A Rhodes all inclusive catamaran cruise fits a sail along the east coast, swim stops, a lunch buffet and drinks on board into one day at sea. For more days out around the country, look through the full range of tours in Greece.
This page covers what the cruise includes, how the day runs, why cruises on Rhodes use a catamaran, the start at Mandraki Harbour, the bays on the route, the east coast of Rhodes and the questions travellers ask.
What does a Rhodes all inclusive catamaran cruise include?
A Rhodes all inclusive catamaran cruise includes lunch from a buffet, with drinks served on the boat. Guests also get time in the sea to swim, snorkel and sunbathe. One operator lists the lunch buffet and the drinks as part of the cruise itself.
The food comes first. On the day cruise of that operator, the lunch buffet holds Mediterranean, seafood and vegetarian dishes. The crew prepares and serves everything on board. The operator also says guests taste homemade Mediterranean cooking, fresh fruit and Greek wine during the cruise.
Every Rhodes all inclusive catamaran cruise sets its own list of food and drinks. Read the offer before you book. Another operator runs a six-hour all inclusive day cruise on a motor boat, not a catamaran. Its open bar serves beer, wine, soft drinks and water, and an iced cocktail of the day.
That second operator adds a Greek barbecue lunch, an hour with hot dogs, and chocolate waffles. It also serves a light breakfast and an iced frappe coffee when guests step on board. It states that all drinks are for use on the boat.
The sea itself is part of every Rhodes all inclusive catamaran cruise. One operator invites guests to swim, snorkel, dive and sunbathe under the Rhodian sun. Another operator says masks and noodles wait on board for free use, and that snorkelling equipment is there for guests.
A trained crew completes a Rhodes all inclusive catamaran cruise. One operator says its crew members are highly trained and certified for their positions. The crew also knows the waters around Rhodes and the Aegean Sea.
How does a Rhodes all inclusive catamaran cruise run?
A Rhodes all inclusive catamaran cruise runs as one day on the water. The boat leaves port and follows the east coast of Rhodes. It stops in bays for swimming, serves lunch on board, and then returns to the harbour.
Start with the harbour. One operator begins its sunset cruise at Mandraki Harbour and sails to Kallithea Springs for a swim. A different operator sends a wooden caique on its day cruise from Mandraki Port. Each Rhodes all inclusive catamaran cruise has its own sailing details, so check the start point in the offer.
The day cruise of one operator is built for views, swimming, snorkelling and a lunch buffet served on board. It follows the east coast of Rhodes, which that operator calls unique. The bays along the way give guests places to swim.
The six-hour motor boat cruise of another operator gives a clear picture of a long day. It leaves at 10 in the morning every day, and guests arrive 30 minutes earlier. Its swim stops are Traganou Caves at Afantou Bay, Anthony Quinn Bay and Kallithea.
At Anthony Quinn Bay, that operator gives guests a full hour. They swim and snorkel, then enjoy drinks and the barbecue lunch.
A shorter trip is the catamaran sunset cruise of a third operator. It lasts 90 minutes and leaves Kolymbia Harbour. The boat goes down the east coast to Tsambika Bay and anchors there. Guests swim in the clear water. The open bar serves wine, beer, soft drinks and Aperol Spritz. It sails on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday evenings.
Weather decides the final route. Another operator lets the captain alter the route and the swim stops, following the weather and the Harbour Master's instructions. So a Rhodes all inclusive catamaran cruise can visit different bays from one day to the next.
What is a catamaran, and why do cruises on Rhodes use one?
A catamaran is a vessel with a pair of equal hulls side by side. Set wide apart, the hulls keep it steady, and this build carries every Rhodes all inclusive catamaran cruise.
The distance between the two hulls resists rolling and overturning, and the boat needs no ballast. Its wide stance also reduces heeling and the motion caused by waves. This calm ride helps on a Rhodes all inclusive catamaran cruise, where one operator serves a lunch buffet on board.
