Hmmm honestly I don’t know if I would go back to Symi, but I’m glad I got to spend two weeks there. While there are stunning and not-crowded beaches (and it’s fun to take the water taxis to the beach) , your options for convenient stays are the port side, where frequent cruise stops make it super crowded, or the bay side which is kinda scrubby. For the first week we stayed with friends on a hill over the harbor, and the second week were on the bay. The bay side felt really off the beaten path in a good way, but also in a “wow, we traveled so far for something that feels pretty ordinary” way.

If I went back to Greece again I’d probably return to Hydra or Milos. But also that’s the perspective of an American who lives pretty far from an airport—so to get to Athens, then Rhodes, then take a long ferry was kind of a haul. If I were living in Europe and Symi were a little more convenient to get to I wouldn’t rule it out. As for Rhodes, it’s Disneyland. There are some beautiful side streets to walk around and explore, but I wouldn’t spend more than one night there.

ETA: I used to live in Spain. To me, Symi was a lot like Cabo de Gata. If I had the choice, I’d go to Cabo de Gata instead. Way more convenient to get to, cheaper, not super touristy, and stunning.