Plaka is the beach you stay on Naxos for. It stretches for roughly five kilometres along the island's western flank — longer than any other beach in the Cyclades — with almost no development for most of its length. The sand is fine and clean, backed by low dunes and stands of tamarisk and cedar that provide natural shade without the help of any infrastructure. The sea is the right colour and depth. On weekdays outside August, you can walk a kilometre from the nearest taverna and have a stretch of beach essentially to yourself.
The southern end, away from the access road, is the most undeveloped and the least visited. A nudist tradition occupies some sections further south, informally and without confrontation either way. The dunes at the back of the beach are worth exploring on foot: the transition from sand to scrubby cedar forest is abrupt and the scale of it — standing in trees looking out at the sea — reads differently to a beach you simply arrive at by car.
The northern access point, where the road ends in a small car park, has a couple of tavernas and a beach bar that sees the most traffic. If you have a vehicle, drive south along the beach track and pick your spot rather than settling near the entrance. The walk from the northern car park to the quiet end is 20 minutes through soft sand, which discourages all but the most determined visitors. Plaka is windy — the meltemi sweeps down the western coast from the north with nothing to stop it — so bring something to anchor your towel with.