Bev Morris:
Faliraki has risen from the ashes of bad press to become a family-friendly, cosmopolitan beach resort. The beach is a well organised 5km stretch of golden sand lines with tavernas and cafe bars. Watersports and boat trips to quieter, secluded bays are numerous and popular. In addition to road travel
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Faliraki beach |
Overview Situated on the east coast of Rhodes, the island's most
developed beach resort is just fourteen miles (9km) south of the
capital, Rhodes Town. Faliraki is renowned for its four-mile (2km)
stretch of sandy beach that is packed with deckchairs, umbrellas
and sunbeds, and offers every kind of water-based activity from
parasailing to jet skis. It is possible to do day boat trips around
the other small bays of Faliraki, including Kathara Bay, which is
one of the most picturesque on the island, and has a nudist beach
at one end. Anthony Quinn Bay is famous for the filming of
The Guns of Navarone. There are also several,
undeveloped beaches between Faliraki and Lindos, such as the
pebbled Traganou beach, and all the beaches are desirably clean
with crystal waters. Faliraki is also well known for its nightlife
and is popular with younger visitors seeking lots of action, both
day and night.
Shopping Faliraki Square shopping centre provides everything a
holidaymaker needs, from an inflatable 'lilo' to local crafts, or
even the toothpaste you forgot to pack. Shops stay open very late.
Those who enjoy serious shopping can take a trip into Rhodes Old
Town and delight in haggling for bargains in the narrow, cobbled
streets. Good buys are leather bags and sandals, rugs, gold and
silver jewellery and ceramics.
Restaurants Faliraki is well-supplied with a huge variety of restaurants,
from traditional Greek tavernas to Chinese and nearly every
nationality in between. Cuisine is geared to the tastes of young
British tourists, and there is nothing much in the way of fine
dining. Prices range from cheap to reasonable. Fast-food bars
abound, staying open until the wee hours when revellers can snack
on a souvlaki while they watch the sun rise. Some recommendations
are The Monastery, some way out of town near the Matina Hotel,
which has top rated authentic Greek food; Sizzlers Steak Bar, a
short walk from Bar Street, which serves up charcoal-grilled slabs
of steak on the terrace; and the Pagoda, for excellent classic
Chinese.
Nightlife Bar Street and Club Street in Faliraki live up to their name and
reputation as a paradise for young clubbers and pubbers. The choice
of dance floors and watering holes is abundant. Arguably the 'best
bar' in Faliraki is Ziggy's, home of the famous (or to some
infamous) 'Fishbowl', a very large cocktail guaranteed to knock you
senseless. For rocking karaoke there is the King's Garden Bar (KGB)
or the Bedrock Bar. George's Bar is a favourite with football fans
who want to keep up with the action on huge screens, and keep on
partying. The most popular club in town is Q Club, which opens from
midnight to 5am and is always jam-packed: it features a
house/trance room, a chart/cheese room and R&B/Garage room. Top
London DJs feature regularly at Bed, a massive club that holds
about 2,000 revellers.
Activities Active holidaymakers who want a break from soaking up the sun on
the golden sands can choose from a variety of fun pursuits on offer
at the two large watersport centres on the beach, everything from
banana-boat rides and pedalos to bungee-jumping. The crystal clear
waters are perfect for scuba diving and snorkelling. Faliraki also
has one of Europe's biggest and best water parks, offering slides,
lazy river rides, rafting, a wave pool, aqua-gym and numerous other
thrills and spills. A must for visitors is to take a local bus to
explore the sights and sounds of Rhodes Town, with its medieval
core, or delve into some archaeology in the pretty town of Lindos
with its hill-top acropolis.
Negatives Faliraki has received some bad publicity in recent years because
of the rowdy, drunken behaviour of most of the young (mainly
British) holidaymakers that flood the resort each summer.