The houses in the Old Town of Rhodes are based on the traditional style with high walls and a central courtyard. Many of the residents have since moved out of the walled city to the newer dwellings on the other side, but several of the beautiful houses have been preserved and converted into hotels. Transport yourself through time with a stay at one of these five venues while visiting the Old Town.
SPIRIT OF THE KNIGHTS
Tucked away down a quiet sidestreet, the Spirit of the Knights is an exclusive eco hotel in the heart of the medieval Old Town. The outside gives little away of the welcoming interior – the moment you step through the gate, a painstakingly constructed traditional hohlaki pebble floor guides you to a tranquil garden and the entrance of the establishment itself.
The building which was converted into this acclaimed hotel is 600 years old, and is a mixture of Ottoman and Crusader architecture according to the manager, Alex Marshall. It’s been ranked as the number one hotel in Rhodes Town by TripAdvisor users in their 2016 Travelers Choice Awards, and is included in the Sunday Times 100 Best Hotels in the world.
The Spirit of the Knights has been carefully designed as an idyllic retreat not only from the hustle and bustle of the Old Town, but also as your very own time capsule to transport yourself to another era. Great attention to detail has been paid to each room, from the hand-carved wooden fixtures, iron candelabras, and marble radiators instead of metal to stained glass windows and indulgent COCO Mat bedding. Custom-designed low-energy lighting, using hand-blown glass from local artisans, appears in every room.
There are six luxurious suites for guests to choose from, each uniquely themed and decorated. The location is in easy walking distance from the Suleyman Mosque, the Palace of the Grand Masters, shops, bars, restaurants and the sea.
The owners are committed to respecting the environment – wherever possible, natural materials have been used in construction and furnishing, solar energy is used to heat the water, the toiletries and cleaning materials are natural and non-allergenic. Waste is kept to a minimum and only recycled paper is used in the stationary.
But as welcoming as the rooms are, you’ll definitely be tempted to spend as much time as you can in the magnificent courtyard. The languid sounds of water splashing from the central water feature as it weaves its way around the garden decorated with wooden carvings from the Far East contrast with the greenery, resulting in a perfectly balanced slice of peace in the midst of modern living.
{ INFO: Prices start from €105-375 per night depending on the room and the season and includes breakfast. The hotel operates all year round.
• 14 Alexandridou, 85100 Old Town, Rhodes, Greece • Tel. (+30) 22410.39.765 • [email protected] }
“The Spirit of the Knights has been carefully designed as an idyllic retreat not only from the hustle and bustle of the Old Town, but also as your very own time capsule to transport yourself to another era. ”
KOKKINI PORTA ROSSA
The imposing, deep red door of Kokkini Porta greets you as you turn a corner down the winding alleys of the Old Town. Its crimson color is where the hotel takes its name from, and is a tribute to the nearby gate of St John, locally referred to as the ‘red door’.
Inside, gentle ochre tones contrasted with reds, creams and blues create a harmonious blend to welcome visitors. The hotel lies in a 13th-century building which was once home to knights as Nikos Voulgaridis, the owner explains, some of the original walls have been incorporated into the existing structure.
All around, opulence dominates. The owner, Nikos, and his wife, Angela, are born and bred on the island and lifelong collectors of antiques, which grace every surface. Old photographs hang from the walls, antique rugs underfoot, and glass-topped tables allow you to admire antique komboloi, pocket watches, snuff boxes and other trinkets.
Everything about your stay at Kokkini Porta is completely tailor made, from whether you want to stay on the ground floor through to what kind of food you like so that the in-house chef can ensure it’s exactly what you want. The Deniz room features a traditional Ottoman balcony where the houses’ ladies could look onto the street unseen, and where guests today can enjoy drinks as sunlight spills through the windows.
The seven suites have been named after the one-time occupants of the old house. The bedding all comes from COCO Mat and there is a menu of six pillows for guests to ensure the best night’s sleep. After a day’s travel, it’s likely that the first thing you’ll want to do is sink yourself into the gorgeous freestanding ceramic bathtub and pamper yourself with Apivita toiletries. In the courtyard outside, the color themes from inside are carried through to combine blues, ochres and deep reds into a peaceful setting which is bathed in warm light once the sun sets.
{ INFO: Prices start from € 200-490 per night depending on the room and the season. The hotel is open from March to November.
• 85131 Old Town, Rhodes, Greece • Tel. (+30) 22410.751.14 • [email protected] }
“Everything about your stay at Kokkini Porta is completely tailor made, from whether you want to stay on the ground floor through to what kind of food you like so that the in-house chef can ensure it’s exactly what you want.”
AVALON BOUTIQUE HOTEL
Located within walking distance of the Palace of the Grand Masters, the owner Despina Brokou, says one of the hotel’s most important features is that fact that cars are not permitted to park in the street it sits in. This means guests enjoy peace and quiet all year round.
The scene is set from the moment you walk through the arched stone entrance and over a small wooden bridge that lies across a waterway where orange and white carp swim in lazy circles. It could be a hidden haven inside a Japanese garden, until the shrubbery of Mediterranean plants reminds you where you are. Apart from the sound of the water and the rustle of the trees overhead, a welcoming silence marks the courtyard out as the ideal place to daydream about life in the Old Town.
