Faliraki beach. Greek cuisine
Paid Faliraki beach. Greek tavern. Not an easy road to E. Quinn Bay. We meet the sunrise.
Rhodes 2016. Part 2. We go to the beach. Let's get acquainted with Greek cuisine. Anthony Quinn Cove. We meet the sunrise.
Let's start our beach holiday.
We start the first full day of our holiday in Rhodes quite early, waking up around 8 am. Anya can’t wait to go to the beach and I generally agree with her. We have a quick breakfast and run to the beach while the sun is still not very harmful. Even though it’s September, the sun is still hot at noon, bless you.
We arrived at the beach at the beginning of 10. It's still not crowded here yet. However, we never saw any huge number of people on any of the days.
This beach is public, like most beaches not only in Rhodes, but throughout Greece. Here it is rare that a hotel has its own beach.
Although the beach is citywide, there is a fee. The cost of one place for the whole day is 5 €. The photo below shows a wooden walkway. Everything before it is free. And many are located before it, in particular, near the large tree that is visible in the previous photo. But places at the tree run out quickly. Therefore, without your own umbrella, you will find yourself in direct sunlight.
Also visible here is the Apollo Beach Hotel. It was through it that we went to our beach (passage is free). The hotel also has its own a la beach in a green area (on the lawn). They say that enterprising guests of Argo simply settle in these places and completely free of charge, it seems that it is not customary to drive anyone away, but we were embarrassed to do so and each time we honestly paid 10 €. But our conscience was clear and our soul was calm :)
By the way, rent collectors do not appear too early, around 10 o’clock, maybe even a little later, and in the evening they leave around 17. Therefore, in the evening and in the morning you can go to the beach completely free of charge. True, the sun sets early (around 6:30 pm) and quickly at this time of year.
The beach itself is excellent. Clean, uncrowded even at peak times, with an excellent entrance to the sea, flat and sandy. This is a view looking north towards the city of Rhodes.
And this is a view in the other direction - to the south, towards Lindos.
Hotel Argo. View from the outside and the city area near the hotel.
Closer to noon, we returned to the hotel so as not to lie under the “evil” sun. Everything is as my mother taught. We filmed a little for you what the hotel looks like from the outside.
Let me remind you that Argo is a two-star hotel. However, he looks quite nice.
There are flowers everywhere. One of the most common flowers not only in the hotel, but also in Rhodes in general are bougainvillea flowers (if I’m not mistaken).
All rooms on the second floor have balconies. In my opinion, there are no guest rooms on the ground floor at all, only technical rooms and staff. But I could be wrong.
Everything is very green and neat. It pleases the eye.
The hotel's courtyard is a cafe and swimming pool area. Guests are asked not to bring outside food or drinks to the pool.
Everything is modest, but this modesty has its own charm. It is quiet and calm here, you feel that this is all for you, and not for the countless masses of vacationers.
The hotel is located on the second most important transport street in Faliraki - Kallithea Avenue. And in terms of tourist significance, this is the main street. All restaurants, bars, cafes, souvenir shops, ATMs and similar tourist infrastructure facilities are located here.
Free parking is available right next to the hotel. There is always plenty of space on it. So, if possible, you can rent a car for the entire duration of your stay on the island and not think about where to leave it overnight. True, the parking lot is unguarded.
And this is the La Esquina restaurant, it is located right next to Argo. Here we were fed dinner, which was included in the price of our tour. During the day there is no life here, but in the evening fashionable club music plays and, in general, gives off a certain glamor. Prices are appropriate. If it weren't for our obligatory dinners, then I think we wouldn't have eaten here.
An inconspicuous street in Faliraki.
Let's get acquainted with Greek cuisine.
Returning from the beach, we still managed to take a nap in the room and only after 15 we went outside in search of lunch. In Greece there is the concept of siesta and, as we understand, it took place precisely at this time. All the restaurants and cafes that we met along the way were empty, there was no life in them. But then we came across the Kostos Village Greek Taverna and while we were standing studying the menu, the owner came up to us and offered to eat at his place. We happily agreed, especially since the place looked very nice.
