Monolithos to Kameiros

Rhodes's west coast is more forested, with fewer notable beaches than its eastern side. But what it lacks in sun beds it more than makes up for in history. This was once home to the most powerful city on the island, founded by early Dorian Greek settlers, and in later years its coastal castles, built by the industrious Knights of St. John, saw off Ottoman Turk soldiers in their tens of thousands. They may lie in ruins now, but staring out from their scattered stones, the whip of the sea air in your ears, beats any beachside martini. Inland from these windswept snatches of the past, the landscape turns more idyllic, and if you're looking to get away from the tourist hordes, you'll find peace and quiet among the sylvan scenery and sweeping vineyards.