not_enuf_vaca

So funny reading peoples opinions on places - one persons heaven is another's hell

However, I still find reading these opinions interesting and useful in my planning.

Rhodes Greece seems to be one of those places that inspires feelings on both ends of the spectrum.

I will be going to Greece and Turkey next May so a little before the crush of tourist hits the islands. Don’t have tons of time and dont want to waste time island hoping. Going to do the down and dirty Athens tour, one island and then on to Turkey for the bulk of the trip.

I picked Rhodes because it seemed to have an interesting mix of sites and activities and was a relatively convenient jumping-off point to turkey.....but as it is a year away, nothing is set in stone so I am interested in other peoples opinions.

I will say, although I don’t like tacky or cheesy, I don’t necessarily mind "tourists" as I am one myself - and a lively amount of people is also okay - but not a crush of humanity.

Let the fur fly!

travelerjan

I don't think you can start a fight about Rhodes here ... This forum does not have a huge number of people who go back to Greece repeatedly over the years, and to many different islands. Fodor's also does not attract contributors from that group of UK holiday-makers who have "colonized" Lindos and a few other beach "resorts." Among the people who visit this forum, I would guess that the majority who are acquainted with Rhodes actually saw it as a 12 hour stop on a Cruise.

There is another travel forum (TA) that attracts avid Rhodes devotees (or rather Lindos devotees, who return to the same hotel for 20 years), and a contrasting group of Rhodes fans on that forum who decry such "Brits abroad" tourism. But that's never been a discussion here on Fodor's.

People like me are in between -- spent a few days on Rhodes, want to spend more, enjoyed some aspects of Rhodes Old Town, would like to return with a friend, so we could drive to the West Coast & see more. I will say that a study of the Crusades (even the distressing actual facts about these destructive conflicts) adds to the interest when seeing Rhodes Old Town.

As far as wanting to avoid "a crush of humanity", no problem in May which is still off-season in Greece. In Rhodes Old Town, a cruise ship may dock, and a throng will flood into Old Town, but if you stay off a couple of streets, you can avoid them almost totally. If you enjoy a swim in the sea, Rhodes is a good choice, because the water there warms up faster.

not_enuf_vaca

Sounds like a perfectly acceptable place to spend a few days....thanx for the insight!

That being said - would there be better places to experience Greece - keeping in mind my short time frame? Even - gasp - skipping the islands and staying on the mainland?

Nadia

If you are going to Athens and ending your trip in Turkey, Rhodes is a a good chioce since it takes an hour by hydrofoil to Marmaris. You'll find lots of history, nice beaches, and can explore the whole island to get some beautiful views of the natural landscapes along with archaeology sites and wonderful small towns.

joe4212

I agree with much of what Jan says.

I’ve been to Rhodes twice. Yes, I enjoyed the visits, especially on the second when I added a few days, in the middle of trip, to Symi. To be frank, I could have spent my time on the island in Rhodes Old Town alone. Lindos didn’t quite work for me.

I loathed Crete. But yet, I know so many people who adore the island. Jan mentioned a few days ago that it’s so large it’s almost a country. Perhaps that was the reason and that may be my problem. I am more attracted to smaller islands, I guess?

For me, I think the choice of an island is a very individual thing. I also think that some times you have no control over what becomes your favorite island. It simply grabs you and pulls you back, time after time after time.

not_enuf_vaca

Fuuny - Crete was the other island I was considering. I decided against it as it didnt seem like I had enough time...

mes2525

I have visited Rhodes five times and love it but I only go in October or November and stay in the old town. All tourist destinations have some cheesy to them, but Rhodes has some amazing history and architecture and it is easy to get to Turkey. You can also do a day trip to Kos or Symi if you want to see some other islands nearby.
Lindos is charming but I wouldn't spend my vacation there since I don't do the beach.
My other favorite islands are Crete, Corfu and Chios.

not_enuf_vaca

Thanx for all the feedback. It does sound like it might be a fine place to stay - and as Jan pointed out, it might be warm enought to swim (and my sig-other would enjoy a beach/swim break ). If the Rhodes-Bodrum ferry isnt running, we could spend a day in Kos and catch the afternoon ferry from there...

As an alternative - I am thinking of Lesbos-Chios-Samos-Turkey.

travelerjan

If you are thinking of an ocean dip, the Lesbos-Chios-Samos route you would have to go at th very end of may -- that's the * NORTHERN * Aegean ... tried to swim in Samos once on May 10, froze my backside off, ditto on Chios. Another time, going later ... I was able to Swim on Samos about May 25.

Samos & Chios indeed are interesting, and overlooked.

On Chios, you'd need to rent a car to get around the island ... we were there less than 2 days and saw SO much, because we did rent. Off season, 30-35€ a day. Chios Town not much of a place to stay, we had to stay there because our ferry out was at 4 am. Karvas is a sandy beach town about 7 km north of port.

