Rhodes - a magical trip to the past

Following an action-packed week touring Greece, we finally arrived in Rhodes for a much needed rest -- however, this frame of mind did not last long. We almost missed our plane from Athens to Rhodes, the flight time changed ahead by almost an hour. Rhodes is a country in itself -- it lies almost exactly halfway between Piraeus and Cyprus. 18 km of the coast of Asia Minor, and it is considered a bridge between Europe and the East. Most days we were able to see the coast of Turkey. The town of Rhodes is divided into two sections: the Old Town and the New Town. The New Town is your basic modern city with all the activity you would expect. This can be good if you are looking for the nightlife. We weren't looking for that particularly but we still found the New Town to be pleasant and not overly crowded. Most of the hotels are in the New Town although this did not concern us as we used our timeshare the Sun Beach Holiday Club as our base to explore this island. Note that generally taxis are not allowed in the Old Town but the exception to that is for tourists with luggage and lodging in the Old Town. If you will not be staying at a timeshare and you're looking for a hotel in Rhodes Town, don't try to get one right on the beach. It's not the greatest beach as it is fairly rocky and you would probably be better off ensuring that your hotel has a central location. If you're looking for a good beach on the island of Rhodes, I recommend that you look into the town of Lindos.

This was our first experience in a medieval town in Greece and it was well worth the visit since it was completely different from everything else we had seen in Greece during our previous week on the mainland.

We began our exploration of Rhodes by walking over to the Old Town. Whereas the New Town is a basic modern city, the Old Town is truly a magical trip to the past. It is a Venetian walled city complete with a Palace of the Knights. If you think of how a stereotypical gothic walled city should look like then you're picturing the Old Town. Except that the Old Town will blow you away. It is amazing because it is so large and so well preserved. Sure, the tourist areas look shiny and new, but walk off the beaten path and you'll see that while the buildings haven't been restored, it still has the same look to them. In other words, this isn't something just created for tourists -- it's real. Overall, it is the impressive scope and style that engulfs you as you walk around the large town that really takes you back in time.

Quick Tips:

Best Way To Get Around:

Public transportation is extremely convenient and inexpensive. In the central square in Old Rhodes Town, there is a large area where all the buses stop along with an easy to read bus schedule that provides all the necessary details.

Best Things Nearby:
The beach was just a short walk from the resort. Unfortunately, we did not have much time to spend on the beach as we were busy touring the island. Numerous restaurants are nearby as well as establishments where you can rent scooters and cars. A grocery store is just down the road.

Best Things About the Resort:
We were pleasantly surprised to learn that our unit had two full bathrooms. Our unit was on the bottom floor facing the beach as well as the pool.

Resort Experience:
The unit was well if somewhat sparsely appointed. You basically had everything that you would require to make basic meals. Both the living room and bedroom had a small patio and each morning we enjoyed coffee and breakfast on one of the patios while planning our events for the day. Although the on-site restaurant served good meals, there are so many restaurants in the area that you need not go hungry and most are reasonably priced. A bus for Old Rhodes Town stops on a regular schedule right outside the resort. The pool area is well laid-out although at times we were chased away by unruly children as there is no children's pool.

• Unit Type: 1 Bedroom
• Activities: Good
• Amenities: Good
• Unit Satisfaction: Good
• Family Friendliness: Good
• Service: Good

Another thing you definitely should not miss is the chance to walk on the town walls. It is a great way to get to see a lot of the town from a nice, high vantage point. You also get good views of the defenses and moat system. Once you're on the wall, you can take your time walking the length to the gate at the other end. You need to buy tickets at the Palace of the Knights and then proceed to the nearby gates to wait for them to open them up. The view from up there was tremendous.

The Palace of the Knights (a.k.a. the Palace of the Grand Masters) is definitely a must see. Again, it has the perfect feel of a massive gothic castle. This served as the Knights' administrative center and was built on the site of the Acropolis of the 7th century Byzantine period. The palace was completely destroyed by an explosion in 1865 and it was rebuilt by the Italians. The beautiful mosaics you will see on the floor are from the Hellenistic and Roman periods and were brought in from the island of Kos. The straight road leading down to the port from the palace is the Street of the Knights and it was the main thorough fair 500 years ago. It is a cobblestone street that was built over an ancient path that led from the Acropolis down to the port. This is touted as the best preserved medieval street in Europe and it is a fascinating walk. It is also home to most of the Inns of the Knights. The Knights were divided into seven religious orders based on language and the Inns of these orders line the Street of the Knights. They are now government offices and not open to the public.

