The beautiful and peaceful island of Paxos (or Paxoi) is a fantastic place to completely wind down. It's also great to return and be greeted like old friends by the locals and experience 'Greece as it used to be'.
Paxos is great for the age of 'over 45' who want some peace and quietness and escape the hustle of the modern world in an unspoiled location. The pebbly beaches make it less attractive for little kids and the lack of nightlife make it an unlikely destination for teenagers but for stressed people in need of a break a week on Paxos (preferably two) is highly recommended, especially in June or September. Like all holiday destinations it's relatively busy during the latter part of July and August and if you plan to visit the small uninhabited sister island of Anti-Paxos featuring the loveliest beaches in this stretch of the Mediterranean, chances are you won't really see the best of it. There is little shade on Anti-Paxos, so exploring it on foot is pretty much out of the question in July/August and the beaches where the sea-taxis and tourist boats drop you off get absolutely jam-packed. If you go to Paxos on a daytrip, better spend your time exploring the main island of Paxos itself rather than trying to cram Anti-Paxos in as well.However, if you decide to stay overnight on Paxos, then one of the organized boat trips that take you round the island to the western caves and then on to Anti-Paxos is a very pleasant way to spend a day and will give you views of the island that you wouldn't otherwise see. Alternatively, you could just take a sea-taxi from Gaios and spend a couple of hours on the beach at Vrika and have lunch in one of the two tavernas there.
There are no historic sites on Paxos. It seems that by definition (from the latin word 'pax' = peace) this untouched island was preserved for relaxing holidays by the sea or walking through the low rolling hills that are thickly coated with olive groves, unchecked for hundreds of years and covering most of the island that is also threaded by ancient paths. The west has picturesque steep rocks, the east enchanting sandy bays and you can walk between the two in an hour, as Paxos is a tiny island, approx. seven miles long by three miles wide.
The 'capital' of Paxos is Gaios, a place with blazing sun, bleached white houses, and an over-powering greenery where no one seems to be in any hurry. Options of bikes, mopeds or small boats are offered, all of which are available for hire; there is also tourist info and tour booking office as well as boat trips; in fact, this is all you need - as the island is only 10km long and 4km wide, there simply isn't room for many visitors and there is no reason to hire a car - there is a very efficient bus service that goes from one end of the island to the other that is quite cheap.
Oh, and don't forget to leave your kids with grandma - not much for them to do anywhere here unless they're interested in seeing the sea caves on the south coast, they're truly amazing. So blue! The combination of white rock, clear waters and blue skies makes anything in the water inside the caves turn a turquoise blue. The effect is pretty spectacular.
A problem visitors often face if not advised before arrival is that Paxos has a desperate shortage of fresh water during the summer months and every house has its own underground reservoir, which is filled up with rainwater over the winter months. Until recently when that was gone your only choice was to pay a small fortune to have a water tanker come over from Corfu to refill your tank; however there is now a small reservoir on the island. The only problem is that it leaks like a sieve. The locals treat it as a bit of a joke, betting amongst themselves as to how soon it will run dry. Each community, the larger ones anyway, also has its own communal reservoir which supplies the water to the public sanitation supply, a combined salt and fresh water system. There's ample supply of bottled water of course for drinking.
