Best for tranquility
Shinousa
Little Cyclades
In the Middle Ages the only residents were pirates and goats. Now a few backpackers drop by for a dose of horizontal inactivity. Tiny Shinousa is a blissful rural haven where dirt tracks lead from the friendly hora (main town) to empty beaches. Pack a picnic for lunch then head to Mersini port for fresh lobster when the sun goes down. Stay at Kyra Pothiti (00 30 2285 071184) in the village centre - a pretty double room with a balcony is £19. To get there take a ferry from Piraeus (Athens) to Naxos (£10) then another to Shinousa (£3), or fly from Heathrow to Naxos, via Athens with Olympic Airlines (087 0606 0460; www.olympicairlines.com).

Antikythira/Kythira
Ionian islands
If isolation appeals, visit the most remote Ionian island, Antikythira, which has a population of 70, one telephone, a taverna, a monastery and little else. Stay on Kythira, where double rooms in the converted 19th-century mansion, Hotel Margarita (00 30 2736 031711) are £55 a night. Venture out of town if you dare: ghosts are said to roam the villages of the misty interior. A twice weekly ferry runs from Piraeus to Kythira for £11, with a Saturday connection to Antikythira for £4.

Lipsi
Dodecanese
Donkeys and goats outnumber people on this quiet, self-sufficient farming and fishing island. It's not deserted - there are a few hotels and a cosmopolitan yachting crowd stops by in July, but Lipsi remains uncommercialised, with secluded shingle coves for loners or lovers to hide-out in and a ban on sun-beds and beach umbrellas. A week's self-catering in the hilltop Aphrodite Studios costs from £460 per person including flights from Gatwick and transfers with Laskarina Holidays (01629 822203; www.laskarina.co.uk).

Best for beaches
Skiathos
Sporades
Skiathos has more sandy beaches than any other Greek island. Headlands sewn with pine trees and olive groves are punctuated with one gently shelving beach after another. You can explore as many as you like from Skiathos Town, full of whitewashed houses, chic boutiques and ouzeries. The secluded Orsa Hotel has a garden terrace shaded by vines and a steep path leading to rocks to dive from. Simply Travel (020 8541 2203; www.simplytravel.com) offers a week's B&B for two people including flights from £410.

Karpathos
Dodecanese
The island's website, www.inkarpathos.com, describes it as 'wounderfull', but tranquil lounging on some of Greece's best beaches is more likely than flesh injuries. Head for Ammoöpi where you can snorkel through clouds of rainbow coloured fish in glassy water. Get a taxi from Pigadia to drop you near the Vardes studios (00 30 2245 081111) which has spacious rooms set against a hillside, 400m from the beach and tavernas - doubles are £29. Flights from Heathrow to Athens from £129.30 (0870 850 9850; www.ba.com), then fly to Pigadia for £59.

Zakynthos
Ionian Islands
Follow the example of the endangered loggerhead turtles, not by laying 150 eggs a night, but by choosing to nest on the long sandy beach in the resort of Kalamaki on the island of Zakynthos (also known as Zante). They like the beach because the moon is so luminous there, but to avoid disturbing them stay nearby at the self-catering Roulla Apartments, with Olympic Holidays (0870 429 2020; www.olympicholidays.com) including flights from £179 per person per week.

Best for culture
Crete
Greece's largest island has lots of dusty old stuff for you to dig around in. The capital Heraklion boasts the Archaelogical Museum, the Historical Museum of Crete and the ruins of Knossos where bright frescoes date back to 3000 BC. Visit the fortress and museums in the town of Rethymnon's old quarter, and the Venetian-Ottoman part of Hania. The Hotel Grecotel El Greco in Rethymnon sits on the beach and features elegant rooms. Fly on 6 June from Gatwick for seven nights half board, from £665 per person with Thomson Holidays (0870 550 2555; www.thomson.co.uk).

Nisyros
Dodecanese
The capital, Mandraki, is a tangle of alleyways stretching from a small village square; and over-hanging the town lie a monastery and a ruined Crusader castle. Higher still are the extensive ruins of a pre-classical acropolis. Stay in Hotel Porfyris, which has a pool and is overlooked by hills that lead to the islands' centre, a bubbling crater spurting sulphur. A week's B&B including flights costs from £471 per person with Hidden Greece (020 7839 2553; www.hidden-greece.co.uk).

