Ios or Rhodes?

These are equally strong beach islands, but the beaches are different. Ios has true sand. Mylopotas is the long social bay with sunbeds and water sports, Manganari has shallow, sheltered coves in the south, and the bays on the east and north coasts are wild and nearly empty. On blowy days the summer meltemi roughens the north-facing bays.

Rhodes has a much longer shore. The east coast from Faliraki to Lindos is a chain of calm bays where the sand is often mixed with fine shingle. There are rocky inlets for snorkelling at Anthony Quinn Bay, and Prasonisi has a sandbar with calm water on one side and waves on the other. The busiest beaches have rows of sunbeds in high summer.

Rhodes eats better, mainly because it is big enough to have real village tavernas. Inland and in the meze places of Rhodes Town you can find chickpea fritters, slow-cooked goat and wine and honey from Embonas. You do have to avoid the hotel buffets and the tourist lanes of the Old Town.

Ios has grilled octopus at Yialos and its own skotyri cheese, but not much more. In high summer many kitchens serve gyros and pizza to people on their way out for the night.

On sightseeing, the two islands are far apart. The sights on Ios are Chora itself, with its windmills and chapels, plus the walls of Skarkos and the legendary tomb of Homer. That is a pleasant afternoon, not a reason to come.

Rhodes has one of the most complete medieval fortified towns in Europe, with the Street of the Knights, the Grand Master's Palace, and mosques and a synagogue inside the walls. Beyond the town are the cliff-top acropolis at Lindos, ancient Kamiros and the stadium on Monte Smith. That is several days of sightseeing.

Ios is the party island. On summer nights the lanes and square of Chora become one long crawl from bar to club until dawn, with afternoon beach parties at Mylopotas beforehand. It is young, cheap and loud, and it is the main event rather than an extra.

The nightlife on Rhodes is smaller and spread out. Faliraki has the loud strip, Rhodes Town has one late lane plus cocktail bars by Mandraki, and Lindos has rooftop bars for an older crowd. That gives more choice of mood, but in most of the resorts the evening ends at the hotel bar.

Rhodes has more varied countryside. There are pine-covered hills, the climb up Mount Attavyros at 1,216m, the shaded Valley of the Butterflies and the wooded stream at Seven Springs. Prasonisi is one of the best-known windsurfing and kitesurfing spots in the Mediterranean.

Ios is bare and rocky. Its old mule tracks to remote chapels make good walks in spring, and boat trips reach sea caves you cannot get to by road. But there is no forest or real mountain to base a trip on.

Day trips are about equal on the two islands, and both depend on boats. From the middle of the Cyclades, Ios gives you Santorini's caldera and Akrotiri, Naxos and the quiet cliff-top villages of Folegandros and Sikinos. Rhodes has the pastel harbour of Symi, little Halki and a crossing to Marmaris in Turkey. Rhodes also has outings on land, to the castles of Monolithos and Kritinia and the pottery village of Archangelos.

Rhodes is much better set up for children. The shallow, gently sloping bays between Faliraki and Lindos, the pool-centred resort hotels, the water park and the aquarium make the days easy, and the Old Town ramparts are an adventure. The only real limits are the July heat and the steps of Lindos.

On Ios, the shallow bay at Manganari is the only real draw for families. Chora is all stairs, and in the peak weeks the island belongs to the party crowd.

On Ios the main places are close together. The harbour at Yialos, Chora on the hill and Mylopotas beach are linked by a frequent summer bus and the old stepped path, but the eastern and northern bays need a hired scooter, quad or car. There is no airport, so you always arrive by ferry.

Rhodes has its own airport, and its buses run along a corridor rather than around a small centre. Services are good from Rhodes Town down the east coast to Faliraki and Lindos, about an hour away, and the car-free Old Town is easy on foot. For the south and the inland villages, most people hire a car for a few days, and the good main roads make that straightforward.

Neither island is worth visiting for shopping, but Rhodes has more to browse. The Old Town lanes around Sokratous Street are full of jewellery, leather and sponges, the new town has ordinary high-street shops, and Archangelos makes Lindian-style ceramics. On Ios, shopping means beachwear and souvenirs in Chora's evening lanes.

The two islands cost about the same, but for different reasons. On Ios the savings come from its backpacker past, with hostels, campsites, gyros and cheap drinks, though better rooms and ferry fares cost more in high summer. On Rhodes they come from the large number of package hotels and all-inclusive resorts on the coast, while Lindos and the boutique hotels of the Old Town are where costs climb.

Neither island has much to watch, though Rhodes has a little more. A long-established company performs Greek folk dance in the Old Town, and summer concerts are held in the moat and the ancient stadium. On Ios there are only occasional events at the open-air theatre by the windmills and dancing at saints' day festivals.

Rhodes is easier for a quiet vacation. The big east-coast resorts have good hotel spas, and the villages of the south, such as Lahania and Asklipio, offer slow evenings over long meals with no resort noise. In July and August, Ios runs on late nights. Only the shoulder months, or a hotel tucked away near Manganari, give you real calm there.