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Rhodes Greece | a beach holiday travel guide

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RHODES, Greece, is the Crusader Isle, steeped in ancient history and boasting 300 days of blue

skies a year. Rhodes lies at the southern end of the Dodecanese island chain that skirts the Turkish

coast and is one of the most sought after holiday destinations in the Mediterranean.

Many resorts are devoted to package tourism and anyone expecting to see a Greek goatherd has

definitely come to the wrong place. Nevertheless Rhodes is well known for bargain holidays and

there are plenty of quality Rhodes hotels to choose from.

Bar touts and club bouncers make up the local 'colour' these days and locals in the tourist hotspots

can display an avarice that only an unending supply of free-spending tourists can sustain.

But the island is big enough to swallow all types of travellers - from beach holiday families to

independent backpackers. Rhodes offers some of the best beaches and the best bargain

accommodation for hotels as you can see here. 

To the west of Rhodes City a maze of high-rise conference centres towers over shingle beaches

while, to the east, replicated rows of holiday hotels are stacked along the coast like deck chairs.

With so many cheap flights on offer many now opt to fly to the island direct and the island is

relatively large so car hire Rhodes Airport is a good option. Only south of the popular resort of Lindos do the crowds thin out and only there does a more authentic glimpse of Greek island life

emerge.

It's not just the attractive long summer season and the sandy beaches, but the remarkably well

 preserved medieval city of Rhodes itself.

The classical past is found at ancient sites like Kamiros, Ialyssos and Lindos while castles galore

come courtesy of the Crusaders.

While the north has tourism of almost frenzied proportions the south quickly dissolves into a

 backwater of dirt roads and unspoilt villages.

For an all-inclusive hotel holiday of sun, sand and noisy clubland nightlife then the popular 

island holiday hotspots are pretty hard to beat.Weather forecast for Rhodes 

Sunday

07.07.2013

+32°C

+25°C

Monday

08.07.2013

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+35°C

+27°C

Tuesday

09.07.2013

+29°C

+23°C

Wednesday

10.07.2013

+34°C

+26°C

Thursday

11.07.2013

+34°C

+27°C

Virtual tours of Rhodes 

Click map for more on the Dodekanese islands21 

Beach holidays on Rhodes

Rodos holidays from top travel brands

  Thomson Beach 

  Sunshine Holidays 

  Jet2 Holidays   lowcostholidays 

  easyJet holidays 

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  On The Beach 

  Thomas Cook  

  Olympic Holidays 

  Cosmos Holidays 

  James Villas   First Choice 

Or search more online holiday deals

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Holiday beaches on RhodesRhodes is one of the most visited Greek islands with many thousands flying in each year. The most

 popular beaches are found on the north and east coasts. North coast beaches are not particularly

good but they are closest to Rhodes Town and are home to mega-size hotel complexes. The east

coast beaches are also busy and mostly backed by big beach resort hotels and, if you prefer all-

inclusive hotel holidays this is the area to head for with Faliraki the most notorious for downmarket

attractions. Crowds thin out as you head south with the hugely popular Lindos and neighbouring

Pefkos marking the end of main package holiday territory, although Kiotari is now a lot noisier than

it was. The south-east coast is much less visited and beaches have less sand and fewer facilities but

feel much more authentically Greek than their noiser neighbours in the north.

· Many thanks to Karen of  Gallery Photography  for Rhodes resort updates 

Afandou · Agathi · Arhangelos · Faliraki · Fanes · Gennadi · Glystra · Haraki · Ialysos · Ixia ·

Kalathos · Kalithea · Kiotari · Kolimbia 

Koskinou · Kremasti · Ladhiko · Lardo · Lindos · Pefkos · Plimiri · Rhodes · Stegna · St Paul's ·

Tholos · Trianda · Tsambika 

Rhodes City Rhodes  

Rhodes City map Rhodes City reviews 

  VISITORS WILL FIND

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  Daily bus

  Boat hire

  Car hire

  Cash point

  Castle

  Ferry port  Laundry

  Museum

  Tavernas

  Taxis

  Watersports

  VISITORS SAY

  Best eating

  Belmo Palace, Mediterranio, Romeos, Yaris

 Best drinking

  Boomerang, Jacks

  Best clubbing

  Colorado

Hotels dominate Rhodes beach

Renowned for its archaeological treasures RHODES city or RODOS sits on the northern tip of the

island with sea on three sides. It's really three cities in one.

The first Rhodes Town is the modern city - a monumental heap of whitewashed concrete which, but

for some nice Italian buildings, varies from the bad to awful.

The second Rhodes Town is the medieval walled city - a national treasure given World Heritage

Status by UNESCO and slowly turning itself over to an outdoor holiday shopping mall.

The third Rhodes Town is the ancient city - now well buried by centuries of development and best

viewed in the city's Archaeological Museum.

Rhodes Town, along with great swathes of the northern and eastern coastline is overwhelmingly

devoted to tourism. Yes, there are smart restaurants and some interesting shops and cafes but the

main impression is cheap, brash and tacky.

Rhodes Town beach is shingle and sand with little in the way of charm despite the setting and the

sunshine. Backed by tower block holiday hotels and bizarrely shaped luxury conference centres it

has a sort of regimented misery that belies its lovely location.