The interior has many original details symbolizing Greece.
Very nice color. Frankly, we have never seen anything like this anywhere else. Therefore, the restaurant clearly stands out from the rest. The tavern is literally 2-3 blocks from Argo.
In fact, this was our first meal of Greek cuisine. On the previous day, we only had dinner without any special frills with what we were given, and on the beach we just had a light snack. Accordingly, we decided to eat exclusively national dishes. And where would we be without Greek salad? The portion is large, everything is delicious. You can season with olive oil or balsamic vinegar. By the time you finish this plate, you can already eat your fill.
By the way, on the left is also the Greek drink ouzo - brandy with anise extract (I didn’t know it myself, it’s written like that on Wikipedia). Considered an aperitif. To be honest, I didn’t like it and it (it?) didn’t whet my appetite at all. Haven't tried it again :)
After the salad we had more hot food. On an empty stomach, we ordered a lot of everything, not knowing what kind of horse portions there were. Here is the dish that Anya took - moussaka. Delicious.
And this beauty was taken by your humble servant. Called Sudzikakia (or Sudzikakia). Well, sooo delicious! Mom taught me to finish everything on my plate. That's exactly what I did. And he almost burst.
Lunch cost us 40€. Not cheap, of course. But the portions are huge. In principle, it’s enough to take one salad for two, and one hot salad is enough for two to fill up, and that’s already minus 15-20 €. At the same time, as we understand, these are quite average prices in Faliraki. We suspect that if you go a little away from the main tourist arteries, you can find something cheaper, but this time we didn’t bother.
Anthony Quinn Cove.
Faliraki is famous for the fact that there are two beautiful bays - Ladiko and Anthony Quinn - within relatively walking distance. Both are 3-4 km and 40-50 minutes from our hotel. We chose to visit the more famous and supposedly more beautiful Anthony Quinn Bay.
Having rested a little after lunch (it was impossible otherwise), we set out on the road at half past four.
First we go along the central streets and come across the statue of the Colossus of Rhodes. In fact, no one knows what the historical original actually looked like. So, let's call this statue the Colossus of Faliraki.
Then we go a little away from the main arteries of the city. It is much calmer here, although there are still many shops, cafes, and restaurants. In the photo you can see the sign of the Greek Spirit restaurant; a few days later we also had the honor of dining here.
We pass some very nice houses. There is a lot of greenery on the island and, despite the sizzling heat in summer, in September the greenery looks quite bright and juicy. But, I am sure, this is only possible with appropriate care from the person.
Here the path begins to slowly climb up.
A couple more turns and we find ourselves on a dirt road, which also takes us higher and higher. It gets harder to walk.
The last steep climb to the astronomy cafe and observatory, through which the path to the bay runs. This time at least it's paved.
And now we already see a sign indicating the desired goal. At this point we have been walking for about an hour.
Here we need to tell you who this Anthony Quinn is. And this is an American actor who played one of the main roles in the 1964 film “Zorba the Greek.” This film received three Oscars, and it is famous for the fact that it was in it that the now world-famous melody and calling card of Greece - the sirtaki dance - was first performed. Quinn actually does this dance. I haven’t seen this film myself, so I have to trust Wikipedia again. Yes, it was also a discovery for us that sirtaki at the time of writing this post is only a little over 50 years old. But, nevertheless, the melody is based on folk motives.
The film was shot on the island of Crete, then why the bay in Rhodes? This is a bit of a murky story. Allegedly, Anthony Quinn visited Rhodes and really liked this very bay, which then had no name. It seemed like Quinn was going to buy some land here and start farming or something like that. In the end, however, nothing happened, but word of mouth cemented Quinn’s name behind the bay. All the facts are unverified, it is possible that this is all just a beautiful legend. Well, let it be :)
So, after the sign we pass by the astronomical cafe and find ourselves on a path winding right along the rocky shore. There is a sign at the front of this trail warning of snakes and poisonous spiders. It’s a little terrifying, especially since the path is narrow and it seems that under every bush or stone some terrible living creature is necessarily hiding. And then an angry dog attacked us, fortunately there was a fence separating us from it. In general, the situation was still the same, especially since up to that moment we had not met a single living soul.
