Levante Beach Club, Rhodes: the sporty Greek holiday for people who hate sunbathing

Landing connected the Greek land of Rhodes, pulling into a vast, modern edifice implicit with prima loungers, glistening pools and a agelong long of unspoiled beach, you mightiness expect a textbook week-long vacation of remainder and relaxation successful the Rhodian sun. However, astatine Neilson’s Levante Beach Club the eagle-eyed volition soon enactment that 1 of those pools is simply a acold plunge, the level adjacent to the formation barroom is packed with rotation bikes, and fractional of the formation is lined with dinghies, kayaks, and windsurf rigs. At this resort, remainder is not the bid of the day. Instead we’re present to move, situation and exhilarate – a imagination for a Type 2 amusive property similar me.

For those unfamiliar, ‘Type 2’ is simply a measurement connected the ‘Fun Scale’ utilized by outdoor enthusiasts to picture the enjoyment gained from their much physically challenging endeavours. Spanning from Type 1 fun, which refers to an enactment you really bask successful the infinitesimal (like lying connected a prima lounger), Type 3 are the kinds of pursuits mean radical mightiness conscionable inquire ‘why?’, owed to the utmost discomfort they origin (like moving an ultramarathon done a desert). Type 2 amusive is the mediate crushed astatine which the enactment mightiness beryllium hard astatine the clip but afterwards your encephalon forgets the symptom oregon fear, you consciousness large that you’ve completed a situation and, if you’re successful this brigade, you’ll apt motion up to spell again the precise adjacent day. 

As a card-carrying subordinate of the Type 2 community, wherever I’ve conscionable landed is Heaven. From greeting to night, there’s a smorgasbord of fittingness classes, guided hikes and motorcycle rides, taster and tutoring sessions successful astir each athletics you tin deliberation of, and reams of specializer instrumentality to signifier and cleanable a caller skill. 

I indispensable stress, too, that the pursuit of each of these endeavours is rewarded handsomely afterwards, soaking successful the unbroken 30ºC prima astatine the non-cold plunge poolside, taking afloat vantage of the delectable Greek buffets, and whiling distant plentifulness of clip – cocktail successful manus – astatine the beachfront bar. This is acold from a boot-camp vacation of suffering and restriction, but an breathtaking playground of caller activities with ample opportunity, too, for immoderate well-earned indulgence. 

Far from an exhaustive database of each the options connected offer, here’s what I managed to acceptable into a seven-day stay.

Perfectly situated connected the agelong formation of Afandou connected the eastbound seashore of Rhodes, Levante is simply a premier determination for each types of h2o sports. In the mornings, the h2o is perfectly calm, and it’s for this crushed that I booked my archetypal waterski league promptly for 9am.

Having ne'er done it before, waterskiing looked intolerable and the interaction of hitting the h2o portion being dragged accelerated down a speedboat, intimidating to accidental the least. However, aft conscionable 3 practices connected a grooming barroom attached to the broadside of the boat, I’d mastered moving from knees tucked choky into your chest, utilizing the h2o unit against the skis to dilatory assistance to standing. Thanks to the lukewarm encouragement of the instructor, I was acceptable to instrumentality to the enactment and, aft an inelegant conflict to presumption my skis successful beforehand of me, I was watching the vessel zoom away, bracing for the enactment to summation tension.

Attempt one: faceplant and enactment to self: fto spell of the enactment faster erstwhile you fall. Attempt two: bambi legs but I made it upright! Attempt 3 and I’m stood confidently, feeling positively James Bond-esque. After conscionable 15 minutes connected this, I’ve made immense advancement and americium wholly hooked.

I’ll beryllium honorable and admit that, earlier arriving connected this trip, I had ne'er adjacent heard of wing-surfing, which is fundamentally windsurfing but, alternatively of the semi-inflated sail being attached to the board, it’s held separately, allowing experts to lift, flap and rotation it to physique speed, alteration absorption and execute tricks.

After an introductory greeting league battling a mild breeze, I was feeling assured connected the committee and smugly made it backmost to enactment without adjacent getting my hairsbreadth wet. Before bee-lining for a hefty luncheon to reward my efforts, I speedily signed up for the day improver session, feeling bully astir my winging future. But what a quality a fewer hours tin make. Returning successful the afternoon, the upwind had picked up, and this clip the infinitesimal I lifted my sail I was swept by a ample gust rapidly retired to sea.

Caught connected the wind, hurtling towards the horizon, I battled with the helping trying to dilatory myself, yet plunging disconnected the committee into the oversea with a acold shock. Emerging from the water, however, the bigger daze came erstwhile I realised the gust was truthful beardown that my helping had go untethered from the cord attached to my wrist and was accelerated drifting away. Swimming backmost to the committee and hoisting myself backmost on, I laid connected my tummy and began frantically paddling to retrieve it. Meanwhile, onboard the information vessel perpetually patrolling the country to retrieve amateur watersport students, my hubby – who had sensibly offered to photograph the afternoon’s activities alternatively of partake – heard the words: “Winger, right-hand-side, drifting into the shipping lane”. One time in, it’s authoritative – I’m untethered. And that was the extremity of my wing-surfing career. 

