Ixia Beach
Best for. Windsurfers, kitesurfers and couples who want a long convenient beach a short hop from Rhodes town, with hotels at their back and the sunset over the water in front.
Best spot. The southern end towards the watersports stations, where the wind sets up cleanly and you can watch the sails while the sky turns gold over the sea.
Know this. Ixia is pebble and shingle, not soft sand, and the afternoon wind that thrills surfers can chase sun loungers off the beach. For calm sand, the east coast beaches swim far better.
Ixia is the long resort strip that runs south from Rhodes town along the west coast, a wall of large hotels behind a narrow ribbon of pebble and shingle. It is convenient in a way few beaches on the island can match, minutes from the airport and the old town, with everything a holiday needs within a short stroll. What it is not is a soft golden bay, and being clear about that up front saves a lot of disappointment.
The defining feature here is the wind. The west coast catches the afternoon breeze head on, which is wonderful if you came to windsurf or kitesurf and frustrating if you came to lie still on a lounger. The schools along the southern end make Ixia one of the better places on Rhodes to learn or progress, and on a breezy afternoon the bay fills with sails. The trade off is that umbrellas flap, fine sand would blow away if there were any, and a flat calm swim is a morning event rather than an afternoon one.
Take the morning and the swimming is genuinely good. The water is clean and deep close in, so you can stride off the shingle into proper swimming depth, and the early light over the water is some of the prettiest on the island. Because Ixia faces west it is also one of the few Rhodes beaches where you watch the sun drop straight into the sea, which is why the seafront bars do such steady evening trade.
Who should skip it. Families chasing soft sand and shallow paddling water will be happier on the east coast at Tsambika or the long beach at Faliraki, where the sea stays gentle and the sand is kind to small feet. Come to Ixia for the wind, the convenience and the sunset, treat the stones and the afternoon chop as the price of all three, and it earns its keep.
Hotel bars and watersports, not a daybed club
Ixia is a hotel lined public beach where the action is windsurf and kitesurf schools, beach bars and taverna terraces rather than a single dressed up beach club. For cabanas and a club scene, the organised beaches further round the island deliver more. Use the Rhodes beach clubs guide and keep Ixia for the wind and the sunset.
Watersports stations on the strip
Windsurf and kitesurf schools, sunbed hire and a run of hotel bars and tavernas along the promenade. There is no single branded beach club, and individual operator details are to be confirmed locally.
West coast, minutes from Rhodes town
Ixia sits on the west coast just south of Rhodes town, roughly ten minutes by car or taxi from the old town and about fifteen minutes from the airport, which makes it one of the easiest beaches on the island to reach.
Frequent buses run along the west coast road between Rhodes town and the airport and stop right behind the strip, so you can reach Ixia without a car. The promenade runs the length of the beach with steps and ramps down to the shore.
Bring water shoes for the shingle and rent a sunbed set, since shade and comfort both come easier off the stones. Food and drink are never far, with bars and tavernas lining the seafront the whole way along.
Photo: Ialyssos Bay Hotel via GoogleBook a beach club
Ixia has no single beach club of its own. Tell us your dates and party size and we can point you to a daybed at an organised beach elsewhere on the Rhodes coast. We reply by email.
We are an independent editorial resource. Booking requests are passed to clubs and operators, and some may earn us a commission at no cost to you. Prices, availability and opening status are set by the venue and are to be confirmed at the time of booking.
Common questions about Ixia
Is Ixia beach sandy?
No. Ixia is mostly grey pebble and coarse shingle rather than soft sand, so water shoes help and a rented sunbed is more comfortable than a towel. If soft sand is essential, the east coast beaches of Rhodes suit far better.
Is Ixia good for swimming?
On a calm morning yes, because the water is clean and deepens quickly for a proper swim straight off the shingle. By afternoon the west coast wind often makes the surface choppy, so time a still swim for early in the day.
Why is Ixia so windy?
The west coast of Rhodes faces the prevailing summer breeze, which builds through the afternoon. That same wind is exactly why windsurfers and kitesurfers love Ixia and why the watersports schools cluster here.
Is Ixia good for families with young children?
It can work for confident families, but the pebble shore and the deep, sometimes choppy water make it less gentle than a soft sand bay. For shallow calm paddling, Tsambika or Faliraki on the east coast are kinder to toddlers.
Can you watch the sunset at Ixia?
Yes. Because Ixia faces west it is one of the few Rhodes beaches where the sun sets straight over the sea, which is why the seafront bars stay busy into the evening.