The Palaces also houses a wonderful museum, which is well worth a visit.

The Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, was reportedly built near Mandraki Harbor and destroyed by an earthquake in 237 B.C. After it toppled over it reportedly lay on its side all the way until 654 AD when invading Arabs took it home in pieces using 900 camels! There are two pedestals with a stag and doe on top indicating where it supposedly stood astride the harbor. However, more recent research suggests that the 110 foot tall Colossus would not have been structurally stable in such a position and more likely stood on one side of the harbor or another. Others suggest that it may have been further inland. No one really knows for sure its precise location, so it's worth keeping in mind that the pedestals are really just a guess.

A trip definitely worth taking is to the beautiful town of Lindos. Cradled between two harbours, Lindos had particular importance in antiquity.

According to Homer, Lindos was built in the 12th Century BC and sent nine ships to the Trojan War. Lindos was a premiere naval power of its day. The whole setting is magnificent. The Acropolis of Lindos has an indescribable air of impregnability about it. We took the public bus for the 25 mile trip south from Rhodes Town. The length of the bus trip varies greatly depending on the number of stops and number of people, but plan for a minimum of one hour each way.

The Acropolis has a nice dramatic setting. To get to the Acropolis you need to follow the signs through town to a path lined with old ladies selling their lace tablecloths that takes you up the hill to the gate. From the bottom it looks like it would be quite a long hike but that is deceptive and before you know it you'll be at the gate. There are donkey owners who will try to take advantage of this illusion but most people shouldn't need to ride a donkey. Besides, the most tricky walking is after you buy your tickets and get through the gate where the donkeys can't go! Inside the gate you need to walk uphill on slippery rocks polished by centuries of walkers. Hopefully, you will not need to dodge a mother cat carrying her kittens to the top as we did!

You can imagine how impressive it must have been when it was intact and the view from up there is tremendous. In the Acropolis you will find a Knights Castle, the remains of a Roman temple, and the Temple of Lindian Athena among other things. You'll find many pediments for statues and a large number of inscriptions. The inscriptions are actually dedications to the goddess Athena that were traditionally left by rich visitors during the Hellenistic period. The Hellenistic ruins date from the 4th Century BC and were built on the site of an even older temple. There are informative signs around the site that help you picture what it was like and it must have been magnificent.

A word of advice: you should check in advance as to when the site is open, we had conflicting information when planning our trip and verified the hours of operation once we got to Rhodes and had a chance to speak to a travel agent.

While having access to a set of wheels, a scooter that we rented for the day, we decided to head inland and visit the Filerimos Monastery. Inland Rhodes is very hilly and still mostly wooded -- you'll need a vehicle to see its highlights and no single site will justify the expense of a taxi or the inconvenience of trying to make due with a sparse bus schedule. Public transportation is readily available along the coast but less so inland. The monastery is at the top of a windy road and is the same name as the hill upon which it is situated. Filerimos means "lover of solitude" after the 10th-century settlement here by Byzantine hermits. There is not much else to see at this site except for the monastery which was restored by the Italians and British.

If you hunt around, you can come across some ruins of interest is the Doric fountain with a columned facade.

A short walk from the monastery and archeological zone we came across the "Way of the Cross", with 14 stations marked out in copper plaques that lead to an enormous concrete crucifix. If you are not faint of heart, you can climb out onto the cross-arms for a truly amazing view.

While in Rhodes, my husband and I rented a scooter for the day. Although Rhodes is traversed by public transportation, we wanted to be somewhat adventurous and visit sites off the beaten path. Our first stop was Kamerios, an important archaeological site which with Lindos and Ialyssos was one of the three Dorian powers that united in the 5th C BC to found the powerful city state of Rhodes. The city is a characteristic example of Hellenistic urban layout and design, with its division into zones of public and private buildings. While none of the individual remains are spectacular, you can make out the foundations of a few small temples, the restored pillars of a Hellenistic house and the stoa of the agora, complete with water catchment basin. The Doric landscape is well preserved and doubly worth visiting for its beautiful hillside site.