The part that joins the hulls differs from boat to boat. It can be a simple frame, or a bridging structure that holds cabins and cargo space. The deck of a Rhodes all inclusive catamaran cruise sits on that structure. The Austronesian peoples invented catamarans. The name goes back to a Tamil word, kattumaram, meaning a raft of bound logs.
The boats on the island are not all alike. For a Rhodes all inclusive catamaran cruise, one operator runs sailing catamarans and power catamarans. A sailing catamaran moves by sail, while a power catamaran runs on engines. Another operator lists a catamaran that carries up to 25 guests.
The boat on a Rhodes all inclusive catamaran cruise therefore changes from one company to the next. Both the hull type and the guest numbers belong to the operator, so read the listing of your own tour.
Where does a Rhodes catamaran cruise start?
A Rhodes all inclusive catamaran cruise can start at Mandraki. This is the island’s oldest port, set in the heart of Rhodes city. One operator begins its catamaran sunset cruise from Mandraki Harbour.
Rhodes has five ports, and three of them lie in Rhodes city. Ships with cruise passengers and international ferries use the Central Port. Kolona serves traffic between the Dodecanese islands, and Akandia handles domestic and cargo traffic.
Mandraki also holds the municipal marina. Day boats set out from there for the coast running south, with Lindos at its far end. Another operator sends a wooden caique day cruise from Mandraki Port. A Rhodes all inclusive catamaran cruise that leaves Mandraki therefore starts in the city centre.
The streets around the harbour hold more than boats. In the nineteen twenties, the Italian city plan put a new quarter in the Mandraki zone. The governor’s palace, the Market and a cathedral named for Saint John of the Knights line the main sea promenade. The architects blended Ottoman, Venetian, Renaissance and local features.
The Old Town, called the Medieval City of Rhodes, lies inside the capital. It sits inside a wall of 4 km, and UNESCO gave the town World Heritage status in nineteen eighty-eight. The Knights Hospitaller built the whole high town, in the north.
Their Grand Master’s Palace is a medieval castle in the city of Rhodes, and today it is a museum. Before or after a Rhodes all inclusive catamaran cruise, the walled town belongs to the same city.
Mandraki also carries a legend. Locals think the Colossus of Rhodes stood near the two pillars at the port entrance. The bronze statue was about 32 metres tall. After 54 years on its base, an earthquake broke it at the knees.
Scholars agree it never straddled the harbour, and its exact site is still debated. The Fortress of St Nicholas stands near the harbour entrance. A boat leaving Mandraki for a Rhodes all inclusive catamaran cruise sails out through that entrance.
Which bays does a Rhodes all inclusive catamaran cruise visit?
A Rhodes all inclusive catamaran cruise swims at bays on the east coast. The beach pages of one operator name Afandou, Ladiko Bay, Anthony Quinn Bay and Kallithea Springs.
On a Rhodes all inclusive catamaran cruise, Anthony Quinn Bay is easy to place. It lies about 4.3 kilometres south of Faliraki. The actor bought land there while shooting The Guns of Navarone on Rhodes. The bay carries his name. Another operator describes emerald-green water and rocky surroundings, with a full hour for swimming, snorkelling and lunch.
Afandou is the next name on the list for a Rhodes all inclusive catamaran cruise. One operator calls it a big sand-and-pebble beach, well organised, with quiet spots as well. An 18-hole golf course lies not far from it, the only one on the island. A reference article ranks its beach among the longest on Rhodes.
Ladiko Bay sits north of the Faliraki area. One Rhodes all inclusive catamaran cruise operator lists it among the beaches to explore. It writes of deep blue water with green hills around the gulf. Those hills overlook the beach.
Kallithea Springs lies in the bay of Kallithea, 9 kilometres from the city of Rhodes. The operator calls it a good place to swim and snorkel. The Kallithea area also holds the resort of Faliraki.
Another operator lists Traganou Caves at Afandou Bay, Anthony Quinn Bay and Kallithea as its swimming stops. A third operator names the same three places for its day cruise. Plans for a Rhodes all inclusive catamaran cruise can shift. The first of them lets the captain amend the route and swim stops.