Nevertheless, we decided to continue our journey, although there were doubts whether we were going the right way.
And now we are rewarded - we go out to the bay!
The bay, of course, is beautiful, you can’t argue with that.
In fact, there is also a beach here. He was our target. But due to the fact that we took a long time to get ready and then walked for a long time, we realized that we were no longer destined to enjoy our stay there. In addition, as you know, darkness in these latitudes comes quickly and unnoticed, so we decided that we would not go down to the beach, but would simply admire the bay from above.
And we also came here with our Fedya - our hand-held quadcopter. This was our first flight to Rhodes. Since we still considered ourselves beginners in aerial photography, we flew very carefully and not far. We took several photographs from the air.
View in the opposite direction from the bay. If you look closely, you can see the dome of the observatory, and there is also an astronomy cafe there.
At 18:40 we set off on our way back. The sun was already setting.
In the next photo you can see a nudist beach. At this time there was no one there anymore. Please note that there are convenient entrances to the beach.
View towards Faliraki, where we came from somewhere.
The last rays of the sun. Time 18-54.
Beautiful sunset.
On the way home we captured this art object near the Kouros Exclusive designer hotel. From the name it is clear that the hotel is not simple and is truly exclusive, guests are offered only 16 rooms, of which 8 are standard two-room apartments (don’t be lazy - go to the hotel’s website, even these rooms are completely non-standard!), and the remaining 8 are completely exclusive!
We returned to Faliraki closer to 19-30, the city was already shrouded in twilight.
We ended the day with dinner at our fancy restaurant and went to bed early. The next day we had to get up early.
Following the instructions of the guide who accompanied our transfer from the airport to the hotel, we decided to watch the sunrise on the Mediterranean Sea. We roughly calculated the time of sunrise and woke up at 6 am. We quickly got ready and went to the beach, still in the dark. But, just as night quickly falls on Rhodes, the day comes no less quickly. At 6:50 it’s already quite light and the sun’s disk appears above the horizon.
The sunrise is indeed very beautiful. A bright and joyful feeling of the beginning of life appears. At the same time, there is amazing peace and tranquility in my soul. Amazing time! If anyone hasn't seen a sunrise at sea yet, be sure to try it.
In addition to meeting the sunrise, we had two more tasks. Anya was going to go for a morning jog, and I wanted to shoot a time-lapse. Both tasks were successfully completed. The results are in the video at the top of the page.
It must be said that we were far from the only early birds. Besides us, many people came to photograph the sunrise and swim in the rays of the newly appeared sun. We also swam. In the next photo I’m just in the sea, and Anya is filming me. At that moment, an elderly couple passed by the camera and discussed something, apparently related to our tripod and camera :)
It was an amazing sunrise and one of the most pleasant experiences during our short holiday in Rhodes...
When we returned to the hotel, it was just time for breakfast. We spent it outside by the pool. Bliss. Just a blast...
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The third beach is Plaka (pictured below), which is on the isthmus between Ladiko and Anthony Quinn bays - rather “auxiliary” if you did not have enough space on the previous two.
Here we are talking about the beach in Anthony Quinn Bay...
History of Beach and Bay by Anthony Quinn
The beach and bay of Anthony Quinn Bay are named after the famous Hollywood actor who starred in the three-time Oscar-winning film “Zorba the Greek” in 1964.
According to the script, the film's hero was supposed to dance the very energetic Greek dance "Syrtos", but broke his leg. The actor could not raise and lower his leg - the pain was unbearable, but he realized that he could drag it without much discomfort.
Composer Mikis Theodorakis rewrote the dance music to make it slower, with Quinn simply stretching out his arms and sliding his foot across the sand. This is how the melody and dance “Sirtaki” appeared,
After finishing work on the film, the actor went to Rhodes to heal his injury and rented a house in a picturesque bay. He liked it so much that the artist stayed on the island, simultaneously purchasing a plot of land near this very bay.
