NEWS & EVENTS

1 Beauty At Your Feet:

No matter where you go in Rhodes, you should always keep an eye on the floor that is beneath your feet! The Greeks have always been famous for their mosaics however Rhodes, and in particular the village of Lindos, have some of the most stunning pebble floor mosaics in Greece. Thousands of pebble mosaics adorn the entire island, with some dating back as far as the 5th century while others are brand new, being made by talented craftsmen who still continue to practice this ancient art.

2.    Big Thrills & Spills:
On the east coast, in the village of Faliraki is the water park. But this isn’t just any water park. Sat over 100 square feet, the water park is the largest in Greece and claims to be the largest in the whole of Europe.

3.    Historic Heroes:
As with many Greek destinations, Rhodes is another destination jam-packed with ancient Greek mythology. Learning about the Greek gods and goddesses is one of the many benefits of visiting Rhodes and there are opportunities to do so at every turn. In mythical times, Rhode was the name of a sea nymphwhich eventually belonged to the sun god, Helios. The story says that he fell in love with the nymph called Rhode and as he shone his light onto her she magically transformed into the island. Even more famously, the locals also claim that Hercules founded the first settlement in Rhodes. There are many more myths you can uncover about the Greek Gods and Goddesses that have influenced this beautiful island, see what you can discover.

4.    Dama-Dama:
You wouldn’t guess it, but the island’s emblem is actually a deer. Very similar in looks to the fallow deer, the Dama-Dama is an uncommon and rarely seen deer, and yet it has become the emblem of the island, with its own statue in the harbour! The breed is unique to Rhodes and has been native for centuries. Some believe they came across with the Crusaders in medieval times while others believe they have been on the island long before any man. Numbers, sadly, are declining. Will you be lucky enough to spot any of the 100 deer left?  

5.    Award Winning Blue Flag Beaches:
Do you know what a ‘Blue Flag’ beach means and did you know Rhodes had a lot of them? Blue flags can only awarded to beaches that are particularly clean and ecofriendly. The waters must be crystal clear, the amenities must be well looked after and tidy and the access to the beach must be easy for everyone. It seems on Rhodes, every other beach has been awarded a blue flag, so you’ll be hard pushed to find a beach that doesn’t wow you. The most notable of all the blue flag beaches is Lindos beach, overlooked by the magnificent Acropolis which offers panoramic views of the coastline.

6.    A Wonder of the World that Was:
Sadly no more, the Colossus of Rhodes, was allegedly a 32 metre high statue that once sat at the entrance to the Rhodes harbour. In its prime it was one of the Seven Wonders of the World until it was destroyed. Representing and dedicated to the Greek God of sun Helios, the statue was erected to commemorate a long siege that had taken place. The statue took twelve years to complete, however legend has it the enormous statue made out of bronze and iron, high and fell during an earthquake. The remains were then left to stand for hundreds of years until 654 CE when an Arabian raid resulted in the breaking down of the remains. Taken for a scrap a reported 900 camel loads of bronze were taken by the Arabians from the site.

7.    Roses of Rhodes:
Despite the fact that Rhodes has more than 300 days of sun a year, this doesn’t mean wildlife can’t flourish here. A shocking one-third of the entire island is occupied by evergreen pine forests and large cypress trees. It isn’t just trees and foliage which thrive here either, the islands name means ‘Rose’ and there are in fact a lot of roses across the island too!

8.    Smaller than it looks:
Despite being a popular tourist destination, Rhodes isn’t as big as you’d think. It only has 220km of coastline and the island’s entire circumference can be driven around in approximately two hours! Roughly 100,000 people live on the island and 50% of them live in the actual town of Rhodes. The other 50% live in 1 of the 42 other villages on the island. Meanwhile, the rest of the island is uninhabited, mountainous forests, making the perfect home for wildlife. Consequently, one of the best things about this small community that adore their island is that there is virtually no crime.