Rhodes holidays

Rhodes’ 80-kilometre eastern coastline’s home to golden sands and most of the island’s best-known spots. The northern beach resorts of Faliraki and Kolymbia sit up top, while the central coast is ruled by Lindos.

There’s plenty of variety when it comes to Rhodes’ beach scene. Its expansive sandy beaches and popular coastal stretches are a mix of high-capacity beachfronts and family friendly resorts.

Tsambika Beach sits around halfway between Kalithea and Lindos, and it flies under the radar for most tourists. It’s named after the Virgin of Tsambika monastery, which overlooks the sand, and it’s a secluded natural beauty. You won’t find any hotels or souvenir shops here, just a couple of restaurants serving local, fresh seafood.

Rhodes Town is a hotspot if you’re looking to bag some bargains. In the old town, the Street of the Knights and Socrates Street are lined with souvenir shops, which sell everything from local honey to Medieval-themed toys. In Lindos, meanwhile, you’ll find a handful of gift boutiques, while in Kalithea, you’ll find lots of boutique-lined cobble streets around the main road – Rodou Falirakiou.

If you’re after some award-winning Rhodian wine, you can head straight to the island’s wineries. Take a winery tour of Cair, which is just outside Rhodes Town, or head to the Emery winery cellars in the village of Embonas, where you can also take tours on weekdays. There’s an Emery distillery in Rhodes Town, too, on Kolokotroni Street.

There are plenty of jewellery shops dotted around Rhodes Town if you’re after some bling. In the old town, Hippocrates Street is the go-to place to pick up delicate silver filigree, while Sokratous Street is filled with designer accessories. In Pefkos, meanwhile, there are a couple of jewellers on the main street.

For chilled out evenings, you’ll find plenty of traditional restaurants in Rhodes Town, with live bouzouki music on and around Georgiou Leontos Street. For views of the acropolis in Lindos, head to the main square where you can dine on rooftop terraces and enjoy al fresco wining and dining, Greek-style. As for Kolymbia and Kalithea, most of the evening entertainment tends to be hotel-based.

Faliraki’s been one of Europe’s biggest party towns for decades, and Bar Street and Club Street are the two main spots for late-night venues. In Rhodes Town, there’s a casino near Ellie Beach, plus plenty of karaoke joints along Bar Street. Pefkos is one of the quieter towns for nightlife, but its main road still has a good helping of cocktail bars.

Head to a traditional Rhodian restaurant, and there’s a good chance you’ll spot pitaroudia on their mezze menus.This Greek-style tapas is a mix of fried chickpea and potato fritters, onion and fresh mint seasoning, then usually paired with a cool tzatziki dip.

Rhodian kapamas is the local equivalent of a Sunday roast. It consists of a rice and tomato-stuffed goat, which is then baked in the oven for a couple of hours. Keep your eyes peeled for it on the specials boards at traditional Greek restaurants.

Known locally as dolmades, Greek stuffed vine leaves are usually filled with rice and herbs, and are served with shots of local ouzo at traditional ‘ouzeries’.

Perhaps the best-known Rhodian dessert is talagoutes. These fluffy pancakes are served in a sticky honey and cinnamon sauce, then topped off with chopped walnuts and sesame seeds.

Finding a good drop of wine’s easy in Rhodes – the island has around 7,500 acres of land dedicated to wine production. The Cair and Emery vineyards are the best-known, and the varieties of grapes used here are aromatic Athiri green grapes and Mandilaria red grapes.