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For a different era in Rhodes' history find the Plane Tree Walk where the clock tower marks the

wall that separated the knights' quarters from the rest of the city. The place is packed with shops,

 bars, cafes, restaurants - you name it, but expect to pay for it.

North coast beach resorts of Rhodes

The main road heads west out of Rhodes Town and along the north coast to the airport at Leoforos

Triandon - noisy both night and day. Resorts are strung out along this stretch of road virtually

without a break. This is the main tourist holiday strip for Rhodes. A narrow shingle beach serves the

guests staying in the hotels that dominate the inland skyline. As the beach is north facing,

sunbathers can expect strong winds at various times of year and swimmers must sometimes cope

with heaving swells and crashing waves.

Ixia beach Rhodes  

Ixia map 

  VISITORS WILL FIND

  Daily bus

  Boat hire

  Car hire

 Cash point

  Tavernas

  Taxis

  Watersports

  VISITORS SAY

  Best eating

  Dimitirio's, Hellas Cafe, Knights of Olde, Mike's, Pegasus

  Best drinking

  Jacks, Jamaica, Vibe

Shingle at Ixia beach

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  Neon-lit Ixia by night

Bizarrely shaped hotel or apartment blocks set in manicured grounds and with high hedges to

muffle the sound of traffic are the staple of IXIA.

Here you will find mostly international luxury hotels that will double as conference centres out of 

season. Typical is the huge Rodos Palace Hotel, with an array of facilities including sauna and

masseuse, and the equally upmarket Mira Mare Beach.

Tributes to concrete, and rivals to a Dallas soap set, are the circular Olympic Palace - like a vast

flying saucer - and the Metropolitan Capsis with its two sweeping curves.

The Rodos Bay is set amongst pines, while the impressive Blue Bay complex has swimming-pools,

sports facilities and a popular disco.

Ixia beach is little more than a deep strip of shingle lining a busy airport road. It can get crowded in

high summer as the hotel rooms fill up. There are plenty of restaurants and shops along the

esplanade, a children's playground and a couple of watersports centres where they hire out

surfboards and jets skis.

The wind can get very fresh on Ixia beach and parasols are used as much for protection against the

wind as the sun, while children may prefer the hotel pools to the choppy seas. For Ixia sunbathers

there are views across to Turkey and the non-stop whine of passing mopeds.

In the evening, crowds stroll out of plush hotels for a pleasant walk into Rhodes Town. After dark,

the hotels, bars and eateries on the main road are lit up like a Sci-fi film set. Neon signs are as likely

to offer smorgasbord or burgers as they are moussaka or souvlaki.

Surprisingly, there are a few tavernas offering authentic Greek food and music, but you will find

that the locals stay well away from the tourist traps. For some Greek food delights try the village of Tris (turn left just beyond the Miramare Hotel).

There are plenty of supermarkets and shops for self-catering holidaymakers, and a couple of quiet

roads run inland from the neon tat. Here you can be surprised by the sight of rustic smallholdings

and cattle grazing in the fields.

Trianda beach Rhodes  

Trianda map 

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  VISITORS WILL FIND

  Daily bus

  Boat hire

  Car hire

  Cash point

  Tavernas  Taxis

  Watersports

Busy Trianda beach

About 9km from Rhodes Ixia merges with more back-to-back 1,000-room hotels at TRIANDA or 

TRIANTA, another resort dominated by large luxury hotel complexes and holiday villages that

 probably have more in common with Spain than Greece.

The beach at Trianda is a very long, narrow strip of shingle and sand still lined by the busy and

noisy road behind. There are loads of sunbeds and the usual watersports. Litter appears to be a

 problem here, especially along the Trianda hotel strip.

The further along the coast you go the worse it gets. Rubbish lines the kerb and skips can sit there

full of uncollected junk. Walking along the road can be quite unpleasant as traffic hurtles past and

youngsters show off with their motorbikes skills - or lack of them, depending on your age and

viewpoint.

Trianda does have a large and bustling village which retains some local atmosphere despite the

surrounding high risers, though it's not particularly picturesque.

Ialyssos beach Rhodes  

  VISITORS WILL FIND

  Daily bus

  Boat hire

  Car hire

  Cash point

  Monastery

  Ruins

  Tavernas  Taxis

  Watersports

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 Ialyssos Rhodes

High above the resort of Trianda is one of the island's most noted beauty spots at IALYSSOS on

the plateau of Filerimos.

The hill is studded with cypresses and pines and was the site of one of three ancient cities of 

Rhodes. In 1522 Sultan Suleiman used Ialyssos as a base for his assault on the Knights.

This was once one of three great city states that ruled the island. The ruins are rather meagre butIalyssos does have third century temples to Zeus and Athena.

Filerimos is visited more for the heavily restored church of the Virgin Mary - built by the Knights

on the site of a Byzantine basilica - and the monastery, an Italian restoration of the original.

Reached by a flight of steps that are bordered by cypresses, the monastery and its domed chapels

feature the coat of arms of the Grand Master d'Aubusson.

