Active holidaymakers who want a break from soaking up the sun on the golden sands can choose from a variety of fun pursuits on offer at the two large watersport centres on the beach, everything from banana-boat rides and pedalos to bungee-jumping. The crystal clear waters are perfect for scuba diving and snorkelling. Faliraki also has one of Europe's biggest and best water parks, offering slides, lazy river rides, rafting, a wave pool, aqua-gym and numerous other thrills and spills. A must for visitors is to take a local bus to explore the sights and sounds of Rhodes Town, with its medieval core, or delve into some archaeology in the pretty town of Lindos with its hill-top acropolis.

Greek is the national language, but English is widely spoken.

The Euro (EUR) is the official currency, divided into 100 cents. Banks and bureaux de change are widely available and travellers cheques and major credit cards are widely accepted. ATMs are widespread and are generally the cheapest and most convenient method of obtaining euros.

Faliraki has received some bad publicity in recent years because of the rowdy, drunken behaviour of most of the young (mainly British) holidaymakers that flood the resort each summer.

Bar Street and Club Street in Faliraki live up to their name and reputation as a paradise for young clubbers and pubbers with cheap bars and clubs offering two-for-one drinks. The choice of dance floors and watering holes is abundant. Arguably the 'best bar' in Faliraki is Ziggy's, home of the famous (or to some infamous) 'Fishbowl', a very large cocktail guaranteed to knock you senseless. For rocking karaoke there is the King's Garden Bar (KGB) or the Bedrock Bar. George's Bar is a favourite with football fans who want to keep up with the action on huge screens, and keep on partying. The most popular club in town is Q Club, which opens from midnight to 5am and is always jam-packed: it features a house/trance room, a chart/cheese room and R&B/Garage room. Top London DJs feature regularly at Bed, a massive club that holds about 2, 000 revellers.

Faliraki is well-supplied with a huge variety of restaurants, from traditional Greek tavernas to Chinese and nearly every nationality in between. Cuisine is geared to the tastes of young British tourists, and there is nothing much in the way of fine dining. Prices range from cheap to reasonable. Fast-food bars abound, staying open until the wee hours when revellers can snack on a souvlaki while they watch the sun rise. Some recommendations are Manolis Taverna, The Desert Rose, and pizzeria Porto Bello.

Faliraki Square shopping centre provides everything a holidaymaker needs, from an inflatable 'lilo' to local crafts, or even the toothpaste you forgot to pack; shops also stay open very late. Those who enjoy serious shopping can take a trip into Rhodes Old Town and delight in haggling for bargains in the narrow, cobbled streets. Good buys are leather bags and sandals, rugs, gold and silver jewellery and ceramics.