A Five-Day Diary of Vacationing on Greece’s Most Perfect Isle
HYDRA
Hydra (pronounced ee-drah) is a total dream. On more than one occasion I had to consciously pinch myself to remember I was living and breathing this idyllic isle, and not just staring out at a postcard. The town itself wraps around a quaint seaport, elegantly stepping up the hillside for vertical living that offers not a single bad view.
The air smells of jasmine, eucalyptus, or donkey excrement—depending on where you step. Google maps cannot compete with the intricately woven fabric of alleys, stairwells, and nooks that make up the hillside. Get lost here—you’ll have no choice—and prepare to be absolutely delighted by the unending beautiful scenery.
Hydra is a car-free island, a quality you’ll quickly adapt to for the freedom of personal movement it affords. Your feet and your mind are free to meander in meditation as the port gently bustles with visitors, friendly feral cats, and supply deliveries loaded off ferries and on to donkeys. We were in Hydra for five days, most of which I spent musing, “I could spend my whole summer here.” (Writers retreat, anyone?)
Nolan and I arrived at night to a dark harbor glimmering with the reflection of the lights lit up inside homes and hotels, restaurants and shops. Our gaze was carried up Hydra’s hillside by this light, where our stone-built villa stood nestled amongst the other homes tetris'd together with impressive density.
Hydra doesn’t necessitate firm plans (apart from the boat schedule), which is precisely what makes it feel like a proper vacation. This guide is the culmination of both my experiences and recommendations, spun together into a five-day diary designed to inspire and inform.
Day 1
Our housemates woke early and set out in search of fresh-baked croissants, and because the town is clustered around the port, anything you could dream of needing was available within a ten minute walk. By the time we were out of bed, warm croissants were waiting for us on the kitchen counter alongside sour cherry preserves, greek yogurt, and this view:
On our first day, we were first and foremost drawn to the sea. The swimming conditions were perfect: glowing sunshine and teal, salty waters. A water taxi jetted us from the main port to Plakes, a beach just a few minutes down the way by boat. Destination: Four Seasons (not that Four Seasons) where, for 10 EUR, seaside lounge chairs were ours for the day. We ordered smoothies and champagne and snacked on fresh kiwi. Hydration is sexy too, so keep the (bottled) water flowing.
Sandy beaches do not exist on Hydra; they’re all pebbled. But before that dissuades you, consider that no sand on the beach means no sand in your bag, bed, shoes, towels or anywhere else. One guide we read suggested packing river shoes and this was the single best item we let take up space in our luggage. River shoes are the difference between confidently striding into the Aegean Sea and struggling to not to break your ankle before even reaching the water. Pack the river shoes. You might also bring a pair of swim goggles to view the little fishes. The most delightful surprise, though, was how salty the sea is—so salty you easily float. Locals will tell you they don’t get into the water until July, but after swimming in the ice bath that is the Oslo fjords only a week prior, we thought the water temperature was perfect and refreshing.
As for the sun, its warmth was luxurious, but within a few hours, my thighs had turned pink. Sunscreen is a must and yet, my only regret was wearing a one-piece swimsuit. I spent each following day ruffling through shops in search of a bikini to no avail. Next time, I’ll pack it, because the feeling of fresh sunshine on my soft belly is worth so much more than feeling self-conscious. Wear the dang bikini.
After all that delicious sea salt soaked into our skin, we skipped the water taxi, and stretched our sun kissed legs on a walk back into town. It’s about two miles along a path that took us through neighborhoods and aside cliffs with storybook views. We learned quickly that anytime we were going to be out in the exposed light like this, to prioritize a hat and flowy clothes the wind can dance through.
Back in town, it was time to freshen up at home then head to Manna for dinner, a sophisticated, unstuffy Greek restaurant that sits at the axis of a Y-shaped street where people-watching was the entertainment of our evening. Nightlife doesn’t get going until late late, so when we sat down at 8 pm, we were still (blissfully) well ahead of the crowd. We dined on fresh pasta and watermelon salad with mint, tomatoes, balsamic, and feta. Outdoor dining is prized and normalized, overtaking most of the island's main walkways, but after all day in the sun, we opted to enjoy Manna’s calm interiors from a table inside, along the edge of open windows. This, afterall, was near enough to allow the cats in to beg at Nolan’s feet when his branzino arrived.
