Crete or Ios?

Both islands are true beach destinations, and Crete has the wider range. In the far west it has the pink-tinged sand of Elafonissi and the turquoise bay at Balos, in the east the palm-lined bay at Vai, along the north coast long resort beaches, and on the Libyan Sea south coast pebble coves such as Preveli that you reach by boat or on foot.

Ios is almost all sand and easier to reach. Mylopotas is the lively beach with sunbeds and water sports, Manganari's sheltered coves have clear shallow water, and the wilder eastern bays are often empty. On both islands the meltemi stirs up the north-facing water, so it helps to have a sheltered southern beach in mind for windy days.

Here the gap is wide. Crete has its own regional cuisine, built on its olive oil, wild greens, graviera and mizithra cheeses, slow-cooked lamb and dakos. The best of it is in village tavernas and in the backstreets of Chania and Rethymno, and the wine villages south of Heraklion add a serious wine trade.

On Ios there is good grilled fish at the harbour in Yialos and the local skotyri cheese, but you have to look for a careful kitchen. In high summer many places serve gyros and pizza to people heading out for the night.

Crete was the centre of the Minoan world, and you can plan a trip around that alone: Knossos, Phaistos, Malia and the frescoes and Phaistos Disc in the Heraklion museum. On top of that come the Venetian quarter of Chania, Rethymno's fortress and Ottoman balconies, Spinalonga and Arkadi, though seeing them means driving across the island.

On Ios the sights are Chora's windmills and blue-domed chapels, the Early Cycladic walls at Skarkos and the legendary tomb of Homer at Plakotos. Together they fill a pleasant afternoon, not a week.

On Ios, going out is the main event. Dozens of bars and a few clubs crowd Chora's old lanes and main square, people drift from one to the next until dawn, and the beach bars at Mylopotas get the afternoon going. The crowd is young, the drinks are cheap and the music is familiar, and all of it runs from June to September.

On Crete the party resorts of Malia and Hersonissos are a separate world from the rest of the island. Most evenings elsewhere are slower and more grown-up: cocktail bars around Chania's harbour, Rethymno's waterfront terraces and Heraklion's café-bars, all shared with Greek students and locals.

Crete has real mountains. The White Mountains and Psiloritis rise above 2,400m and hold snow into spring, and gorges such as Samaria and Imbros cut down through them to the sea. Griffon vultures circle the cliffs and kri-kri goats live in the west. Add the European long-distance path that crosses the island, the coast walk from Loutro to Agia Roumeli, climbing at Agiofarago and diving, and you can build a whole outdoor trip.

Ios is bare, terraced and rocky, and its highest hill is a modest climb compared with Crete's peaks. Its old mule tracks to chapels and northern bays make good spring walks, and boat trips reach sea caves, but there is far less to explore.

From a base on Crete, most days out are on the island itself: another of the four main towns, the wine villages around Archanes, or mountain villages such as Anogia. Boats run to Chrissi and Gramvousa, and Santorini is a long day by fast ferry.

Ios is central in the Cyclades, so Santorini is closer, about an hour away, and Naxos, Folegandros and Sikinos are also within reach. Every outing depends on the ferry timetable, though, and outside high summer a same-day return is not always possible.

Crete is much better set up for children. The north coast and the area around Chania have gently shelving sandy beaches and resort hotels with pools and kids' clubs, Elafonissi's shallow lagoon is good for toddlers, and there are waterparks and the aquarium at Gournes for days off the beach. The drawbacks are long, winding drives and midsummer heat.

Ios has safe sand at Manganari and the quieter end of Mylopotas, and nothing beyond that for children. Families should come in June or September and stay in the south, away from the noise of Chora.

Ios is the easier island to get around once you have arrived. The harbour, Chora and Mylopotas are linked by a frequent summer bus and an old stepped path, and only the remote eastern and northern bays call for a scooter or a car. The catch is getting there: Ios has no airport, so you arrive by ferry.

On Crete a hire car is close to essential. Buses connect the north-coast towns reliably, but the gorges, villages and south-coast beaches are reached on steep, winding roads that take longer than the map suggests.

Neither island is a place for fashion, but Crete has things worth bringing home. Chania has its leather-makers' lane, knife-makers and covered market hall, Heraklion's market street sells thyme honey, cheese and raki, and potters' villages such as Margarites sell their ceramics. On Ios the lanes of Chora sell mostly beachwear, sandals and jewellery, open late for the evening crowd.

Overall costs are much the same, and both islands are kinder on the budget than the glamorous Cyclades. The difference is in where the money goes. On Crete the savings come from village tavernas and family-run rooms, and the unavoidable cost is car hire.

On Ios a budget trip means hostels, campsites, grill food and drinks offers near Mylopotas. The extra costs are ferry fares and the high-season rates for any comfortable room in July and August.

Crete has a living music tradition of lyra, lute and improvised mantinades verses. You can hear it in the music tavernas of Rethymno and Chania, at saints'-day festivals and above all in Anogia, and summer festivals use the fortresses of Heraklion and Chania. On Ios there are occasional summer events at the open-air theatre by the windmills, and otherwise the music comes from the bars.

Crete makes the easier place to unwind. The serious resort spas are around Elounda and the Gulf of Mirabello, and car-free Loutro and the hill villages among the olive groves offer real quiet. On Ios, rest means a boutique hotel near Manganari with yoga or a massage, in June or September, because in peak summer the island sleeps late and stays up all night.