Rhodes Island

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Villages of Rhodes

Monolithos

White washed courtyards with geraniums, stone houses with tile roofs looking out over the waves, the rocks with the medieval castle at their peak, windswept deserted beaches for playing games in the waves – a landscape of unspoiled beauty, difficult to find elsewhere on Rhodes
Named after its monolith, a crag with a dramatic 235m drop to the sea, Monolithos is the most important village in the southwest of Rhodes.
Situated at the foot of Mount Akramytis, the village is 2km from Monolithos castle. This castle stands among the pines on the great outcrop of an isolated rock. Below the castle you will find an attractive stone building housing a small cafe. Down a rough road south from the castle is the sheltered sandy beach of Fournoi, which has a seasonal taverna.
73km from Rhodes town


Faliraki

Faliraki, the island's most popular resort, consists of long sandy beaches surrounded by whitewashed hotels holiday apartments and restaurants. Also a good base for families who like a lively holiday with plenty of activities, it is a brash and loud resort that caters mostly for a younger crowd. As well as a waterslide complex, there are all type of water sports to enjoy on Faliraki beach.
Water battles till you drop at the impressive water park, races at the go kart track, gallons of beer in the little bars on Ermou Str. And queues outside the big clubs on the main boulevard. Faliraki is in other word one big funfair, with a vast multiethnic crowd tirelessly in pursuit of pleasure, day and night.
Faliraki is for sure one of the liveliest coastal resorts of Rhodes and has two different sides:
On the one hand the big, luxury hotels with their private beaches and full ranged facilities, on the other the noisy centre of the town with its ethnic restaurants, jewelry shops, Irish pubs and constant movement.
If you have had enough of the crowds of Faliraki, the nearest escape is Profitis Amos, on the road toward Rhodes town, on the outskirts of Faliraki. There is a delightful clearing in the woods, with strutting peacocks, you will find a quiet taverna where you can eat good food and enjoy the view of brightly illuminated Faliraki in the distance.
12km from Rhodes town


Gennadi

Pink villas with towers and futuristic structures, hotels, virgin sands, beach bars, hotels and a village that reminds you one of the little neighborhoods in central Athens! Gennadi only began to develop relatively recently and still shows too many signs of work in progress to have acquired a definite identity of its own
Most of those choosing to stay at Gennadi are looking for a quiet and peaceful stay, but the resort also attracts several keen surfers owing to its proximity to Prasonisi, the surfer's paradise. Note that the endless sandy shore from Gennadi to Prasonisi must be the last unspoiled stretches of coast on Rhodes
63km from Rhodes town


Emponas

Emponas is the most important grape producing village on the island – if you come around the harvest time you will dinf streets full of baskets and courtyards spread with raisins soaking up the sun. The smell of grape will engulf you as soon as you enter the village. Emery winery offers visitors a wine tasting experience, but the other three smaller traditional wineries ( Koinakis, Merkouris and Alexandris) are also worth visiting
Emponas may not have any picturesque features, however it is one of the most popular suggestions for a trip inland in Rhodes that combines folklore, a lively atmosphere and good food. Worth visiting is also the impressive Folk Museum.
52km from Rhodes town



Kolympia

Kolympia, a quiet and family-friendly seaside resort between the city of Rhodes and Lindos, is going through a period of development lately, as new, luxury resort hotels spring up every year. Kolympia is very green thanks to the nearby seven springs (epta piges), and its location midway between Rhodes and Lindos is ideal for those who wasn't to enjoy these two cosmopolitan centres. The entrance to Kolympia is impressive, as you come in along the lush green Eucalyptus Road, with the branches of the eucalyptus trees almost sweeping around. After the Eucalyptus Road comes London Road, Amsterdam Road and Stockholm Road … in fact so not be surprised that almost all streets around are named after European capitals. This is a resort for those seeking peace and relaxation, mainly couples and families. The best hotels are along the pebble beach and most of them have been recently renovated
25km from Rhodes town


