Greek Islands suggestions please - single mother with two teenagers

[Breathe1n]

I am trying to organise a 'please everyone' Summer holiday for my 18Y DD and 17Y DS. DD will study Classics at uni so would like to visit Greece. DS will bring friend and wants nightlife and 'chilling'. Hoping for suggestions that will keep everyone happy. DS doesn't want an 'old person' place and I want somewhere which isn't too rough but will have enough action to keep the teenagers happy and be safe because they will be going out alone. DS has done his research and thinks Santorini is for 'honeymooners'. Direct flight best. Help please!

Would not advise Santorini. It is indeed very beautiful but it is rather tended towards sunset cruises/restaurants with views/boutique hotels type of market. You can hire a car but v small island and much of the same. I was bored within 2 days, let alone teenagers! Can’t advise on others but hope that helps a bit!

Mykonos? Quite a party island. Boat trips to Delos, which is a fantastic archeological site.
Also Crete, which has Knossos.
Both are large and lively enough for teens imo.

I would second Crete. It has definitely has some lively resorts alongside some quieter ones. There is also quite a few interesting ancient sites that you can visit... especially in the east of the island.

You still need to be 18 to drink in Greece, my dd was asked for ID a lot.
Kos Town, some good night life and lots of history, also can go to Turkey and visit one of the 7 ancient wonders although you will need a letter from ds father as Greece is very strict about letting U18s out of the country.

I owuld suggest the village of Kassiopi in Greece - lovely and tranquil with good nightlife, alternatively (for more focus on the nightlife) is Sidari just around the coast..!

Thank you so much. Yes, DS is definitely not the 'sunset cruise' type. I'm looking at Crete. Elounda? Beach/town action and away from 18-30 packages it seems. Remote enough for me and not too remote for teens? Any Crete recommendations gratefully received.

Zante was perfect. lots to do but not huge.

My ds is 16 and is going to Rhodes soon with his dad and family. They also have a 4 year old.

It looks fantastic, I'm slightly jealous

My brother and his wife went to Rhodes on honeymoon and are very fussy and loved it too.

Elounda is good, fair old mix of stuff and you can do trips to the sites. Aeghina is lovely and you can do day trips to Athens for classics sites. Rhodes also has lovely mix.

Crete would be ideal for you. Elounda may be a bit quiet for teens though!! You could look at old Malia or Old Hersonissos, Stallis or Sissi then they have the bigger resorts to dip in and out of but you can escape the madness! My teens have never been asked for ID in Greece and have had the odd drink under 18. I am a single parent and have taken my DC under 16 from Greece to Turkey on day trips with no one batting an eyelid and didn't need permission from XH. Fortunately as he is not in contact.
Another option is going somewhere closer to Athens then you could see the classical sights there and Olympia. You can get to Olympia from Zante but there's not much else on Zante to rival Crete's Knossos and Dikti cave. There's also the acropolis at Lindos on Rhodes but we found Lindos to be exceptionally busy even out of season so you may want to choose another resort. My teens weren't fussed by Lindos. Very pretty but not much for them to do. There's Hippocrate's hospital and Socrates' tree on Kos and lots going on in Kos town for all of you - busy bit with bars, beach etc is just round one end leading from the harbour with the older part of town heading round the other end of the harbour.
Ask your dd which classical sites she'd like to see most. My ds studied classics at school and it's a big love of his. He loves all our Greek holidays! We do love Corfu but not many ancient classical stuff there.

I went to Elounda in my early twenties and found it a bit too quiet.

We’ve also stayed on the outskirts of Malia (crete) which although tacky with bars and nightlife etc has a lovely old town. We caught the local bus to Knossos very easily.

We went to Kos town (Lambi, just outside) last summer and really enjoyed it, lots to do wandering round the shops and lanes of an evening. Lots of boat trips from the harbour. Hired bikes and cycled round.

The amphitheatre /Odeon and Hippocrates tree and lots of ruins to see are walkable www.kos.gr/en/sights/SitePages/sight.aspx

We hired a car cheaply for a couple of days and drove round it’s small / accessible. Visited therma beach www.kos.gr/en/sea/SitePages/view.aspx?nID=37