Aegina
Saronic Gulf Islands
The main town is quite scruffy and lovably ramshackle, and the island is like an outdoor museum. There's the impressive 480 BC Dorian temple of Aphaia decorated with Trojan War sculptures, and the Dorian Temple of Apollo, where only a column remains. The ruined medieval town Paleohora became the island's capital from the 9th century until 1826 because pirate attacks forced the villagers inland. Stay in the Hotel Moondy Bay (00 30 2297 061215), around 5km from Aegina town and close to the fishing village of Perdika. It has a pool and mini golf, and doubles are from £26. Take the ferry from Piraeus near Athens for £3.

Best for activities
Corfu
Ionian Islands
Corfu is the greenest of the Ionian islands and its contrasting landscapes - olive trees, hills, sandy beaches, white pebbled coves, and rocky coastline - make it perfect for outdoor pursuits. That's why activity holiday specialist Neilson decided to locate one of its BeachPlus Clubs there, 15km south of Corfu Town, between Benitses and Moraitika. Here, you can try waterskiing, dinghy sailing, volleyball, table tennis,beach boules, windsurfing, snorkelling, kayaking and more. A week's 'club board' in June, with breakfast and lunch and four evening meals, plus all activities and tuition, costs £629 per adult and from £445 per child (aged 2-12). Neilson (0870 333 3358; www.neilson.co.uk).

Skyros
Sporades
Virtually untouched by tourism, (except for Greek regulars who come mainly in August), this beautiful island in the centre of the Aegean has a warm, community atmosphere. It's a perfect home, therefore, for Skyros Holistic Holidays, a 25-year-old company that runs 200 courses from yoga, writing and personal development to dance, sailing and art. A two-week holiday from 19 June costs £795 and includes full-board in bamboo huts, a choice of yoga, personal development, sailing, comedy improvisation, windsurfing, music, t'ai-chi, watercolour painting, and Middle Eastern or Latino dance. The price does not include flights to Athens. The company can organise ferry transfers and one night's hotel in Athens for £95. Skyros Holistic Holidays (020 7267 4424; www.skyros.com).

Lefkada
Ionian Islands
A recent newcomer to tourism, Lefkada only has one true 'resort' - Nidri - which is also a centre for yachting. Nidri's lively quay comes into its own in the evenings when sailing enthusiasts from all over the world gather in its restaurants and cafes. This mostly flat and pretty island is also ideal for cycling and walking. Sunvil Holidays offers learn-to-sail holidays at the Hotel Armonia, south of Nidri, on a room-only basis. A week's accommodation with flights costs £471 departing Gatwick on 6 June, plus £95 for two days sailing or £285 for six days. Sunvil Holidays (www.sunvil.co.uk/greece; 020 8758 4758/568 4499).

Best for food
Cephalonia
Ionian Islands
This island is undoubtedly most famous as the setting for the book and film Captain Corelli's Mandolin but it's also renowned for its fabulous restaurants. The best are to be found in the harbour village of Fiskardo, a working fishing port so you're guaranteed some of the freshest fish you'll find in the Mediterranean. Many visitors arrive by yacht so the eateries are suitably sophisticated too. One of Fiskardo's finest hotels, the 27-room Almyra, is owned by Polychronis, whose family also runs one of the island's most popular harbourside restaurants. His sister, Tassia, has now published a cookbook and appears in a series on Greek TV. A week at Almyra with Tapestry Holidays costs £565 per person, based on two sharing a twin room on a B&B basis, flying from Heathrow (£575 from Manchester) on 4 July. Tapestry Holidays (020 8235 7788; www.tapestryholidays.com).

Symi
Dodecanese
Just 23 miles north of Rhodes and four miles across the sea to Turkey, Symi's picturesque pastel-coloured houses surrounding its harbour are dotted with smart restaurants and bars. One of its more innovative restaurants is Mythos, where chef Stavros is known for his seafood filo parcels and pannacotta. You can learn to cook these and more of his Mediterranean dishes on a 'Cooking with Stavros' course through Laskarina Holidays, with three hours tuition on five mornings. It costs £200 per person and a week at the Villa Penelope costs £595pp based on two sharing on a self-catering basis (but including a light lunch), with flights from Gatwick on 13 October.

