The source for Starwood's Destination Greece news and promotions. Participating hotels: Hotel Grande Bretagne, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Athens, The Westin Athens Astir Palace Beach Resort, Arion, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, Athens, Sheraton Rhodes Resort, Rhodes, The Romanos, A Luxury Collection Hotel and Costa Navarino; The Westin Resort, Costa Navarino
From Rhodes, visit Symi Island for a taste of village life. With about 2500 residents, this quaint destination is bursting with charm. Many of the buildings have been restored to meet the approval of the Greek culture ministry and make for beautiful scenery. The harbour hosts beautiful wooden fishing boats and stone buildings on the water.
In the 3rd century BC, the fabled Colossus of Rhodes was built as an homage to the city's patron god, Helios. The gigantic bronze sculpture was over 100 feet tall and only stood for 56 years before it was destroyed by an earthquake. Now, nothing remains of the sculpture save its reputation as one of the seven ancient wonders of the world.
Medieval Europeans imagined the Colossus straddling Mandraki Harbor, gazing out over land and sea, though the general idea is that this position would have made the sculpture unstable. The most probable place for the Colossus is in the location of the current Palace of the Grand Master.
Visit the fabled spot of the Colossus, at modern Mandraki harbor, and admire the beautiful bronze deer - male and female - erected on either side of the harbor mouth.
Venture into the middle ages by visiting the 14th-century Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes. Established in Rhodes during the second crusades, it was built over the site of a Byzantine fortress and stood as a palace until the Ottoman occupation. Follow the Knights' Road up to the palace (now a museum), and investigate the architecture and artifacts housed inside. Lavish reminders of the palace's golden history await!