However, according to another version, Quinn became a landowner absolutely free of charge thanks to the generosity of the Greek authorities (which is more similar to the Greeks and Americans).
The government was pleased with the presence of the star, who, like a magnet, attracted tourists and movie fans, and in 1966, a section of the coastline officially received the name “Anthony Quinn Cove,” as evidenced by the inscription on the stone, only for some reason the year is indicated as 1960.
Perhaps there is an explanation for this mystery. It is said that Quinn had already had his eye on this piece of paradise and received it for perpetual use from the Governor of Rhodes in 1960 in exchange for the creation of an art center and film studio.
Of course, the actor did not keep his promises (which is very similar to the Americans).
Features of Anthony Quinn Beach
Be that as it may, in those days the bay was a very secluded and little-known place. Today there are a lot of vacationers. Everyone wants to admire the bizarre rocks, covered with emerald greenery, frozen in strange shapes.
The color of the sea is mesmerizing, changing its color from azure to sapphire, and the hot Greek sun plays with reflections on the surface of the crystal clear water.
The coastline is small, small pebbles interspersed with large flat boulders.
Getting in and out of the sea is inconvenient and even painful, and you have to swim carefully near the shore - there are a lot of large boulders that you can hit with your foot.
The bottom near the shore is shallow, the water warms up well. There are pontoons on three shores of the bay for those who don’t want to wade through the rocky bottom to the depths to swim.
Entrance to the beach is free, but to rent an umbrella and two sun loungers you will have to pay about 10 € for the whole day. You can sit on a towel on the rocks, but lying on an uneven and hard surface is not very pleasant.
The beach has all the necessary infrastructure: there is parking and open-air showers, toilets and life preservers, and there is a small tavern on the area above the beach.
How to get to Anthony Quinn Cove
In addition to a taxi or a rented car, you can get to the beach by local bus to Ladiko for 1 €.
Transport runs infrequently and does not strictly adhere to a schedule, which varies depending on the season and other factors. During the tourist season, there are about 3-4 flights per day.
There are buses passing through Faliraki from the city of Rhodes towards Lindos and back.
There are many more of them than direct ones. In this case, you need to get to the turn with the Anthony Quinn Bay sign, and walk the rest of the way (about 1.5 km).
On the way to the beach, fruit is sold: on a chair there are bags of figs or peaches, and next to it there is a saucer where you put money. The price is indicated on the piece of paper: a bag of figs (8-9 pieces) - 2 €, peaches (3-5 depending on size) - 3 €.
Walking route to Anthony Quinn Beach
You can also take a walk to the beach from the village of Faliraki: from the fishing port it is about 4 km - but along the hills, with ups and downs.
In this case, on the way you will have the opportunity to visit the Holy Prophet Amos and Prophet Elijah.
This path is best done in the morning on the way “there”.
The return journey from the beach to Faliraki in the afternoon heat is too tiring, and it is better to go back by bus.
There are many beaches in Rhodes, but such beauty as in Anthony Quinn bay, I haven't seen it anywhere else! Nature has created something incredibly beautiful here, and even the Americans once filmed their movie here. Today anyone and everyone can come here, and it’s worth coming here, because it is truly one of the most beautiful places not only on the island, but in the entire Mediterranean!
Who is Anthony Quinn, and why is this place named after him?
In 1961, the Americans filmed a war film in Rhodes Cannons of Navarone Island", A Anthony Quinn played one of the main roles in it. Quinn liked Rhodes and this bay so much that he decided to buy it. Although, according to some sources, the Greeks gave him a gift because he promoted Rhodes as a paradise island. But I still think I bought it. In general, he bought this bay, installed a fence, a barrier, security and everything - private property! No one except the Queen family was allowed here until 1998, when, by a court decision, the deal (or gift) was canceled and the bay was returned to the people! And all that remains of Anthony Quinn is just the name of this glamorous bay.
How to get to the bay?
You can go by car - this is the easiest and fastest way, especially since there is a good road to the bay, and there is a large parking lot near the beach. During the season from May to September, a regular bus travels here. In August, when I visited this place, the bus ran every half hour.