Already ace fashionable crossed Spain and Italy and reportedly the favourite pastime of A-list celebrities specified arsenic George and Amal Clooney and David Beckham, padel is present said to beryllium the fastest growing athletics successful the UK. With endorsements similar that, I was excited for my introductory league to find retired what each the fuss is about.

Played successful doubles, connected a tiny enclosed court, it’s a fast-moving crippled successful which players tin usage the walls arsenic an other aboveground from which to deed satisfyingly assertive shots towards their opponents. Much similar a tennis-squash hybrid, I was instantly hooked and, aft conscionable 1 exhausting game, was posting a call-out connected societal media to find chap padel fans to play with backmost home. When it comes to padel, my verdict: judge the hype. 

Like each clip I upland bike, I began this thrust nervous, retired of practice, and intimidated by the steepest descents. After a while, though, I relaxed into it, went afloat steam, suffered my archetypal autumn and, erstwhile that plaster was ripped off, regained my off-road assurance and made a beeline for the hills. Around Afantou, determination is simply a spoil of routes for some upland biking and roadworthy cycling, each helpfully documented by the Neilson squad connected Strava meaning, if you don’t fancy joining 1 of the galore regular guided radical rides, you tin acceptable your ain gait and spell it alone.

On the resort’s Trek X-Caliber 9 MTBs, we headed into the hills towards Seven Springs – an oasis of waterfalls, greenery and a stunning turquoise water successful which to chill disconnected aft a tiring ascent nether the aggravated Greek sunshine. After a remainder and rehydration here, it was clip to bask the descent backmost towards the shoreline, pursuing wide workplace tracks bordered with olive trees and the unusual agleam achromatic chapel.

A connection of informing connected these exhilarating downhill trails, though: ticker retired for goats! The creatures are plentiful connected these hillsides and precise erratic, often darting from nether trees close into your way presumably unsettled by the sound of a motorcycle careering down gravel. Keep your eyes peeled to debar collision. 

After my palmy stint water-skiing, I was keen to advancement towards wakeboarding, which I’d been told was mostly the much hard of the two. Following the aforesaid acquisition format arsenic earlier – practising archetypal connected the grooming barroom and past progressing to being towed from the backmost of the vessel – it’s existent that the unit from the coagulated committee opposed to 2 slim skis is greater, making rising to lasting a small much challenging astatine first, but for maine it was adjacent much fun. With my value centred much solidly connected the board, not having to interest astir my legs splitting successful 2 directions, I was overmuch much comfy and soon felt precise astatine location angling my toes and hips to curve astir the waves successful the boat’s wake. And the quality of wakeboarding wrong the resort… the proximity to an awesome six pools to agelong retired successful arsenic soon arsenic you’re done, due to the fact that this is 1 you’re going to consciousness successful your muscles successful the morning. 

Another racket athletics which has seen a immense surge successful popularity successful caller years, pickleball is simply a comparatively casual 1 to prime up the basics. We opted to articulation a societal radical acquisition for our archetypal go, splitting into groups of 4 to play doubles connected the tiny extracurricular courts.

Named aft the inventor’s canine ‘Pickle’, who utilized to bargain the game’s hollow integrative shot during play,  pickleball is precise physical, featuring accelerated volleys, tons of question and an initially analyzable acceptable of rules.

After conscionable an hour’s lesson, however, we had digested the rotating serves and perfect formations and ended up staying connected tribunal with immoderate new-found friends to cleanable our couple’s game. 

With miles of stunning formation conscionable metres from the hotel, kayaking was a invited low-impact enactment done which to research much of the section area. Available to instrumentality retired anytime alone, we besides joined a guided radical kayak to a section formation bar, mounting retired archetypal happening successful a convoy of astir 20 azygous and treble kayaks. After pulling up to enactment and ordering coffees, smoothies oregon beers, we rapidly cooled disconnected with a aquatics successful the oversea earlier reboarding and bickering each the mode backmost to Levante astir who was rowing retired of time. 

After astir a week of nerve-rattling caller sports, we headed retired onto the tennis courts admittedly expecting a reasonably casual league but, man, were we rapidly humbled. Tired from the week’s exertions, and lulled into a mendacious consciousness of information by the smaller courts and lighter balls of padel and pickleball, we fast-remembered we are unspeakable astatine tennis and this was astir apt the athletics we recovered hardest each week. Luckily for us, there’s a full big of ways to amended your crippled astatine Levante, with courts disposable to publication for escaped play, radical and backstage coaching, drill sessions and societal tennis, including ‘Sip and Hit’ that, precisely arsenic the sanction suggests, combines tennis and drinking. Maybe, we would person done amended starting retired with that one.

After each of this, I was acold from completing everything connected connection – not adjacent having started connected sailing, windsurfing, paddle-boarding, aquatics training, HIIT oregon galore of the packed programme of classes connected offer. Able to exert oregon unbend arsenic overmuch arsenic 1 wishes, I alternatively made clip to sojourn the adjacent municipality of Kolybia, the past ruins and waterside piazzas of Rhodes Old Town – and, of course, committed plentifulness of hours to the thoroughly Type 1 precedence of topping up my tan.

Prices for a seven-night enactment astatine Neilson Levante Beach Club commencement from £899pp, which includes flights, transfers, each activities, and nine committee for 2 adults sharing a courtside treble oregon duplicate departing from London Stansted connected 3 May, 2025. neilson.co.uk