Date of Holiday

August 2004

The Island of The Sun

Rhodes is the largest in the Dodecanese group of islands situated in the southeast Aegean sea, only 10 miles from the Turkish coast.  It has very hot, dry summers but there are often strong winds (Meltemi) which blow along the south coast in the summer.  Beginning as a breeze at dawn, these can rise to a crescendo by mid-day, so be warned!

Most of the golden beaches are to be found along the east of the island with shingle and pebble bays predominantly on the west coast.

Rhodes Old Town requires at least one whole day during your holiday and of course you just have to visit the stunningly beautiful bay of Lindos and the Acropolis.

Our Resort

Pefkos:

Pefkos is situated 5km south of Lindos.  It has a sandy beach and the sea here is clear and shallow, making it ideal for family holidays.  The sunbeds do rather dominate the beach which is only about 500 metres long and no more than 20 metres deep.  My personal view is that Pefkos is not a particularly attractive resort being based around the main Pefkos “strip” which is lined with tavernas and bars.  There are several small supermarkets and the usual car rental and souvenir shops.  It is a lively resort at night and a popular destination for the British.

The Accomodation

Dimitris Apartments:

We stayed at the Dimitris Apartments in Pefkos which at the time were with Golden Sun Holidays.  However, I believe they lost the contract after that year so I am not sure who run them now.  The apartments sat at the top of a hill, 2 minutes by car from the main Pefkos town road but a good 10 minutes up an incredibly steep hill when walking !!  However taxi’s were about €3 for the quick trip back at night after a few cocktails !  On this road was the most wonderful Bakery and it was worth the walk in the morning to buy bread and croissants for breakfast.  The accommodation had the most amazing views over the bay of Pefkos, the rooms were large with a good sized bathroom and a kitchenette area.  There was also a large pool.  Unfortunately our holiday was rather spoilt due to the fact that “you cant choose your fellow guests” and we had a large group of rather unruly Brits who chose to strip off and swim when they returned from town each night at 4am !!  Our terrace was right on the edge of the pool – I say no more.  However, it was a very pretty location and others have recommended these apartments.  Lindos was only a 6 minute drive across the hill behind our apartments or there were boats which left daily to take you around the bay to Lindos harbour.   Personally, we would choose to stay in Lindos or on the outskirts on another visit.

Rhodes Town

The capital, Rhodes Town is surrounded by massive walls.  The interior of the old town is a maze of streets, lanes and alleyways, with something interesting around every corner.  There is just so much to see that I really recommend you spend at least one whole day there.  There are churches, quiet squares, residential alleys and many beautiful shops.

An impressive dry moat surrounds the old town.  At various points there are arched accesses into the interior of the Old Town.

At the entrance to Rhodes Mandraki Harbour are two bronze statues of a stag and a doe, the islands mascots.    The harbour was once the site of the 100ft Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.  Now it is full of excursion boats.

Lindos

A maze of narrow winding streets and tiny white-washed houses cascading down the hillside to the sandy beach below and crowned by the awe inspiring Acropolis, Lindos is picture postcard and a ‘must see’ on any trip to Rhodes.

There are many rooftop tavernas and at night many have views from your table of the floodlit Acropolis.  There is also a good variety of bars and nightclubs.  A good place to shop !

The daily boat trip from Pefkos to Lindos is an absolute must.  The commentary from the Captain was both amusing and educational - well worth the ticket price on its own.

The Acropolis, with its ruined Temple of Athena, is the jewel in the crown of this archaeological site.  You can either walk up the steep hill or take the donkey taxi !  The ride up is quite gentle, but going back down again can be quite daunting.  The owners of the donkeys seem to let them go as they wish down the steep hill and often it was far too close to the edge of a rather steep drop for me !  …… I wish I had walked.

In the Acropolis you will find a Knights Castle, the remains of a Roman temple, and the Temple of Athena among other things.  The acropolis offers spectacular views of the surrounding harbours and coastline.

Faliriki

Faliriki gets a lot of bad press in the UK because of the loutish behaviour of British youths. However, a fabulous Water Park just on the outskirts of the town makes it worth at least one visit to enjoy all the slides and flumes.  The best Water Park I have ever visited.

Monolithos

Monolithos Castle is in the far south of the island.  It stands on top of a pillar of rock and makes a spectacular sight from the roadside.

Cape Prasonisi

Cape Prasonisi is the very southern tip of Rhodes and is joined to the island by means of a causeway.  At low tide you can walk out to the island.  From this peninsular, one side of the causeway is the Aegean sea and the other is the Mediterranean sea.  So you can dip your toes in both seas within 10 seconds !

Petaloudes – Valley of the Butterflies

A nice change from the coastal resorts, this walk takes you through a cool, tree-filled valley where amongst the shady rocks and trees you will see thousands of moths (not butterflies).  The moths gather in the valley during July and August in great numbers, attracted by the resin from the bark of the trees.  It is a really pleasant day out. 

At the end of the walk, you can carry on and walk up to the monastery for a cool drink.

Lardos

South of Pefkos, is the resort of Lardos, a more traditional Greek village with some good tavernas.  We often went there for the excellent go-karting track on the outskirts of the village. 

A Highly Recommended Restaurant in Pefkos

Spitaki – the original “Little House” 
Main Street, Pefkos.

Superb taverna with really authentic Greek cuisine. Run by Alexandra and Alex Silvestros, this taverna is totally different from all the other restaurants in Pefkos which always seem to serve the same dishes.  You wont be disappointed.  Give it a try.