A Week On The Island Of Rhodes

Okay, so first things first, I have a confession to make...this blog post is almost 2 months late whoopsie, but real life and that oh so inconvenient 9-5 day job got in the way, along with a not so well-deserved weekend away to Valencia 4 days after I returned from Rhodes, so hey, I have my excuses. But 5 weeks later, I'm unfortunately unpacked and settled back in London after a whirlwind Summer of incredible trips and this British weather has got me digging out those tights and boots from the back of my wardrobe faster than you can say 'Greece'. So before Summer seems like a distant memory, I figured it was finally time to write all about my week in Rhodes with my besties, so grab a cuppa (and a biscuit, because lets face it, Summer's over now and nobody is gonna see you in a bikini for at least another 8 months, so go fricking wild) and get ready ready to read all about how I spent a week on the beautiful Greek Island of Rhodes....

Considering this trip was pretty last minute as we only booked it 2 weeks before we flew out, we managed to nab a pretty good deal thanks to late deals on thomascook.com and stayed at the all-inclusive Smartline Cosmopolitan Hotel in Ixia. Although this holiday was all about stuffing our faces with moussaka and Greek salad (hey it's all about balance), abusing that all-inclusive pool bar and floating our troubles away on lilos (sadly no, the inflatable flamingos and swans haven't made it to Rhodes yet), we soon started to get itchy feet just staying by the pool and hitting the beach everyday, so we decided to rent a car for the day and explore the Island. I know a lot of people are put off by the idea of renting a car abroad...driving on the wrong side of the road with blasé European road etiquette can be pretty daunting, but if you're travelling with a confident driver then definitely, definitely rent a car! Yes, there's always boat or coach trips which take you on excursions from your hotel, but nothing gives you the freedom quite like having your own car for the day and being free to drive wherever you want and having the ability to stop at whatever little hidden gems you discover along the way, whether they be secluded beaches or authentic little restaurants in a local village. And when holidaying on an Island as small as Rhodes, where you can drive from the top to the bottom of the Island in as little as 2 hours, renting a car really is the best thing you can do to explore as much as you possibly can. 

Suzy The Suzuki 

So for just something silly like £25 each, we hired this adorable little Suzuki for the day. We originally wanted to hire a white Jeep, but the rental company wanted a crazy deposit for it and we figured as Instagramable and as 'road trip goals' (did I really just use 'goals' in a serious way) as it would have been, we settled for Suzy the Suzuki instead and she was a pretty good consolation...and yes, we do name all our rental cars. So with nothing on us but a paper map of the island and some broken English instructions, we headed South of Ixia in search of Anthony Quinn Bay. 

Anthony Quinn Bay 

Although I've visited Rhodes several times before on family holidays, I'd embarrassingly never heard of nor visited Anthony Quinn Bay. It was recommended to us by a friend as a 'must visit' and boy am I grateful for this recommendation. Anthony Quinn Bay was quite possibly one of the most stunning views I have ever been fortunate enough to witness. There is something so calm and tranquil about this place that the camera unfortunately cannot capture and the pictures just simply do not do this place justice. The water is so calm and clear and makes it the perfect destination to do some snorkeling with the Gopro and bask in the Grecian sun.

A Day On Pefki Beach 

After a beautiful morning spent snorkelling in Anthony Quinn Bay, we headed about 45 minutes South of the Island to Pefkos. Pefkos is a town about halfway down the Island on the East coast where I've spent my family holidays for the past few years and is definitely the little sun trap of the Island. Unlike the windy and shingled beach of Ixia, Pekfi beach is the opposite, with almost zero sea breeze and not one pebble in sight as it's one of the few golden sandy beaches of Rhodes. We absolutely died of heat on Pefki Beach without that sea breeze we were used to in Ixia, so we cooled down over a divine Greek lunch at my favourite restaurant in Pefkos...Philosophia Restaurant. It's situated directly above the beach, giving you the most incredible view of Pefki Beach and serves some of the freshest and best Greek food I've ever tried. We tucked into fresh calamari and Greek salads, whilst admiring the stunning view. It's a hard life I know...

Lindos

Lindos is without a doubt my favourite place in Rhodes. Its an adorable little town just a 10 minute drive away from Pefkos and is the epitome of traditional Greece, with it's delicate architecture, winding cobbled paths and whitewashed restaurants and bars. It's everything you expect of a Greek Island and more. There's a multitude of restaurants to choose from, all offering the best of Greek food and all come with a side of jaw-dropping views of this beautiful town and the Acropolis of Lindos, as almost all of the restaurants in Lindos have roof terraces. Although not exactly off the beaten track as many tourists flock to the popular Lindos, this touristic presence fortunately doesn't spoil this beautiful place and you'd honestly struggle to find a place in Rhodes more symbolic of Greece, with its winding streets bursting with authentic Greek produce, with stalls selling handmade pottery and leather goods and Greek delicacies such as honey and ouzo. I could spend hours getting lost in Lindos's winding streets and believe me it is easy to get lost as the streets resemble that of a maze, so a little word of advice...if you're claustrophobic, unfortunately it's probably best to avoid Lindos at all costs!

Rhodes Town

Rhodes Town is a beautiful place to spend the evening if you're staying anywhere in the top half of the Island. As Ixia is just a 10 minute taxi ride away from Rhodes Town, we decided to spend our penultimate night wandering around the Old Town spending the last of our euros and stuffing our faces with yet more moussaka and feta cheese. Rhodes Town is a fabulous place to do some shopping on the Island and it is divided into two parts: The Old Town & The New Town. The New Town is where you will find European shops like Zara and United Colours of Benetton, whereas there's not an electronic cash register in sight in The Old Town, where instead you have stall after stall of authentic Greek produce, such as sea sponges and olive-based beauty products...with the odd fake Chanel bag thrown in there for good measure, as it wouldn't be a market town without fake goods now would it?
Rhodes Town is the perfect destination to spend an afternoon/evening wandering around the harbour, sampling the Greek cuisine, braving some ouzo in the bars and spending those euros in the shops.

It was the perfect week with the perfect balance of relaxation and exploring and I honestly cannot recommend Rhodes enough. 

xoxo