A small rocky cove near Faliraki with some of the greenest, clearest water in Greece, named after a Hollywood star who never wanted to leave. Here is everything worth knowing before you visit, and why the best way in is by boat.
In 1961, Hollywood came to Rhodes to film The Guns of Navarone, and the actor Anthony Quinn came with it. Between takes he discovered a small, cliff-framed cove on the east coast and was so taken with it that he bought land beside the water. The locals started calling the cove Anthony Quinn Bay, and more than sixty years later the name has completely replaced the original one on maps, road signs and boat itineraries.
It is easy to see what won him over. The bay is a tight horseshoe of volcanic rock, and the mineral-rich seabed turns the water an intense emerald green that looks edited even when you are standing in it. On a sunny day, which on Rhodes is most days, it is probably the most photographed patch of sea on the island.
This is a swimmer's bay rather than a sunbather's beach. The shoreline is pebbly with flat rocks either side, so the entry into the water is on stones, not sand: water shoes help if you are coming in from the beach. Once you are in, the payoff is immediate. Visibility is superb, the water is calm because the cliffs shelter the cove from wind, and the rocky edges are full of fish.
Snorkellers rate it among the best easy spots on Rhodes. You do not need to go deep or far: the rocks on either arm of the horseshoe hold most of the life, and the clarity means you can see the bottom well out into the bay. On our trips the snorkelling gear is free and already on board.
The bay sits on the east coast of Rhodes just south of Faliraki, about 20 to 25 minutes by car from Rhodes Town. From land you park in the small car park above the cove, or take a taxi or the Faliraki bus and walk the last stretch, then follow the path down to the beach.
The catch is that everyone else does the same. By mid-morning in summer the car park is full and the small pebble beach is shoulder to shoulder, and by midday you may queue just to get into the water. It is next door to Ladiko Bay, which absorbs some of the overflow, but the honest answer is that from land this famous cove is hard work in July and August.
Arriving by sea solves every problem the bay has. There is no car park, no path down and no fighting for pebbles: we anchor in the clearest water in the middle of the cove and you swim straight off the yacht. You get the famous emerald bay at its best while the crowds watch from the beach.
Want to compare it with the quieter bay next door? Read our Ladiko Bay guide, or see all the places we sail on the destinations page.
The bay is named after the actor Anthony Quinn, who fell in love with this stretch of coast while filming The Guns of Navarone on Rhodes in 1961 and bought land beside the cove. The name stuck, and today it is one of the most famous spots on the island.
Yes, it is one of the best snorkelling spots on Rhodes. The rocky sides of the cove and the clear, emerald-green water make it easy to see fish and the seabed even at depth. On our day cruise we provide free snorkelling gear and anchor in the clearest part of the bay.
By land you can drive or take a taxi to the car park above the bay near Faliraki, then walk down a path to the pebble beach. The easiest and most comfortable way is by boat: our all-inclusive day cruise sails there from Mandraki Harbour in Rhodes Town and anchors in the bay for a swim stop.
Early morning or later in the afternoon, outside the midday rush when the small beach fills up. Arriving by boat means the crowds matter far less, because you swim from the yacht in open water rather than competing for space on the pebbles.
Message us on WhatsApp with your dates and group size. We reply fast and hold your spot with no deposit needed.
Book by WhatsApp Call +30 699 604 6085
Nikolaos Sailing