Rhodes or Naxos?

Naxos is often called Mini Crete. It has similarities to Crete with great beaches, a lovely main town topped by a Venetian Era Kastro, mountain villages , hiking and several antiquities around the island. If you liked Crete you will like Naxos.
Some images

Trip around Naxos https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/albums/72157634605629689
And just off the press Naxos in the evening 2024 https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/albums/72177720318406428/
Naxos town 2024 https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/albums/72177720318203165/

I was very disappointed with Naxos Town. I say Rhodes.

Thank you for your opinions and the lovely pictures.

We were in Rhodes this May. It is probably Greece's third most touristed island. It's heavily favored by Italians, Germans, and Brits, who travel there on pre-paid vacations or go to all-inclusive resorts. The town of Rhodes also gets lots of cruise ships. Even in May, the town and Old Town had lots of tourists. There were 3 cats and 2 dogs on our departing flight, as families take their pets with them on extended holidays.

Even with that, we loved our 5 nights in the Old Town. We had an inexpensive apartment (€52/night) and were the only guests. High temps were in the 70's. We aren't into the beach scene. We rented a car 2 days to see the island. Unfortunately, we didn't get out early enough for seeing Lindos, so it was the most crowded of any of the places visited. We loved the food and the people of the island. The layers of history of ancient Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Crusaders, Ottomans, and Italians is interesting. The Ottomans lost the Island after losing WW1. Italy lost the Island after losing WW2.

Edited to add: I chose Rhodes, because it's the furthest island by ferry from Athens. As we were already in Europe, I found cheap fares from Berlin to Rhodes. Otherwise, I've only been to some of the Cyclades Islands and Crete. I normally like to ferry between islands.

MaryPat, may I ask why you were disappointed with Naxos town please?

We plan to visit Greece next year and are currently planning our itinerary. We have four nights slated for Naxos and five for Rhodes, among other places, because many friends have told me how great Naxos is.

I don't mind hearing the bad side of things, as it will help to confirm what we do.

Thanks in advance.

Hi Deb, in Jul of ’22 I took a ferry from Santorini to Naxos Town for the day. I love old towns and walked all the way up to the top of the hill where the old city is perched and saw an unfinished façade of a church and that was it. Two other couples were also looking for Naxos Town historical center and they asked if I knew where the old town was. A local walked up and said this is it.
This was around the time that COVID bans were being lifted so there weren’t many tourists so most shops were still closed. I tried to get off the beaten path but saw a city with little charm. The traffic was loud and congested and I got tired of smelling gas fumes. Most of the city is run down.
I then found a restaurant with a menu that sounded OK. It was one of the worst meals I’ve had in Europe which I’ve visited 13 times. I ordered tuna expecting a steak and got canned tuna served with pasta. Not a good combination.
There are two attractive places I did see in Naxos Town and that was the ferry port where there are lots of restaurants and another restaurant closer to the old town that offers nice views overlooking the sea. There was also an upscale restaurant that did not open until 5p but my ferry left before then so I did not get to go. I bet that would have been the place to enjoy dinner.
What I did like about Naxos were the locals who were quite nice and helpful. However, Naxos Town itself was a disappointment and I don’t believe had I spent the night I would have liked it more. To learn more here’s a link that was posted after my return: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/greece/finalizing-places.

We just returned from our latest Greece adventure. We spent a month in Crete and two weeks in Naxos town mid June. While Naxos was busy it has a way of absorbing lots of people and not feel crowded. At least in mid June and in September.

I am just releasing my latest photos of Naxos. Every photo is geo tagged. This is our Naxos experience.

My photos are what we saw.
This is what Naxos is like.
Naxos Town https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/albums/72177720318203165/
Naxos at night https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/53810808016/in/album-72177720318406428/
Visit to the mountain village of Aparanthos, https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/53811131089/in/album-72177720318196100/

Great photos,any recommendations on where to stay?

Wendy it always helps people give best hotel advice if you say when you're going, how long you'll have on Naxos, what your main interests are (hiking, food, ancient ruins, little villages, swims) and if you will rely mainly on busses/taxis rather than car rental. All these things affect our recommends.

Our trip will be 12-14 nights,we're open to researching all recommendations

when? Really different in May-June or mid-sept vs July - august... latter requires different strategy due to heat, crowds

I loved both of these islands. Naxos is gorgeous, authentic, much less developed than places like Santorini (which I do not like.)
Rhodes is much more touristy, less authentic but still absolutely adorable and I couldn't resist loving it. Our hotel was amazing.
I can't imagine how someone would say they don't like Naxos, unless they were looking for a big party scene.
I have traveled all over the world and Naxos rests in my top 10.
Hard choice, but maybe base the choice on ease to get to one or the other.
If you want zen more authentic Greece, I would say Naxos.

PS If you have time for the peloponnese, we rented a car and drove part of the coast and it is exquisite, off the beaten bath, authentic, paradise.

Naxos it is! We've rented a villa and thank all of you for the information you've provided.