The TimesDon’t be deterred by the location: it may be set well back from the beach have planes descending overhead and very little of note on its doorstep but absolutely none of that matters once you’ve checked into Cook’s Club Ialysos With established gardens and thorough screenings of olive this youth-orientated hotel feels nicely cocooned from its surroundings The relative isolation means that nobody complains when the volume cranks up and fills the pool deck with laid-back beats until well after sunset these upbeat vibes come with boho-chic styling and excellent value for money Become a subscriber and along with unlimited digital access to The Times and The Sunday Times you can enjoy a collection of travel offers and competitions curated by our trusted travel partners Score 8/10Standard rooms are spread across the two three-storey buildings flanking the central they’re configured for double or triple occupancy to meet the needs of the twenty and thirty-something clientele Decorated in oatmeal and chocolate tones with wood and wicker elements Bathrooms have walk-in showers and tiled floors that are pleasantly cool underfoot choose one of the bungalows; or go all-out and book the best rooms which have either a plunge pool or shared swimming pool Score 8/10The main ground-floor restaurant serves a breakfast buffet that’s big on fresh Greek flavours: spinach and feta pie plus cocktails such as Hunny I’m Home (with Rhodian honey wine) and Sour Gummy (”a childhood memory tainted with gin”) good-sized portions at very reasonable prices the restaurant’s upstairs terrace features an international menu including calamari Stick around for a slice of the culture-crossing baklava cheesecake • More great hotels in Rhodes• Best villas in Rhodes Score 8/10The big draw here is the pool deck with its loungers and beanbags for sunbathing or hammocks strung among the pines for when it gets too hot Fringed by stone walls and cypress trees from which cicadas pump out continuous white noise it’s a singularly attractive space with an all-day atmosphere and a credible playlist Completing the facilities are an open-air gym and a spa with affordable massages There are weekly events from yoga classes to a Greek evening buffet — but it’s the pool parties (with DJ sets) that really make this property shine Score 7/10Cook’s Club is located between Ialysos and Kremasti: two villages on the road connecting Rhodes Town to the airport. It’s a 15-minute walk to the nearest beach: a wild strip of shingly sand that, being on the breezier west coast of Rhodes offers wind winging and kitesurfing lessons The resort facilities of forgettable Ialysos are a half-hour walk away but far more appealing is Rhodes Town (20 minutes by taxi bars and restaurants of its marvellous medieval quarter beach clubs and views across the sea to Turkish mountains Price B&B doubles from £72Restaurant mains from £8Family-friendly NAccessible N James Litston was a guest of Cook’s Club Ialysos (cooksclub.com) • Best Greek islands to visit• Best Greek islands for families Sign up to the Times Travel newsletter for weekly inspiration, advice and deals here LBV Magazine English Edition A team of researchers from the Illinois State University and the University of California at San Diego conducted a detailed study of a set of artifacts discovered in the early 20th century by Italian archaeologists on the island of Rhodes These curious flat-convex glass objects mounted on bronze rings could be some of the earliest known examples of magnifying lenses from the ancient Mediterranean world The discovery site was the archaeological site of the Temple of Athena in the acropolis of Ialysos one of the three most important cities of Rhodes before 323 B.C an Italian archaeological mission excavated offering deposits in natural caves south and west of the temple Among the numerous recovered objects was a set of eight flat-convex glass artifacts surrounded by bronze rings with handles Dating suggests that these objects came from deposits of the late Geometric period or early Archaic period (750-700 B.C.) based on other pieces found in the same context This set stands out from other similar artifacts discovered in the eastern Mediterranean due to the unique presence of glass artifacts the team conducted a detailed optical analysis of the artifacts giving them theoretical magnifications of 8.3 to 13.2 times They also tested their ability to resolve fine details in a resolution test chart and modern bills the best artifacts could discern details impossible to see with the naked eye Other evidence suggests that the artifacts were specifically designed to be mounted on rings They have a protrusion that fits perfectly into the narrowest part of the bronze handle The marks on the handles seem to correlate with image quality with better resolution artifacts having fewer marks The researchers conclude that they indeed functioned as rudimentary magnifying lenses they would be some of the earliest known magnifying lenses from the ancient world This would have implications for understanding the development of optical technology and craftsmanship at the time Given their sophisticated craftsmanship for the time it is likely that Phoenician artisans with knowledge of glasswork present in Rhodes and neighboring Aegean islands The Phoenicians were great sailors and traders who transmitted their