Beneath the ruins of a small Byzantine church is a tiny underground chapel with 14th century wall

 paintings. The monks sell their own liqueur, known as sette, made from seven local herbs.

Modest dress is essential for a visit here - no shorts, or swimwear. From the monastery there's an

uphill path to the south-west of the hill, along which are 14 icons representing the Stations of the

Cross.

Memorable views and a riot of flowers make this a very popular area for photographers and nature

lovers.

Kremasti beach Rhodes  

  VISITORS WILL FIND

  Daily bus

  Car hire

  Tavernas

  Taxis

  Watersports

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 Kremasti church Rhodes

KREMASTI, just a little further along the coast road, is less a resort than a busy run-of-the-mill

village with rooms to let, apartments and a few package hotels.

Still expanding, Kremasti has a wide pebble beach with the usual sun-loungers, parasols and

watersports. The beach is steeply banked pebble and stone, making it unsuitable for children.

Kremasti is right at the end of the Rhodes airport runway with flights every 12 minutes or so, dayand night. It gets frenetic on Wednesdays and Saturdays, the main transfer days for Rhodes'

 package tours.

The tree-lined village square at Kremasti is dominated by a striking church and lined with shops.

Kremasti village is famous for its Panayieri, or Festival of the Virgin Mary, on August 15.

There is a giant street market, fiesta and funfair. And the Panhellenic Craft Fair is held in Kremasti

from August 14 - 22.

The nearby inland village of PASTIDA is worth a visit, an oasis of calm sheltering amid citrus and

olive groves with a smattering of small shops and tavernas.

Tholos beach Rhodes  

  VISITORS WILL FIND

  Daily bus

  Boat hire

  Car hire

  Cash point

  Tavernas

  Watersports

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 Tholos beach Rhodes

Further west along the coast road, and at the other end of the airport runway, is the inland village

and coastal resort of THOLOS or THEOLOGOS.

We are still in luxury hotel land at Tholos but the narrow shingle and sand on the beach soon

flattens out into a wide expanse, backed by scrub and low dunes.

The exposed beach at Tholos is a favourite with windsurfers as it bears the brunt of the northerlymeltemi wind in high summer. The wind is fine for surfers but can be a trial for sunbathers.

There is little protection from the wind, with few trees or hedges for shelter. The crowds tend to thin

out at Tholos despite the high rise hotels all around.

The village centre at Tholos is about 1.5km inland and set on a hilltop. It may be a little out of the

way but Tholos village does have much more of a traditional Greek atmosphere than can be found

to the east, with some typical island architecture among the shops and tavernas.

Fanes beach Rhodes  

  VISITORS WILL FIND

  Daily bus

  Boat hire

  Tavernas

  Watersports

Fanes beach Rhodes

Even further west along the coast road is the village of FANES, just west of Soroni, with a

 picturesque harbour and a flat isolated beach dotted with tamarisk trees that give the beach some

natural shade.

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At Fanes, visitors will realise that they are at last leaving behind the large hotels that dominate the

coast to the east. Fanes kis located about 30km from Rodos city and the beach here is long and flat,

composed mainly of fine sharp sand and some shingle with a couple of decent tavernas sited at the

 back of the beach.

The flat beach and shallow water make windsurfing and kitesurfing hugely popular here,. The thewide flat sands are ideal, as is the relatively shallow seashore and the beach's exposure to the brisk 

northerly winds that power the sails.

East coast beach resorts of Rhodes

As conference centre hotels dominate the north-west coast, the other main tourist area outsideRhodes City is to the north-east. A main highway snakes down inland to Lindos following the line

of the coast and at every sand and shingle bay along it is a major tourist holiday resort. These

resorts vary from fun-filled holiday playpens, like Faliraki, to upmarket kitsch, such as Therma

Kalithea.

Koskinou Kalithea beaches Rhodes  

  VISITORS WILL FIND

  Daily bus

  Boat hire

  Car hire

  Cash point

  Tavernas

  Watersports

Koskinou beach Rhodes

KOSKINOU and KALITHEA are small working villages in their own right but holidaymakers

mostly stay in the long line of hotels that runs south for about 10km out of Rhodes Town. The

 beach sun loungers, already heavy with residents of nearby hotels, are swelled each day with

visitors that flock in from Rhodes town.

The Kalithea area is not to be confused with Thermi Kalithea - the revamped former spa that sits on

a rocky outcrop and which lies a little further to the south.

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The beaches at Koskinou and Kalithea found here are dominated by self-contained, all-inclusive,

holiday hotels. They squat side-by-side along a beach which, although reasonable enough, for any

holidaymaker, is by no means the best on Rhodes.

The beach at Kalithea is mainly composed sharp sand and pebble, although more patches of good

sand can peep through as you head south towards the rock outcrop at Thermi Kalithea. There are nohidden coves or quiet bays to be discovered along this part of the shore, just a long stretch of wide,

flat beach.

This is all-inclusive hotel holiday territory, and it shows.

Thermi Kalithea beach Rhodes  

Kallithea map 

  VISITORS WILL FIND

  Ruins

  Tavernas

Thermai Kallithea

THERMAI KALLITHEA, also variously spelled Thermi, Therma, Thermae and Kalithea,

Kalithia or Kallithea, was originally a health spa built in the Moorish style by the Italians in the

1930s.

