Rhodes Beach Clubs: Where to Spend a Sunbed Day

What a Rhodes beach club day looks like

Most clubs on the island work as daytime places: you arrive mid-morning, take a lounger facing the water, swim between courses and leave before the evening crowd builds. The club is the base for the day, not the whole day. That leaves room for a village walk, a second beach or a late lunch elsewhere.

These clubs differ from resort lidos in one important way: the sand is public, and you pay for the comfort of a lounger, shade and service rather than for the beach itself. The bay itself stays open to anyone who walks down with a towel. Treat the club as an upgrade to a public beach rather than a gated one.

Prices, minimum spends and opening months vary by club and season, and the sources here do not set them out. Ask the club directly when you enquire, and confirm the sunbed rate before you settle in for the day.

Tambakio at St Paul's Bay

Tambakio sits in the small bay of St Paul's, a sheltered cove with turquoise water at the foot of the Lindos Acropolis on the east coast. The setting carries the day: a natural pool of a bay with the acropolis above it, which is why the site is one of the most photographed spots on the island. You come here for the swim and the view as much as the lounger.

The concept is boho-chic, with sun loungers facing the water, ample shade and a Mediterranean menu designed for lingering between swims. The atmosphere is tranquil rather than a party, which suits couples, swimmers and anyone who wants lunch to stretch across an afternoon. The cove is small, so the bay feels intimate and, on a busy day, full.

The surrounding headland frames the bay as a sheltered cove, but that is a description of the setting rather than a promise about conditions. Watch the flags and how the water behaves at the mouth of the bay before you swim out, and keep children close on the shelving edge.

Getting to St Paul's Bay

The usual approach is on foot: you walk down from Lindos village towards St Paul's Bay and reach the cove below. The climb back up is the part people forget, so carry water and leave the heaviest bag in the village. Wear shoes with grip rather than flip-flops for the path.

Because the cove has limited capacity, the site advises arriving early in high season. That advice is about the bay filling up rather than a formal booking system for the beach itself. Aim to be on the path down before the middle of the morning in July and August.

If you are driving, park in Lindos and walk down rather than expecting a car park at the water. The village lanes are tight in summer, so an early arrival helps with parking as much as with loungers.

Booking a sunbed or table at Tambakio

Tambakio takes enquiries through a request form that asks for your date, the number of people and the type of reservation. The club then assesses availability and conditions, and the reservation is not confirmed until the establishment accepts it directly. A submitted form is a request, not a hold on a lounger.

In practice that means you should wait for the club's own acceptance before you build the day around it, especially for a weekend in peak season. If you have not heard back, walking down early and asking at the bar is the fallback. Keep the confirmation with you in case there is a question at the entrance.

Mojito Beach Bar at Lachania

Mojito Beach Bar sits at Lachania village on the south coast, a few metres from a sandy-pebbled beach. The formula is a relaxed beach bar with friendly service, cocktails, snacks and soothing lounge music in an ethnic-style setting. It is a low-key alternative to the polished east-coast clubs.

The beach bar runs as a base for the day, with beachside service from the bar and organised beach amenities for guests. Food and drinks are the centre of gravity here, with guests describing it as a quiet, bohemian spot for a casual lunch. It suits travellers staying in the south who want a short walk home afterwards.

The atmosphere is calm rather than a party, with background music and a lounge feel. If you want a big beach-club scene with DJs, this is not that; if you want a long, quiet afternoon by the water, it is a strong fit.

Mojito's rooms as a south-coast base

Mojito also runs modern beachfront rooms a short walk from the beach, which makes it viable as a base rather than a day trip. Guests have organised beach amenities with beachside service from the bar, so the swim and the lunch do not need a drive in between. Check room availability and rates directly with the bar when you plan.

Staying south suits travellers who prioritise quiet over nightlife and who are happy to trade the Lindos crowds for a slower coastline. The trade-off is distance from Rhodes Town and the east-coast sights, so plan a car or accept longer transfers.

The Lachania beach and the water

The beach at Lachania is sandy-pebbled, the kind of mixed surface where swim shoes help on the first few metres. The water deepens away from the shoreline rather than at it, which gives younger swimmers a shallower start. It is a beach for paddling, swimming and long lunches rather than for organised water sports.

Because the beach is a short walk from the bar and the rooms, you can swim in the morning, eat, and swim again without moving the car. The south coast is more exposed than the sheltered east-coast coves, so check the wind direction and pick your spot accordingly.

Facilities and practicalities

Both clubs publish food and drink as a core part of the day, with beachside service at Lachania and a Mediterranean menu at Tambakio. Sunbed and table arrangements are handled by each club, and the reservation process differs. Neither publishes a single island-wide standard, so ask about loungers, shade and any minimum spend when you make contact.

Take cash and a card, a refillable water bottle and high-factor sun cream, since shade in a small cove is limited and in demand. At Tambakio the ample shade under the club's canopy helps; on the open sand at Lachania you will want your own umbrella or an early pick of the loungers.

Who each club suits

Tambakio suits couples and swimmers who want a photogenic bay, lunch with a view and a walk down from a pretty village. It also suits anyone combining a beach day with the Lindos Acropolis. The small cove is the constraint, so go early if you need space.

Mojito suits quiet-seekers on the south coast, families who want a short walk back to a room, and travellers who prefer a beach bar with lounge music to a polished club. If you need a full lido with a pool and a big scene, look at the resort beaches around Rhodes Town instead.

Best time to go

The sea is at its warmest from late June through September, and July and August are the busiest months on the island. That combination is why the small cove at St Paul's Bay fills up: the water is at its best exactly when the bay is at its most popular. Go early, or visit in June or September for a quieter version.

Shoulder months bring cooler evenings and more room on the sand, with the trade-off of a brisker sea. In high season, build the day around an early arrival, a long lunch in the shade and a late-afternoon swim once the day-trippers have moved on.

Nearby beaches to combine

From St Paul's Bay you can pair the day with Lindos village and a second swim on the beaches south of the town. Anthony Quinn Bay, north of Lindos towards Faliraki, is a compact rocky bay with clear water and a very different feel from the sandy sweep of the bigger resort beaches.

On the south coast, Lachania sits within reach of the long, quieter beaches of the southern tip and of Pefkos beach further north towards Lindos. Pefkos Beach, Rhodes has a sandy main beach with a family-friendly feel and a village behind it for lunch.

If you are based in Rhodes Town, Elli Beach, Rhodes Town gives you a town beach with a lido feel and easy access without a car. Tsambika Beach, Rhodes is the other classic day out if you want a long sandy beach with a monastery above it.

A sample sunbed day

Start early with the walk down to St Paul's Bay and claim a lounger facing the water. Swim before lunch while the cove is still quiet, then eat slowly in the shade and swim again. Leave mid-afternoon and climb back to Lindos for a wander and an evening meal in the village.

If you are staying south, flip the plan: a morning swim at Lachania, a long lunch at the beach bar and a lazy afternoon, with no drive at either end. Whichever you choose, the day works best when the club is a base and the swimming is the point.

Plan Your Visit

Choose Tambakio if you want the drama of a small cove under the Lindos Acropolis and are willing to walk down early. Choose Mojito at Lachania if you want a relaxed south-coast base with rooms, beachside service and a quiet beach on the doorstep. If you are weighing the same sunbed-day decision on another island, Chania beach clubs make a useful comparison.

Whichever you pick, sort the reservation and the transport before you go, carry water for the walk and keep an eye on the flags. The rest of the day is swimming, shade and a long lunch.