Rhodes: Land of Fire and Fury
Or is it…?
First, some context. Before Wednesday the 2nd of August, my friend Piers and I were planning a road trip of Scotland. The Great British weather had other ideas, and so, on Wednesday as we were looking out of our place of work at a water logged street we decided ‘f*ck it, let’s see what we can book for under £500’. After perusing for a couple of hours on lastminute.com we stumbled upon a deal for Lindos, Rhodes. Having only been to Greece twice (Naxos and Zakinthos respectively), I was keen on returning to the land of great service and relaxation. As we started talking about the idea, many of the punters at the pub we work at started proclaiming “you do know the islands burned down, right?”. Another of Britains finest institutions, the media, had been telling us all for weeks that Greece and much of Europe was experiencing wildfires of biblical proportion. It would explain the price… £290 for flights and accommodation? Can’t exactly turn that down, now can you?
So with the idea of beach days, fine dining and a touch of anxiety about the devastation that awaits… we booked. The flight departed from Stansted just 14 hours after we finished work; and so the mad dash to pack, check-in, get camera batteries charged and head to the airport began. Short of a few Google Images, neither of us knew what to expect from Lindos, a small town located in the South-East of Rhodes. Upon arrival, our transfer to the car rental lot told us Lindos was gone, burned to a pile of ash by the wildfires. He didn’t seem to be joking either, which made us both even more nervous. Still, we pushed on, knowing that even a pile of ash in the sun would be a far more ideal affair than wild camping the Scottish Highlands in torrential rain.
Prasonisi Beach, a 50 minute drive from Lindos where the Aegean Sea meets the Mediterranean either side of the beach.
Car rental was surprisingly cheap, too. We picked up a Fiat Panda from AbbyCar for just £100. Be warned though, they do require a 600 Euro deposit on a credit card and failing to do so will require you to purchase full board insurance at a cost of £125. Wasn’t a problem for us, as we knew the car would be the most cost effective way to get around and it was still massively discounted, however it is something to consider as it’s not made clear in the small print. Thankfully, as is the way in most of Europe, a deal can always be made.
The drive over to Lindos was sublime… for Piers; for me, it was the first time I’d driven on the other side of the road and the first time driving a manual in a matter of months (I caved and bought an automatic a few months ago and won’t be judged for it). Still, once I stopped veering into oncoming traffic and we were on the more ‘country’ roads it became abundantly clear that the island is still incredibly green. In fact, on the 1 hour drive to Lindos from Rhodes Airport we didn’t see a single scorched tree nor burnt out car…
Weird, the impression given was that we were entering hell itself.
Does this look like hell to anyone?
Think that tells a lot, really. Did we see burnt forests? Yes. To the degree of devastation we were told? No. The fires were mostly inland, something the locals told us tends to happen every 10-15 years.
I’ll move on from that point now, but I think it’s worth noting the impact all of this has had on local economies (not to mention the massive discounts one can now get for going out into Europe).
We arrived in Lindos around mid-afternoon, check-in at the Lindos Athena apartments, located just a 15 minute walk from the main square, was quick, easy and allowed us to spend the rest of the afternoon lounging by the pool with some awesome Greek beers called ‘Alfa’ (if you’ve never tried it, it will make everything in the UK seem rubbish). After consuming at least 5 of those and tanning quite considerably in the afternoon Rhodes sun, we decided it best to walk (stumble) down to the main town in search of food… We were not disappointed.
We spent the first night at Dionysos, which we were told is the best restaurant in the town usually requiring a booking of five days in advance. We walked right in!
The decision was taken to adopt a seafood diet for the weekend, when in Greece and all that… After an awesome experience at Dionysos, we made our way to the bar, Moda, next door. There we met Costis (Greek name and so I’m unsure of the spelling) who talked to us about the difficulties Rhodes is facing in light of recent events. Piers and I had bought some rather nice Cuban cigars with us, however Costis insisted we try one of his. A vanilla infused cigar. I feel like that’s the kind of service you’ll only ever get in Greece.
Due to his excellent hospitality, Costis managed to keep us there until the early hours (exact time unknown). I highly recommend Moda for an upbeat and welcoming vibe when staying in Lindos. The prices are on the higher end, however the staffs dedication to quality ingredients, style and service make the price more than worthwhile.
The next few days consisted of lounging on the beach, chatting with locals and tourists alike. Conversations of opening our own line of bars on the Greek islands abound; given our extensive background in hospitality and love of Greek culture, everyone we spoke to about the venture was keen to give advice and locations for where to set up the first one. May be a pipe dream for now, but certainly one to consider and goes to show the inspiration one can gather from just a short trip.
More on that another time I’m sure. For now, he’s some other locations we visited that I’d highly recommend:
Captains Bar - ££
Lindos by Night Cocktail Bar (best place for nightlife in my opinion) - £££
Stephanies Restaurant - ££
Manolis Restaurant - £
Dolphins on the Beach Restaurant - £
Lindos Ice Bar (literally an ice bar… Go and check it out at least once) - ££
All the staff in these places are passionate people who will serve you with a smile and have a chat if you’re that way inclined. I’m unsure if it’s because of when we visited, but all were happy to offer a discount.
If you’re looking for some recreational activities to partake in, there’s boat hire (speed and peddle, we went with the speedboat, obviously), a hike up to Lindos Acropolis (as seen in the video above) along with the usual sun lounging facilities you’d expect at a beach.
All in all, despite the initial worries, Rhodes remains an amazing Mediterranean getaway. Packed with culture, atmosphere and activities to partake in. As of right now, prices are stabilising to pre-wildfire territory. The cheapest now being double what Piers and I paid however that’s still a massive discount, not to mention the locals could really do with the support.
Our return to the UK was met with shock and awe… “what do you mean the fires weren’t that bad?”. Both of us a shade of golden brown and a twinkle in the eye from the experiences had. Perhaps the lesson to be learned there is don’t believe everything you hear, or better yet, use your own eyes and ears to discern truth in these situations. I myself am glad we chose to push on ahead despite being advised against it.
If you’re looking for a last minute summer getaway, I can’t recommend Lindos enough, it truly is a great place to go and let your mind unwind for a few days.
Peace