The dramatic, decayed setting and kitsch architectural features, including domed pavilions and pink 

marble pillars, make it a favourite venue for fashion photographers.

A major spa restoration has breathed new life into the holiday resort which is approached down an

avenue of pines. Palm trees offer shade on a small shingle beach while sun loungers are scattered

around a small lido.

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Buildings are illuminated at night to add a Disney-like glitz to the pseudo oriental atmosphere.

A nearby cove is the target of many scuba diving excursions from Rodos and 15 minutes walk away

is the beach resort hotel of Aldemar Paradise with various watersports.

On the road to Faliraki a left turn down a dirt track leads to several small coves. The sea is deephere so you'll need to be a decent swimmer to get the benefit.

Each cove usually has a few sunbeds and a beach taverna that often gives the cove its name. A

succession of grim hotels on the main road leads to Faliraki beach, a 20-minute walk away.

Faliraki beach Rhodes  

Faliraki map Faliraki reviews 

  VISITORS WILL FIND

  Blue Flag

  Daily bus

  Boat hire

  Cash point

  Scuba diving

  Tavernas

  Watersports

  VISITORS SAY

  Best eating

  Mythos, Nectar, Dimitri, Desert Rose, Opera, La Strada, Skevos

  Best drinking

  Stone Garden, Alabama, Tartan, Summer Nights

  Best clubbing

  Q, Jacks, Sinners, Bed, Reflexions, Slammers, Frequency

Faliraki beach

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 Faliraki bars

Once a tiny fishing village - and some brochures actually claim it still is - you would be hard put to

find a fisherman on the main beach at FALIRAKI these days.

Often dubbed 'lively' in the brochures Faliraki resort, about 15km south of Rodos, is in fact little

more than a noisy neon teenage playpen.

Jet skiing, go karting, bungy jumping are all on offer to please the daily influx of frolicky youngFaliraki visitors whose idea of fun is getting stoned on fizzy lager and making as much noise as they

 possibly can.

And noise there is, brain-addling at night as the Faliraki bars and clubs wind up to full power. The

din can be heard several kilometres away.

Faliraki beach is a grey, gritty flat sand and packed with bodies from dawn to well after dusk. Food

here is as plastic as you would expect while millions of mosquitoes home in from the nearby

lowland to gorge on the bare teenage flesh.

Drinks at Faliraki bars will cost up to six times supermarket prices and the street touts from the

clubs and bars can be both persistent and aggressive.

Perversely, recent holiday hotel complexes have adopted a Cycladic village theme for those wishing

to enjoy the 'Greek experience'.

If you have a two-watt bulb for a brain and an ever-open wallet you will feel very much at home in

Faliraki with the majority of visitors in this Greek version of the Spanish costas.

Faliraki waterpark is also nearby, one of the largest in Europe, and offers those bored with the

 beach a day out on water flumes and slides at a reasonable price.

It can get crowded though and young children need to be looked after. Food and drinks here can

also be better value than in Faliraki.

And, if you are looking for fishermen, there is a small harbour at the southern end of Faliraki beach

where fishermen can still be found.

Ladhiko beach Rhodes  

Ladhiko map 

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  VISITORS WILL FIND

  Blue Flag

  Cantina

  Tavernas

Ladhiko beach Rhodes

Just south of Faliraki is the small pebble-beached cove of LADHIKO or Ladiko where many

scenes from the noted war film The Guns of Navarone were filmed.

It is amusingly dubbed the Anthony 'Queen' bay by owners of the many excursion boats that visit.

The 'Queen' title is in homage to the film's star actor Anthony Quinn, who once bought some

 property near here.

More prosaically named Ladhiko or Ladiko, the cliffs are huge and vertiginous but there are only

rocks available for sunbathing and there are sharp underwater stones too, so it's not ideal for 

children.

Above the Ladiko bay is a small taverna. Another small sandy bay down a nearby dirt track has

 borrowed the name and cashed in on the visitors with some sunbeds and caravan cafe.

Afandou beach Rhodes  

Afandou map 

  VISITORS WILL FIND

  Blue Flag

  Daily bus

  Car hire

  Cash point

  Monastery

  Tavernas

  Tourist train

  Watersports

  VISITORS SAY

  Best eating  Danielles, Four Seasons, Life, Mimis, Sergios

  Best drinking

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  Acapulco, Mikes

Afandou beach

Afandou street

AFANDOU must surely rank as one of the most boring beaches in the Greek Islands. White stones

and shingle at Afandou stretch in one great 7km desolate swathe, just about as far as the eye can

see.

Parts of Afandou beach are so desolate you would not tether a goat there. Stone and shingle make

up most of the beach, dipping steeply at the shoreline where large and slippy underwater rocksmake paddling difficult if not impossible.

Some travel brochures boldly boast how you get a beach to yourself - but one look at this

monotonous holiday desert and you understand why. Few will visit more than once.

The plucky resort, about 20km from Rodos, does its best to attract visitors with an 18-hole golf 

course and a tourist train that ferries visitors the 2km between village and beach and across a very

 busy main road.

