From the medieval city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to the cube-shaped houses of Lindos, Rhodes can now be discovered in ways that go beyond just its beach resorts. In the southeastern Aegean Sea, the largest island of the Dodecanese is seeing the rise of boutique hotels, ambitious restaurants, and beach clubs housed in 1930s Italian buildings. From the city walls to the sandy beaches of Prasonisi, here are the addresses that set the tone for a Mediterranean getaway.
Lindos, the white village and its Acropolis
About fifty kilometers from the city of Rhodes, Lindos stands out from afar, a white mass clinging to the hillside. Cube-shaped houses climb in tiers to the Acropolis, whose Temple of Athena Lindia has dominated the site since the 4th century BC. The car stops at the entrance to the village: beyond this point, only narrow alleyways remain, too small for a vehicle, courtyards laid out in mosaics of black and white pebbles using a technique unique to the Dodecanese, artisans' workshops, and terraces opening onto the sea. The whitewash, renewed every spring, contrasts sharply with the blue sky with an almost unreal clarity.
The climb to the Acropolis takes about twenty minutes via a steep staircase. Less frequented than the Acropolis in Athens, the citadel displays the hallmarks of different eras: a monumental Hellenistic staircase, a Doric portico, the remains of the temple, and, above all, the fortifications erected by the Knights of St. John. From the ramparts, the view extends over the two bays that enclose the village and along the eastern coast as far as Pefki. The late afternoon light is by far the most flattering, as midday light washes out the landscape.
A few hundred meters below, San Pawl il-Bahar (St. Paul's Bay) forms an almost perfect circle, enclosed by cliffs and open to the sea through a narrow channel. Tradition holds that the Apostle Paul landed here in the 1st century , and the small white chapel dedicated to him now serves as a backdrop for a considerable number of weddings. Sailboats anchor here all summer long, and the water, sheltered from the wind, remains calm when the waves on the west coast get rough. For dining with your feet in the sand, Tambakio runs one of the few terraces built directly on the beach.
AMOH, the new chapter of Rhodian luxury
Opening on April 28, 2026, AMOH, a Luxury Collection Resort, Rhodes marks the arrival of the Marriott brand on the island. The hotel occupies a secluded peninsula on the edge of Kavos Beach, in Pefki, a few minutes from Lindos, and is built against a Hellenistic and Roman-era limestone quarry whose extraction provided the stone for the surrounding monuments.
The project's coherence stems from this quarry. The artistic direction, entrusted to the London-based agency Studio Lost, draws inspiration from the stonework and the movement of the sea: reinterpreted mosaics, ancient motifs, mineral palettes, and sculpted elements sourced from the site. The 197 rooms and suites combine local limestone with supple linens and earthy tones, offering sea-view and private pool categories, all with outdoor extensions. Two sandy beaches nestled in coves complete the ensemble.
The dining options are plentiful. Lithos, the main restaurant, serves European cuisine with a Mediterranean influence; Cava di Pietra focuses on Italian dishes, and Kymata on Greek seafood. In addition, there's a steakhouse, several bars and lounges, and a pastry shop specializing in Greek desserts and artisanal ice cream. The spa, named Elispa, is designed around the four elements, featuring a Pilates Reformer studio with digital training and a framed tennis court.
Then there are what the hotel calls its Epicurean Moments, the most interesting part of its offering. Every day, a guided tasting takes guests on a tour of Greek olive varieties, starting from the olive grove surrounding the property. Once a week, at sunset, guests gather around a fire for an aperitif.
César Meze Bar, a table above the Acropolis
At the top of Lindos, where the narrow streets end their ascent, César Meze Bar occupies a rooftop terrace planted with aromatic herbs and mature trees. The view overlooks whitewashed rooftops, the Acropolis, and the sea beyond. In the last hours of the day, when the light turns golden and then fades, the atmosphere of the room naturally transforms.
The name refers to meze , the small plates that are passed around and still structure the menu. The cuisine draws from the Mediterranean without being confined to it. Familiar Greek flavors are revisited with contemporary techniques, seasonal produce, and meticulous presentation, so that the dishes remain recognizable while offering something new. Each dish is a testament to invention and restraint, ensuring that the ingredients remain the focus rather than the chef's skill.
