Lindos

Picture-perfect Lindos has it all - culture, romance, glamour and unspoilt nature. Combining a compact hillside village of whitewashed houses and a medieval-walled, hilltop acropolis containing an ancient Greek temple, this exclusive upmarket destination overlooks a deep circular bay of aquamarine sea rimmed by a lovely sand beach. The village is a maze of streets paved with black-and-white pebble-mosaics, and lined by houses built by wealthy sea captains and ship owners during the 17th and 18th centuries - whitewashed villas with elegant stone doorways and small internal courtyards. It's a delightful place to wander, being pedestrian-only and filled with cafes and souvenir shops. During the late-1960s, foreign artists, writers and musicians flocked here to escape the modern world, and some bought houses, including Pink Floyd's David Gilmour. Lindos became more commercial in the mid-1970s, but thankfully it was designated a national heritage site, and has hence been spared the ravages of modern development.

From mid-April to mid-October, tiny Lindos sees an influx of visitors from all over the globe. It is particularly loved by moneyed Brits and Italians, some of whom have bought houses there. Being such a romantic hideaway, it is popular with couples and is also considered an exclusive wedding destination. In addition, countless excursion buses bring hordes of day-trippers from other resorts across the island. It is more peaceful in the evenings, once the last bus has left.

Lindos lies on the east coast of the Greek island of Rhodes, on the Aegean Sea. It is located 47km (29 miles) south of Rhodes Town, the capital. Rhodes Town has an airport and is the island's main ferry port, lying 250km (135 nautical miles) east of the mainland port of Piraeus, Athens.

Lindos' acropolis is perched atop a 116m (380ft) hill, rising up above the Aegean Sea. The village's sheltered hillside position gives it some of the warmest temperatures in Greece. The nearby coastline is indented with a series of coves and rocky outcrops.

There are two beaches. North of town, in Lindos Bay, the lovely sandy Pallas Beach sits in a deep, sweeping cove, and is equipped with sun beds and umbrellas for hire, plus watersports facilities. It is very crowded in high season. South of town, St Paul's is a sand and pebble beach with sun beds and umbrellas for hire, sitting is a bay enclosed by steep rocks and named after the tiny whitewashed chapel of St Paul. The saint is said to have been shipwrecked here in the first century AD. There is a small nudist beach a few kilometres north of Lindos at Kalathos. In addition, taxi-boats run along the coast to other nearby beaches.

Lindos' crowning glory, literally, is the acropolis, perched up a 116m (380ft) hill above the village. Ancient Greek monuments, including a fourth-century BC Temple of Athina Lindia, are enclosed within the walls of an imposing 14th-century fortress, built by the Knights of St John to protect the island against the Turks.

Lindos' Pallas Beach is perfect for kids, offering soft sand and shallow water at a safe distance from any traffic. Most children will also be inspired by exploring the hilltop acropolis with its medieval walls and ancient Greek ruins. However, by and large Lindos is more geared towards couples on a romantic escape rather than children.

Lindos is home to some rather upmarket shops aimed at moneyed visitors. Typical buys include local ceramics (notably coloured plates bearing a deer, the symbol of Rhodes), Turkish-inspired carpets and kilims (flat woven rugs), and gold and silver jewellery. The path up to the acropolis is often lined by lace-makers selling their wares.

Below the floodlit acropolis, Lindos' nightlife centres on the cocktail bars and tavernas of the old town, many of which have rooftop terraces offering romantic sea views. Bars are obliged to lower the volume of the music after midnight. Below the old town, on the road down to Pallas Beach, there are two open-air clubs for late-night dancing, Nama and Acropolis, while a third, Amphitheatre, lies on the crest of the hill as one enters Lindos on the road from Kalathos.

Eateries fall into two main groups: the pricey restaurants and tavernas in the old town, many of which have rooftop terraces offering stunning sea views, and the more down-to-earth tavernas that line the sands of Pallas Beach in Lindos Bay. Greek cuisine with an emphasis on seafood predominates, but there are also several pizzerias and creperies.

The narrow winding streets of the old town are closed to traffic, so exploring is done on foot. If the hike up to the acropolis looks too steep, take a donkey ride from the main square just outside the town gate. There is a large car park is on the main road above the village; from here a small bus shuttles visitors down to the main square in front of the town gate. There are six buses per day to Rhodes Town, plus a boat departing early-morning and returning mid-afternoon.

Set in pinewoods, just 18km (11 miles) inland from Lindos, Tharri Monastery, with its church decorated with 14th-century frescoes, makes a pleasant short excursion. For a day trip, visit the island's elegant capital, Rhodes Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site contained within impressive medieval fortifications. The cobbled streets of the atmospheric old town lead through a labyrinth of souvenir shops and tavernas, across leafy squares overlooked by mosques with proud minarets, and up to the monumental 14th-century Palace of the Grand Masters. There are also organised one-day boat trips departing from Rhodes Town. These take visitors to either the unspoilt Greek island of Symi, northwest of Rhodes, or to Marmaris in Turkey to explore the bustling bazaar and the Marmaris Castle Museum above the harbour.

Book in for a night at Melenos Lindos (website: www.melenoslindos.com), Rhodes' first boutique hotel and the most expensive hideaway on the island. Designed by an architect and artist team, and built by local stonemasons and carpenters, it has 12 unique suites, each furnished with antiques from Greece, Turkey and the Middle East, plus an upmarket terrace restaurant.

Rhodes Airport (RHO)