Best Greek Island for first timers

[TheFastandTheCurious]

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Fiance and I would like to visit Greece in June, having never been before we are unsure of where to concentrate our search. Here is a list of what we like/want and we could have some suggestions/recommendations, that would be great. Not looking for hotel recommendations, just area

Not a party place, nice restaurants and bars, but relatively quiet
Coastal, not inland
Plenty of places to walk, flat preferably
Nice coastal walks
Nice beaches
Places of interest to visit

We're quite easy to please really 😊

I've been to:

Zante (we stayed in the Alikes/Alikanas) area. Nice and quiet. Option for trips into city/sightseeing.

Kos (stayed in Kardamena), again quite peaceful, option to go to a main area with bars but otherwise nice places to eat and swim.

I should add that neither of these trips were in the last 10 years though so hopefully someone who has been more recently will comment.

On the mainland, Tolon or thereabouts. Lots of sites are in reach of there.
Island: Samos. Very quiet. Not a lot to see though.

Crete!

Another vote for Crete.

We went to Kefalonia last year and it was one of the most beautiful places we’d been. Very peaceful with some nice restaurants. You do need a car though.

Rhodes is my favourite Greek island.

Kefalonia is amazing, easily my favourite Greek island. It's not a party island at all but it busy enough to keep you doing different things each day if you're not a lie-by-the-pool sort. The islanders are welcoming, it's safe and children are treasured everywhere.

Argostoli is gorgeous and you can sit in the bay having supper watching the turtles, you can sail about and have dolphins swim alongside the boat and swim to beaches from your boat, the seafood is out of this world, the beaches are beautiful, the sea is crystal clear and perfect for snorkelling, the mountains hide an incredible winery and I'm now wondering why we can't go back this summer!

Sissi, Crete
Tigaki, Kos
Arillas, Corfu

Kephalonia is amazing, western Crete (around Chania) is lovely, Kos is lovely too. I would think Zante and Rhodes would both be too busy...

Crete , my parents went with younger siblings a couple of times and. They all loved it

Lindos in Rhodes

I’d recommend Rhodes. Faliraki is nice and not the party place it used to be, but Rhodes town sounds better for you. Not sure of your budget but the Mitsis hotels are nice.
Lots to see and do, you can do a boat trip to Turkey if you’re interested. We did the trip down to Lindos which was nice.

Thank you everyone, I'm liking the sound at Kefalonia so far, we'll definitely be getting a car

Corfu was surprisingly beautiful.

100% Kefalonia. Absolutely adore it

We had a car but were also super brave a hired a boat one day so we could explore all the little coves and beaches you can't get to by car/on foot. Incredible!

Kefalonia definitely. Also Rhodes

Rhodes! Rhodes Town is beautiful ixia is nice faliraki has nice beaches and not the same as it used to be, Lindos is beautiful and you can walk up to the Acropolis. I was born in Rhodes and also got married there.

Skiathos?

Also like Rhodes

I would say Corfu from the ones I've visited. Definitely not Kos, I went once years ago and it is the only Greek Island I've been to that I wouldn't go back to. Never been to Kefalonia, Crete is very intensely hot ime and quite barren, I enjoyed it but leave it for 2nd

Would you Island hop? First went to Greece with my husband 3 years ago, aged 30. We flew to Mykonos (stayed a few nights) the when via a 20 minute to Syros (stayed a week) and then took a 20 minute ferry to Tinos (20 mins). Both islands match your requirements, and fell in love with them both.

We like to get away from hoards of British tourists though, so depends if that’s a factor.

Which part of Kefalonia do you recommend?

^reposted the absolute nonsense I write above when distracted.

Would you Island hop? First went to Greece with my husband 3 years ago, aged 30. We flew to Mykonos (stayed a few nights) the went via a 20 minute ferry to Syros (stayed a week) and then took a 20 minute ferry to Tinos (stayed 6 nights) before heading back to Mykonos for our super cheap easy jet flights home. Both islands match your requirements, and fell in love with them both.
We like to get away from hoards of British tourists though, so depends if that’s a factor.

I have been to Corfu, Crete, Rhodes and Kalymnos. Corfu is by far our favourite, take a look at Agios Stefanos NW, we stay at the Hotel Athina, its right on the beach. Lovely village plenty to do but not rowdy.