Hydra Hotels: Where to Stay on the Car-Free Island

Stay in Hydra Port for your first visit. The ferry docks there, and most of the island's restaurants, shops and museums line the harbor or climb the lanes behind it. The hotels are small and full of character, many of them set in old stone mansions. If you want a beach at your door, a couple of coastal hotels outside town make a quieter base. Rooms on Hydra run expensive and fill fast, so plan ahead.

What is it like to stay on Hydra?

Picture a horseshoe harbor with stone mansions stacked up the hillside around it, and not a car or motorbike anywhere. Vehicles are banned on the island, so people get around on foot or by donkey. About 500 working donkeys and mules haul luggage from the port up to the hotels.

That ban shapes where you sleep. Hydra has no big resorts and no large hotels. You'll find converted sea captains' houses, 18th-century mansions, homey guesthouses and a few beach hotels. Most rooms sleep only one or two people, though several hotels have larger suites, so ask before you book.

Spending the night pays off. Many visitors find the harbor and the lantern-lit stone paths especially atmospheric once the day-trippers head back to Athens and the sun goes down.

Which part of Hydra is best for a first visit?

Hydra Port

The ferry arrives here, and the water taxis and beach boats leave from the same harbor, including the taxis to the remote, pine-fringed beaches of Bisti and Agios Nikolaos at the far ends of the island. Restaurants, galleries, museums, the grocery store and the pharmacy are all in town.

The town rises up the hillside on narrow cobbled lanes and stone steps, and the higher you climb, the quieter it gets and the more stairs you face. Hotel Miranda is a short walk from the harbor. The Hydra Hotel, a converted schoolhouse at the top of the village, has superb views and a lot of stairs, so arrange a donkey for your luggage before you arrive.

A handful of small hotels here earn steady praise. Hotel Sophia is a traditional hotel at the center of the harbor and the closest to the ferry. Orloff Boutique Hotel is a stylish place built over an old convent, with garden courtyards. Hydroussa, in a 200-year-old captain's mansion, is under five minutes on foot from the ferry, and Bratsera, a former sponge factory with a pool, is an easy five-minute walk.

Kamini

Kamini is a small fishing village along the coast west of the port, roughly 15 minutes away on foot. It's much quieter than the main harbor and has some excellent seaside tavernas. Choose it if you want calm but still want to stroll into town for dinner, and if you find a good rate here, grab it.

Vlychos and Plakes

Vlychos lies farther west, a walk of around 35 to 40 minutes from the port, and offers a small pebble beach along with a few guesthouses. Beyond it is Vlychos Plakes, usually just called Plakes, home to Bellevalia Hydra (formerly Four Seasons), a tranquil beachside hotel with a well-regarded restaurant on site. Plakes is about 2 miles (3 km) from the port on foot or a short boat ride away, and Bellevalia offers free boat transfers to town at certain times of day. Both villages feel remote, and you'll probably rely on water taxis to get back and forth. That suits a swimming holiday, but the fares add up if you plan to eat in town every night.

Mandraki

East of the main harbor, Mandraki is a lovely cove with a beach and a five-star resort beside it. Mandraki Beach Resort has sea-facing suites, a beach club and a restaurant, and boat transfers from the port are included. Villa Mandraki offers two fully equipped cottages that sleep five and four guests, each with a terrace. It sits about 30 feet (10 meters) from the beach, and the port is about 25 minutes away on foot or 5 minutes by water taxi.

Where should couples stay?

In town, the old mansion hotels set the mood. For a romantic escape by the sea, Bellevalia Hydra and Mandraki Beach Resort are both strong choices, and some Mandraki suites have private plunge pools.

Where should families stay?

Families do well in the port, with shops, restaurants and the ferry close by. Look for connecting rooms or bigger suites:

• Hotel Leto has connecting rooms that sleep four.
• Bratsera has suites for four or five and a swimming pool, a rarity on Hydra.
• Hotel Mistral offers connecting rooms and an attic studio for four with a kitchenette.
• Phaedra Hotel has rooms for two, three and four people, with a two-night minimum.
• Angelica Traditional Boutique Hotel offers two family suites, one sleeping four and one sleeping five, in a quiet spot roughly 8 minutes uphill from the port.
• Hydras Chromata, an aparthotel, has a large two-bedroom apartment that sleeps five, with a full kitchen.

Some hotels don't advertise their connecting rooms, so email and ask. They may be able to give you two rooms side by side. At the beach, Bellevalia Hydra suits families, but check bed counts, since many of its four-person suites sleep children more comfortably than four adults.

For bigger groups or longer stays, look at vacation houses. Many are old homes with inviting courtyards, but many also set a minimum stay of three nights to a week or more, so for a single night a hotel is easier.

Where should budget travelers stay?

Hydra draws a well-to-do crowd, so lodging prices run high. A few guesthouses ease the bill: Nereids Guesthouse and Athina Guesthouse are the budget and midrange picks. Hotel Mistral is a popular value choice in the port, with breakfast included. Some hotels charge a little less on their own websites than on big booking platforms, though you may give up the cancellation protection those platforms offer.

Where should you stay if you don't want a lot of walking?

Walking is the charm of the island, but it matters if stamina or mobility is an issue.

Choose a place near the harbor, such as Hotel Sophia, and think twice about hotels high in the village, however good the views. Even a harborside address can mean stairs: Douskos Port House sits right above the port but is reached by many steps. Ask your hotel or host exactly how many stairs lie between the dock and your door before you book. At Mandraki, the included boat transfer saves you the walk.

When should you book, and what should you check first?

The tourist season runs from around Easter through October or November. Most hotels close for the winter, while a few smaller guesthouses stay open all year. Expect to pay a little more than for similar lodging on the mainland, and know that vacation-rental prices can nearly double in the busy summer months.

Book early, especially at the small hotels, which often have only a few rooms. If a place you love shows as full on a booking site, email it directly, since some hotels favor their own websites and don't update their calendars online very often.