About us
We believe in alternative ways of discovering the world. We have a deep respect for customs and mores, an environmental awareness and admiration for the landscape. Motivated by these things, we take our guests on a tour of certain alternative aspects of our ‘home’ and enjoy the ride with them.
Far from the fast-paced rhythm of contemporary day-to-day life, the action trails we select are an ideal means of escape and guarantee that you will return revitalised, with an amazing sense of well-being.
In addition to taking guests around the well-known sights on Rhodes, a cosmopolitan island popular with tourists, we discover untouched land where the scenery alternates rapidly under the deep blue of the Greek sky, beside charming beaches and crystal clear waters.
Responsible tourism policy
- Alternative holidays
- Eco friendly transportation
- Local team
- Greek hospitality
Economic responsibility
Local staff
Rhodes Roads isbasedon Rhodes island and is ownedby locals. All members of our team come from Rhodes or are residents in Rhodes and have gone native. They work with Rhodes Roads because they consider their “work” enjoyment by exploring alternative routes and meeting up with new friends.
Local resources
We cooperate with small family-run accommodation, local restaurants and locally owned establishments for all our services (transfer, shopping, bike repair, food, cultural trips). All our partners are non-chain enterprises, active only in Rhodes, that contribute to local economy. We use local resources not only for economical reasons but to offer our guests authentic experiences by interacting with inhabitants of the island. By choosing alternative routes and spots on the island, we visit traditional shops at remote villages untouched by massive tourism of Rhodes and we support economy of the area. We encourage our guests to shop from village shops and from individual crafts-people.
Non peak tourist season
We conduct our cycling holidays all year long since winter is not winter in Rhodes. We contribute to economic development while massive tourism is absent and we promote Rhodes as a destination for all seasons. At the same time we are the lucky ones to experience a different image of the island.
Donations
We sponsor events with added cultural value by providing our bikes and guides. We promote use of bike by organizing cycling tours as an add-on to events, like Open Doors, Tourism Day, School outings, Day tours by local associations.Part of our yearly income is donated to support Cat Sanctuary at Kalithea Spa, by Rhodes Animal Welfare Society.
Environmental responsibility
Bike use
We exploit bike use for our alternative holidays in Rhodes. Even though we sometimes cycle in NATURA protected areas, our bikes as non mechanical vehicles do not disturb flora and fauna. Our small vehicles that are nearby for support can easily follow existing paths and our operations do not result in construction of new roads that facilitate access of larger vehicles. We have a lot of happy encounters with animals on our way but we never interfere with nature.
Small group size
Our small group size allows us to use only jeeps and minivans. We do not use larger vehicles like coaches. We keep our travels eco-friendly, easy in rural areas we visit and social on the going. Cultural awareness. Our guests are well informed before their trip and before each route about the history, geology and cultural significance of the area. They always adjust happily to physical and social environment. We visit “off the beaten track” spots and we enjoy genuine interactions with locals. In addition, we offer Greek language and cuisine lessons. Our guests get a real insight into Rhodian and Greek life style.
Minimum transportation needs
We have limited our guests’ transportation needs by providingthem with a bike during their stayand bypaying particular attention to thelocation of our accommodation.There are manyfacilities in walking distance and allcycling activity is nearby accomodation. Even when we use our jeeps or minivans to transfer guests to «must-see» sites on the island, we travel as group -enjoying company and using every seat in our vehicles. Our guests do not need and never rent a car during their holidays.
Environmentally friendly accommodation
Our accommodation has adopted schemes like Solar energy, Durable Service Items, Reduction of water and energy consumption, Recycle bins.
Paper consumption
We have limited our paper publications to the minimum and we use only recycled paper for them. All our leaflets are available in electronic form for online viewing. We use only email to communicate with our guests and we do not use paper prints or mailing envelopes. Moreover, we exploit social media for direct communication.
Social responsibility
Local culture
All our activities are organised by local people and involve tours in areas that areunknown to massive tourism, thus guarantee authentic local experiences. We have established close relationships with local people and there is a mutual respect for our activities. Although we profit from Rhodes Roads activities, we help local people profit by cooperating with businesses that are rarely visited by tourists. At the same time our guests profit by cultural encounters, by Greek hospitality and by experiencing real Greek life style.
Intercultural exchange
Small group size (along with visits to sites by the whole group) helps build up team spirit and socialise more. Moreover, small groups allow for more interaction between tour leaders and guests themselves, leading to intercultural exchanges. Greek language and cuisine lessons is an excellent chance to see deep in Greek culture and tradition, since you can tell a lot about the lifestyle of a country by seeing how they eat. Learning to communicate in Greek and cooking local delicacies have definitely added cultural value.
After many years of taking foreign friends around Rhodes and exploring it with them, we discovered and learned much about the island through the eyes of our foreign friends.
Leaving behind Rhodes’ much frequented roads, we took to forgotten paths that served as the old social and trading network between the villages, paths used for agriculture and livestock farming, paths leading to pilgrimage sites and places of religious devotion … and in doing so we discovered ‘another’ Rhodes. This other, this alternative Rhodes is as equally impressive and stunning as the Rhodes everyone knows... it is a Rhodes dressed in the glorious simplicity of the Greek countryside.
