Rhodes (Island) Shopping

When your in Greece you will probably go out on a 'Greek night' see the dancers wearing traditional costumes or if your really lucky while your out adventuring in the mounains you might just come across a sheperd wearing traditional clothes, things like this make great memories and photo's but when your shopping for things to take back home remember that the Folk look looks much better on Greek folk. At best,take home a fishermans sweater, a pair of sandles or homemade boots (especialy from Archangelos on Rhodes).
As far as Leather goods go, like anywhere you get what you pay for and some of the mediocre workmanship on leather luggage does not justify the vast displays it commands at every resort in Greece. If you want Quality leather coats and bags look out for the exclusive shops and expect to pay some considerable sums for it.

When you go walking through a Greek town, even if it is only to do some window shopping take a bag along with you. As you pass a market or corner grocer, how can you resist the many olives, pickles, dried meats and fish, cracked wheat and other grains or the nuts, beans, dried fruits (especialy figs, Raisins and apricots), Herbs, spices and chocolate, Ouzo drenched fig cake wrapped in vine leaves? Honey to add to some greek Yoghurt or some of that delicious Greek Delight.

What to buy: .

Almonds - amigdala
Apricots - verikoka
Capers - kapari
Cracked wheat - pligouri
Dates - chourmas
Figs - sika
Honey - meli
Olives - elies
Peaches - rodakino
Peanuts - fistikia arapika
Pistachios - fistikia eginis
Raisins - stafida sultanina
Walnuts - karidia

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Rhodes like almost all cities of Aegean have lots of street shops that sells almost everything you can imagine. In Socratous you will find the majority of the better stores to buy gold or silver. The sellers are near the shops and they will let you to see and choose the things you like. The prices are reasonable but I give you an advice here the prices must be haggled.

What to buy: We also can find here good quality leather such as handbags and purses, also pottery and we can’t forget the cameras, hi-fi, laptops, binoculars and watches if they are genuine they are a bargain, but I've doubts they are real.

What to pay: Bring plenty of money, credit cards are universally accepted

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“CENTRAL” LAUNDRY – LAUNDROMAT

WASH - DRY -FOLD

*Drop-0ff Laundry Service
*Pick Up & Delivery
*Ironing (Press) Service
*Repairs & Alternations
.....Our Wash-Dry-Fold Service is fast and surprisingly economical, even though we only use the most expensive, high quality detergents, bleaches and softeners!
.....We separate your clothes into whites, light-colored and dark-colored loads !
.....We handle your clothes separately from everyone else's (we never put your clothes in machines with anyone else's clothes)

HIGH QUALITY MIELE MACHINES
2 HOURS EXPRESS SERVICE

Just past the valley of the butterflys is a large vineyard with a shop, where you can taste and purchase the wine made there. The wines are not too expencive and are of an excellent quality. Opposite is a shop which sells organic olive oil products and herbs.

Rhodes old town has a great selection of gift shops with some great ideas on what to bring home for your freinds and family

What to buy: Rhodes has a good selection of local pottery objects glazed in black with 24 carrat gold leaf

What to buy: Rhodes is famous for its bath spounges and correct me if im wrong but im sure i read somewhere that the greeks still dive for spounges without the aid of oxygen tanks

What to pay: To be quite honest im not sure if you are allowed to take spounges through customs in England, if this is true then i will point it out in my warnings and dangers pages comming up soon

Within the old walls of Rhodes town there were numerous shops in the mid-90's but the two types that predominated were shoes and very strangely furs ! Apart from the political issue of the latter the practicality of trying on furs in the middle of the greek summer even with air conditioning in the shops just seemed like the oddest thing and given the former issue it was a pastime with whcih I did not wish to indulge. Ok I know I should probably feel the same about leather but somehow I don't quite see it the same way. The leather shops were good and it fun bargaining for stuff. I am not sure if it still the same today but would welcome update comments from other VT'ers.

What to buy: Leather goods

What to pay: take the start price and divide by a third and probably expet to finsih up at about 50-60% of the ask price...but hey don't lose something you want by bargaining too hard. Quite often you wlak away for the sake of a few quid and I always think the person selling may need the cash a bit more than the tourist.