The Island of Rhodes

In general

An island that surprises you with the beauty of its landscape, its sea and some of its beaches, and with its mix of history and natural beauty. A place for a pleasant summer holiday thanks to the excellent hotel accommodation at prices that aren't prohibitive, the tranquillity of some spots despite the large influx of tourists, and the lovely day trips you can take. The light traffic, good roads and limited costs make it easy to get around with a hire car, the best way to get to know the island. In fact for 50 euros you can hire a small car for 3 days, the distances are short and the signage is good. The main road connects the city of Rhodes with Lindos, in a continuous ups and downs that offers very beautiful views of the coast; with short detours you can reach some of the most beautiful beaches in the Mediterranean.

Generally speaking, the places near Lindos offer wilder and less crowded beaches, although most are pebbles or gravel. The north coast, on the other hand, is very windy and the sea is almost always rough. The places near Rhodes and Lindos itself are, by contrast, very crowded. In summer the climate is very hot, the sun is already high at 10 in the morning and the temperature often exceeds 30 degrees, although the breeze and low humidity make the temperature more than bearable. It's also easy to find windy days that are a bit annoying. The easiest way to reach the island from Italy is through tour operators, with charters departing several days a week. Personally, I travelled with Alpitour, solely for the hotel offer it had.

Hotel Lindos Princess

For our beach stay in Rhodes we opted for the Hotel Lindos Princess, near the resort of Lardos, about 5 km from Lindos. The package is all inclusive and the value for money is very high (late June, early July, 65 euros per person all inclusive, children up to 12 free flight and stay). The hotel structure is very beautiful, with a central block housing the various services, restaurant, reception, etc., and a series of two-storey buildings extending down to the sea, surrounded by two enormous swimming pools and various bars. The sea is crystal clear and often calm, while the beach, the sore point, is sand up to 5 metres from the shore, then becomes pebbles down to the sea, making access a bit difficult. The only thing you pay for is the parasols on the beach The food is decent, with a buffet service, but with little variety, especially at midday. Excellent, though, in the morning.

By reservation you can also dine à la carte at the speciality restaurant. In the evening, at the main restaurant, you can dine outdoors on a pleasant terrace During the day you can help yourself freely at the snack point and all the bars in the complex. In the evening there's the classic holiday-village entertainment in the amphitheatre. An ideal place especially for children, with plenty of space and a playground where they can run around freely and safely. Outside the hotel there are only a couple of restaurants and small shops, but about 2 km away is the small but characterful centre of Lardos, with quite a few bars and restaurants (but be careful, because a grilled fish cost us 35 euros, excellent but a bit pricey).

The hotel also has a decidedly cheap car hire service, especially compared with tour operator rates in the brochures; particularly good value is the consecutive 3-day hire.

City of Rhodes

The medieval part of the city of Rhodes, about 50 km from Lindos, is the most important stop on a trip to this island. Proclaimed a UNESCO World Heritage Site by right, the city, thanks to its strategic position, has always found itself at the centre of great historical events, where all the great civilisations of the past have left their mark. We are immediately struck by the intact walls, which in themselves represent one of the most significant and spectacular monuments of the city, with its evocative entrance gates. Along the Street of the Knights stand splendid medieval buildings, the grandest of which is the Palace of the Grand Masters, but the nicest thing is to stroll through the winding little streets, with their little shops and bars, and the squares packed with people sitting in the open-air cafés.

Petaloudes

Halfway between Lindos and Rhodes, a road leads inland across a mountainous area, until it reaches Petaloudes. It is an oasis of coolness in the midst of the scorching heat of the Rhodes summer, and amid a forest, evocative trails start out surrounded by small lakes, little waterfalls and streams; but the main attraction of the place is that from mid-June to mid-September the valley fills with thousands and thousands of butterflies flying from one tree to another, offering a rare natural spectacle. The loop takes about an hour and admission is paid (about 3 euros), and it would be better to plan the visit early in the morning to avoid finding too many crowds, which would make the walk less pleasant.

Lindos

In my opinion the most pleasant and characteristic excursion is Lindos: we visited it both during the day, with the climb up to the acropolis, and in the evening to wander among the typical narrow streets full of shops and typical restaurants. You can park your car in the various parking lots; the most convenient one is found at the end of the coastal road coming from Lardos. Then, after a short walk through the town, you reach the staircase leading up to the acropolis. The route is very pleasant and offers enchanting views of the town and its splendid bay; it is nothing strenuous, so much so that my 3-year-old son did it too. (alternatively you can go up on donkeys). Admission is paid, about 6 euros; the acropolis is situated in a spectacular position at the top of a cliff, which makes it unique both for the panorama and for the ruins to visit.

Before climbing the flight of stairs that lead to the majestic Palace of the Governor, passing through the great portico, you can admire what remains of the famous ship of Lindos, carved into the rock. Then the 2 most important temples, that of Minerva and that of Athena in Doric style. It is strongly recommended to visit the acropolis early in the morning, because the heat would make the visit unbearable and the climb has no shaded spots. If Lindos is fascinating by day, in the evening it is even more so: wandering aimlessly through the alleys in search of some souvenir and stopping at one of the many bars to sip something thirst-quenching, because here it is quite hot even in the evening.

The Golden Beach

Among the beaches I saw on the island of Rhodes, the most beautiful remains in my opinion GOLDEN BEACH, between ARCHANGELOS and KOLIMBIA. Reachable by car via an unpaved road of about 700 m, it is a beach of fine sand, transparent water and always calm, surrounded on the sides by rocks where you can also go snorkelling. The only downside is that the beach is quite developed, with sunbeds (6 euros per day for 2 sunbeds + umbrella), refreshment points, so people arrive in droves. In the morning until 10, however, it is semi-deserted (at least at the end of June). With a short walk on the rocks, looking at the sea on the left, you climb to the top of a small hill and the view over the beach is truly enchanting. So beautiful that we came twice.

Prassonissi

Another pleasant excursion is the one leading to the southernmost tip of the island, about 50 km from Lindos, where a small islet is connected to the coast by a thin strip of sand, which depending on the tide becomes reachable on foot or is completely covered with water. The particular exposure to the winds, which here always blow persistently, means that on one side the sea remains very calm, while on the other it is always rough; in any case a surfers' paradise.