We loved the island of Rhodes, Greece! The food was delicious and fresh, our apartment was located in Rhodes city (just outside Old Town) and we had a cute little kitchen so we could both enjoy the restaurants and also cook! In addition, the cats of Rhodes are particularly delightful!!
We began exploring the island by walking to the beach and around the north tip of the island. The water is such a clear amazing blue!! During our wandering, we walked along the Rhodes Windmills in the historic Mandraki port (the oldest of the five island ports). It is also a possible location of the Colossus of Rhodes (the giant bronze statue of Helios) one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World!
Some friends recommended that we must try the delicious pita gyro (not to be confused with a gyro). Our first was at the lovely Zaytouna. It was so delicious!! We had many of them during our stay and tried many popular Greek street foods! One of our favorite (and frequent) visits were to the local bakery Fournariko where we explored so many delicacies. At home, we enjoyed cooking and made many Greek salads, fresh pitas, and even homemade tzatziki feta burgers with the best ingredients from the Rhodes Farmer’s Market.
We loved the Medieval City of Rhodes “Old Town,” and especially enjoyed the Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights. It was built on the foundations of an ancient temple, mostly destroyed after a gunpowder magazine was struck by lightening in 1856, and rebuilt between 1937-1940 during the Italian rule of Rhodes. The rebuild was a combination of a functional building with homage to the Knights Hospitaller (who built the original Palace and occupied Rhodes from 1909-1522). The current Palace of the Grand Master is known for the stunning floor mosaics included in the design originally from the island of Kos. And our tour ended with a sweet basket cat!
The Archeological Museum of Rhodes was another delight. We enjoyed walking the garden and courtyard with beautiful statues (and flowers) as well as wall and floor mosaics. The museum has many. many. many. clay vessels and it was delightful to see them displayed so well to include mirrors when the inside was particularly decorated and some small clay birds were hanging delightfully (kudos to the curator)! We also found another sleepy cat!!
Given the glorious water (and on a recommendation from friends) we took a snorkel cruise to Lindos down the coast of Rhodes. The boat trip was delightful and Lindos is amazing (very vertical with many steps)! We found the most beautiful beach, the cutest kittens, an ancient theater, gorgeous views, and the amazing Lindos Acropolis. The snorkeling on our trip back was a blast as the boat backed up to some rocks and we got a chance to cool off (and ended with the most stylish of hairstyles). It was an amazing and fun day!
One fun surprise we really enjoyed on Rhodes was the beautiful Valley of the Butterflies! The butterflies are the gorgeous Panaxia Quadripunctaria (Jersey Tiger moth). It’s a lovely and cool summer visit (late June to early September). We enjoyed the shaded walk on a paved trail through the valley with a small stream, entire rocks of butterflies, crabs in the water, and many opportunities for drinks, food, and snacks (delicious fresh lemonade)! To ensure the safety of the butterflies, it’s required to stay on the trail, but there are many places to stop (and try and take photos and videos… it’s so stunning in person)! We walked all the way to the end and then up the steps to the Kalopetra Monastery. It was closed, so we didn’t go inside, but we enjoyed a glorious view.
We stayed in Rhodes city for a bit and walked (and ran) around town. I enjoyed walking up St. Paul’s Gate stairs sans railing to pose for a photo. The moat was delightfully empty even on a busy cruise day (there were some days with three cruise ships docked!) and was often quiet and shaded and perfect for running. We found our favorite brunch restaurant, Deacon Bistro in Old Town, which had the best Turkish eggs and most delicious orange and ginger cappuccino! One morning, we walked up to the Acropolis of Rhodes where we enjoyed the Temple of Apolo Pythios (under renovation), temple cats, Odeon (ancient theater), and Ancient Stadium of Rhodes. We very much enjoyed the Greek street art and had the sweetest marmalade cat join us for a delicious lunch at Hermes Greek Grill House!
Our next outing was to Seven Springs. The water is fresh spring water and you can enjoy a meal at the Tavern (we did!), but the notable thing is walking through the dark tunnel (without a flashlight) to the waterfall and pool! We did drink from the fresh springs and enjoyed the peacocks hanging out in the shade. We then hiked to the upper springs, including a via ferrata rope assist! On our way back down we found a set of stairs to climb, but are still unsure where they led us?!?
We stayed in Rhodes city for a while so we enjoyed art, tree cats, got haircuts (and sleek styles), and had a drink at the Saloon The Pub (the Greek version of the Outlaw)! We also visited the beach and splurged on beach chairs for the day where we had delicious drinks delivered. When it got too hot, we headed into the water and even off of the diving platform! We both jumped from the top!!
We celebrated Bob’s birthday in Rhodes with a homemade Greek Honey Cake (with pistachios, almonds, and orange honey glaze), kite surfing lessons for both of us, and a fun breakfast at Kokoraki Brunch!
We decided to do one more day trip from Rhodes via cruise boat and headed to the nearby island of Symi. It was a glorious sail and we enjoyed hiking up the hill above the Symi harbor. We met sweet cats along the way and even a kitten at lunch! It was a fun and relaxing day walking up the hill and finding that glorious view!
It was such a delightful time in Greece combining our favorites of delicious food, the beautiful Mediterranean, architecture (a castle!), cute fuzzy animals, and glorious warm weather (and one crazy rainstorm)! We had the best time!
Thanks for reading to the end… here are some fun videos! You can leave the Mandraki Port with us on our cruise to Lindos, see some of the beautiful butterflies flying in Butterfly Valley, and watch a kite surfing kite launch! Enjoy!!