Today was day trip to Symi, which is an island just north of Rhodes. I picked the 2nd day of our trip to do this because we're going to rent a car the rest of the time after today.
So, is Symi worth it? Well, it's not pricey to go. Roundtrip ticket from local boat operator Nikolaos X is just 20 euros. But there's not too much to see/do on the tour itself. It is picturesque though. I would say only come if you need to kill time or if you've never seen other European towns where they have colorful houses stacked on top of each other.
The pick up time is at 9 am from Mandraki Harbor in Rhodes. Get there early (like 8:15-830) if you want prime seats on the boat. The boat is high speed and had good bathroom facilities. The ride was smooth the whole time. The first stop is at Panormitis, which houses a monastery. I'm not a religious person so this was not too interesting to me. The boat arrives there at 10:40 and leaves at 11:40. You can walk around the harbor which is nice to see but not much else going on.
Heading into Panormitis
The monastery
Then after another hour, we finally arrive in the downtown area of Symi. It is very quaint and full of tourist shops and restaurants.
Symi
As pretty as it looks, something seems lacking. Maybe it's just too small or quiet? Also the meal we had here for lunch was pricier than the one in Old Town. It was good but not that much better. However if you do choose to come, Taverna Spitiko had friendly service and good souvlaki.
After eating, we walked back and forth a couple of times to kill time til the 4 pm pick up. You can also hike up to the top for an overview of the city but the stairs didn't appeal to us!
White hot stairs
So clear
Got back to Rhodes at 5:45 pm and then took a shower at the hotel. Afterwards we wandered around to find dinner and came across the #1 rated place on Trip Advisor, Tamam. We saw a line and almost didn't get on it. But because there are NO other restaurants that have a line, we figured lets try it. SO glad we did!!!!! We only waited 30 minutes but the time passed quickly. The owner, who is Greek and used to ice in Astoria, Queens, NY for ten years, offers a glass of wine to everyone on line!!!! And it was delcious. They called it summer wine and it had peaches in it. I liked it so much I ordered one for dinner too.
Anyway the hype for this place is worth it. Best meal we had so far. Not traditional Greek but more modern. I had the BBQ pork ribs which were sooo tasty and juicy. Probably one of the better ribs I've ever had anywhere. We also tried the garlic prawns which were fantastic. I wouldn't mind coming back here for lunch! They don't take rsvps and the place is small so get here early to eat. No foodie pics because we ended up inviting a woman dining alone on line with us and she was Swedish and I didn't want to be rude or weird her out by taking too many pics!