Hello! Happy Tuesday! I’m finally sharing photos today from Rhodes, Greece aka my fave place on Earth. Well, okay, that may be a bit of an extreme statement, but I did really, really love it there. I think it’s my favorite trip to date.
How do I explain a place like Rhodes… Let’s just say it wasn’t what I was expecting, which is perhaps why I loved it so much.
While Adam and I were planning our honeymoon, we thought it’d be fun to split up the trip and focus on certain parts of it separately. In other words, our planning went like this: I booked our Airbnbs and activities in Athens, Milos, and London, and Adam focused on Rome, Rhodes, and Switzerland. (Switzerland was a bit up in the air though since we were staying with our friend Veronika and we basically did whatever she recommended we do… But it was somewhere Adam has wanted to visit forever, so I left most of those decisions up to him.) The surprises in each place were an added “hooray!” to our already awesome honeymoon. I loved the idea of arriving in Rhodes, not knowing what Adam had planned for us. I didn’t even know what our Airbnb looked like!
Rhodes was the last place in Greece we visited. Athens was a crazy busy city, lots of people everywhere, traffic, noise, etc. Then we arrived in Milos and it was the total opposite. Blue skies, hot weather, sandy beaches, and a slow way of life totally unlike Athens.
Rhodes, on the other hand, was a combination of the two, plus a little extra. We arrived at the airport in the evening and it was instant chaos. We found our cab driver and he was boisterous and chatting up all the other cab drivers, joking around in Greek, shaking hands, smoking, and taking Adam’s phone around, asking each driver the best route to get to where we were going. The drive was intense. Fast, loud, with bustling streets on either side of us, and Greek music blasting from his speakers.
“The island of Rhodes is at a crossroads between Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. This has given the city and the island many different identities, cultures, architectures, and languages over its long history.” (source)
The feel in Rhodes was so unique, unlike anywhere I’ve ever been. Lots of partying, graffiti, and wafts of cologne around every corner… But it’s confusing because you’re in this amazingly beautiful place full of ancient castles and cobblestone streets. When our driver dropped us at our Airbnb, all of these things were BOOM in our faces. It was sensory overload. Sort of like Vegas I guess, just not as many flashing lights, and way, way prettier. There was a strip club just up the road from where we were staying, and a dance club on the street level of our building. BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM.
Disoriented, we walked through the crowd of people yelling at each other over the dance music and made our way in the dark up the winding hallway to our unit, using our phones as flashlights. There, we were greeted by… Not sure? Friends of the owner? We were told someone would be meeting us to hand over the key. A woman in her mid-fifties and a younger guy, perhaps in his early twenties. They were on speaker phone with the owner and asked for our passports so they could take pictures of them. They explained how to use the lock, briefly showed us around, and then they jetted out the door.
As soon as they left, Adam and I looked at each other wide-eyed and laughed, WOW okay, I guess we’ve arrived in Rhodes! We were definitely not in peaceful Milos anymore.
From our balcony, we could hear the BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM from the club, and we watched the waves crashing on the shore and the cars and scooters zipping around the roundabout on the road down below.
In the morning, we woke up to this view!! A much different scene than the night before. I highly recommend arriving at night when going to a totally new place. The surprises in the morning are so much fun!
This was the outside of our building. In typical Greek style, there were always lots of cats hanging around. Occasionally we’d see dogs, too. (Clearly well-fed.) *Ahem* Questionable graffiti on that wall…
Here’s a photo of what the keys look like in Greece (and Italy). This is why she had to show us how to use it. I couldn’t quite figure it out, so Adam was on key duty the entire time. Not quite as complicated as the keys in China, though! (There, a lock goes up into the ceiling. I locked myself in our apartment a few times…)
We rented a scooter for the duration of our trip, and the company we rented from delivered it right to our front door! I didn’t feel as brave on the scooter as I did on the ATV in Milos, but I trusted Adam to get us around safely.