The wine list follows the same logic. It brings together carefully selected Greek and European labels, giving equal prominence to renowned estates and small vineyards whose work is rooted in expertise and a specific location. The Greek section is particularly noteworthy: it provides a true sense of what a long-underestimated wine region is producing today.
The service, finally, remains consistently high-quality with discretion. Kosmas welcomed us, and a significant part of the experience stems from his management. There's no rigid formality, but rather attentiveness, a steady pace, and the understanding that luxury often lies in simplicity. In such a demonstrative setting, this restraint becomes the hallmark of the establishment. Reservations are strongly recommended during peak season, especially for tables facing the Acropolis.
The old town of Rhodes and its beach clubs
The capital of Rhodes, the city of Rhodes, boasts one of the most complete inhabited medieval settlements in Europe, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988. Four kilometers of walls and a dry moat enclose a district that has been continuously occupied: the Knights of St. John left behind a defensive structure that the Ottomans later occupied, breached, and enhanced with minarets and fountains. It's best not to follow a set route. The Street of the Knights leads to the Palace of the Grand Masters; just a few steps away from it, you'll discover enclosed courtyards, exterior staircases, timber-framed houses with overhanging balconies, and terraces shaded by bougainvillea. The Archaeological Museum, housed in the former Knights' Hospital, contains the Aphrodite of Rhodes, made famous by Lawrence Durrell. A word of caution regarding opening hours: cruise ship groups clog the main streets from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
Once past the ramparts, the atmosphere changes in a few minutes. The Mandraki seafront, developed by the Italians in the 1930s, leads to the northern tip and the Elli seaside complex, where the city's beach life has taken root.
Elli Beach is the urban beach: sand mixed with pebbles, water that gets deep very quickly, and a concrete diving board set offshore that swimmers still have to swim to reach. Elli World manages the sun loungers there, priced per row, with service right up to the water's edge.
Ronda occupies the complex's main building, designed by Italian architect Armando Bernabiti in the late 1930s and declared a national monument in 1987. With its circular room, arched doorways, and vaulted ceiling, the restoration has preserved its essential features, while the interior design, by the architectural firm Vana Pernari, showcases light woods and woven fibers. The Mediterranean menu and cocktails far surpass what one would expect from a beach bar.
A few numbers further along Kountourioti Square, NOR Beach House Project occupies the southern part of the beach, with a bohemian-style lounge bar, a restaurant that combines Greek bases and Asian influences and gives notable space to raw fish, and an open-air club overlooking the Saint Nicholas fortress.
Boat trip, kitesurfing and 3 other hotels
Catamarans depart from Rhodes port in the morning for an outing of approximately six hours, including meals and drinks, with three anchorages: Anthony Quinn Bay, named after the actor who came to film The Guns of Navarone in 1961 and whose bottom can be seen from the surface, Ladiko Bay, smaller and more sheltered, then Kallithea, where the Italian thermal baths of the late 1920s line up rotundas, colonnades and mosaic floors at the edge of water suitable for swimming with a mask and snorkel.
At its southern tip, 90 kilometers from the city, Prasonisi stretches along a sandy isthmus to an islet topped by a lighthouse. The meltemi wind hits the western coast while the eastern coast remains calm, which has earned the site its European reputation for kitesurfing and windsurfing from May to September.
In the northwest, the Valley of the Butterflies is actually home to the Jersey Tiger Moth, Euplagia quadripunctaria, a nocturnal butterfly that clusters on tree trunks from June to September. The silence requested at the entrance protects a population weakened by visitor numbers.
Three hotels complete the picture: Casa Cabana Boutique Hotel & Spa in Faliraki, reserved for adults, bohemian and intimate with 59 rooms; Cook's Club Kolymbia, also for adults, 271 rooms around a large pool, with three restaurants and a DJ; Ella Helea in Kallithea, large family format with more than 600 rooms all inclusive.
ellaresorts.com/rhodes/helea-resort
