Afandou

The community of Afandou is at the centre of the municipality of the same name, which also includes Kolymbia and Archipoli. Beautiful long beaches, a verdant interior, and people who retain their local customs, simple manners and hospitality despite the big rise in tourist numbers over recent years, are just some of the factors which characterise the region.

Afandou once belonged to the ancient city-state of Ialysos and was the former municipality of Vrygindarioi. The village architecture conforms to the typical island style, and according to one story, it got its name after it relocated form an initial site close to the beach to an interior position where it could not be seen by the many pirates who constantly raided the coasts of Rhodes in the middle ages.

Well worth a visit are the chuch of the Virgin Mary, the museum, and the small factories making hand-made carpets. You might also like to walk along the small streets and eat in one of the many restaurants, or snack a sweet or pastry in the village square. Visitors lucky enough to participate in a wedding ceremony delight in these celebrations and the traditional way of life they represent. They can also catch the small train to the beach. Afandou beach is made up of tiny pebbles and the water is crystal clear. There are also all the usual water sports on offer and the beach is rightly one of the most popular on the island. Not far frm the beach is the important Byzantine church known as Katholiki, and the modern golf course is also close by. The road to the interior, from the beautiful seaside resort of Kolymbia, leads through a forest and along the banks of the Loutanis river before reaching Archipoli, a picturesque rural village. The route is ideal for walking or cycling. Just after the village, in a pine forest, is the ttanquil monastery of Agios Nektarios, where you can rest and sample the cool waters of the springs form the surrounding hills.