Avalon began operating in 2007 after consultations with the archeological services to preserve the architectural style and respect the historical context of the area, and the result is a venue that blends into its surroundings effortlessly and reverberates with the history of its surroundings. If you want to experience the mystery and the romance of the medieval period, but with the comforts of the modern world, then this is the place to stay.
There are luxurious six suites: Mythos, Eros, Anatoli, Notos, Cosmos and Thalassa. As the name suggests, the Thalassa suite, set out across two floors, offers a panoramic view of the city and the port, and comes highly recommended for honeymooning couples.
The restaurant offers a la carte dining on your room’s terrace, in the courtyard or in a special vaulted dining hall. Bicycles are also available to guests free of charge to take their exploring out on two wheels.
{ INFO: Prices start from €100-270 per night for a double room depending on the season and includes breakfast. The hotel operates all year round. • 9 Haritos, Old Town, 85100 Rhodes, Greece • Tel. (+30) 22410.31.438 • [email protected] }
“If you want to experience the mystery and the romance of the medieval period, but with the comforts of the modern world, then this is the place to stay.”
IN CAMERA ART BOUTIQUE
Walk through the winding alleys of the Old Town, past quaint little eateries, across a rare empty space, down a narrow lane and find yourself at the doorway of this boutique hotel which is a labor of love for the photographer who owns it.
Nikos Kaseris, a lifelong photography enthusiast turned his hobby into a highly successful career and then took it a step further. His love of Rhodes’ Old Town and photography led to the inspiration of opening a hotel where he could showcase his work while combining the history and culture of the location. And so the venue opened its doors in 2012.
Whether you’re a photography nut or not, you’ll learn a lot about the art if Nikos is around since he takes time to chat to his guests and will be more than happy to tell you about the hotel and his his camera collection on display, which includes the cult favorite, a Leica. All the photography decorating the walls comes from the lens of Nikos himself, and thanks to the location, you can immediately set out to try your newly-acquired photography tips in the maze of the surrounding Old Town.
There are seven luxury suites, Nike of Samothrace, Terra Incognita, Nymph of Helios, Places in Suspension, A Travel into the Light, Mediterranean Pearls and Forms of Light, which the owners say is their best suite. This suite took its name from a photographic exhibition by Nikos in 1984, and, laid out across three floors, it offers guests a literal transcendence through different layers of lighting. The bedding in all suites comes from COCO Mat and guests can enjoy Apivita toiletries in the bathrooms. Wooden beams, ornate tiles and wrought iron features compliment each uniquely decorated room.
In the spacious courtyard, you can relax in the deck chairs among the greenery as you review your snaps from a day’s exploring, or enjoy an open-air jacuzzi decorated with blue and white Turkish tiles as the sun sets over the Old Town. Once the twilight gives way to darkness, the owner’s photography knowledge works its magic yet again with exceptionally ambient lighting both inside and outside.
{ INFO: Facilities include photography tours, drawing seminars, yoga and pilates lessons. Prices start from €120-290 per night depending on the room and season and includes breakfast. The hotel is open from mid-April until the end of October. • 35 Sofokleous St, 85100 Medieval Town, Rhodes, Greece • Tel. (+30) 22410.77.277 • [email protected] }
“Once the twilight gives way to darkness, the owner’s photography knowledge works its magic yet again with exceptionally ambient lighting both inside and outside.”
MARCO POLO MANSION
This boutique hotel is located down a rare stretch of almost straight alleyway in the Old Town, a silent gem in the heart of the district which you’d be in danger of walking right past if you didn’t know where it was.
Marco Polo Mansion is the ideal setting in which to live out your Ottoman-era fantasies. The hotel is housed in a charming 15th-century mansion, once home to a high-ranking Ottoman official. These days, the owner is Italian artist Giuseppe Sala, and it operates as a cozy bed and breakfast with seven beautifully decorated rooms.
Once you step through the front door, a wealth of Eastern treasures unfold before you. From the Ottoman-styled rooms to the oriental rugs on the floor, and the beds with individual canopies that no one ever gets too old to feel excited about, a stay at this place feels like an escape into another world.
The building, like so many in the Old Town, is a mix of medieval, Ottoman and Italian influences. Their legacy has echoed through the ages and has been lovingly incorporated into the current structure of the building to preserve as much of the original atmosphere as possible. This includes a Turkish-era well in the courtyard, along with an Italian fountain. The ambient earthy tones and rich interior is something that’s developed and been added to over time, and the resulting combination gives you the sensation that you’ve stepped into a page from 1001 Nights.
The courtyard, bursting with flowers, is one of the largest in the Old Town. Here, bathed in the scent of orange blossoms, a delicious buffet breakfast offers guests the best start to the day, that’s if you can drag yourself away from the temptation of whiling away the hours under the shade of the orange trees and startlingly pink bougainvillea. In the evenings, a much-acclaimed restaurants offers Mediterranean delights to both guests and visitors alike.
{ INFO: Prices start from €80-160 per night, depending on the season and the room, and includes breakfast. The hotel operates from the start of April to the end of October. • 42 Agiou Fanouriou, 85100 Rhodes, Greece • Tel. (+30) 22410.25.562 • [email protected] }
“Marco Polo Mansion is the ideal setting in which to live out your Ottoman-era fantasies.”
