We spent a week in Rhodes Island, Greece in the summer of 2016, and we can tell you that as a part of the Greek archipelago, the island of Rhodes is underrated! When speaking of the Greek islands, Santorini or Mykonos are usually what comes to everyone’s mind. And in fact, Santorini was the first Greek island I visited, (I was there in the summer of 2015. One of my childhood dreams came true!)

Rhodes is the largest of Greece’s Dodecanese islands. We flew from Copenhagen to Rhodes directly with Scandinavian Airlines. It was my first time travelling with them. The small plane brought us to Rhodes in a few hours.

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After an intense, stressful first half of 2016, we decided we wanted to travel a bit more luxurious than we usually would. In general, Rhodes was less touristy than Santorini, and everything was cheaper in Rhodes. (Of course, Santorini is one of the top honeymoon destinations in the world.)

Funny enough, our trip to Rhodes was also my first time staying at a 4 star hotel after years of solo travelling. (I couch-surfed, stayed at hostels and Airbnb!) Since what we booked was a Swedish vacation deal package, Jim pretty much took care of everything.

You can click to enlarge the pictures and see them in slides!

WHERE DID WE STAY?

We spent the week at the Alexia Premier City Hotel. Here are the three reasons we picked this hotel:

#1. We liked the interior design (“It’s very Scandinavian,” said Jim.) And they have a gym.

Although I enjoy budget travelling, I still like to stay at boutique hotels or places that have beautiful interior designs. The room was clean, and we got a balcony. Unfortunately, the gym was under construction when we were there, so that destroyed our plan to stay fit during our vacation.

#2. Alexia has an all you can eat, awesome breakfast buffet.

Their breakfast buffet has lots of variety. From different types of bread to sausages, juices, eggs, and mix vegetables. I got my Greek yoghurt fix at breakfast at the hotel every day.

#3. It was within walking distance to the beaches, the old town and where’s happening.

We spent most of our time in Rhodos, the old town of Rhodes.The old town of Rhodes is the oldest inhabited medieval town in Europe! There are also many bars nearby and places for the party animals to go wild. And walking around the harbour outside of the Old Town in evenings remains one of my favourite experiences. Here are some of the gorgeous pictures around Rhodos Old Town in Rhodes Island, Greece. (I apologise if some evening pictures are a bit blurry. We only had phone cameras at the time.)

View Rhodes Island, Greece from Day to Night

Our stay in Rhodes was quite low key. Most of the time we just lay on the beach, ate, and slept. We rented a scooter, rode all the way to Lindos, and spent a day there. (We also stopped by the Butterfly Valley. I wouldn’t recommend it.) The beaches in Lindos were better, and the town was less crowded. In fact, we ended up wishing we had chosen to stay in Lindos. Haha.

Lindos is what most of the people would picture when thinking about Greece.All the buildings are in white, accompanied by the blue sky and sea. (Which many of my Greek friends would go nuts about it. The rest of the Greece does not look all blue and white.)

Gorgeous Images of Lindos, Rhodes Island.

WHERE TO EAT?

There were many restaurants and bars near our hotel, but they were mostly Swedish, Finnish, or Norwegian. That irritated Jim a lot since We wanted some authentic Greek food! Haha. There are three places I would like to recommend:

#1. Dama Greek Restaurant, Rhodos.

Dama is close to the beach, and it was a cozy family style restaurant. Many restaurants in Rhodos are overpriced, but Dama was reasonable. Their food was absolutely delicious! The owner was friendly, and he kept giving us free drinks and fruits. Most importantly, they have free wifi, haha! Unlike other restaurants that obviously just wanted to make money from us, Dama didn’t impose on us, and we received warm Greek hospitality when we ate at Dama.

#2. Kalypso Restaurant, Lindos.

In the village of Lindos, food is generally cheaper than Rhodos. Although I wouldn’t consider Kalypso a cheap eat, their food was heaven in the mouth! It was totally worth it for its quality. We devoured our food right after it was on our table. Jim had the squid, and I don’t remember what I had, but it was surely tasty. Plus, they got an incredible view of Lindos’s acropolis.

#3. Ouzokafenes, Rhodos.

Okay, so the trip to Rhodes was before I decided to be a more dedicated travel blogger. I didn’t care to remember the name of the restaurant. All I remember was the restaurant had a great deal that came with 10~12 tapas and a bottle of wine. And there were cats! Many of them. Greek tapas were what I was dreaming of this whole time! My mouth is watering as I am typing now. It was enough was good for both of us.

And … AVOID this restaurant called “Country Kitchen.”

Country Kitchen is in Rhodos. The service was slow, but that wasn’t the worst part. They brought us tiny glasses for the drinks and didn’t give us any water. Plus the drinks were expensive! It was almost like they were forcing us to order more drinks while waiting for our dishes! The food was also too salty.

Beach Bed Rentals

We spent all our afternoons laying on the beach enjoying the calm water of Aegean Sea. The price for the beach bed rentals ranges from 5~6 euros to 20 euros. Trust me, the 5 euro ones are good enough 😉 You can also order some food from the beach restaurants. They will bring the food to your beach bed!

Overall,

Rhodes Island is a beautiful island that’s worth a visit (although a week may be a bit long.) They may not have the most famous tourist attractions, but it’s suitable for family, couples, and youngsters who’re looking for affordable fun and relaxation. 

Have you visited Rhodes? What are your favourite things about your time on the island? Let us know!

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