Our first morning in Rhodes, we ate breakfast at a restaurant called Dali Extraordinary Art Bistro. I’m a big Dali fan, so I was obsessed. The shop was beautiful! The pancakes I had were R – I – C – H, but so worth it! The lattes in Greece were delicious, too. My favorite Dali quote: “The only difference between me and a madman, is that I’m not mad!”
After stuffing our faces, we scooted over to Elli Beach. Paradise! It was beyond gorgeous. Lines and lines of beach chairs, umbrellas, and outdoor bars everywhere. I don’t think I stopped smiling the entire time we were there.
After an hour or so of sunbathing, we thought we’d live it up some more and order a few drinks from the bar… Well, as you can see from the photo, I think we drank more water than anything else. Whoops. I’m just really not a big drinker! At least we tried…
There were quite a few people walking around the beach selling trinkets, snorkel gear, and jewelry. One guy approached Adam and tied this bracelet to his wrist. He didn’t really have a choice, so he bought it. If I’m remembering correctly, he wore it for the remainder of our trip.
See the land behind us in the distance? That’s Turkey! My friend Allison moved to Turkey last year, so I told her to keep her eyes peeled… We waved to her every now and then, lol. We definitely had a great first day in Rhodes!! As always, thanks for reading. xo
Craig Aude says
Boy, that looks nice, considering what we have in Wisconsin, now!
amandaaude@gmail.com says
Haha yeah, I’ll take the sunny, warm beach over -22 degrees any day!
Zoey says
The food looks delicious and Rhodes looks amazing! Glad you had a nice time!
Zoey | https://www.zoeyolivia.com
amandaaude@gmail.com says
Thanks, Zoey!
Fee says
Such a crazy fun place and so good for a place to surprise you guys 🙂 🙂
amandaaude@gmail.com says
Yes!! It was awesome.
Marina says
I’ve never heard anything about Rhodes before. Thanks for sharing! Looks like you guys got in some great beach time. 🙂
amandaaude@gmail.com says
I hadn’t either before our trip! I’m so glad Adam picked such a great place to explore!
Esther says
Oh, I always forget how amazing Greek food is (and I was in Greece only last year!). Lovely photos 🙂
#WanderfulWednesday
amandaaude@gmail.com says
Thanks, Esther!
California Globetrotter says
I’ve been dying to go to Rhodes for quite some time now, but it looks fun in the summer! I’d love to dive off that diving board and lay on the beach!Will have to remember your restaurant suggestions as it looks delish! #WanderfulWednesday
amandaaude@gmail.com says
Ooooh I so hope you visit!! It’s magic!
Kay R.D. says
Rhodes looks so lovely. Athen really was crazy busy and I did have Rhodes on our radar. Next time maybe we’ll check it out. How cool are the keys tho? Strange but cool!
amandaaude@gmail.com says
You totally should! You’d love it.
Sammie @ The Annoyed Thyroid says
I went to Rhodes on a girls’ holiday in the mid 90’s and by the sounds of things it doesn’t seem to have changed much! We spent most of our time in the pub or on the beach but it was a lot of fun. It definitely looks like the bars and restaurants have raised their game though – those pancakes!
amandaaude@gmail.com says
That’s awesome!! Yeah it definitely still has a party vibe, but it’s so beautiful, too! Yeahhhh those pancakes were so good!
Sarah says
Love this idea for how you divided up the booking! Dan and I always go back and forth about what we book for holidays. It would be so fun someday to just divide it up like that and be a bit surprised when we arrive in the ‘other person’s’ place 🙂 Sounds like you still had fun in Rhodes although it was a bit more hopping than your other island 🙂
amandaaude@gmail.com says
You guys should totally do that!! It was a fun adventure 🙂
sara says
I love the way you split up the planning! That’s such a great idea! I can’t believe you rented a scooter! You guys are so brave! I thought we were doing well with renting cars in Europe, but a scooter!! I’m impressed!! We’ve been looking at some of the islands and Rhodes seems like an interesting place to visit – though I’m feeling like the slower pace of Milos is more my speed right now. 😉