Moutsouna is as remote as Naxos gets. The village sits on the island's east coast, accessible by a mountain road that crosses the spine of the island from the Filoti direction and descends through limestone terraces to a small natural harbour. The drive takes around an hour from Hora and involves enough narrow, winding sections that most visitors simply don't make it — which is more or less the point.
The beach at Moutsouna is long, grey-pebbled in places and sandy in others, backed by a calm village of perhaps a few dozen permanent residents and a handful of tavernas that open in summer. The harbour has a quay where the occasional small cargo boat still calls, and the remnants of an old emery-loading facility (Naxos was a major source of emery, a hard abrasive mineral, until synthetic alternatives took over) visible at the water's edge. The sense of having arrived somewhere that exists on its own terms rather than for tourism is real.
The swimming is excellent and the water on the east coast has a different character to the western beaches — less wind-driven, typically calmer, with a slightly deeper blue. There are several smaller coves accessible by foot north and south of the main beach that are entirely deserted in all but the busiest weeks. Come with enough supplies to spend the day, since the village options are limited and closing times on the east coast are loosely observed.
For most visitors, Moutsouna is a day trip from Hora with an early start. If you want to stay the night, there are a few rooms to rent in the village — basic, cheap, and very quiet.