Afandou village is the second largest on the island. It is still a working village, though tourism is

now the staple trade. Dozens of tavernas and holiday bars line the busy main street which

 pedestrians must share with busy traffic.

Although there is little nightlife as such there is loud music and karaoke from the busy bars around

the town square. The biggest problem is avoiding yobbish British families.

Check on the location of your apartment before booking at Afandou. Many apartments are sited in

scrubland between the village and the beach with a 15min walk either way and a main road that is

 busy and noisy both night and day.

Just outside Afandou village, surrounded by pines, is the monastery of Agios Nektarios, with animmense pine tree and a drinking fountain fed by springs in the surrounding hills.

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Kolymbia beach Rhodes  

Kolimbia map 

  VISITORS WILL FIND

  Daily bus

  Boat hire

  Tavernas

  Watersports

  VISITORS SAY

  Best eating

   Nikos  Best drinking

  Antonis, Malibu, Memories, Statues

Kolymbia beach Rhodes

Built as a model farm by the Italians, KOLIMBIA, KOLYMBIA or KOLMYPIA, is full of 

identical houses, noted for their over-large chimney stacks.

The approach to Kolymbia is dramatic, along an arrow-straight road lined with mature eucalyptus.

The resort itself, about 25km from Rodos, is small and is much favoured by German package tour 

operators.

There is a picturesque rocky cove and an attractive beach to the north. The flat Kolymbia beach is

mostly shingle with water sports at each end.

There are also some sandy coves to the south about 10 min walk away. There is another long but

scruffy beach nearby backed by an impressively ugly hotel complex.

That said, Kolymbia has an unhurried air despite the numbers and most of the hotels blend

unobtrusively into the landscape. The holiday style at Kolymbia is leisurely, with fun and games

restricted to the hotels.

The high count of all-inclusive hotels has curbed the number of tavernas and bars and there are only

a handful here. There are boat trips to nearby island and a regular bus service to nearby resorts andto Rhodes Town.

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Tsambika beach Rhodes  

Tsambika map 

  VISITORS WILL FIND

  Cantina

  Tavernas

Tsambiki beach Rhodes

Overlooked by a Gibraltar-like rocky outcrop topped by a monastery, the swathe of soft sand at

TSAMBIKA or TSAMBIKI, also called Tsampiki or Tsampkia, is reached down a precipitous,

hairpin road.

The steep descent of 1.5km or so keeps out tourist buses and other public transport, but Tsambika

 beach nevertheless teems with tourists and sunbeds are jammed together like playing cards.

A beach taverna is supplemented by several cantinas along the beach all offering little more than

lemonade, beer, sandwiches and shady relief from the midday sun. Behind them the sand peters out

to a dirt and gravel car park.

The expensive sunbeds also thin out at the southern end of Tsambika beach to an area favoured by

hermit crabs and shoals of tiny fish.

According to legend, barren women had only to climb barefoot to the tiny white Byzantine church

of Panayia Tsambika above Tsambika beach to ensure pregnancy. As a result many of the island's

children are named Tsambikos or Tsambika, depending on their sex.

The rock outcrop above overlooks both Kolimbia and Tsambika beaches with stupendous views

along the coast.

Archangelos village Rhodes  

  VISITORS WILL FIND  Daily bus

  Cash point

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  Castle

  Tavernas

Archangelos village Rhodes

If you think the sprawling village of ARCHANGELOS looks as though it has seen better times

you would be just about right. Archangelos is the largest town on the island, outside Rhodes, with

about 6,000 living here. It lies on a low plain surrounded by the mountains Profitis Elias, Karavos

and the hills of Kefaloti, Kastro and Anagros.

Home to a dwindling leather crafts industry, Archangelos appears to have been swallowed up by the

German package holiday industry, although they still make carpets and traditional goatskin boots.

Many houses in Archangelos are painted in rich colours and the village centre is dominated by the

Church of the Archangel Michael with an imposing bell tower. Around the church are whitewashed

lanes and brightly coloured alleys. Some homes date to 1023.

Tavernas and bars line the single main Archangelos street and the village has the remains of a 15th

century Crusader castle, although little remains except the outer walls. Nearby are the farming

villages of MALONA and MASSARI, set in the valley of Nethona River amongst citrus groves. In

fact, the whole Archangelos area is full of citrus fields, olive groves and vineyards.

Stegna beach Rhodes  

Stegna map Stegna reviews 

  VISITORS WILL FIND  Daily bus

  Tavernas

  Watersports

  VISITORS SAY

  Best eating

  Knight's Castle, Marias, Stegna Star 

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 Stegna beach Rhodes

This is basically the Archangelos town beach. STEGNA or STENGENA is 2km from the village

and 33km from Rodos, down a steep and winding road to a beautiful coastline of sandy bays and

rocky outcrops.

Stegna beach is usually quiet until the boat trippers arrive just before noon and stay 3-4 hours.

Stegna beach is mainly sand with odd patches of shingle here and there. Clusters of rock add

interest and there are plenty of small coves and rock pools to explore.

There are beachfront tavernas and local bars at Stegna with a tiny harbour at the end of the bay.

Small and isolated, the village has few facilities. Only one hotel changes cash and the nearest bank 

cash point is in Archangelos.

