I visited island with 300 days of sunshine a year | Europe | Travel
Rhodes is surrounded by the blue waters of the Aegean and Mediterranean (Image: Getty Images)
No sooner had we landed beside the picture-perfect Aegean Sea than we were embroiled in an international furore one of the most unfortunate kind, a mishap involving the misinterpretation of a musician’s taste.
Our Greek ceramics instructor Theo, a pleasant fellow, had already been exasperated by our group when he struggled to remember the name of a famous UK potter and was unhelpfully prompted with “Harry?” by one of us.
Things took a musical turn later on when Theo expressed his admiration for his favourite UK artist, and due to his accent adorned with Grecian tones, we misheard “Cliff Richard” not quite fitting the image of Theo. However, he quickly set the record straight in no uncertain terms: “KEITH RICHARDS!!” he emphatically clarified.
We needn’t have fretted. Aside from a stickler security guard, the locals in Rhodes seemed far too relaxed to get riled up.
And why wouldn’t they be, basking in 300 days of sunshine annually, always just moments away from sun-kissed sandy shores, and spoiled with the choice between two inviting seas – the Aegean and the Mediterranean?
The Elissa Adults Only Lifestyle Beach Resort in Rhodes (Image: PR Handout)
Our residence is the exquisite Elissa Adults-Only Lifestyle Beach Resort, luxuriously planted on the island’s northeast tip, merely a quarter-hour drive from the historic metropolis, and tantalisingly close to Turkey you can almost touch it.
The resort may be vast and vibrant, but such is the brilliance of its layout that it never feels overrun.
Theo’s pottery workshop, where you can create your own souvenir to take home, is just one of the many activities that offer a delightful diversion from the typical allure of a Greek island beach resort. Other options include indulging in a spa complete with Finnish sauna, savouring meals prepared by a Michelin-starred chef, enjoying music and dancing, watching cinema under the stars, participating in wine and olive oil tastings (though not simultaneously), and embarking on excursions to local beauty spots and points of interest.
The spa pool in the resort (Image: PR Handout)
For early risers, a stunning sunrise is included at no extra cost. One such excursion, a sailboat trip, even features a champagne lunch and may inspire a sudden desire to revisit Mamma Mia!
As we journeyed south along the coastline, we passed the thermal springs of Kallithea and Faliraki, a family-friendly resort eager to shed its reputation as a hotspot for youthful British revellers, offering a new interpretation of a ‘passing-out parade’ on the strip.
After travelling two-and-a-half miles, we found ourselves in a different world as we sailed into the crystal-clear waters of Anthony Quinn Bay, named after the Hollywood star who fell in love with it during filming.
It’s easy to understand his affection; the secluded, rocky, horseshoe-shaped cove, adorned with lush vegetation and a slender stretch of beach, is so beautiful it seems as though it must have been crafted by God’s top designer.
A trip to Rhodes old town is also highly recommended. Here, the architectural grandeur of one of Europe’s best-preserved medieval towns, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, bears testament to the many civilisations that have left their mark over 7,000 years.
One glorious morning, we were whisked away into the island’s heartland, far from the well-trodden highway, to a farmhouse frozen in time before electricity reached Rhodes in 1967, where the hearth was the hub of warmth and culinary magic.
Our visit revolved around food – preparing it, savouring it. This rustic relic has seen a few modern upgrades, like a massive hob, but the recipes and cooking techniques have largely remained untouched by time.
Where there’s food, there’s bound to be drink, and we were treated to souma, Rhodes’ answer to moonshine, a single sip of which was enough to confirm its potent reputation.
Gerry Corner and his fellow cooks at the farm (Image: Gerry Corner)
Next on the agenda was foraging for ingredients: towering basil plants, aromatic white sage used for everything from incense to soothing upset stomachs, and crunchy, sweet peppers that we were encouraged to pluck and bite into straight off the plant.
Each dish was crafted with meticulous care, simmered for hours on the stove before being transferred to an olive wood-fired oven, where the real culinary magic unfolded. Deceptively simple dishes like lamb and potato stifado and a vegetable stew were elevated to divine levels, fit for any deity, Greek or otherwise.
Back at the resort, there was plenty of scope for some post-feast relaxation. You’re never more than a few steps away from cosy gazebos, bean-bag loungers, or a refreshing pool complete with pink flamingo floats though I can’t vouch for whether they were real or just figments of my moonshine-fuelled imagination.
Gerry with a traditional Rhodian Chef (Image: Gerry Corner)
Elissa aims to tantalise all the senses, not least the taste buds, with its high-quality culinary offerings across all dining venues and bars, complemented by a selection of 300 wines.
The menus at seafood haven Kavos and upscale eatery Fourni are crafted by Athens-based Michelin-starred Greek chef Alexandros Tsiotinis.
While the prized 150-day grain-fed Ocean Beef fillet and fresh-off-the-boat red snapper were delightful, it was a humble dish of fries served with a creamy cheese sauce that had me raving a gourmet take on the classic British cheesy chips.
Rhodes is full of beautiful beaches (Image: Getty Images)
This led to a rather amusing text exchange between our gracious host Elena and a somewhat bemused (and possibly slightly annoyed) Chef Tsiotinis. I endeavoured to extract every detail of the cheese sauce recipe from him while he was busy serving his modern Greek gastronomy to appreciative patrons hundreds of miles away in Athens.
Which just goes to show, you can take the Englishman out of the chip shop, but….
Dodecanese, Rhodes (Image: Getty Images)
Holiday booking details
Flights to Rhodes are available from 17 airports across the UK. Accommodation at the Elissa Adults-Only Lifestyle Beach Resort in Rhodes starts from £208 per night for bed and breakfast. Visit ellaresorts.com for more information. For additional details, visit visitgreece.gr