Best Area to Stay in Rhodes: Find Your Base and Hotel

Find your base on the map

Rhodes has two distinct town bases, a west coast favoured for wind sports, and an east coast with very different resort settings. The beach itself, its exposure and the day’s weather determine swimming conditions.

1. Rhodes Old Town: history and evening walks

Stay inside the medieval walls if exploring on foot is the point of your holiday. The Street of the Knights, the Palace of the Grand Master and the mix of stone lanes and small courtyards give this base its character. Beach time involves leaving the quarter.

Medieval annex room

Old Town atmosphere

S. Nikolis

Stay amid medieval lanes; confirm the location of your selected room.View on Booking ↗

S. Nikolis’ pictured Medieval Room is an annex 100 metres from the main hotel, for two guests. The catalogue is built around two-person rooms; Booking lists no cots or extra beds.

Arrival needs a little organisation. Vehicle access is controlled, with permits and pedestrian areas, so agree the drop-off gate and luggage help with your accommodation. Cobbles, changes of level and upper-floor rooms matter more than the straight-line distance from a pin.

If quiet evenings matter, ask which lane or courtyard your room faces. The atmosphere is a reason to stay, but room position still decides how much surrounding activity you hear.

2. Rhodes New Town: Elli, Mandraki and easy bus days

New Town is the practical choice for mixing an urban beach, harbour walks and day trips. Stay between Elli and Mandraki to keep the seafront, shops and the bus boarding area around Nea Agora within your everyday walking range.

Guest room

Town without a car

Hotel Plaza

A town pool offers a break between harbour walks and Elli swims.View on Booking ↗

Plaza opens year-round. Its city-view category with three single beds and a fourth twin bed sleeps four. Booking treats children 10 and over as adults and lists no cots or extra beds.

Elli is a short walk away. This is useful when you want a swim between town activities. For nightlife, look around Orfanidou Street; for easier sleep, check the room’s position relative to nearby bars before booking.

3. Ixia and Ialyssos: resorts and wind sports on the west coast

This coast suits travellers who want resort facilities close to Rhodes Town or plan to windsurf. Ixia is nearer town; Ialyssos extends farther west towards the airport. Summer north-westerlies often make this coast more exposed, and beaches include sand and pebbles.

Deluxe sea-view room

Resort near town

Atrium Platinum

Spacious sea-view rooms near town; the public beach uses an underpass.View on Booking ↗

Atrium Platinum’s Deluxe Room Sea View is 42 m² for up to three guests, with a sofa bed for the third. Spa and gym access starts at 14, with under-18s accompanied by an adult; inclusion depends on the package.

Check the hotel-to-beach route as carefully as the distance. Several properties sit above or across the coast road. Atrium describes accessible grounds but says its rooms and bathrooms are not specifically designed for mobility impairment, so discuss the actual layout before reserving.

4. Faliraki: choose the right stretch for your holiday

Faliraki offers several different stays along one bay. The northern Ammoudes strip towards Kallithea has large beach resorts; the centre puts bars and restaurants close by. Kathara is south of the centre, with smaller accommodation. Anthony Quinn and Ladiko are farther south again.

Family garden room

Family beach resort

Esperides Beach Resort

Family activities and a beachfront setting, north of Faliraki centre.View on Booking ↗

For a family resort: Esperides’ Family Room with Garden View sleeps four in 28–30 m², with adult beds and a children’s bunk area behind sliding doors. It is an annex-building category. The larger Superior Family Room with Garden View has two bedrooms and two bathrooms, accommodating up to four adults and one child. The direct booking engine classes children as 2–12, infants as 0–1, and guests 13+ at the adult rate; enter everyone’s age.

Esperides is around 2.5 km from central Faliraki. For evenings in town, confirm the coastal bus stop and last return.

Apartment pool terrace

Self-catering beach stay

Kathara Bay

A proper kitchen and small pool; the featured apartment requires stairs.View on Booking ↗

For a real kitchen: Kathara Bay’s Two-Bedroom Apartment with Small Pool sleeps four in one queen bed and two twins. The full kitchen includes a stove and oven; breakfast is also available. Kathara beach is about 50–60 metres away.

This apartment is on the first floor, reached by stairs only, and the pictured small pool belongs to this category. Booking’s policy accepts children older than two; confirm directly if your child is exactly two, because its displayed age conditions are inconsistent at that boundary.

Choose the centre if nightlife is a main priority, then check how far your room is from the bars. A hotel on the northern beach and an apartment at Kathara produce quite different evening routines.

5. Kolymbia: quieter resort days, with a separate choice for families

Kolymbia works best when you want to settle into a hotel and make selected outings. The resort spreads around Eucalyptus Avenue and several beach approaches. Local beaches mix sand and small pebbles; nearby Tsambika is a separate beach trip with fine sand.

Room & pool

Couples and design

Casa Cook Rhodes

Adults-only pool retreat; confirm the minimum age for 16–17-year-olds.View on Booking ↗

For couples: Casa Cook’s pictured Double Standard with Veranda and Sharing Pool is 26 m² for two adults, with a king bed. White Rock Beach is listed at 850 metres. Loft and Split Level suites have internal level changes.