There is only one bus a day but four mini markets offer the basics. German package tour companies

favour this area too and a large hotel to the north of Stegna beach caters for most of them.

Agathi beach Rhodes  

  VISITORS WILL FIND

  Camping

  Cantina

Agathi beach Rhodes

Deep, golden sand in a medium sized cove of clear water with a few underground rocks make

AGATHI one of the best beaches on the island and about 36km from Rhodes town.

A new road peters out to a dirt track where you can take your car on the beach. The sands at Agathi

are golden and soft and waters shallow making it ideal for children.

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There is no resort as such, just the sheltered beach, about 600m long, with a string of beach cantinas

and a few rows of sunbeds.

Don't expect too much from the cantinas at Agathi, only the basics are served up. But there are

toilets and showers at the cantinas and even a cardphone.

On the far side of Agathi sands is the tiny chapel of Ayia Agathi built into a cave. Ad hoc camp

sites have been set up at the far end of the beach but they are not official.

If you prefer quieter beaches without watersports and noisy jet skis, Agathi is the one to head for,

though it does get busy with locals at the weekends.

Haraki beachRhodes 

 Haraki map Haraki reviews 

  VISITORS WILL FIND

  Daily bus

  Boat hire

  Car hire

  Castle

  Tavernas

  Watersports

  VISITORS SAY

  Best eating

  Kostas & Eleni, Zographos

  Best drinking

  Cocktails & Dreams

Haraki beach Rhodes

Here at HARAKI a quiet, small fishing port is overlooked by the ruins of Feraklos castle - one of 

the first on Rhodes to be held by the Crusaders.

A dull promenade separates a row of holiday chalets, several shops and some decent tavernas from

a long and narrow crescent shaped beach of shingle and stone. There are many bars and tavernas for such a small village and visitors will find plenty of variety but there is little else to do here but eat

and drink.

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There is no village as such at Haraki but there are lots of apartments as well as some rather faceless

low-rise hotels. The locals in Haraki are notably friendly and the resort is also popular with Greeks

too, all of which helps to give Haraki a relaxing, laid-back atmosphere that is sometimes hard to

find in other holiday resorts on Rhodes.

There is a regular bus service from Haraki to Rhodes Town and there is a car hire firm in the village but as yet no cash point.

Kalathos beach Rhodes  

Kalathos map 

 VISITORS WILL FIND

  Daily bus

  Boat hire

  Cantina

  Tavernas

  Watersports

  VISITORS SAY

  Best eating

  Konstantins

  Best drinking

  Bar on the Road, Yannis

Kalathos beach Rhodes

KALATHOS is a village on the main road about 6km north of Lindos. There is a very long stone

and shingle beach at Kalathos which stretches along the shore for about 4km.

Kalathos beach shelves rather steeply offshore, making it a poor place for children but it rarely gets

crowded despite there being a number of large hotels nearby. A cantina, mini market and some

tavernas can be found on the road that runs behind the beach.

Photography is not encouraged anywhere near the nearby army training camp. The northern end of 

the beach is owned by the Greek military and access is restricted but few people bother to wander 

that far north along this vast beach anyway.

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Kalathos village is a 15 mins walk from the beach and sited near the main road between Lindos and

Rhodes Town.

The village is pretty enough with a fine church and about 400 permanent residents. There are many

 bars and tavernas for such a small village and visitors will find plenty of variety but there is little

else to do here but eat and drink.

Kalathos' position makes it a good centre for exploring the island, close to the more popular resort

at Lindos, and for those who don't want the hustle and bustle of its noisy neighbours.

Lindos beach Rhodes  

Lindos map Lindos reviews 

  VISITORS WILL FIND

  Blue Flag

  Daily bus

  Boat hire

  Car hire

  Cash point

  Castle

  Tavernas

  Taxis

  Watersports

  VISITORS SAY

  Best eating

  Acropolis, Alex, Ambrosia, Caesars, Calypso, Dolphin, Hermes, Lindos Top, Lolos, Oasis,

Marias, Mavrikos, Mythos, Stefanos, Symposium

  Best drinking

  60s, Attica, Captain's House, Courtyard, Icon, Lindos by Night, Museum, Nikos, Socrates

  Best clubbing

  Arches, Amphitheatre, Yannis

Lindos beach Rhodes

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Lawrence Durrel once described LINDOS as “of a scrupulous Aegean order, and perfect of its

kind”. Well he'll find things have changed since he was last there. It is nothing like that now.  

Lindos has inherited the perfect setting - a shimmering violet and emerald pool set in a horseshoe

 bay ringed by golden sand and sheltered by comforting hills dotted with attractive whitewashed,

sugar-cube houses.

But as visitors pour into Lindos by car, coach, bike and boat it could be decribed as a 'perfect hell of 

its kind'. The package tourists blow into Lindos like a daily sandstorm.

Lindos beach is a very beautiful sight at dawn, but by 9am it is buzzing with holidaymakers. The

cars and bikes then roar in, followed by what seems to be an endless stream of Rhodes island tour 

 buses.

When Lindos beach seems just about full it is the turn of the tourist boats to come hooting into the

 bay before disgorging their passengers. Before long the only distinction between the beach and a

Tokyo subway is the baking Lindos sun that beats down on the milling throng.

