The White Village Hotel is situated in the upper part of Lachania and offers spectacular views on the Aegean Sea and distant coastline.The Hotel’s distinctive accommodation and style blend particularly well with the eye-catching white and grey traditional style of the village itself and the whitewashed walls of the hotel buildings, which comprise 23 elegant Villas and public areas, lend it all a sense and appearance of being in a village within a village.Orange and lemon trees offer welcome shade and leave a trail of pleasant, tangy scents on spacious, private terraces with pretty pergolas and distinctive details of pebble mosaics that provide the setting with a sense of understated sophistication. Large, comfortable sun beds invite you to relax and daydream by the pool and enjoy the luxury of this retreat, enraptured by that dazzling blue seascape or cooled by a gentle evening sea breeze.
THE CONCEPT
For many years the Village has been known to be a focal meeting point for artists hailing from all over Europe and White Village architects aspired to create a tasteful artistic display of interior and exterior spaces, which would embody tradition with minimalist facilities. With a keen eye for sophisticated decorative details, native traditional elements from the village of Lachania are merged with innovative designs, thus lending the 2,500m2 large property a uniqueness, which seamlessly blends the hotel’s structure with the character of the village below.
LOCATION
The White Village Hotel sits on the upper side of Lachania, a quaint, picturesque village situated on the south-western flank of the mountains that occupy the interior of the island from where you are captivated by panoramic views that take you over lush valleys right down to the sea. A combination of the village’s picture-perfect postcard setting, remoteness and peacefulness lend Lachania a special charm all of its own.The centre of Lachania has managed to hang on to that typical traditional village feel, with its narrow streets that are thronged with traditional houses, many of which have been lovingly restored to their former glory. A fair number of those historic dwellings were bought by foreigners, mainly Germans, but some people from Rhodes town too succumbed to the village’s natural charm and have settled here, thus creating a youthful and artistic community.Nestled on a hillside, Lachania is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful and unspoiled traditional villages of Rhodes. As a summer vacation destination it is still a relatively calm and tranquil place without the usual hustle and bustle of crowds, and you might just be lucky enough to find the beautiful sands of Lachania beach just for you to roam and enjoy without another soul in sight. Prasonisi on the very edge of the island, the very famous paradise for windsurfers and kite surfers during summer time, is located only 15 min drive south from the White Village.
HISTORY
As you enter the village you’re greeted by an old windmill, testimony to Lachania’s old rural traditions, and further along, the 19th century St George Church and Platanos Taverna form the kingpin of local social happenings. Under the huge canopy of an old plane tree, visitors are seated at brightly coloured tables laden with mouthwatering local specialties and artists from all over Europe are known to gather here year after year.On a side note, it is perhaps interesting to mention that during the filming of the 1989 movie “High Season of Forty” (with Jacqueline Bisset and Irene Papa), Lachania’s central village square was used as a set while most of the film was shot in the town of Lindos. Further along from the square you’ll find the old traditional olive press “Magana”, which, albeit no longer operational, has been renovated and now functions as a cultural centre. It is also a focal point for local and foreign artists alike.Not to be missed and well worth your visit are the numerous shrines, chapels and monasteries that are dotted throughout the region, with Zoodochos Pigi and Plimmiri worthy of particular mention, while aficionados of Greek ancient history will get their kick visiting archaeological digs in the area where important discoveries were made during recent excavations.