Samos -- well you might just get lost there & not want to leave. There are good bus tours of island & u could decide where to go back w/car. Western Samos is walkers wonderland, or for motorbikes.

either of this good jumping-off places to Turkey

Haven't made it to Lesvos yet ... long distances between interesting parts is what I hear, but it has its strenuous advocates, and certainly not overwhelmed w. tourism .. the 2-3 prettiest North towns do attract more.

thursdaysd

I loved Rhodes Old Town, but absolutely hated Lindos, which was too small for the crowds. I also enjoyed Crete - for my TR see http://wilhelmswords.com/eur2006/index.html - Idling through the Islands.

not_enuf_vaca

We will probably be going more towards middle-ish end of May so I suppose it is a crapshoot as far as the swimming.
Rhodes might just make the most sense - and we could actually relax a little staying 4 days (something I rarely let my sig-other do on vacation )...

There has been enough positve feedback about Rhodes from y'all that I feel more comfortable going there - especially as we will be off season so the crowds will be a little better.

Thanx to all! Part of what I love about traveling is the planning and it is great to hear what others have to say.

parosblue

Rhodes is fascinating. Read up on the Knights Hospitalier. I loved Lindos, and it will forever be one of my favorite beaches. A day trip to Symi is very worthwhile. Crete is also wonderful. When people say they hate certain islands in Greece, I feel bad for them. There isn't anywhere in Greece I hate, but I search for things to love when I travel and I do tons of research before I go. Also, since you mentioned the mainland, the Naufplion area is a wonderful place to spend several days. I wonder where you plan to go in Turkey....enjoy!

Chania

I was in Rhodes twice, once for about a week and stayed in the new town. Rented a car and circuled the island with friends. Not much to see after Lindos. The old town is interesting but other islands in the area have more to offer. I also went in 2008 for a day trip from Marmaris so my partner could see the old town. I have not been to Samos or Lesvos although they are on my list to visit. We went to Chios from Cesme Turkey. You can see the coast from Chios. Stayed in Karfas and rented a car to see Pyrgi and Mesta. Very interesting island. Was there end of May or early June and went swimming in Karfas. Nice beach and cheap accomodation. If I was in your shoes I would pick Samos as my Turkey link as it would be in good proximity to Ephesus which you are probably planning on seeing.

not_enuf_vaca

parosblue
I a toying with the idea of just staying on the mainland and skipping the islands all together. However, as I mentioned, I tend to drag my boyfriend around when we travel without much time slated to actually relax. 3-4 days on Rhodes might be a nice interlude before we go rushing around Turkey. And neither of us will mind that much having some wine and just staring and the sea and sun even if the island does turn out "boring".
In Turkey we are planning to hit the usual suspects - Ephesus, Cappadocia and Istanbul. If it was me, I might just go to Turkey but my better half thinks it would be cool to see some of Greece as we are "in the neighborhood". So much of the world to see - not enough vacation days

littlejane

Loved Rhodes - stayed in the old town and thought it was marvellous after the day-trippers had left - that was in September and we didn't find it too crowded.

Robbietravels

Any recommendations for historical fiction, biographies or other works set in Rhodes?

parosblue

not_enuf_vaca
It will never be boring to lounge in romantic Greece with your true love. I know he must be since you mention dragging him around! Greece is deliriously romantic in the islands and on the mainland too. There was plenty to do on Rhodes. Istanbul is a great city - we just spent a week there. Very different from the islands yet also like a dream. Greece and Turkey are in the same area of the Med but lots of distance between them. Try to avoid overbooking your itinerary.

travelerjan

Yes, Robbie, there's an historical fiction called The Shadow of God by Anthony Goodman ... Amazon lists paperbacks available used at 1¢ (to which u add 3.99 P & H = $4). I got it from the library. The author as noted somewhere is a surgeon, who visited Rhodes Old Town and became fascinated/obsessed with the story of its siege by the Turks in 1522); he's thus not a professional writer ... and it shows... the characters are rather wooden, the narrative gets tangled, the love story unconvincing plus many writing cliches. But the historical part is well -researched, and nobody lately has dug into this particular story. The military aspects v.fascinating, and the aspect of the Janissaries (Greeks taken by Turks at age 5, and robotized/brainwashed into a fighting force). Some people have criticized mistakes about Crusaders & the author, who's not Catholic, should probably have run it by a theologian .. but it certainly tells a story of a famous siege, from both sides of the battle.

humptynumpty

it simply isn't justifiable to post simple one liners like " I love/hate Rhodes".

Like many southern European destinations that have developed over the past 50 years it isn't one destination. Mallorca, Crete, Cyprus etc, etc all fall into the same category. Within a 10 mile area in these places egg and chips, mix with the billionaire set with 3000 year old sites down the road.

Posting a statement like "I hate Rhodes" is simply ridiculous. Clearly, Rhodes town doesn't attract the same profile of visitor as say Faliraki. The last time I went to Faliraki was 20 years ago. Then, it was a northern European social war zone of beer, chips and sun. That's what I went for and that's what I got. God know what the place must be like now!

Sad to see Lindos seems to have gone the same way. 20 years ago it was lovely.

not_enuf_vaca

Thank you Parosblue!

I think I have a pretty good itinerary worked out as far as transportation/timing etc. Im sure we will love Rhodes. Sad not to see Santorini but it just doesn make sense. Im SO EXCITED to see Istanbul. I just read a fun mystery set in Istanbul in the 1800's or so as the Ottoman Empire started fading. Of course, got to do the hot air balloon in Capadoccia - might be touristy but I dont care! Any specifc tip/recommendations from Istanbul?