In July and August, the packed amphitheatre can also turn terribly hot and airless. Temperatures in

Lindos can soar to 40° in high summer and, with little natural shade on Lindos beach to speak of, an

expensive beach umbrella is a must.

Popularity brings the usual high prices and visitors can expect to pay more for a sunbed on Lindos

 beach than anywhere else on Rhodes - if there is a free sunbed to be found, that is, as they get

snapped up quickly by early arrivals.

The sand at Lindos beach is very fine and the bay's waters are very shallow and well protected so,

apart from the inevitable crowds on such a popular beach, it is an ideal location for families withchildren.

The various paths that snake down from Lindos village are pretty steep, as are those throughout

most of the village, and it can be a heavy uphill slog home after a heat-soaked day on the packed

sands.

St Paul's Bay beach Rhodes  

  VISITORS WILL FIND

  Cantina

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 St Paul's Bay Rhodes

Just south of Lindos, over the headland from the castle is the tiny sheltered ST PAUL'S BAY 

which used to offer some respite from the hordes but which is now bedecked with sunbeds and

caravan cafes as the locals cash in on every nook and cranny.

St Paul's Bay has only a narrow crescent of sand and the beach is usually buried beneath a forest of 

sun loungers in the high summer.

St Paul's is also a regular stop on the tourist boat circuit and a favourite for overseas weddings such

is the dramatic setting. St Paul's Bay is almost totally enclosed by a circle of rocks.

The saint was supposed to have landed here once - hence the name and the small chapel dedicated

to him.

Pefkos beach Rhodes  Pefkos map Pefkos reviews

  VISITORS WILL FIND

  Daily bus

  Boat hire

  Car hire

  Cash point

  Tavernas

  Watersports

  VISITORS SAY

  Best eating

  Alexandras, Artemis, Blue Bay, Enigma, Georges, Hellas, La Piazza, Mare Matto,

 Nostalgia, Philosophia, Smile, Sofia, Terpsis, Vinos

  Best drinking

  Ela Mesa, Kelari, Jimmy's, Peacock, Pefkos by Night, Rock Bar 

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 Pefkos beach Rhodes

Less manic than neighbouring Lindos, PEFKOS or PEFKI is making a brave bid to pull in the

tourists with a characterless clutch of shops, restaurants and bars stretched out along a single street.

Pefkos is about 56km from Rodos and a place obviously purpose-built for visitors. Apartments and

villas have mushroomed over the past few years but buildings are low rise and hidden in the pine

woods.

The 1km long and rather narrow, sand and shingle beach at Pefkos lies parallel to the road and is

approached down a couple of tarmac roads through pine woods (Pefkos is Greek for 'pines').

The sands are strung out for most of their length with regimented rows of sun loungers. At the far 

end, the beach splinters into a number of small rocky bays with shallow water, making Pefkos an

attractive spot for families with children.

Beach cafes offer basic menus. There are other small coves to be found by walking north or south.

There are regular buses from Pefkos to nearby Lindos and further connections to Rhodes Town but,

without a car or moped, a taxi is the only reliable, if expensive, form of transport.

The atmosphere at Pefkos is overwhelmingly British. There are full English breakfasts, Sunday

roasts, Chinese and Indian restaurants, big screen TVs, quiz nights - even the waiters are foreign.

That said, Lee Beach - which become Kyma at night - has a very good reputation for English and

Greek food.

Pefkos makes a brilliant destination for those who love their beach holidays with chips, beer and

karaoke.

South coast beach resorts of Rhodes

Tourists tend to leave the southern beaches to themselves. Poor roads, few facilities and the distance

from the capital keep numbers down, although this is changing as the years roll by. Hotel rooms

have increased dramatically in the last 10 years as development has been curbed in the more

attractive resorts like Lindos. All inclusive holiday hotels are quickly becoming the norm along the

coast.

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Lardos beach Rhodes  

Lardos map Lardos reviews

  VISITORS WILL FIND

  Blue Flag

  Daily bus

  Cash point

  Tavernas

  Watersports

  VISITORS SAY

  Best eating

  Casa de Flavia, Roules

  Best drinking

  Yamas

Lardos beach Rhodes

LARDOS is set in a large bay and was set to become a major centre on the tourist circuit but the

 building work has recently fizzled out.

Lardos beach resort, about 65km from Rodos, is little more than a group of supermarkets, a few

tavernas and some car hire firms. A big aparthotel went up but tourist liveliness in Lardos failed to

happen.

The sand at Lardos is soft, if a little gritty, but the water is invitingly clean. Many visitors to this

 part of Rhodes however give Lardos a miss and opt for the nearby sandy beach of Glystra.

Lardos village is a 20 minute walk inland from the beach where there is a proper Greek community

and a wider selection of bars, shops and restaurants. Life centres around the tree-lined village

square and an impressive fountain fed by springs.

There are several bars in Lardos village and live Greek music in the main square on festival nights.

There are plenty of organised trips to Lindos, Rhodes and island sights to satisfy the growing tourist

market.