TUI lists Casa Cook’s minimum accommodation age as 16; confirm the chosen Booking option with the hotel for a 16- or 17-year-old. Plan transport for outings beyond Kolymbia.

For bus travel, distinguish Kolymbia Beach from the main-road stop. Ask the hotel for the relevant stop and the walk from it, especially if carrying luggage or returning after dinner.

6. Lindos, Vlicha and Pefkos: village atmosphere or a nearby bay

Choose this part of Rhodes when the Acropolis, whitewashed village and nearby beaches will occupy several days. Staying locally makes early or late visits easier. Within this group, the exact address matters:

• Lindos village: stone lanes, steps and dinner on foot. Arrange the final luggage transfer; the approach to a room can be much less straightforward than its map distance.
• Vlicha: a separate bay with larger hotels and hillside settings. A visit to Lindos village needs its own transport plan.
• Pefkos: a beach resort with studios, apartments and restaurants. Some accommodation is uphill, so check the climb back from the beach if using a pushchair or avoiding steps.

Vlicha-view room

Couples with sea views

Lindos Blu

Bay-view rooms above Vlicha beach; steps and lifts connect the terraces.View on Booking ↗

Lindos Blu’s pictured Double Guestroom sleeps two in 30 m², with a 10 m² balcony or terrace facing Vlicha Bay. Guests must be 17 or over. Steps and lifts link the hillside terraces and beach; confirm the route to your room if access matters.

Lindos village is roughly 2–2.5 km away, so plan a taxi or another journey for village dinners.

For the Acropolis, choose a cooler part of the day and check current opening hours and admission through Hellenic Heritage. Daily bus sightseeing from Rhodes Town is possible, but a local stay gives you more freedom to enjoy the village around your own routine.

7. Kiotari and Gennadi: room to settle into the south

The south suits a holiday built around the hotel and its surrounding coast. Kiotari has a spread of resorts; Gennadi adds a village option for independent meals and apartment stays. Beach surfaces vary, with pebbles prominent along parts of this coastline.

Suite lounge

Southern resort stay

Gennadi Grand

Separate-bedroom suites for resort days; choose your board basis explicitly.View on Booking ↗

For separate sleeping and living space: Gennadi Grand Resort’s Suite Sea View has 47 m², a separate bedroom and lounge, and an open-plan bathroom. Maximum occupancy is three adults and one child; the direct engine counts ages 12+ as adults and 2–11 as children. Its adapted Double Room Garden View is a different category.

Choose the board basis explicitly: breakfast, half board and premium all-inclusive are separate options. The hotel’s location page puts Rhodes Town about 62 km away, so this base works better when journeys north are occasional. A hotel near village restaurants gives you more evening options than a remote coastal address.

A car adds flexibility for scattered beaches, inland villages and Prasonisi. A resort stay can also work with an arranged transfer and selected bus trips: the south is served by published routes, but the timetable and final walk deserve planning.

Arrivals and buses: check the last part of the journey

The airport–Rhodes Town bus stops between the old and new airport terminals. Municipal/RODA information covers this link, town and west-coast routes; KTEL publishes east- and south-coast services. The municipal timetable also includes the Kallithea–Faliraki coast. Both networks board around Nea Agora on Averof in New Town; check the current stand when changing buses.⁶

There is also a direct seasonal Airport–Faliraki bus. KTEL’s line 25 panel for 1–31 October 2026 lists €3.50 one way. Compare that route with an interchange in town or a transfer, using the stop nearest your actual hotel.⁶

KTEL’s Faliraki–Rhodes/Lindos route page now identifies its board as valid 18–31 October 2026, checked 26 October. Use the current route board or booking screen for the fare and return departure.⁶

Use the operator’s timetable for your travel date, including the final return. A resort’s coastal stop and its main-road stop may serve different routes. With luggage, the hotel-to-stop walk, road crossings and stairs can decide whether a bus is practical.

For a car visit to town, the municipality publishes free parking and a free shuttle from Akandia; check that day’s service hours. For a sea arrival or day boat, follow the operator’s exact pier instructions: Akandia, Tourist Port, Kolona and Mandraki are distinct places. SEBECO, for example, directs its day-trip passengers to Kolona.⁶

Include the accommodation fee in your budget

Greece’s climate crisis resilience fee is charged for each room or relevant accommodation unit and each day’s use. For an ordinary overnight stay, budget it per room or unit, per night. The property collects it after the stay and before departure, with a separate receipt.⁷

For seven nights in April–October, allow €70 per room in a four-star hotel, or €105 in a five-star hotel. Free stays are exempt. If your stay crosses into a month with a different rate, the fee is split between the applicable periods and separate monthly receipts are issued.⁷

Choosing your base by season

July and August: make the everyday routine easy. Prioritise the actual beach approach, shade, pool access and evening walking distance. For wind sports, the exposed west coast may be the point of the trip; swimming plans should follow local conditions.

Spring and autumn: check the hotel’s opening period and bus timetable before choosing a distant resort. Lindos Blu’s current SLH listing, for example, describes a November–April closure, while Plaza’s brand page says it opens year-round.

November to March: start your search in Rhodes Town if you want restaurants and town activities within walking distance. Check each hotel and transport service for your dates, particularly for a stay outside the main resort season.

A few decisions before you book