Greek islands

Athens and would like to spend some time in Crete. I have no problem flying instead of ferries. I just want an opinion between Rhodes and Santorini

I’ve been to Rhodes, not Santorini. Rhodes Town is an ancient walled city built by the Knights of St. John. There are fine beaches nearby with more on the island. Liked it so much so that I returned with friends for a second visit.

I would go to Santorini if you are going to Crete. You can take a ferry. It is not a long ferry ride.

You likely would have to have to fly back to Athens and take a second flight to Rhodes.

Actually, there are direct 50-minute flights between Rhodes and Santorini on Aegean Airlines. There also are direct 55-minute flights between Crete and Rhodes with Aegean.

www.Skyscanner.com

A good combo for variety: Santorini then Folegandros.
I am done. The end.

Having visited both, Santorini twice because of logistical necessity and Rhodes two months ago also because of logistical necessity, neither of them appealed to me.

With 12 days in September, you can easily visit both by taking an Olympic flight from Rhodes to Santorini or vice versa.

Fortunately, even if you skip Santorini and Rhodes, there are at least 150 other Greek islands worth visiting that could please everyone.

I've enjoyed both of these islands immensely. I would choose Santorini if you mostly want a place to relax on the beach. Rhodes is much bigger and has the amazing and historic old town, which is a lovely place to walk around after a day at the beach. I really recommend staying in the old town, and from there you can easily get to some nice beaches by bus nearby (like Faliraki) and a bit further away (like Tsambika Bay). There are some small museums or you can just enjoy walking around the walls and thru the narrow maze of streets. Good luck deciding.