My apologies to my friend Allan [img]http://www.planetsmilies.com/smilies/ashamed/ashamed0003.gif[/img][img]http://www.planetsmilies.com/smilies/ashamed/ashamed0003.gif[/img](and to Symi Visitor, who are an excellent organisation and among other things do of course bear the costs of running this Chat Page as well as the remainder of the site), but I rather doubt whether they are the right people for you. (If I'm wrong, they will certainly say so and explain what they do actually have to offer somebody like you).
As I understand it, you are young (I assume in your late teens or early 20s) and - as most of us were at that age, irrespective of how well off we might be nowadays - operating on a very tight budget. [img]http://www.planetsmilies.com/smilies/character/character0294.gif[/img] You will therefore be wanting to find the cheapest possible accommodation, and won't mind how simple it is so long at is cheap, clean, and the beds are comfortable. Symi Visitor are as I understand it rather more in the business of offering the sort of good-quality accommodation that (say) your parents might be interested in, and at a corresponding price. When I visit Symi, I too am nowadays operating at that sort of price level, and so don't really know what is available at budget cost. But I'm sure other readers will be able to advise you on this.
Usually one reasonably cheap way of visiting Symi is to buy a package holiday from one of the three tour operators who come to Symi: Manos, Olympic Holidays, and [drat, I've forgotten the name of the third and probably the cheapest - old age!! Hopefully somebody else will remember them.]. But I do recall that nowadays they tend to finish their season early, so perhaps you've looked at them and found that they have nothing to offer at the time you need to travel.
One possibility worth following up is the
Taxiarchis apartments**, where I often stay myself.
I'm planning to be on Symi myself at the beginning of October (though not this time at Taxiarchis), so I might well see you and your friend there.
** I've just re-read the bit about your friend not wanting to be far from the harbour. If so, Taxiarchis probably wouldn't suit as it is up at the top in Hori�, albeit not far from the bus stop.