Things To Do in Kiotari

Kiotari has a sprinkling of supermarkets where you can stock up on local honey, olive oil and wine. And there’s a small shopping centre for suncream and souvenirs. If you want to take your shopping to the next level, though, your best bet is to head to Lindos, where the winding streets will lead you to clothes, jewellery and pottery.

You can wind down with a cocktail in a seafront bar, but if you’re in the mood for something more up-tempo, it’s all about the hotels here. Most put on entertainment such as dance shows or Greek music. For a livelier night out, you can hop in a taxi to Gennadi, 10 minutes away, which attracts the younger crowd with beachfront DJs.

The Acropolis is one of Rhodes’ must-see sights – and it’s just half an hour away in Lindos. You can walk to the top, but a more popular route is on the back of a donkey. An ancient fortress, 13^th-century Greek Orthodox church and Roman temple are all up here waiting for you – along with a pretty awesome view.

Fresh-from-the-oven pitta bread, homemade tzatziki, fried feta cheese – the Greek classics just keep on coming at Kiotari. And that’s just for starters. The mains run through kebabs, skewered lamb souvlaki and an assortment of fish that will have you battling it out between lobster, calamari and scallops.

In the evenings, the resort hotels take care of entertainment. They’re hot on Greek music, so listen out for the sound of the lute-like bouzouki. If you fancy venturing out, the tavernas along the seafront are pretty welcoming. Or you can take a taxi to nearby Gennadi for DJs and dancing on the beach.

This friendly place comes with a roof terrace that offers a top seafront view. On the food front, you get warm bread served with flavoured dipping oils to start you off. After that, there’s a choice of Mediterranean classics. A popular choice with the locals who eat here is the paella – it’s worth the wait and paying that little bit extra for.

If you like an active beach break, the stretch at Kiotari Beach comes up trumps. You can start off slow on a pedalo, speed up on a banana boat and then go full throttle with waterskiing and jet-skiing. It can be hungry work, but the fast food stalls along the front will keep you in kebabs and paninis.

Daytime snacks are a doddle in Kiotari. On the beachfront you’re never far from a stall serving up souvlakis – skewers of meat and veg – and gyros, pretty much the same thing but wrapped up in a pitta bread. In the evening, fish is a big feature on the menus – if you can’t make up your mind what to go for, try the seafood platter for a bit of everything.

The nearby village of Asklipion is worth a root around, and it’s only about 10 minutes’ drive away. The main draw is the Byzantine church. You can also take a walk past whitewashed houses to the ruined castle at the top, then pop into the folklore museum. You’ve got a real, traditional village here, so you might like to stay on for lunch at one of the restaurants.

Big sounds, big crowds, big hair – yes, it’s Rhodes Rock. At this annual rock tribute fest in Lindos, you can headbang along to Think Floyd, Who’s Next, The Bohemians and The Thin Lizzy Experience. If you don’t manage to get a ticket, you can still soak up the atmosphere at Socrates Bar, a popular festival-goers’ hangout.

Kiotari isn’t big on shopping, but what you get here is places selling local goods. Olives put in quite an appearance – you’ll find them in soaps in the resort’s small shops, and sun-ripened and stuffed at the local supermarket. Souvenir-wise, the small shopping centre should sort you out, but if you need a serious retail fix, head over to Lindos.

You’ll find this lively disco bar on Kiotari’s beachfront. Evenings here usually begin with lounging about on one of the swings on the beach shack-style deck while sipping a cocktail. Later the dancefloor fills up as the crowd get on their feet for R’n’B, jazz, house – and a few Eighties and Nineties numbers thrown in for good measure.

Grapevines make a shaded canopy at this friendly restaurant, which comes with 180-degree sea views. As for the food, the enormous seafood platter has to be tried for its delicious array of lobster, sea bream, calamari, mussels and clams – simply seasoned with lemon juice and a drizzle of home-produced olive oil.