knowledge to Mediterranean peoples Rhodes had significant development in glasswork during the Mycenaean period which continued in later periods thanks to Phoenician influence It would not be unreasonable to think that Phoenician glassworkers and lapidaries based in Rhodes could have developed these early optical instruments One may wonder for what purpose they would have been made The modest magnification they provided would have already been an advantage over the naked eye crafts could have developed and perfected even further This discovery adds another piece to the puzzle of the origins of optics in antiquity It demonstrates that at least in some more advanced Mediterranean cultures rudimentary optical tools were known and manufactured before the Hellenistic period Georgia Tsouvala, Lee L. Brice, Alex Papen, George Papen, Quantitative characterization of archaic magnifying lenses from Ialysos, Rhodes. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, vol.53, February 2024, 104320. doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2023.104320 Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email. Archaeologists from universities in the United States and Denmark found, deep within the Actun Uayazba Kab cave in Belize, two small stone tools dated between 250 and 900 AD that… For centuries in China, men and women gathered to play a game called Cuju. Considered an ancient form of soccer, a pastime, but also a political tool, it played a… A team of researchers has succeeded in recreating for the first time in a laboratory experiment a phenomenon that until now only existed as a theory in the realm of… As part of a major construction project, the Cantonal Archaeology of Aargau carried out a rescue excavation between early May 2024 and the end of March 2025. This significantly expanded… The Egyptian archaeological mission affiliated with the Supreme Council of Antiquities announced the discovery of a group of defensive structures, military barracks, and a system of moats that could indicate… In the southeastern area of the city of Rome, archaeologists excavating inside the Triton Baths, built in the 2nd century A.D. within the monumental complex of the Villa di Sette… Why did some animals from ancient eras become fossils, while others simply disappeared without a trace? The answer, at least in part, may lie within their own bodies, according to… A recent study on the cave paintings of the Altamira Cave in Santillana del Mar, Cantabria (Spain) has concluded that some of the artworks it contains could be much older… A team of paleontologists from the University of Leicester has managed to decipher one of the many enigmas of the dinosaur era—the exact moment when pterosaurs, the large and unsettling… Throughout its long history, Rome achieved numerous military victories that allowed it to grow, expand, and dominate nearly the entire known world in Antiquity. But it also suffered defeats, and… Receive our news and articles in your email for free. You can also support us with a monthly subscription and receive exclusive content. Classic rock melodies by Eric Clapton and Deep Purple drift from a shaded courtyard in the seaside town of Ialysos on the northern coast of Rhodes as Jake gently strums his guitar. It’s his way of finding comfort, and of thanking Irini Papastamati for opening her home to him and his family after they fled the wildfires roaring across the southeastern Aegean island since last week. “We’re all rockers, so it’s been a great match,” he says, as his family and their hosts have breakfast – yogurt, custard pudding and milk were the first things Papastamati’s daughters went out to buy when she told them she was bringing a family of Britons home from a makeshift evacuee shelter in Ialysos. Jake, his wife, their two children and their grandparents were on holiday in Lardo when the fire approached and they were evacuated, along with dozens of other tourists and residents, in an army truck and taken to the Ialysos stadium. Papastamati and her husband were there with other locals bringing food, supplies and support. When she saw the tourists flocking in and lying down on mattresses on the floor, she decided to open up her home. Her first visitors were an Austrian couple with triplets who spent one night in her house before catching their flight home. “There were tears in our eyes when we said goodbye at the airport. We felt close to them after just a day,” she says. Papastamati returned to the stadium a few hours later and came back home with Jake and his family. “They are so happy with the hospitality of the locals, but extremely disappointed with their tour operators and the government, because they don’t see them doing anything. We’re relying on volunteers and solidarity. We try to help wherever there’s a need. That’s what we did in 2015 with the refugees from Syria too. It’s the only thing to do,” Papastamati tells Kathimerini, going on to describe the flood of emotions she and her family have been feeling. “We’re sad because they will all return to their countries, but we will be here, in the ashes. Our island was paradise and now it’s hell. I’ve been crying for days. We’ve all been crying. It’s a nightmare. We feel like we’re under attack,” she adds. “At the end of the day, all we have is our humanity,” adds Michos, who suffered heatstroke after two grueling shifts at the shelter and is