Romantic in Rhodes Island

Rhodes suits couples for practical reasons: the island is big enough that a week passes without repeating a route, and settled enough that nothing has to be planned far ahead. The west coast faces the open sea, so sunsets are visible straight from the road — unlike the east, where the sun slips behind the mountains. The evening island tour is built around exactly that: up to a viewpoint at the right hour, dinner in a hill village, and back after dark.

The sea serves the same purpose. A cruise along the east coast makes for bays no road approaches and anchors for a swim beside the rocks; on a calm day the water there is clear to the bottom. The day trip to Symi is probably the most scenic move of all: a town of ochre facades rising in tiers from the harbour, noticeably fewer visitors than on Rhodes, and a return crossing that lands squarely in the evening light.

For anyone who would rather not lose time to logistics there are private transfers from the airport and back — on this island that is not a luxury but a way of not starting the holiday in a taxi queue. And if you would rather share an activity than just a view, a first scuba dive fits: an instructor, the gear, and a shallow bay where you see just enough underwater to want a second go.