Greek Island Recommendations?

[RabbitsRock]

DH & I went to Crete before we were married & loved it so I have been looking at other islands. Santorini is famous but is there much to do there? Found a beautiful hotel but it’s £500 a night with just breakfast! Princess Luxury Spa Hotel or something like that. Obviously there are loads of other places to stay. Heard good things about Kefalonia & Zante.

We were lucky enough to find a pebbly cove that the crowds didn't know about, so just went there instead of the beach. But I can imagine it's lovely outside of the summer crowds.

I've been to all of the well known touristy ones and Zante is my favourite. Somewhere like Tsilivi with loads of places to eat and bars etc with a short taxi/bus ride into the capital. Nice short flight as well as it's next to Greece rather than half way along Turkey.

Kefalonia is just next door with day trips via ferry. Personally wouldn't want to stay on Kefalonia as it seems to take hours to drive from A to B because there's a giant mountain in the way.

Rhodes is lovely, going there next week but yes, it will be hot!

Kos is lovely too but you need a high level of patience and tolerance for the horrendous mosquito filled airport, not good if you have young kids as its all a bit of a squish. There are literally 2 or 3 gates for all international flights and it is more crammed than Glastonbury.

What islands would you recommend from Rhodes, please?

I found Crete completely charming but Rhodes didn’t do it for me. Very commercial.

Second Thassos and brilliant snorkeling. You fly to mainland and then is a very short journey (15 mins) to feyy and a lonely ferry ride over. I was about worried about the transfer but actually the ferry was a real highlight.

You fly to a very nearby airport, then a 20 minute ferry crossing. It's very easy.

Thanks everyone 😊

Or stay a little out the way of the main towns. Finikia on santorini is beautiful 😍. Quiet with mules still collecting the rubbish as no vehicles can drive there. A few lovely tavernas and a local shop at the bottom (the paths are steep though!). Ios in the distance. A 15 minute walk to oia. Yes, many Instagram twats in the main town but the view over the caldera is incredible and I don't regret that trip for a second.

Skiathos Palace in Koukanaries. We flew direct from Manchester.

Skopelos, Spetses, Hydra, Poros.

Surprised no one's mentioned Ithica! Much quieter than others as no airport but it's beautiful.

@Patricia1704 . As I said check out the dodecanese island chain. Lipsi, Symi etc. Symi is very pretty but thronging with yachts these days unfortunately.

I really like:

Zante & Kefalonia if you love the beach, stunning turquoise sea, nice towns and a little bit of tacky nightlife.

Naxos if you want just the quintessential Greek paradise (windy though)

Syros if you want to just escape to like a hippy colony and relax.

Shhhh! 😁

@tobeeOops!