Or you can, like me, go on foot! From the resort town of Faliraki to Queen's Bay it is about three kilometers, although you will have to wind your way along mountain paths through thorns and stones. But I love walking, so I enjoyed the walk, and on the way I also stopped at a nudist beach.
And so, having made my way through the bushes and around the mountain, I came out into the open space and saw such a stunning picture!
Sea. bay, rocks, clear water, boats - beauty!
By the way, one of the most popular ways to visit Anthony Queen Bay is by water, on yachts or small boats. Almost all walking routes along the east coast of the island certainly sail into this famous bay. But lately I’ve fallen out of love with these boat trips. Having your own or a rented yacht is another matter... but that’s a different story and a different price tag. But if you have a yacht, you are welcome to visit Anthony.
The closer I got to the beach, the more beautiful the picture became! I stopped every 50 meters and took another wonderful shot. And how good it is that I have a polarizer!
Here it is, Anthony Queen Beach in the bay with clear emerald-colored water!
Despite its glamorous appearance, this place turned out to be not so wonderful as a beach...
Firstly, the stones... There are stones everywhere, both in the water and on the shore. The coastline is very narrow, and entry into the water is inconvenient and in some places very dangerous due to sharp corals. And there are practically no places for comfortable swimming.
Secondly, people... A lot of people! A lot of people!
Because This place is very popular, and there are a lot of tourists here. The sunbeds are close to each other and almost everyone is occupied, and people who did not get a sunbed (or who saved 10 euros) lie right on the stones or between them. Finding a place to land and stupidly throw our things was not easy, and to do this we had to walk almost to the end of the beach. And I was so hoping to sit in silence, soak in the azure water and calmly admire the beauty... naive)
Swimming here turned out to be even more difficult than finding a place on the shore. There are stones everywhere. And small. It’s difficult to enter (and painful without slippers), and when you swim, you try to stay as high as possible so as not to hit the corals. This is probably why people mostly don’t swim here, but just sit in the water. That's what I did in the end.
There is depth only at the pier, where arriving yachts and boats moor. When there are no ships, this place is actively used by divers.
Anthony Queen Bay is also very popular among diving and snorkeling enthusiasts, and there is even a small diving school here. I myself am not a fan of scuba diving, but they say that the bay has a very beautiful underwater world and many interesting caves. So, if this is your topic, you are welcome!
But for a classic beach holiday this place is so-so. Yes, it’s very beautiful, but it’s difficult to swim, sunbeds are in short supply, and I wouldn’t recommend coming here with children. But all the same, it’s worth visiting here at least once just to admire the natural beauty of this bay! And in my subjective opinion, this is the most beautiful beach on the island of Rhodes! Beautiful, although not practical) And I’ll tell you about the practical ones some other time.
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Bays of Rhodes Island, Greece: photos, reviews and map
The most beautiful bays of Rhodes: contents of the article
St. Paul's Bay: Warm greetings from Rhodes!
St. Paul's Bay in Rhodes has the reputation of being one of the most romantic places on the island. Why? Yes, because it is shaped like a heart when you look at it from above. For example, from the ancient one, located on a mountain, at the foot of which is the Bay of St. Paul. According to legend, it was here in 58 or 57 AD. e. The Apostle Paul landed on his way from Ancient Greece to Jerusalem. A small church in honor of the saint was built on the edge of the beach.
By the way, about the beach. In the southern part of St. Paul's Bay there is the beach of the same name, Agios Pavlos, and since it is protected by rocks from winds and large waves, the water here is almost always smooth, like a mirror. Covered with small pebbles and sand. And in the northern part of the bay, literally a few meters from the water’s edge, large picturesque stones begin, so St. Paul’s Bay in Rhodes attracts lovers of diving and snorkeling. The bulk of vacationers are Greeks and hotel guests in the city of Lindos, from where this bay can be reached on foot in a few minutes. You can get to the beautiful St. Paul's Bay from other cities - either by rented car or by public transport to Lindos. From the Lindos bus stop to the bay it’s exactly a kilometer downhill.
