Hi Graham, I've been to Halki and my parents have been to both Halki and Symi. I didn't think much to Halki, no decent beach, just a handful of tavernas dotted around the harbour and not much atmosphere. I think because of the lack of water (I think it is still shipped in by tanker) there are few local residents left so during the summer months the population seems to be made up of tourists, mainly British. It was the biggest event of the week when we were there when a big ferry arrived bringing supplies from Rhodes!! That said, the first view that you get of Halki when you arrive is quite stunning. I wouldn't go there again though.
My parents had a great holiday on Symi a few years ago, more beaches which I think are mainly accessable by boat, but loads more bars and tavernas and generally more to see and do.

Halki is the only island I've left willingly after 2 nights - pretty village but very "Little England" atmosphere.

Symi - many expats - but seems to be less noticeable due to the size of Yialos/Horio....

Personally if your choice is between the two, I would go to Yialos - the Nireus does look nice, but you will probably get some ferry noise.

Thanks for the info Elenitsa & Retsina.

My initial choice was Symi and having read what you have said that seems to have been a good choice.

Graham

Very simply put, Halki is just a smaller version of Symi. Both are 'British villa' dominated. Symi port is plagued by daytrippers during the day, but as people staying go elsewhere during the day it does not really affect resident punters. For walking Symi is definately the best and there is more to see, but it is not for gentle walking though, the hills are very steep indeed, and even in the shoulder season excessively hot in the sheltered valleys.

http://www.foxysislandwalks.com/Symi_Mainpage.htm

Thanks Ouzo for the information, and thanks also for the link to the excellent site with the info and pictures.

When you say it is 'British villa' dominated can you confirm it still has a feel of real Greece, as I don't want to end up in a Brit , German, or anything else other than a Greek resort.
I certainly don't want loads of youths 18-30 style, fast food restaraunts and loud bars / clubs.

Graham

Symi definately isn't lager lout territory - although a few of the bars around the harbour can get a bit loud in the early hours (yachties!)

Horio has more of a feel of Greece than Yialos - it can feel a bit "plastic" after a while.

If you want an attractive (architecturally) island which is still very Greek - I would go for Nissiros - but book one of the hotels with a pool, the beach is a LONG way from town!

I went to Symi three years ago and liked it a lot, although we were disappointed in our accommodation - it was a studio apartment that was absolutely tiny, we thought it overpriced and would not travel with Laskarina again (although I know they have a huge number of faithful fans). Symi does get busy with daytrippers, but they all depart about teatime and the island is more peaceful in the evening. There are some nice restaurants but they were a bit more expensive than on the larger islands like Rhodes. In fact we found prices generally quite a bit higher than some other places in Greece. Symi has some nice beaches but you have to get to them by boat, and the beach taxi costs can rack up a bit over a fortnight. As a source of info can I recommend http://www.symivisitor.com
This is the island English-language local paper website and there's lots of useful tourist info on it, including descriptions of accommodation.

I think Halki has been given a very raw deal on these posts... For me it is an island that draws me back again and again. No loud, unpleasant yobs, no ringo rides, no noisy speedboats or water skiers, nothing, in fact, other than tavernas on the beautiful harbourside - enough to offer variety, not so many as to be overwhelming. The accusation that there is no atmosphere is unfounded in my opinion - it has the atmosphere of the Greece I used to know 30 years ago. The people are friendly in the extreme, and although there are a lot of Brits there in the season, they are all the sort of people who are looking for 'real' Greece and don't want to change things. Halki is still a working island, despite having tourists and that's what keeps it real. I have been to Symi too - and enjoyed it (apart from the hassling taverna keepers (NEVER in Halki) and the hoards of daytrippers. Also Symi has more places to go, being a larger island and cars and motor bikes to rent. Halki has only one road and no vehicle hire - but it does have peace... and quiet...and atmosphere!!

I WAS one of those day-trippers referred to. We came from Rhodes, stopped at a monastery, about 30mins boat trip from Symi town and I thought I was in heaven. It was just so serene and beautiful. Then we travelled on to the town which I thought was exceptionally pretty and did not feel it was 'over-touristy'.
Maybe I'm from a different perspective , but I do like a small town to wander about in the evenings and a few shops to browse. I HATE lager louts, tackiness,'full english breakfast', irish pubs etc, etc, and did not feel that Symi was in any way like this. It seemed pretty low-key to me. In fact I think you could have a wonderful holiday there.

Sue.c I like the music to the Symi website !

Must admit we intend to have a trip there while we are visiting Rhodes in a couple of weeks, since we haven't yet been (despite 3 previous trips to Rhodes)

I really like Symi too, and if I was on holiday in Rhodes, I would definitely take a trip to Symi. But Symi pays a price for having that stunning harbour and although it hasn't gone down the 'English pub' route, there is a certain level of commercialism there that simply isn't present in Halki. Hence my preference! If you do go to Symi, Pedi bay is away from it, yet near enough to enjoy it when the daytrippers have gone.
Jane

Hi,
this year was our 3rd vacation on Symi. It's just a dream...
There are nice, quiet beaches - some only reachable via Taxiboats, beautiful views, wonderful taverna's with great food.
We prefer staying in Chorio (the hill), there are nice accomodations (e.g. Hotel Fiona, a small family-run hotel with 11 small but nice rooms with sea-view - and believe me, the view from Chorio to Gialos is something you won't forget...) and superb tavernas (e.g. Zoe's and Giorgios - where you can choose your dish from the pots in the kitchen...). But, Symi is a little bit more expensive than other greek islands because there is no water on the island and everything has to be brought by ship / ferry.
For further informations and some pics, i've put a travelreport on the internet:

http://www.canchanchera.de/Symi%20Island%20of%20Dreams%20-%20english.html

and

http://www.canchanchera.de/Symi%20-%20our%203rd%20dream.html

Have a nice and unforgetable trip.
Astrid

Hi

Thanks to everybody for all the information and links (containing great information and pictures) you have given me.

In some ways the two islands appear very similar and both sound exactly what we would be looking for, we both find it very easy to 'chill' and get in to the laid back attitude of the Greeks, so if there is not much going on, or not very many tavernas / bars this would not be a problem as we are happy to wander and view various areas of the island.

I have discovered that it is possible to stay a week in Halki, followed by a week in Symi, so I think I may do this.
To be honest I dont think I can choose one island over the other, I think I will feel that I have missed out on something if I don't visit both the islands.

Just a quick mention and thanks to Astrid, your pictures and report are excellent.



Graham

Have a wonderful time!

I have been to many places in Greece over the years but Symi is still my favourite. It is true that Yialos gets busy between noon and about 16:00 but the day visitors rarely leave the harbour area.
The harbour is spectacular and the Island beautiful. The food is some of the best I've had in Greece. Try and beat the 4 minutes, 27 seconds record up the 365 steps of the Kalistrata. The walking is excellent but can be steep as you have read in one of the other posts. There is a good book on Symi walks which is widely available and which has just been updated.
There is a mention above of the Symi Visitor web page. This is extremely useful and the Chat Page is very entertaining if a little fierce at times.

Thanks Elenitsa.

rpbristol, thanks for the info.
Please excuse me if I don't try to beat the world record time of 4min & 27 sec for the kalistrata steps, as I don't think there will be a hospital in Symi
I have seen the book on Symi walks mentioned and will buy one before we go.

Graham