If there is one island that is considered the epitome of the Greek tourism industry, as it is essentially where Greek tourism began a century ago, it is Rhodes. 

The Island of the Sun and the Knights was the pioneering force of tourism in Greece, thanks to its infrastructure during the Italian occupation. Rhodes was an important holiday destination for the Italian conquerors. They built major holiday facilities here. This island is essentially the classic of Greek tourism and all other tourist destinations have followed in its footsteps.  

The people of Rhodes, familiar with the diversity of cultures and their genuine hospitality towards foreign visitors, have transformed and developed their island's tourism industry. Despite the sometimes excessive development of tourism, it remains the island with the largest number - in proportion to its population - of luxury hotels offering the ultimate 'Greek summer' to millions of visitors every year.

But what makes Rhodes so unique that everyone wants to visit and holiday here? No, we won't go into the clichés here, such as the many beautiful beaches and the vibrant nightlife. For such a famous and cosmopolitan island, that goes without saying. We'll just give you our spontaneous impressions, what comes out of a visit to the island and what sticks in our minds.

We've picked out three things that characterise this unique island for us, encompassing everything we were looking for and found in Rhodes.