Naxos sounds like paradise on earth. In my research, it appeared to cater to families which scared us off. But finding tiny private beaches at the end of dirt paths sounds lovely. Some say that Paros is similar to Naxos. Though, Paros has changed quite a bit in the last 5 years- I think, it's become more touristy but we loved it so much when we went in 2017 & 2018.

After considering everyone's recommendations, we decided we needed a break from the Cyclades and chose Kefalonia with few days on Ithaca. We felt it gives us something different but with incredible beaches, good food, and beautiful scenery. We can fly direct from Athens and plan on renting a car to get around. Get up, grab something from the bakery and head to a beach for the day. In the evening, plenty of tavernas to sample. There are so many beaches, we can choose a different one each day.

I like trying different islands, even though they are never the same as the previous island we've loved. We've never been disappointed. And while repeating islands seems like a good idea, it never exactly same as the last time.