Island hopping from Turkey to Greece

I am planning a 10-15 day trip in Turkey and Greece. I would like to spend some time on the islands (5-6 days), but I'm not sure where to go. I think it'd make sense to stay on one or two central islands and do day trips from there. So, can anyone offer suggestions about:
1) which island(s) is most convenient for getting to the lovely smaller islands - like Patmos
2) which are some of those lovely smaller islands that cannot be missed; what is the easiest way about - ferries or hydrofoils?
3) where is the best place in Turkey to start off for Greece?

Thanks

havent really done many of the islands, only had a coupla days in kos when i was staying in bodrum (turkey). thats only a 20 minute ferry ride, and i highly recommend to anyone to go to bodrum in summer. good starting or ending point of you are doing the islands.

I responded to a similar question yesterday. The best place in Turkey to head off to Greece would probably be Bodrum. Rhodes and Crete are the islands you'll want to use to get to the smaller ones. Bodrum has a direct ferry to Rhodes and from there you can travel onwards. It's very likely that all the other Turkish ports along the Aegean coast, north of Bodrum have ferries connecting to Athens if you want to go that route but that would be a waste of time. So I say Crete and Rhodes