The most beautiful bays of Rhodes: the best view of St. Paul's bay is from the Acropolis of Lindos.
The rocks reliably protect the bays of Rhodes from waves and winds, so even in spring and autumn the water here is calm and warm.
Photo of the Chrysa Studios hotel.
Anthony Quinn Cove: screen star
Anthony Quinn Cove (sometimes called Anthony Quinn Beach or Anthony Quinn Cove) is named after the famous actor who starred in the films Zorba the Greek and The Guns of Navarone. Some episodes were filmed here. Both films received Oscars, and Greece and the island of Rhodes were excellent advertising, and since then the folk trail to the island and the famous bays of Rhodes has not been overgrown.
Anthony Quinn Cove and Beach is truly a stunningly beautiful place. Thanks to the small pebbles and flat bottom, the water here is very warm and always clear, picturesque cliffs stick out from the sea here and there, and pine thickets near the shore make the local air simply amazing and the sea emerald. When heading to Anthony Queen Bay, don't forget your mask and snorkel: the underwater world here is very beautiful, many colorful fish swim around the rocks. By the way, there is a diving center on the shore.
Anthony Quinn Cove is very popular with tourists and can get quite crowded during peak season. You can get to the bay by rented car and public transport. True, the regular bus from the city of Rhodes to the Ladiko – Anthony Quinn stop runs rarely, two or three times a day. It is much easier to get to Anthony Quinn Beach by taking a regular bus that runs from Rhodes to Lindos and back. You can simply tell the driver the password "Anthony Quinn" and he will stop you at the turn into the famous bay. It will only take 15-20 minutes to walk. Tested for myself :) And Anthony Quinn Bay is only three or four kilometers from the popular resort village of Faliraki, from which you can get here inexpensively by taxi or even on foot.
Like other bays of Rhodes, Anthony Quinn Beach is reliably protected from the winds by rocks.
Anthony Quinn Bay has the cleanest air and clear water.
The pine trees slope right down to the water, making Anthony Quinn Cove even more picturesque.
The bottom of the beach is covered with small and large pebbles, so entry into the water is not convenient everywhere.
A pair of sun loungers and an umbrella on Anthony Quinn Beach are not cheap - 10 euros. But there is a way out :)
Ladiko Bay: two in one
The two most beautiful bays of Rhodes - Ladiko and Anthony Quinn - are located just a couple of minutes walk from each other. Covered with fine golden sand, Ladiko Beach outlines a perfect crescent and gently descends into the clear emerald Mediterranean Sea. Unlike Quinn's Cove, this beach has plenty of sun loungers and umbrellas, although there is plenty of room for lounging on your towels. Ladiko beach, without exaggeration, is one of the most cozy and picturesque in Rhodes.
And to be precise, Ladiko Bay consists of not one, but even two beaches! One of them is the aforementioned sandy “crescent”, and the second is located directly opposite it, on the other side of the bay. It is covered with pebbles, and the entrance to the water here is less convenient: you can only go down to the sea along a ladder from a small pier. But there are fewer people here. Choose, as they say, according to taste.
Getting to Ladiko Bay in Rhodes is the same as getting to Anthony Quinn Beach (see previous paragraph). And right next to Ladiko beach there are several good hotels.
...and on the other hand, the beach is rocky and not crowded.
The bays of Rhodes (Ladiko, St. Paul and Anthony Quinn) on the map
Excursions to the best bays of Rhodes
You can visit the bays of Rhodes and other beaches not only on your own, but also as part of an excursion. Here are some interesting options from the website, where local guides, including Russians, offer their programs:
That's all we wanted to tell you about the three most beautiful bays of Rhodes. Dear readers, have you ever vacationed in these beautiful places? We look forward to your feedback! And of course, the bays of Rhodes described above are not all the beaches that are worth visiting while traveling to this amazing island. Don't miss our article with a detailed description and photos of the most beautiful beaches of Rhodes, as well as a guide to the island:
Have a nice holiday in Rhodes!