Location
On the edge of Naousa
The hotel stands at Kantounes, on the south east edge of Naousa, the fishing town that became the island's favourite evening. The old port with its tavernas and narrow lanes is four minutes away by car or a twenty five minute walk downhill. The nearest swimming is at Agios Stefanos, and Santa Maria and Monastiri, the sandy names Paros is known for, lie within a fifteen minute drive. Kolymbithres and its sculpted granite sit across the bay, about ten minutes around the water.
Around the hotel the land stays open: dry stone, young olive trees and the white cubes of the suites, with the bay of Naousa below. A mini market is 8 minutes on foot, a bakery 15, and there is parking at the property for the days you drive.
Kantounes, Naousa, Paros
On foot
- Mini market
- 8 minutes
- Bakery
- 15 minutes
- Agios Stefanos beach
- 20 minutes
- Naousa old port
- 25 minutes
By car
- Naousa old port
- 2.8 km, 4 minutes
- Ambelas fishing harbour
- 2.3 km, 4 minutes
- Santa Maria beach
- 4.6 km, 7 minutes
- Monastiri beach
- 7.5 km, 15 minutes
- Kolymbithres, around the bay
- 5.4 km, 10 minutes
- Parikia port
- 11 km, 15 minutes
- Paros Airport
- 21 km, 25 minutes
- Lefkes village
- 10 km, 19 minutes
Times are for clear roads. On summer evenings the lanes into Naousa fill up, and the short drives can take a little longer.
Around the hotel
Do you need a car?
For a few days on the island, yes. A mini market is eight minutes on foot and a bakery fifteen, so the everyday is covered. Everything else begins at two and a half kilometres: the tavernas, every beach, every village. Tell us before you arrive and we will arrange the rental, so a car is waiting for you.
Taxi and bus
There are taxi ranks in Naousa and in Parikia, and the island bus connects Naousa with Parikia through the day and late into the summer evenings. Buses take cards, not cash. For a beach on the far coast or an early ferry, a car is simpler.
Everyday shopping
A mini market sits eight minutes down the road on foot, and a bakery fifteen. In Naousa itself there is a full supermarket three minutes away by car, a bakery that has been running since 1912, pharmacies and cash machines around the square.
Where to eat
Naousa keeps its old fishing harbour, and most of these tables have been there for decades. The nearest of them is not in town at all: it is the fishermen's village of Ambelas, four minutes down the road.
- Christiana, AmbelasFish taverna on the water, family run since 1980, with its own boat2.5 km, 4 minutes
- TsachpinisOuzeri on the old harbour, open since the 1950s, known for its sun dried mackerel2.8 km, 4 minutes
- Sigi IkthiosFish taverna on the harbour square, catch from local boats2.8 km, 4 minutes
- Palia Agora coffee houseOne of the last true kafeneia on the island, in the lanes of the old market since 19632.8 km, 4 minutes
- BarbarossaStarted as an ouzeri in the 1960s, now the harbour's best known table, with a deep wine list2.8 km, 4 minutes
- Siparos, XifaraOn the water towards Santa Maria, an open terrace for the sunset3.3 km, 5 minutes
- Katsounas, Santa MariaIn the courtyard of an old farmhouse, fish soup and lobster pasta. Worth booking ahead6.2 km, 10 minutes
Beaches, each with its own character
The bay of Naousa holds most of them, so the drive is short. Which one you choose depends on the wind and on who you are travelling with.
- AmbelasThree small coves around a fishing harbour, quiet, good for a swim before lunch2.3 km, 4 minutes
- Santa MariaLong organised sand with shallow water for children, and the schools for windsurf, kitesurf and diving4.6 km, 7 minutes
- KolymbithresThe famous one: small sandy pockets between rounded granite rocks, shallow and sheltered5.4 km, 10 minutes
- MonastiriInside the Paros Park, the safest swim on the north coast when the meltemi blows7.5 km, 15 minutes
- Golden BeachOn the other coast, the windsurfing beach of the island, with steady wind and its own schools15 km, 22 minutes
Days away from the pool
Paros is small enough to see in a few outings, and old enough that each one is a different century.
- Lefkes and the Byzantine roadA mountain village that was the island's capital, and a marble paved path from around the year 1000 that walks downhill to Prodromos in about an hour10 km, 19 minutes
- Parikia and EkatontapilianiThe island town and its Byzantine church from the fourth century, with columns of Parian marble11 km, 13 minutes
- The ancient marble quarries at MarathiWhere the marble of the Venus de Milo was cut. An open site with unguarded shafts, so keep to the surface unless you have a guideabout 11 km, 16 minutes
- The Valley of the ButterfliesA shaded stream where thousands of them gather. Open June to September only16.5 km, 20 minutes
- Antiparos and its caveThe ferry crosses from Pounta in seven minutes and takes cars. The cave is open from May to mid October20 minutes to the ferry, about 50 to the cave
How to reach us
By ferry
Ferries from Piraeus and the neighbouring Cyclades arrive at Parikia, the island's port, 11 kilometres from the hotel. The drive takes about 15 minutes, and taxis wait at the port through the season.
By plane
Paros Airport is 21 kilometres away, about 25 minutes by car, with connections to Athens and seasonal flights beyond. A taxi from the airport is the simplest way to the door.
By car
There is free private parking at the property, so a hired car rests easy between excursions. From Parikia follow the road towards Naousa and turn towards Kantounes just before the town.
Arriving late
Check in opens at 16:00 and entry is with a key card. We send clear arrival instructions before you travel, so a late ferry changes nothing.
Questions we are asked
- Does every suite really have its own pool?
- Yes. Each Executive Suite and the Two Bedroom Suite has a private pool on its own terrace, for guests of that suite only.
- How far is Parolea from the port and the airport?
- Parikia port is 11 kilometres away, about 15 minutes by car. Paros Airport is 21 kilometres, about 25 minutes.
- How far is Naousa town?
- The old port of Naousa is 2.8 kilometres away: 4 minutes by car or a 25 minute walk downhill.
- Which beaches are closest?
- Agios Stefanos is a 20 minute walk. Santa Maria is 7 minutes by car, Kolymbithres about 10 around the bay, and Monastiri 15.
- What time is check in and check out?
- Check in from 16:00 and check out by 11:00. Entry is with a key card and we send arrival instructions before you travel, so a late ferry is not a problem.
- Is there parking?
- Yes, there is parking at the property.
- Can we travel with a baby?
- Yes. A foldable baby cot and a high chair are available on request. The sofa bed in each suite is a single, meant for a child: the Executive Suite sleeps two adults and one child, the Two Bedroom Suite four adults and two children.
- When is the hotel open?
- Parolea welcomes guests from April through October.
- Are pets welcome?
- Pets are welcome upon request. Tell us when you book, so everything is ready before you arrive.
- Do the suites have a kitchen?
- Each suite has a kitchenette with a Nespresso machine, an electric kettle and a minibar. For full meals, the tavernas of Naousa are 4 minutes away by car.