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Laguna Coast Resort — Resort Review

Why book? For a privileged perch from which to savor fiery sunrises over the Aegean Sea and drift off under clear, starry skies after dining on local Naxos ingredients during the sun-drenched Cycladic summer season. This is an intimate boutique resort of Naxian vernacular architecture that sits within an ambitious regeneration project aimed at improving the flamingo-filled lagoon beside it. Set the scene Idyllically sandwiched between the Aegean Sea, the Cyclades' largest lagoon wetland, and a boulder-strewn hillside, Laguna Coast Resort occupies a petite yet completely captivating corner of the fertile 166-square-mile island of Naxos, known for its rich culture that draws visitors back in time. Its footprint is a mere 2.5 acres, yet the boutique-sized bolthole of low white beveled-edge buildings, part of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, is a dynamic representation of the wholesome charm and extraordinary beauty of its surroundings. Just 30 minutes by prop plane from Athens and not even five minutes by car from teeny Naxos Airport (JNX)—or 35 minutes by fast ferry from Mykonos—it's a divine place to relax in quiet bliss during the season, May to October, and get your fill of island-grown cuisine, some of it prepared by genuine Naxian grandmothers. The luminous resort, with its ethereal sky-lit lobby featuring Greek artwork, a hammered silver wall, and heavenly smelling products from The Naxos Apothecary fragrance brand, also serves as an ideally located springboard for exploring the quintessential whitewashed mountain villages, blue-domed churches, ancient ruins, rolling farms, exquisite beaches, and many other wonders of Naxos. Exceedingly relaxed, this is not a place of dress codes or show-offy ensembles, but instead the majority American guests—both honeymooning couples and plenty of families with young or grown-up offspring—tend to wear casual island attire and linen in the whites and blues that have become synonymous with Greece, with no particular emphasis on designer duds. However, made-to-measure leather sandals can be seen on patrons who visited the beloved family-run leather goods shop Pagonis in the main town. Things tend to stay quiet during the day, as most guests head out after the bountiful Greek breakfast to adventure their way around the dynamic, down-to-earth island. The backstory It was 2022, and born-and-bred 30-something Naxian entrepreneur Antonios Pittaras had already decided to build a luxury resort minutes from his hometown and steps from the Cyclades' largest lagoon when, on a site visit, he witnessed a flamingo land on a power line and get electrocuted, falling to the road. The horror of it motivated the environmental protection PhD candidate to do several things. One, start a campaign to underground nearly 2,300 feet of electrical cables (through a collaboration with the public electricity company DEDDIE). Two, create the private, science-driven Laguna Coast Foundation to initiate environmental actions ranging from habitat restoration to infrastructure development across a now-protected 480-acre wetland preserve where a flamboyance of migratory bright-pink flamingos flock to the Alyki Lagoon from March to May, and in September. And three, reimagine his project as a sustainably minded hotel that organically blends into its environment and helps push a regeneration agenda through responsible hospitality. Before the resort opened, CEO Pittaras, who runs a luxury yacht operation, Actionseaze, with his brother, presented his masterplan to Pope Francis at the Vatican and at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Since its inception, the foundation has worked to clean up the coastline and lagoon and partner with international universities for biodiversity research projects. Birdwatching platforms and a wooden boardwalk are in the works, expected in late summer, so guests can take in the wildlife without impacting the sensitive ecosystem. In five years, they hope to operate with zero emissions at the resort, which opened May 1. Another ongoing initiative of the foundation has been Amazon's Smart Island project, a pilot program involving implementing smart farming technologies in several local potato farms to reduce pesticide use, water usage, and chemical runoff into the lagoon and improve sustainability—they aim to help the entire agricultural community to adopt these practices in coming years. Provenance and sharing Naxian heritage are so important to Pittaras that there is a large outdoor kitchen on the resort for hands-on, farm-to-table Cycladic cooking classes over open fire that will soon be led by executive chef Panagiotis and local grandmothers, featuring ingredients harvested on the island including, quite likely, those very potatoes. The rooms As much as summer on Naxos is