Ixia

Large, luxury hotels all along the coastal boulevards, towering above them the flagship 20-storey Rodos Palce Hotel: this is the visitors first impression upon arrival in Ixia. Ixia is not so much a village as a hotel resort, one of the most cosmpolitan on Rhodes and a popular choice with those seeking high quality accommodation near the town of Rhodes. Those who visit Ixia are drawn first and foremost by its pebble beach and the winds that blow almost continuously.
4km from Rhodes town


Koskinou

The old village of Koskinou is characterized by its traditional Rhodian houses featuring the choklakia pebble mosaic floors and courtyards. There is an attractive church of Eisodia tis Theotokou, which has a multi-tired bell tower.
When local people talk about Koskinou, the first thing they mention is always the doors of the village houses: painted in vivid colors (red, blue, yellow, turquoise), made of wood or iron with etched or carved designs. Walk through the village to discover yourself these traditional houses, and see also the newer buildings, built in recent years by the wealthy people from the town of Rhodes.
7km from Rhodes town


Archangelos

It is a lively, commercial town, also has its medieval castle, and the coast to either side is suitable for swimming. Your first impression is unlikely to be positive. You might be in any Greek provincial town – a concrete wasteland, noisy cafes, nowhere to park. But once you leave your car and make your way into the narrow side streets you will understand why Archangelos is regarded as one of the most unusual towns of Rhdoes. The local people are faithful to the village traditions: they still bake their bread every day in the old wood fired ovens; they keep alive the skills and crafts of their grandfathers; they marry in traditional ceremonies and still speak in their own distinctive idiom.
Archagelos is the biggest village in Rhodes, with some 6000 in habitants. The centre of the village is dominated by the church of Archangel Michael, with its fine campanile dating from 1845.
On high ground about 3km from the village, on the road to the beach at Stegna, lies the cave of Koumellos, famous for its extraordinary stalactites. Many local people claim that the cave communicated with the sea. The cave is definitely worth a visit; you can get the key from the town hall.
28km from Rhodes town


Ialysos

Named after a grandson of the sun god Helios, Ialyssos fused in 408 BC with two other Doric cities, Lindos and Kameiros, to created one capital, Rhodes. The only remnant of the acropolis is the 3rd century BC Temple of Athena Polias and Zeus Poleifs by the church of Aghios Georgios
Nowadays the scenery has changed….hotels have conquered Ialysos
All along the shoreline and other streets parallel to it, there is a multitude of hotels and small commercial centres where you will find everything. Along Ialysos Avenue, one of the busiest of Rhodes, your gaze rests on neo classical mansions with their columns and palm trees.
8km from Rhodes town




Lindos

In spite of the crods, this faboulous site always manages to charms visitors. The Acopolis is built on a steep-sided spur at a height of 116m, its ochre-colored crenellations standing out against the sky. The massive walls snake around the hill, watching over the crystal water and the white houses in the little harbour huddled as its feet.

The narrow cobbled streets of Lindos village can be shoulder to shoulder with tourists on high summer, so spring or autumn are more relaxed times to visit. Lindos is a sun trap, and is known for consistently recording the highest temperatures of Rhodes island.
Traffic is banned so the village retains much of its charm and donkeys carry people up to the acropolis.
The villages winding lanes are fronted by imposing doorways which lead into the unique Lindian houses. Mainly built by reach sea captains between the 15th and 18th centuries, these traditional houses are called archontika. All these make Lindos remind more of a traditional Cycladic island's village.
Lawrence Durell described the town during the period of British administration of the Dodecanese ( 1945-47).



Its beauty lies in that sense of moderation which we associate with the Aegean, and is at the same time quite unique. The narrow streets which ascend and descend like musical notes are paved with pebbles and intersected by narrow alleyways. The streets are wide enough for two mules to pass one another, but not large enough for a motor car. Everything is painted white, a dazzling flash of plaster and lime, so that with your eyes half shut for one moment, you could imagine that Lindos was the snowy reflection of a passing cloud.

It will make the same impression on a visitor today, especially if he comes outside the main impression on a visitor today, especially if he comes outside the main tourist season.
50km from Rhodes town


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