Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Kameiros had no fortifications, nor even an acropolis - partly owing to the gentle slope
of the site, and also to the likely settlement here by peaceable Minoans.
Kámiros Skála
The tiny anchorage of
KÁMIROS SKÁLA
(aka Skála Kamírou), 45km southwest of
Rhodes Town, is noteworthy only as the home port for a regular ferry service to the
island of Hálki (see p.533). It does hold a handful of restaurants, however, while the
off-puttingly named
Paralía Kopriá
(“Manure Beach”) is 400m southwest.
Kástro Kritinías
From afar,
Kástro Kritinías
, 2km south of Kámiros Skála, is the most impressive of the
Knights' rural strongholds; the paved access road is too narrow and steep for tour
buses. Close up, it proves to be no more than a shell, albeit a glorious one, with fine
views west to Hálki, Alimniá, Tílos and Níssyros.
Monólithos
The tiered, flat-roofed houses of
MONÓLITHOS
, high atop the cliffs 22km south of
Kámiros Skála, don't themselves justify the long trip out, but the view over the Aegean is
striking. Local diversions include yet another
Knights' castle
, out of sight of town 2km
west, which is photogenically perched on its own pinnacle but encloses very little, and
the sand-and-gravel beaches at
Foúrni
, five paved but curvy kilometres below the castle.
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
MONÓLITHOS
8
Hotel Thomas
T
22460 61291 or 697 30 38 494,
W
thomashotel.gr.
Behind its somewhat grim exterior,
this welcoming village hotel holds plain, fair-si
zed
rooms
with kitchen facilities and panoramic balconies.
€85
O Palios Monolithos
several tavernas in the village, opposite the church. Mains
are a bit pricey but it's known for grilled meat and starters
like wild mushrooms,
tyrokafterí
and mixed
dolmádhes
,
accompanied by good bread and non-CAIR bulk wine.
Open all year, weekends only off season.
T
22460 61276.
The best of
Inland Rhodes
Inland Rhodes
is hilly and still part-forested, despite the ongoing efforts of arsonists.
You'll need a vehicle to take in the soft-contoured, undulating scenery, along with the
last vestiges of agrarian life in the villages; no single spot justifies the expense of a taxi or
battling with inconveniently sparse bus schedules. Most people under retirement age are
away working in the tourist industry, returning only at weekends and during winter.
Ialyssos
Summer Tues-Sat 8am-7.10pm, Sun 8.30am-2.40pm; winter Tues-Sun 8.30am-2.40pm • €3
From the scanty acropolis of ancient
Ialyssos
, 10km southwest of Rhodes Town on
flat-topped Filérimos hill, Süleyman the Magnificent directed the 1522 siege of
Rhodes. Filérimos means “lover of solitude”, after tenth-century Byzantine hermits
who dwelt here;
Filérimos monastery
is the most substantial structure. Directly in front
of the church sprawl the foundations of third-century temples to Zeus and Athena,
built atop a far older Phoenician shrine.
Petaloúdhes
Daily: May-Sept 9am-6pm; April & Oct 9am-5pm • Oct to mid-June free, mid-June to Sept €5
The one “tourist attraction” in the island's interior,
Petaloúdhes
(“Butterfly Valley”), is
reached by a 7km side road that bears inland between Paradhísi and Theológos. It's actually
a rest stop for Jersey tiger moths, which congregate here between mid-June and September,
attracted for unknown reasons by the abundant
Liquidambar orientalis
trees growing
abundantly in this stream canyon. The moths, which roost in droves on the tree trunks
and cannot eat during this final phase of their life cycle, rest to conserve energy, and die of