prime time for enjoying fresh air and sunshine outside—and Athens' Modulus Architecture certainly made the outdoor experience of each residence highly appealing and comfy—the interiors of the resort's suites couldn't be more attractive, or Greek feeling. I stayed with my family in a 1,044-square-foot Golden Reef villa with two bedrooms across two floors and a private pool set into the sizable wooden deck. We thoroughly enjoyed its smart use of space and volume plus touchy-feely textures, especially the boucle sofas and fluted travertine walls. Contemporary leaning and entirely off-white, it felt very much like a stylish home, with a doorbell, a complete compact kitchen including full-size refrigerator (each of the residences has a kitchen), outdoor dining, and two full bathrooms, one lined in gorgeous red travertine, and both with bath amenities from The Naxos Apothecary in a fruity-musky Koronos scent. The solid side tables were carved of white crystalline marble from the famous marble island (the Acropolis was built with Naxian marble), the beds wear linen skirts and, for another snug touch, the owner's grandmother crocheted a pillowcase for each of the 21 suites bearing the initials LC. A focal point of our residence was the graceful brass light installation in one corner of the lofty living room meant to evoke the reef beyond. Upstairs, ours had a pristine view out the bedroom window of Chora, mountains, and the sea, plus stunning sunrises that kept us from closing the blinds at night so we could wake up to the breathtaking sky. The other room types are of a similar aesthetic persuasion thanks to consistent materiality but are varied in layout and vibe. I'd book a Cedar Forest suite if I were traveling with only my husband and not kids. They are 840 square-feet with the most privacy and some beautiful statues and styling, with timber ceilings. The Flamingo Valley suites are the smallest at just over 600 square- feet and the most social, oriented around a shallow pool ode to the lagoon and its birds that inspired the hotel, each with its own petite outdoor jetted jacuzzi tub. These are the owner's favorite accommodations for their community nature that feels like a friendly Greek neighborhood, and I found something so beautiful about the softness of their fabric awnings billowing in the wind juxtaposed against the rugged backdrop of primeval boulders. The landscaping is still growing in, but features mostly endemic plants, including on the grassy rooftops, which should be like little savannas in several months. Food and drink I've found that breakfast has the power to set the tone for a hotel, and in this case it's a heart-warming and soulful one. I awoke each morning and counted down the minutes to 8 a.m., eager to dive into a glass (or two) of fantastically vibrant squeezed-to-order orange juice and, under a ceiling of striking hammered brass pendants, fill my plate with a smattering of Greek specialties, both sweet and savory. I was especially taken with the addictive cheese pie made by the owner's own mother (his family grows the lemons dotting Naxos-made ceramic bowls around the resort, too) and French toast made with Tsoureki bread typically reserved for Easter Sunday. I also devoured the kagianas—like a Greek shakshuka, but with scrambled eggs and higher ratio of feta—off the small breakfast menu. Inside, there are tables beside the buffet counter, but the best seats in the morning are outside on the generous patio, half covered by a pergola and half open to the bright blue skies dotted at times with quilts of puffy white clouds. In the evening, however, Raw Evo restaurant's dinner tables are set on the rooftop strung with fairy lights and boasting 360-degree vistas of diverse natural landscapes (and the island of Paros), a decidedly lovely place to enjoy grilled octopus with white tarama dip and chive oil with a tasty Figroni cocktail featuring fig-infused Campari. On one extremely windy night my husband and I shared a two-top inside by the dry-aging refrigerator and obsessed over the beef carpaccio, which was Naxian through and through with local beef, fleur de sel, goat cheese cream, and adorable little chips from the island's famously high quality potatoes. Mostly chilled lunch options—most winningly a fabulous village-style Greek salad featuring a healthy slab of feta and plump, salty capers—are served in the same setting as breakfast, yet under the name Collatio Beach Bistro. One minor disappointment was our kitchen-cum-minibar's lack of snacks and potential mixers for the bottled liquor, however there is a small in-room dining menu, including a couple cold late-night options, for guests' convenience. The spa Compact as it is, the resort dedicates space to wellness, with an outdoor shaded fitness center featuring a smattering of luxury Technogym equipment and a glass-fronted sauna that is complimentary for