What is the east coast of Rhodes like?
A Rhodes all inclusive catamaran cruise follows the east coast. It runs south from Rhodes Town past the resort of Faliraki and the village of Afandou. The shore is rocky.
The whole island is shaped like a spearhead. Its coastline runs for about 220 kilometres. Pine and cypress forests cover the mountainous interior. The highest peak, Mount Attavyros, rises to 1,216 metres. A Rhodes all inclusive catamaran cruise shows you stone, trees and sea from the deck. The island is 79.7 kilometres long.
Kallithea is a former municipality in the northeast of Rhodes, directly below the city. The resort of Faliraki lies inside it. Faliraki is about 14 kilometres south of Rhodes Town and has a 5-kilometre stretch of sand. Its fishing harbour, St Apostolos, is where day cruisers leave for beaches, Rhodes Town and Lindos. Boats unload fish there each morning.
Afandou and the resort of Kolympia lie farther south on the same coast. Afandou is a village of nearly 7,000 people, and Kolympia belongs to the same municipal unit. A two-lane road follows the shore from Rhodes Town to Kallithea and Faliraki. A Rhodes all inclusive catamaran cruise covers the same stretch by sea.
On a Rhodes all inclusive catamaran cruise, the water changes colour from bay to bay. Ladiko Bay has deep blue water. Anthony Quinn Bay is emerald green. A different operator sails its catamaran from Kolymbia Harbour down the east coast at sunset. The 90-minute trip runs on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday evenings and anchors in Tsambika Bay for a swim.
What else do travellers ask about a Rhodes all inclusive catamaran cruise?
Which islands does Rhodes belong to?
No island of the Dodecanese is larger than Rhodes. A Rhodes all inclusive catamaran cruise starts from the main island of the group. The group counts 15 bigger islands plus 150 smaller islands. They lie in the south-eastern Aegean, next to the Anatolian coast.
The Greek name means “twelve islands”. By size, Rhodes ranks ninth among the Mediterranean islands. Kos and Patmos follow Rhodes in historical importance within the group.
Is the Old Town of Rhodes worth a visit before or after the cruise?
Yes, the Medieval City of Rhodes is a good land stop around a Rhodes all inclusive catamaran cruise. It sits on the UNESCO World Heritage list, added in the nineteen eighties. A wall about 4 kilometres long runs around it.
The upper town in the north of the old city is their work. They made Rhodes their headquarters and stayed on the island for two centuries. Greece holds little Gothic architecture, and the Grand Master’s Palace, a medieval castle, is one example.
Which sea does the cruise sail on?
The cruise sails on the Aegean Sea, an elongated arm of the Mediterranean between the Balkans and Anatolia. It covers about 215,000 square kilometres. Rhodes is one of the islands that bound the sea on its southern edge.
The water under a Rhodes all inclusive catamaran cruise is deep. Just west of Karpathos the seabed drops to 2,639 metres. Summer water in the top 40 to 50 metres measures between 19 and 24 degrees Celsius.
Do I need my own mask on a Rhodes all inclusive catamaran cruise?
Snorkel gear matters on a Rhodes all inclusive catamaran cruise with swim stops. One operator lists swimming and snorkelling in the Aegean as part of its day cruise. Ask the operator about the gear when you book.
One motor boat operator, not a catamaran, keeps masks and noodles, the long foam floats, on board for free use. A star mark in its listing ties the free masks and noodles to its swim and snorkel stops.
What do I bring on board for a Rhodes all inclusive catamaran cruise?
The operators cover the food, the drinks and the snorkel gear on a Rhodes all inclusive catamaran cruise. One operator includes a lunch buffet and drinks in its cruise.
Guests of that operator are told to be at the boat half an hour ahead of departure.
That operator also states a rule for the weather. The captain reserves the right to change the route and the swim stops. The weather and the harbour master decide.