Glystra beach Rhodes  

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  VISITORS WILL FIND

  Cantina

Glystra beach Rhodes

GLYSTRA is a small cove with an inviting beach of good fine sand that lies south of Lardos. This

'undiscovered' beach tends to take overspill from more northern beaches at Pefkos and Lardos.

The sands at Glystra are quite deep and the beach makes a long sweep around an attractive bay withthe waters shallow, so it's fine for families with young children. Snorkelers can hunt for the shell of 

a car dumped in the middle of the bay.

There is good parking at the northern end of Glystra beach and a family-run cantina opens in the

summer providing sunbeds and good food.

The beach, although pleasant enough, is rather exposed with little natural shade, so hiring an

umbrella is a must if you don't take your own.

Kiotari beach Rhodes  

Kiotari map 

  VISITORS WILL FIND

  Daily bus

  Cantina

  Tavernas

  Watersports

Kiotari beach Rhodes

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KIOTARI is a modern tourist beach resort backed by hills and, at the last count, four all-inclusive

hotel complexes.

Kiotari beach is quite large at 3km and very sandy at one end, shingle at the other. A couple of 

cantinas put sunbeds on the best of the sand in the summer.

Most visitors bed down in the middle of Kiotari beach where there are lots of watersports. Jet skis,

water skis ,banana boats, pedaloes, canoes and windsurfing are all on offer.

There are interesting rock pools to be found at one end of Kiotari beach. When the wind is in the

wrong direction visitors can suffer smells from a nearby sewage plant.

The Kiotari resort lies at the back of the beach, rather isolated with few shops and tavernas plus a

Carrefour supermarket . It has little Greek charm thanks to some extensive holiday apartment

 building work in the 1990s - tasteful but characterless.

There is no real community at Kiotari, but it's popular with Greek weekenders seeking to escape thecrowds of Rhodes town. There are now several mini-markets, some souvenir shops and a handful of 

family-run tavernas for those bored with hotel food.

There is only one bus a day from Kiotari to Rhodes Town so transport is needed if you want to get

about.

Gennadi beach Rhodes    VISITORS WILL FIND

  Daily bus

  Boat hire

  Cash point

  Tavernas

Gennadi beach Rhodes

GENNADI is one vast stone and shingle beach about 70km south of Rodos. Much of the land

around here is owned by the church and development has been kept to a minimum as a result.

Gennadi beach is really just a continuation of Kiotari and good, if you like stone and pebble withscraps of sand here and there.

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It is strikingly huge - nearly 6km, and the stones drop quite sharply into the sea, although the waters

are clear and Gennadi is good for swimming.

A line of tavernas back the most popular parts of Gennadi beach and parts of it are now noted for 

 popular, loud and lively parties after a DJ set up at a local beach bar, attracting hordes of youngsters

to the area.

If you prefer a more secluded atmosphere, then stroll to the south - though you face a long walk if 

you are based at the northern end of Gennadi beach.

Gennadi village lies above the beach over the main road where there are tavernas, rooms to rent,

small hotels and villas. Some large hotel complexes stand rather isolated in a forlorn wilderness of 

flat scrub.

Plimiri beach Rhodes  

  VISITORS WILL FIND

  Monastery

  Tavernas

Plimiri beach Rhodes

At PLIMIRI there is a protected, sandy bay backed by low dunes about 85km south of Rodos. This

is an ideal spot for those looking for peace and quiet although the building of two large hotels and a

modern marina in the old fishing harbour has brought tears to the eyes of some.

A small roadside taverna near the harbour overlooks the long sandy crescent backed by bamboo andscrub. Nearby is the Monastery of Zoodhos Pigi, dating from 1840.

To the south are wonderful, wide and flat deserted beaches, backed by cedar filled woodland, but

with no facilities. The best stretches are found south of CAPE VIGLOS.

They are usually deserted and most easily reached from a dirt track just before AGIOS PAVLOS 

where there is an abandoned Italian monastery with an impressive clock tower.

There are miles of sand along this stretch of coast with beautiful, deserted bays to be found, the

most notable being at AGIOS GIORGIOS.

The sands at Plimri are good, but flat and damp for the most part, though dry spots can be found.

You cannot reach the sands by car s be prepared to walk.

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Inland from Plimiri is the farming village of KATTAVIA with fields of cereals and vegetables.

There are scattered farmhouses, an old abandoned airport and impressive cypress-lined roads.

Prassonisi beach Rhodes  

  VISITORS WILL FIND

  Cantina

  Windsurfing

Prassonissi beach Rhodes

At PRASSONISSI a dramatic 3km spit of sand runs out to sea with the choppy Aegean on one side

and the calm Mediterranean on the other.

The views are astonishing from a distance but close up the beach tends to be grubby and dirty, not

least because of the cars and jeeps that regularly roll in to park on it.

In winter the seas can join up and turn the spot into a genuine island, about 80km from Rodos and

40km from Lindos. Even in summer the strong winds can force sunbathers to seek shelter.

Surfers find the spot ideal, especially along the northern shore, and many professionals come here

to train. On most days the sea at Prassonissi is jam packed with sailboards.

There are a couple of tavernas at the roadside but neither is cheap. There are surfboards and wet

suits for hire but most visitors bring their own.