Journal
Short guides to the beaches, villages and sights of Rhodes, closest to the villas first.
Plan your trip
Sand, coves and clear water, closest first.
Shallow water, short drives and a few adventures.
The east coast has the sunrises. For sunsets, head west.
Seven days, the best of the island, and plenty of time on the beach.
Warm water from June to October, quiet lanes in spring and autumn.
Chickpea fritters, honey and sesame, and the island's own spirit.
Clear water, rocky edges and the odd sea cave.
Story
30 September 2026
Halfway down the east coast, where the island's long beaches begin.
Beach
5 min walk
A long beach in front of the villas, and a sheltered bay just around the headland.
≈ 10 min
Golden sand below, a white monastery above, and around 300 steps between them.
Nature
A cool valley, a narrow tunnel of spring water, and a small lake at the other end.
A quiet bay with fishing boats, a long beach and tavernas that cook the morning's catch.
Village
One of the island's biggest villages, with a castle, potters and a dialect all its own.
Two beaches on one 4 km shore, the island's only golf course, and a village built to stay out of sight.
Pebbles, bright blue water and sea caves at the north end of Afandou's shore.
≈ 15 min
Steps cut into the cliff, a cove of clear water, and lunch above the sea.
A small green cove of clear, deep water, named after a film star.
Nightlife
A long sandy beach by day, the island's liveliest strip by night.
Activity
Greece's largest water park, fifteen minutes from the villas.
A crescent bay of tavernas and fishing boats, watched over by a castle.
A little sandy bay, a short walk from Anthony Quinn.
≈ 20 min
Fine golden sand, shallow water, and a chapel in the rock.
History
A restored 1920s spa, all domes, mosaics and palms, above a small swimming cove.
A cool ravine of streams and bridges, and thousands of summer moths.
Painted doorways and pebble courtyards, minutes from the coast.
≈ 25 min
Go early, climb first, swim after.
An almost-closed bay of still, clear water, right below the acropolis.
A living medieval town inside its walls, 25 minutes from the villas.
Mediterranean sea life in an Art Deco building at the island's northern tip.
Getting here
From the runway to the villas in about 25 minutes.
The harbour, the market and the town beach, just outside the medieval walls.
The Knights' fortress at the top of the Old Town.
Ancient Rhodes, in the Knights' 15th-century hospital.
Temple columns, a stadium and the best sunset in town.
The town beach, with its old diving tower.
A sheltered bay just north of Lindos.
The main beach, right below the village and the acropolis.
A long, breezy beach and the island's windsurfing centre.
A breezy beach, a famous church and a big August festival.
≈ 30 min
Pine forest, 1930s mountain lodges, and a pond of fish found nowhere else.
Small sandy coves and clear water, just past Lindos.
A village square of tavernas, a few minutes from Lindos.
≈ 35 min
A monastery among pines, peacocks on the path, and a view along the coast.
A whole ancient city, laid out in terraces above the sea.
Food & wine
Terraced vineyards, tastings and a long lunch in the island's wine village.
A small sandy cove of calm, clear water.
The island's highest summit, with a sanctuary of Zeus at the top.
≈ 40 min
A quiet hill village with a church painted floor to ceiling, and a castle above it.
A long, quiet strand on the south-east coast.
An old monastery in the forest, its church covered in frescoes.
≈ 45 min
A Knights' castle above the sea, looking out to Chalki.
Thyme honey, souma and a twin-towered church on the mountainside.
≈ 50 min
A knights' castle on a sheer rock, and the island's best sunset.
Whitewashed lanes, a fountain and a plane tree, in the quiet south.
≈ 55 min
Grilled octopus by a little harbour, near the end of the island.
≈ 1 hr
A still lake among pine hills, far from the beach crowds.
A wild west-coast beach, with caves cut into the rock.
≈ 1 hr 10
Two seas, one sandbar, and some of the best wind in Europe.
Day trip
Boat from Rhodes Town
A pastel harbour, a monastery and a long lunch, a short boat ride from Rhodes.
Boat from Kamiros Skala
A tiny island of pastel houses and quiet coves, off the west coast.
