattered around Naxos.

The Temple of Demeter dates back to the 6th century BCE and was built to honor the goddess of grain and the harvest. The stone missing from the columns and doors isn’t lost and instead was used to build the basilica around the same archaeological site. After exploring the ancient buildings, you can walk through more contemporary streets in Chora, the main town where the colorful facades create a vibrant atmosphere among the narrow paved alleyways and malze-like citadel. Cafes fill the smells of coffee and the shops offer light and welcoming smiles. 

Focus:
Give yourself time among the ancient ruins and lively streets. What differences do you notice? What do you hear at one vs. the other?

Suggestion:
The local market has great selections of olive oil, olives, cheese, and honey locals enjoy.

Today is your first workday since arriving in Greece and starting your Workation package. You can set in place a ritual that will establish a structure to start and end your work with ease. Make the committed practice and it will influence your work-life balance during your trip. At the end of the day, you can use a similar or the same ritual to disconnect from work and enjoy your cooking class taught by a local. 

Naxos is known for ingredients like grapes, honey, fresh fish, cheese, and citrus fruits, as well as spices brought during the height of the island’s power at the center of Cycladic and Aegean trade around the 7th century BCE. Inside your chef’s private kitchen, you may find the smells of garlic or lemon as you help prepare a four-course meal with dishes like dakos, kabobs, and potatoes with shaved feta. 

Suggestion:
Make a list of the ingredients you use in each dish. Pay attention to the first two bites you take of each plate. What flavors do you find?

Focus:
Kataifi with ice cream is a popular and satisfying dessert across the island and much of Greece.

You will practice your ritual first thing in the morning to establish your system for starting work. The implementation creates a habit that makes it much easier to start and stop work as you need. At the end of the workday, you can step out of your accommodation and visit the historic and rural villages around the island. A trail connects a number of villages with a great view, giving you the option to walk between Melanes to Myli. 

You can follow the stone path and enjoy the fields of wildflowers and tall grass as you break way from the village and head to Myli. The trail waves around the hillside and opens to views of the terraced buildings with whitewashed homes and the sporadic blue domes of the local churches. The walk will be quiet and can give you great views otherwise impossible to find.

Focus:
When walking on the ancient path, what views speak to you? Notice the texture of the landscape, shape of the buildings, or presence of nature. What are the defining features of the walk? 

Suggestion:
You can find ancient statues at the Kouroi.

Disconnect from work with the ritual you’ve put in place and head to the marina for a sailing tour that can take you around the island. One of the greatest experience on Naxos is a boat tour that can reach secluded coves and remote beaches that visitors rarely see. 

The view from the boat can be spectacular, giving you the perspective of a panorama sweeping from the coastline over the buildings of Chora, and around the bend of the hilly terrain. Your captain can stop and weigh anchor at a safe location where you can jump into the water and enjoy the relaxing temperatures in season demonstrating one of the best leisure experiences the island has to offer.

Focus:
Take time to enjoy the sailing experience. Turn off our phones. Don’t worry about pictures. Breathe in the sea air, enjoy the views, and listen to the wind hit the sails. How does it all make you feel?

Suggestion:
You may have time to reach the caves and see the stalactites dripping from the ceiling. 

Naxos is an island of dream, that can take you on an adventure of your choice with kitesurfing or mountain biking. After work, you can enjoy the quiet charms of learning to bake a local bread while absorbing the view. 

Your hands-on experience is a great way to wind down from the workday and also connect to the local culture in an authentic way. Your chefs will guide you through the baking process as you create the dough, fill the air with flour and the smell of butter. The dough will cook in a traditional bakery oven and can fill the room with a mouthwatering aroma. Enjoy a picnic snack with a great view of the island as you test the flaky crust of your bread accompanied by honey, fresh fruit, and cheeses all made on the island. 

Focus:
Practice mindful breathing when making the dough. Breath in for four seconds, hold for seven seconds, and breathe out for eight seconds.

Suggestion:
Don’t forget to ask for the recipe and try making the bread when you return home.

You can celebrate the end of the week however you’d like, with a hike to the top of Mount Zas or a gourmet meal in town. You can return to the streets of Chora and enjoy walking along the labyrinthine streets of the citadel and visiting the shops before learning the art of making traditional Greek sandals. The quality, and custom-made sandals are made with leather, help support the heel, and support generations of shoe-making. 

Buying Greek sandals is one experience, seeing them made is a completely different experience, and helping to make them is a monumental discovery. Learn about the tools used to make a simple pair and listen to the stories, as well as histories of sandals around the islands as the shoes are fashioned before your eyes.

Focus:
Pay attention to the colors, materials, and smells in the shop. What does it take to be an artisan?

Suggestion:
For your last dinner in Naxos, enjoy a local dish in a gourmet restaurant to celebrate the success of your Greece Workation package.

Depending on the time of your flight, you could spend your morning visiting the Kaloxylos Folklore Museum where exhibitions display thousands of objects related to the island’s specific culture, stories, and history. Your Workation representative will take you to the airport for your flight bringing your experience to an end. You could extend your Workation package with time on another island or by continuing in a nearby country like Italy or Croatia.

Focus:
Practice getting grounded on your last Workation day by making a list of your favorite experiences. Provide a one-sentence explanation of why for each memory.

Suggestion:
Don’t miss the opportunity to try the traditional Greek pastries like baklava and lemonopita.