Advantages: A book of sumptuous recipes many of which are used in Rhodes' own restaurants. Disadvantages: Recipes are generally for more people than you find in the average family.
I?ve always had a soft spot for Gary Rhodes right from his first series for the BBC back in 1994. No, it wasn?t the spiky hair (which I hated) or the puppyish charm (which grated) it was the fact that it did seem that the man could actually cook and his love of the food shone through in everything that he prepared.
It didn?t even worry me that he?s thin when no chef has the right to be thin. He?s a cook; it?s what his life is about, whether he?s appearing on television, running his restaurants and brasseries or writing books. They are all part of a seamless whole. Go into the kitchens of his brasseries and you could well find that the chefs are working from photocopied pages from my latest find: his ?New British Classics?.
First published in 1999 ?New British Classics? is not just a cook book; it?s a work of scholarship too ...
Advantages: Family friendly, all inclusive, next to beach Disadvantages: Insects in rooms, no cash machine, not enough toilets
Last week I came back from a holiday in Greece. We went to Rhodes and stayed in the Rodos Village in Kiotari. The Rodos Village is a 5 star all-inclusive resort which is situated in the east west coast of the island.
We took a taxi from the airport to the hotel (this was a pre-paid transfer from our holiday provider) The taxi took around an hour to get to the hotel. Since our flight was overnight, we arrived at the airport at 4.45am, so it was great to hop into a taxi and get to the hotel quicker than the coach would have taken.
We got to the hotel at around 6am. There are not only steps up to the hotel, but also a ramp. It was quite steep but it meant that I could wheel my bag up instead of carrying up the steps (always good if you're tired!)
Check in was quick. No one was around at that time since it was so early, there was ...
Advantages: see summary in review Disadvantages: see summary in review
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Atlantica Princess Hotel
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I have just returned from two weeks staying at the Atlantica Princess in Rhodes and had such a wonderful time that I felt compelled to write this review. Rhodes is a Greek Island which is situated in the eastern Aegean Sea just 11 miles from the Turkish Coast (on clear days you get a magnificent view of Turkey).
Our choice of this hotel and destination was purely through last minute panic at the beginning of the year where we realised that everywhere was quickly getting booked up! We began hunting through the various Thomsons brochures whilst checking availability on the internet. We were attracted to the all inclusive package that the Atlantica Princess offered as it worked out at around £12 on top of half board per adult per day and £8 on top of half board ...
We're aren't the only ones for whom Mavriko is the first choice for a memorable meal in Lindos. Other notable fans have included Nelson Rockefeller and Jackie Kennedy. More recently, in July 2000, King Abdullah of Jordan, when visiting Rhodes, had his private yacht sail to Lindos just to eat his supper here at Mavriko. Over the years, the restaurant and expansive shaded terrace have retained their special rustic charm -- David Gilmore of Pink Floyd was so furious when they brought in new, modern chairs that Michalis quickly restored and returned the originals.
