Rhodes represents just about the furthest from the UK you can possibly get without leaving mainland Europe. Bearing that in mind, it probably makes quite a lot of sense that the Greek island offers you an experience of a world just about as far removed from our familiar day to day lives as you can imagine without setting foot on a rocket ship.
Situated at the far corner of the Southern Aegean sea, Rhodes remains practically a society unto itself, far closer to the coast of Asia Minor than mainland Greece – to be precise, it’s just eleven miles from Turkey. This is the land of Odysseys, of myths, legends, Gods, heroes and ancient civilisations.
For tourists with a taste for the the ancient, the escapist and the other, there simply could not be a more perfect holiday destination than Rhodes. Here you will find a human history stretching all the way back beyond the 16th Century BC, to the Neolithic period.
Over the many centuries that have elapsed, Rhodes has found itself home to generations upon generations of change; wars, religions and legends. Unsurprisingly, this has left the island with an almost peerless array of historical attractions to entertain visitors, from the magnificent Acropolis of Rhodes with its superb panoramic views to the mighty Castle of Monolithos.
If for whatever reason you can somehow manage to tire of the rich history on offer at Rhodes, there’s always its pedigree as a sun-worshipper’s idyll to consider. Scorching in summer and seldom dropping below a balmy 15 degrees Celsius over winter, this truly is the land of the sun – apt, given that the ancient Pindar’s ode would have it that the island was created as the result of a union between the sun god Helios and the nymph Rhode. There’s ample scope to enjoy the sun for all it’s worth, with wonderful beach resorts to choose from all around the island and the sparkling waters of the South Aegean ever at your beck and call.
Far from being satisfied with merely providing a bounty of historical show-stoppers and a glorious climate, Rhodes also boasts a landscape of remarkable beauty. Sparsely populated and chequered with forests of pine and cypress trees, this is a land of amazing scenery with mountains, farm land and sea views to rob the breath of even the most snobbish aesthete.
Understandably, Rhodes is immensely popular with tourists and resultantly there’s a wide choice of accommodation options at hand. We’d recommend a quality establishment like the Oceanis Hotel in Ixia as your ideal base camp for a trip into this sunny island’s intriguing past.