Rhodes

Rhodes, the largest of the Dodecanese islands, attracts visitors back year after year. Many love the huge number of super beaches, more than 30 with Blue Flag quality status. Delightful Old Rhodes Town has a labyrinth of narrow, cobblestoned streets, full of boutiques, bars and restaurants and you step into history as you go through one of the medieval city wall gates. One of the highlights is Street of the Knights, dating back more than 500 years to when the crusading Knights of St John ruled the city. For watersports, head down to the beach and hire a windsurf board to make the most of the warm breeze.

Halki

A quest for the holy grail of Greece is a constant challenge for some holidaymakers. They seek a place where time really has stood still, where what is often described as “authentic Greece” still thrives and where friendly locals welcome visitors like long lost friends.

Maybe the tiny Dodecanese island of Halki is that place.

Arriving at the blissful little port of Emborios sets the scene.  Pastel-coloured houses with red-tiled roofs cluster around the horseshoe-shaped bay.  Taverna tables are sprinkled along the quayside where colourful boats bob.

So what’s there?

Several beaches.  Three have tavernas, sunshades and sunbeds. Two of those are only a short walk from town. There are other more remote beaches.  A mini-bus and boats go to the beaches. 

A deserted town. About 3,000 people lived in Horio on the castle hill when Halki was a rich centre of sponge fishing. That bubble burst in the 19^thcentury and people gradually left until Horio became a ghost town of ruined houses, a school and church.

And more. Monasteries, churches and chapels, some in ruins. A warm aquamarine sea. A spine of hills and mountains. A church with a huge bell tower.  Stone walls, goat pens, fig trees, wild herbs and prickly pear trees. A clock tower with four clock faces, none working.

So yes, Halki is the place where time stands still. It could be the relaxing getaway you’ve been dreaming about.