Anyone been to the Dodecanese Islands or Corfu and could give some advice?

That looks like a lot of time on Rhodes. Kos looks about right. You’ll want to go up to Hippocrates’ Medical Center, theAsklepeion . Very interesting and it has stunning views from it’s high elevation. We were on Rhodes in early October and it was quite busy with tourists.

I like little islands, so for me, 6 nights on Rhodes would be too much. Never been to Corfu so can't comment on that.

I think I already suggested you take a day (or possibly overnight) trip from Rhodes to the island of Kastellorizo. Absolutely gorgeous. Wonderful blue cave.

I can't recall if I mentioned the island of Nisyros? If not, I would recommend adding a day to Kos so you can take a day trip from Kos to Nisyros. It has an active, but not erupting, volcano that you can hike into. Fascinating. Nisyros has essentially one road, which circles the island, so it's an easy place to rent a car and just explore on your own.

I think 2 nights each would be enough for Patmos and Leros.

Do you plan to rent cars on those islands--at least on the larger ones? That would speed up your sightseeing. You might not need five full days on Corfu with a car, but if you're trying to get around by public bus, it might be different. Unfortunately, I haven't been to Corfu since the 1970s, and my memories are extremely hazy at this point.

Some time ago one of our posters (British, I think) commented that Corfu gets a lot of tourists from the UK. I think as Americans we tend to think of it as not all that touristy, because we don't know folks who've been to the Ionian Islands. Just thought I'd mention this in case you're thinking of Corfu as a non-touristy destination.

A lot of Americans recently saw the PBS TV Series from BBC, "The Durrells on Corfu" which showed a very charming (and dated) vision of what a Greek isle was like in the 1930s .... 90 years ago! I hear that some North Americans are drawn to Corfu now because of the mistaken belief that they can find something like it today... that is like all the people who think Mykonos is still like the island shown in "Shirley Valentine" movie from the 1970s... lovely empty beaches at sunset.

Corfu was under the control of Britain from the early 1800s until after 1900... and so it became a British enclave. In the 1970s on, some areas were developed also as budget "'package-holiday" destinations, with concrete apartment units on a beach, lots of cafes with "full English Breakfasts" and pubs with dartboards. As some have said... a place to be British abroad, with nicer weather. And before we critique, we must remember that Americans don't go to Florida for historical culture... they go for beaches and sunshine. And Britain doesn't have a Florida. I understand also that if one has a car in Corfu, and can stay away from "package resort" areas, there are lots of lovely vistas. Just not the idyllic unpopulated landscapes of "The Durrells in Corfu."