Claire, it's got to be Rhodes for you.
You'll find everything you like there.

Nuff said.

Parky

Or Crete.......

Try Pythagorion on Samos

I also vote for crete

wizard

Def. Rhodes.

I have to agree, Rhodes is definately the one.

Enjoy

Pythagorion on Samos... definitively for the first time!!!

Dudi

Well, looks like island hopping is the definitive answer !!!

cheers everyone, i'll look up info about the different places mentioned.
Claire

Claire, you'll need 4 weeks to see half the interesting places on Rhodes.

"If I were a rich man" springs to mind.

Hope your first trip to Greece is very enjoyable, I always find the Ionion Islands very friendy, kefalonia being my favourite but can be a little more expensive than most, Rhodes is beautiful especially the old town but was quite a while since last went there, so many Islands are becoming so commercial now it's hard to recommend if you've not been there recently, but do remember Lesvos being rather special.
pojo

Now you started something Claire! We've all got our own personal favourite.

Last year we went to Kefalonia and stayed in Agia Efimia, which is a little harbour town and found there was loads to see and do on the island but over the years I've also been Corfu, Crete, Rhodes, Halkidiki, Lesvos and Zante.

Lesvos is still very traditional so I guess it depends on what you want to get out of the holiday as there are still some places there that are uncommercialised. We stayed in Petra.
Crete has lots of interesting places to see like the Palace of Knossos, good beaches and is one of the hottest islands as it's further south.
Rhodes has good nightlife, but sadly a lot of the places are now getting a bad rep for lager louts, club 18-30 etc. but if you can find a quiet resort it's a great island to explore and Rhodes Town is very pretty.
Halkidiki is on the mainland but is also quite nice and traditional and quite a lot of greeks holiday there. We stayed in Polychrono, the next place down from Hanioti, which is the most popular destination.
It's been so long since I've been to Zante or Corfu that I wouldn't really know what they are like now but I'm sure someone else will!

Good luck with your hunt and let us know what you decide.

Dawn

Hi everyone
Cheers for all your comments and advice.
I went to a wedding on the weekend and ended up chatting to a couple that have been to 6 different Greek Islands, then another couple overheard and joined in with the chat as they were off to Santorini next week. Personally i cant decide so am leaving it to my other half to decide... i cant wait!

Cheers
Claire x

Deffinitely Kos and Rhodes for us, also been to Corfu and Crete but they weren't as good.

Stallis in Crete gets my vote everytime.

Definately RHODES.

SIMPLY THE BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Regards
Sarah

Ceejay, I wouldn't bother with Santorini, at least until you get the taste for Greece and have seen a few islands. It's nowt but a pile of volcanic rock and dust with a lot of climbing involved. You can slip over from Crete on a ferry for a day or so. Accomodation is well advertised in Heraklion travel agents windows if you decide you might want to try it.

As I said before, Rhodes.

Dear Ceejay,
Samos sounds good for you. Stay in Kalami/Samos Town. Good mixture of tavernas and bars in the town and can be used as a good base to explore the rest of the Island. For the size of the Island there is loads of Archaelogy and sites to see......go to Potami Waterfalls, a definite experience. The beaches are better in the south of the Island, however there is a large difference in temperature between the north and the south. During the day and night the south is hot with very little breeze. The north has very pleasent breezes, especially in the evenings, which makes sleeping a whole lot easier.
Hope this helps, you really can not go wrong in Greece. the only place I would not recommend is Zante, unless you want to watch Sky Sports and keep up with whats going on in the premiership.

Hi Ceejay,

This posting may be rather late for your trip. Hope you had a good time in Santorini, if that is where you ended up. Santorini is a worthwhile short stay location and is where many of the blue domed church photogrphs are taken for Greek calendars and postcards.

Our personal preference is Crete. It is the largest of the Greek islands and by far and away offers the widest range of holiday experiences. We have been many times and have yet to be disappointed.

Hiring a car is essential if you want to explore the interior with its many interesting villages and historic sights as well as visit the less easy to get to coastal resorts. Travelling by bus is a good alternative, although not really suitable for a long stay exploring every day - it just takes too Long.

We prefer a wider holiday experience than just posing on the beach and getting out of our head with alcohol and therefore tend to avoid notorious booze-crazed resorts such as Malia and the like.

We have walked the Samaria gorge - the largest gorge in Europe (an 18km walk, no roads!) - really beautiful, taken time to visit the main cities of Chania, Rethymnon, Heraklion each with architectural styles that reflect past foreign domination, many other major coastal resorts and countless facinating small villages and isolated beaches.

Eating out in Crete is very good. The standard of most taverners is high and can be recommended. Just remember that, in general, you will get what you pay for. That is not to say that less expensive eating places are bad, indeed, we have been very pleasantly surprised on many occasions by very good food at relatively modest cost. Microwaved factory produced dishes are now becoming more common, but there are also still lots places that actually prepare and cook their own 'real food'. Some of the best, and cheapest, food is to be had in villages away from the main coastal resorts. Local wines are not from the top drawer of European viyards but, don't be put off, they are very drinkable and wines from Santorini are excellent. There is no need to look for foreign imports.

The western part of Crete is our favourite. It too has a few lively resorts. Chania and Rethymnon are very pleasant and interesting places and offer the tourist much of what they want without the booze-crazed hordes. Western Crete is much quiter that the eastern side and has a lot of isolated and unspoilt areas to visit including the Samaria gorge.

We hope that helps anyone considering a vist to the Greek Islands, and Crete in particular.

Keith and Barbara Littlejohns