Santorini
Cyclades
Known for its distinctive cuisine based on succulent baby tomatoes, Santorini guarantees fine food in a spectacular setting. Its volcanic history has left it with black sand beaches, raw lava-layered cliffs, and a fertile soil which is perfect for vineyards (around 70 per cent of the island is covered in vines). ITC Classics offers seven nights at the stylish Katikies hotel, staying in a senior suite B&B, with return flights from Heathrow to Santorini via Athens, including transfers, from £1,548.50 per person based on two sharing in July. The hotel itself has a small rooftop restaurant serving gourmet Mediterranean food and a Greek restaurant with oriental influences, set in a natural cave overlooking the Caldera. ITC Classics (01244 355527; www.itcclassics.co.uk).

Best for families
Zakynthos
Just over three hours and 10 minutes flying time from Gatwick and less than four hours from other UK airports, and with short transfer times too, Zakynthos is great for families. It's also got some of the best sandy and gently shelving beaches in Greece, including the famous Smuggler's Cove - complete with white sand, turquoise water and a shipwreck - a kid's dream. Seven nights at the four-star Apartments Porto Iliessa in Argassi costs from £550 per adult, £138 for the first child and £258 for the second child, departing Gatwick on 24 June with JMC, Thomas Cook's dedicated family brand. Thomas Cook (08701 111111; www.thomascook.com).

Kos
Dodecanese
With warm, inviting and shallow waters and a short flying time from the UK (around three hours and 45 minutes) Kos is another family favourite. All-inclusive holidays with excellent childcare facilities and sporting activities are offered by family specialist Mark Warner at its Lakitira resort, only a 20-minute drive from the airport. It has four bars, three restaurants, 11 tennis courts, two beaches, two pools, and even an astro soccer pitch. Mark Warner is offering a special seven-night price of £599 per adult (that's a £96 discount) for 19 May departures staying at the Lakitira Hotel. Children aged 2-6 cost £469 and £539 for those aged 7-12. Children aged 2-12 sharing a room with the adults cost £359. Mark Warner (0870 770 4227; www.markwarner.co.uk).

Rhodes
Dodecanese
Faliraki aside, Rhodes is ideal for a family holiday. It's got miles of sandy beaches, plenty of family-friendly restaurants, plus several huge water parks, and there are direct flights too so you won't have to take a ferry. The village of Paskos is just one example of many traditional coastal villages on the island that are hugely popular with families. Airtours offers seven nights in a studio at the self-catering Stella Apartments, which has a children's pool and play area, for £1,500 for two adults and two children, including flights from Gatwick and transfers. Airtours (0870 2415339; www.airtours.co.uk).

BEST FOR SPAS
Kos
Hippocrates may have introduced the first hospitals and health centres to the beautiful island, but he didn't bring heated chakra tables, cold leg wraps and soap brush massages did he? Luckily the Neptune Hotel (00 30 2242 041480; www.neptune.gr) offers these and more in its spa, set in a traditional Greek style, 15 hectare, private estate that's big but classy and lies next to a beach. The international airport is 15 minutes away, flights to Kos from Heathrow via Athens are £195 with Olympic Airlines (087 0606 0460; www.olympicairlines.com).

Mykonos
Cyclades
The island of Mykonos is something of an unofficial centre for the burgeoning Greek spa industry. The Mykonos Grand Hotel and Resort just outside Mykonos Town on Ayios Yiannis Beach, the beach made famous by Shirley Valentine, offers the perfect combination of relaxation in quiet, luxurious surroundings of whitewashed buildings looking out onto the azure Aegean and activity in the nearby town centre. Some suites have their own pools and spa-like bathrooms of marble and mosaics with steamrooms and jacuzzis. ITC Classics (01244 355340; www.itcclassics.co.uk) has seven nights' B&B in a garden view room from £572 per person including return flights with Olympic.

· A few kilometres up the road, tourists will be downing ouzo or Metaxa in nightclubs and dancing till they drop. You, however, can morph into a smooth, carefree nymph at the Myconian Imperial Hotel & Thalasso Centre. Erna Low (020 7594 0290; www.bodyandsoulholidays.com) offers an anti-stress package, including six one-hour thalassotherapy sessions taking you through four pools at different temperatures combined with hydrotherapy jets, body peeling, an aromatherapy massage, facial, plus use of the sauna and steambath. Includes return flight from London to Mykonos, transfers and breakfast for £830pp based on two sharing for seven nights.

Getting there
Flights to Athens are from £129.30 return from Heathrow with British Airways (0870 850 9850; www.ba.com). You will soon be able to buy your ferry trips in advance with Viamare (0870 410 6040; www.viamare.com).