guests to use, however they must request it be heated some 45 minutes in advance. Absent a traditional spa, guests can treat themselves to a half-dozen styles of massage and two facial treatments in either a fabric-draped pavilion or in their accommodation. ADO e-bikes are available to rent, too. The area I found the location incredibly ideal: It was a five-minute drive from one of the most flawless beaches I've quite literally ever seen (and that's coming from someone who lives on Bali), called Agios Prokopios. The long stretch of clean, sparkling turquoise is lined with umbrellas and lounge chairs belonging to various restaurants and beach clubs, and is equipped with a Seatrac wheelchair track making the ocean accessible for those with disabilities. Ten minutes away by car is the main town of Chora (which nearly half of Naxos' 20,000 residents call home), where it's possible to spend an entire day weaving through sweet alleyways, shopping for Naxos-made jewelry, wandering the Venetian Castle, and watching yachts sail past the Temple of Apollo's grand and famed remains. The hotel offers its guests access to a robust array of water- and land-based activities that range from private windsurfing and kitesurfing lessons, guided snorkeling in sea caves, and catamaran day trips to secluded beaches to escorted hikes to the top of the Cyclades' highest peak, Mount Zas (Zeus), as well as tours of the island, horseback riding, and olive oil museum visits. There is so very much to do on Naxos, and Laguna Coast feels right at the heart of it. The service From the moment we arrived in Laguna Coast Resort's electric Mercedes-Benz van and were greeted warmly by name by two young women on the team, it felt like we were being graciously welcomed into a Greek family's chic home. Our next encounter with the highly personable staff was at breakfast, where an Albanian server named Redon kindly and thoroughly toured me through the mouthwatering buffet, telling me the stories behind various Greek pies and pastries. This is not a place with private butlers and pretense, but rather low-key and attentive staff almost entirely from Greece, including from Naxos, where everyone gets to know everyone. I got quick replies from the front desk staff to all my WhatsApp queries, and they organized a handful of experiences for us, including a sunset catamaran sail and babysitter. For families Our two little ones were far from the only kiddos in residence in late May, so the resort's high chairs got good use. It feels very family friendly, thanks especially to the endearing staff and each accommodation's swimming pool or tub, though there is not a kid's menu or specific play area for them. There are, however, many bookable experiences that younger guests are sure to adore. I recommend in particular the visit to a Naxian farm where my daughters fed sheep, collected fresh chicken eggs, and helped make goat cheese, and a delicious private food tour to enchanting Apeiranthos led by a highly engaging Naxos-born mom of two. On this island, as is probably true through much of Greece, little ones are honored with the best of everything and treated like little gods and goddesses. Eco effort In a place where solar panels are restricted due to archaeological protection laws, Laguna Coast Resort uses thermal facades and heat pump systems to reduce energy needs, and opts to not heat its pools to save further. Single-use plastics are banned on property, and they're aiming toward zero waste in the kitchen, a cleverly delectable policy that sees chef make a different creative turndown sweet treat each night using kitchen leftovers. Also keeping the carbon footprint low is the fact more than 70% of the ingredients served are sourced on Naxos, a bounteous agricultural island that is incredibly self sufficient. Many of the building materials, too, are local, including stone and marble. Accessibility There is one handicap-accessible Flamingo Valley suite, and the lobby, lower level of Raw Evo restaurant, and public restrooms are accessible, too. Anything left to mention? I wish I had known how much a rental car—ideally an electric one, as the resort has EV charging stations—would have served us in a quest to explore the island freely and make it to sites such as the circa 530 BC. Temple of Demeter, the first example of monumental architecture even before the Parthenon. Taxis are quite expensive (think $25-$30 for the couple-mile trip to Chora) and luckily the hotel was generous with its driver when possible for our short trips to the beach. But I love the sense of freedom that my own vehicle brings, and Naxos is one of the friendliest places I can imagine for delightful and surprise-filled joyrides through spectacular landscapes. After all, Laguna Coast Resort is not a hotel trying to hold its guests hostage, but one that's eagerly opening wide the doors to its treasured island.