taking a small break from hosting anyone else at his home after the German couple left. “I will be taking in more people, though; for sure. It’s such a simple thing, it doesn’t require a second thought.” Sofia (who asked that her last name not be published) also hosted a German family at her home in Rhodes town. “They were completely lost at first, but they relaxed once they came here, were able to have a shower and we all sat down together for a meal. We did not say goodbye at the airport, because they promised to return,” she says. Her voice cracks as she goes on. “Our island is ruined. It’s heartbreaking. How are we going to make it right? Nature, the trees, the animals, our olive trees, farms, it’s all gone, ruined.” Despite her grief, she plans to keep taking in evacuees. “It’s the first time I’ve done something like this, and I don’t regret it.” “There was nothing else to be done,” says Kaiti Paraskeva who opened up the kindergarten she runs in Ialysos to tourists fleeing the fires. “My only thought was how many I could take in and sleep with a modicum of dignity. I didn’t want to pack them in. I only asked that I be able to host families with younger children who could use the facilities,” she tells Kathimerini. Many of her guests spent the first night on mattresses laid out in the garden of a nearby hotel. “It’s lovely here,” says a 6-year-old girl with childish enthusiasm. She’s the only one who isn’t in shock. The people staying at the kindergarten – Swiss, German and Greek tourists – had fled in terror, unable even able to pack their belongings. They need time to calm down. Some parents sought a corner where they could not be seen by their children to cry. “We try to give them what they need, without imposing on them,” says Paraskeva. “We’re making up for the state’s lack of organization. Everyone on Rhodes, the entire island, is doing everything they can to help.” Enter your information below to receive our weekly newsletters with the latest insights, opinion pieces and current events straight to your inbox. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Cars piled up following Storm Bora in the Ialysos area of Rhodes in Greece. Photo: Reuters Torrential rains flooded homes, businesses and roads in the popular Greek tourist island of Rhodes yesterday, forcing authorities to temporarily ban the use of vehicles as Storm Bora pounded the country for a second day. On Saturday, a man died in flash floods that hit another Greek island in the northern Aegean. The fire service received more than 650 calls to pump water out of flooded buildings on Rhodes and evacuated 80 people to ­safer ground, with the town of Ialysos hit the hardest. Join the Irish Independent WhatsApp channel One further person is still missing and Greek rescue services are continuing their search The missing person is understood to be a teacher who was in a car that had became stranded in the flood water One person died in the tragedy while rescue services managed to get to save the third passenger caused major flooding in several parts of the island The Greek meteorological service said that around 173mm of rain had fallen in the short period One of the worst affected areas was the northern town of Ialysos Further rain fell on Saturday and although weather conditions returned to normal on Sunday Greek forecasters believe further heavy rainfall can be expected from today The floods caused temporary power cuts across the island and several of the island’s roads were damaged Early estimates say the flooding has caused around 5 million euros of damage The local emergency services received around 140 calls in the aftermath of the floods A state of emergency was declared in the worst affected areas of the island. A Super Puma rescue helicopter and further rescue personnel had to be called in on Saturday 23 November. Rhodes was struck by flash floods in October this year No casualties were reported during this incident however The video report below (in Greek) shows some striking images of the floods Richard Davies is the founder of floodlist.com and reports on flooding news Cookies | Privacy | Contacts © Copyright 2025 FloodList To continue reading this article you must log in If you've never set a password you may need to register for free here and get unlimited access TTG Media Limited.Place of registration: England and Wales.Company number 08723341.Registered address: 2-6 Boundary Row The Cook’s Club hotel brand is launching two new adults only (+16) hotels on the idyllic Greek islands of Rhodes and Corfu in 2022 The Cook Club’s Ialysos Rhodes will be an 83-room hotel The opening of Ialysos Rhodes comes following the 2019 launch of the Cook Club’s first hotel on the island Hristos Mihalakis, owner of Cook’s Club Ialysos Rhodes, noted to Travel that he has found the right partner for the type of hotel he wants to create as its philosophy incorporates experience sharing and celebration of the moment offered the Cook’s Club team the opportunity to apply its concept to every aspect of the project the five-star Gouvia-based Cook’s Club Corfu The company announced that it is seeking managers The addition of the two hotels on Rhodes and Corfu increases the Cook’s Club hotels presence in Greece to five in total It also runs a further five hotels in Turkey READ MORE: Elves, Nutcrackers and Santa Claus: The Christmas Villages of Greece