Having acquired knowledge and skills, today we are proud to present our alternative Rhodes to potential friends around the globe who want to explore this island with us. We look forward to making new friends from all over the world and promise that you will experience unforgettable moments of relaxation and well-being in the hospitable Greek countryside.
Organisational structure
Rhodes Roads has an effective, efficient organisational structure in place. Its staff and managers are reliable, and strictly comply with the company’s bylaws. Our staff are not just members of a working team. Management treats them like members of the family.
This warm, family-focused management style ensures that our staff are always creative, open, cooperative and in a good mood. This climate gives our guests a sense of certainty and security, and reflects the warmth of Greek hospitality.
Our staff stand out for their passion for nature, cycling and the alternative side of Rhodes as well as for their passion for exploration, and their polite nature and leadership skills.
Our people
Dimitris is the CEO and General Manager. He is married with a daughter and two sons. He is a successful businessman and holds an MBA.
He loves nature and has been into cycling since childhood. Although he is from Athens, he loves Rhodes and was enchanted by the specific areas where Rhodes Roads organises its tours.
He decided to move to the specific area of Rhodes and share the beauty of the environment with as many old and new friends from around the world as he could by setting up Rhodes Roads.
His aim is to ensure that customer satisfaction levels remain high at all times; an aim he has achieved in all his previous business ventures. He loves Rhodes Roads as if it were his own family and for that reason his daughter already plays an active role in the business and he plans for both his sons to join the Rhodes Roads family once they come of age.
Stella is the very heart of the schedule and is the driving force behind Rhodes Roads’ operations. She has a daughter and has studied English Literature.
Originally from Rhodes, her family roots are in the area where Rhodes Roads operates. She is well-versed in Rhodes’ history and knows much about every corner of this island. She coordinates the group leaders who are responsible for our groups of guests. She resolves issues that might arise and ensures that all guests have a pleasant, comfortable stay. She teaches Greek to the guests herself and on all excursions and trips she is involved in narrates the history of the locality and Rhodes itself.
Her personal goal is to ensure that visitors to alternative Rhodes leave the island with a burning desire to return again the following summer. Stella has made friends with numerous people worldwide via Rhodes Roads and she plans to continue to increase that number year by year.
Zoe loves nature, cycling and hiking.
She leads the daily excursions and also coordinates Rhodes Roads’ other group leaders. Her role is to offer advice to guests about how to handle the cycles and to ensure that each route is not too tiring. Anyone who doesn’t know how to get up even the smallest of hills that form part of our daily rides will certainly manage to do it with Zoe's guidance.
Zoe and Stella also provide cooking classes where they will teach you some traditional Greek recipes so you can enjoy a taste of Greece until you return to Rhodes Roads. You're bound to have unforgettable holidays with Zoe and she will teach you a great deal about the history of this island and its natural environment.
Andreas has two kids and has studied German Literature. For many years he lived in Germany but in recent years moved back to Rhodes. He loves the landscapes of Eastern Rhodes and is primarily in charge of hospitality for our German guests.
He is exceptionally talented in narrating the history of Rhodes and the way he conducts tours during cycling rides is enchanting. He too has developed many friendships with guests who have stayed with us from time to time at Rhodes Roads, and many of them now opt to spend their holidays with us and with Andreas year in, year out.
Nestoras is a musician with a passion for cycling. He speaks English and really loves the dirt tracks of Southern Rhodes. He is fit and can help you overcome any possible difficulty you may meet on outings with him. He plays a lot of beach volleyball and Rhodes Roads has many guests who follow him every summer.
He's great at organising picnics for daily outings and there are plans to assign him a couple of cooking classes too.
Though he refuses point blank to reveal how, with such simple ingredients from the Greek soil, he manages to create such wonderful picnics.
Maya is Rhodes Roads' most recently recruited group leader. She speaks English and Russian.
She is becoming increasingly popular with our guest because she is young and coquettish. She is put in charge of younger, livelier guests and because of shared interests and age they quickly bond and it seems as if they've known each other for years. She may be young but she knows everything there is to know about mountain biking and can take groups on outings that are amazing because of her youthful energy and buzz.
We love to joke with her here at Rhodes Roads about when she’s getting married. The truth is that there have already been a lot of marriage proposals from guests at Rhodes Roads but she doesn't have marriage in mind quite yet.
Sakis graduated from the Sports Academy and is obsessed with cycling. He even cycles to work. Sakis has prepared the meal plan and along with Stella, the Operations Manager, has prepared by daily outings schedule.
His studies mean he is the member of the Rhodes Roads team perfectly poised to ensure guest safety, and he is responsible for final selection of their bikes. He analyses our guests’ body type and talks to them about their physical condition, offering them advice about how to avoid muscle and other physical injuries during the rides.
If a guest cannot follow the normal schedule from the outset or something arises during his stay, Sakis will ensure that a solution is found so that the guest can follow a different schedule tailored to that specific guest's needs. In addition to looking after our guests, our friends, Sakis also ensures that our bicycles remain in mint condition.
He chooses the bicycles in the Rhodes Roads fleet and ensures that the fleet of bicycles is regularly updated. He is also responsible for liaising with the factories that manufacture our favourite bike models.