Day 2-4
Like many islands, Hydra runs by the boat schedule—it is the metronome of daily life, providing routine and rhythm by which the local restauarants, shops, and tradespeople abide. As visitors, we caught on quickly, and on the day we woke to find an enormous cruise vessel docked off the bay, we knew we had to get out adage, before the town filled with cruise ship tourists. It became the perfect opportunity to visit a nearby town or island. Spetses and Poros are great island options, as is Ermioni, a port town on the mainland. We noticed that, for their proximity to Hydra, they are all quite unique and therefore worth the exploration. Ferries are affordable and readily available from Hydra, but they are specifically timed and only come/go a few times per day. Check the schedule, recheck the schedule, and do not be late.
Whereever you decide to go, start your day by popping into a local bakery. We were impressed with Drougas Bakery located between the Museum of Hydra and where the ferries depart, in particular for its circle-shaped bread about the size of a dinner plate, that’s brown with seeds. Any of the pastries from the case drizzled with Hydra’s wild thyme honey or chopped nuts looked delicious—you can’t go wrong here. We took our treats to-go and enjoyed them on the 30-minute ferry ride to all the places our heart desired.
Spetses / After only a few days of car-free living on Hydra, we became walking liabilities around the mopeds and trucks on Spetses. It was fascinating how quickly our minds and bodies acclimated to Hydra’s slower pace—and how close we came getting side-clipped in Spetses. Our plan for the day was simple: walk to the lighthouse, eat “the best Greek salad” a particular travel blogger had ever tasted for lunch, then swim in the waters off the sandy beaches Spetses is known for before catching the 4 pm ferry back home. The walk was longer than we expected (about an hour each way from the port) but we were treated to its journey, which took us through residential neighborhoods complete with laundry lines, churches, and playgrounds—a glimpse into how it might look to live as a local. We were furthermore treated to a sculpture park on the grounds surrounding the lighthouse. The views were nice, the breeze was blowy, but we’d all had too much sun by the time we reached lunch. As for the Greek salad? It was just as good as all the other’s we’d eaten, which is to say, quite tasty, but nowhere near the elusive accolade of “best.” After lunch we headed towards The Bouboulina Museum, which we never made it to because it began to rain—which is also why we never made it to the beaches. The Poseidonion Grand Hotel became our respite where, under a gigantic umbrella on their terrace overlooking the rain-speckled sea, I indulged in my favorite pairing: camomile tea and chocolate ice cream. Out back, a swimming pool is enveloped by a jasmine garden and the lobby and lounge is hung with a colorful collection of paintings. We loved it.
Ermioni, Kilada & Vivari / If a local offers to take you out on their boat for a day of fishing, the answer is a resounding yes. For us, this local was not a stranger, but Alexandra, a friend of Nolan’s who splits her time between the states and her family’s hometown in Greece. Her father, Angelo, a Greek, and mother, Nancy, an American, hosted us on their boat for a day on the Aegean. As starry-eyed as we were about catching fresh fish, snacking on caper leaves foraged and pickled by Angelo himself, and eating off giant blocks of cheese with names we’d never heard of back home, for Alexandra’s family, this was a regular day.
We boated from Kilada to lunch in Vivari where the sea lapped only feet from our feet. And where we became a captive audience for her parents to tell us their “meet cute” and subsequent love story between heaping dishes of traditional Greek greens called horta. We were served one type from a pine tree, another from the sea—both steamed—to which we were encouraged to drizzle lots of olive oil and squeeze lots of lemon.
Poros / Nolan and I, admittedly and perhaps regretfully, opted for a quiet beach day while our travel companions headed to Poros. It’s more accurate to say they headed back to Poros because they loved it so much the first time, they went back a day later. For their encore visit, they rented a boat and took it around the island, docking or dropping anchor whenever the impulse to jump into the sea caught them—which was often. They returned to Hydra sunswept, well fed from the small beach stands, and brimming with adventure stories.
Day 5
On our last day, we slept in. We slept through the church bells and the crowing roosters, enjoying the fresh breeze through our open window and the sounds of a town slowly coming to life. After four days of being blissfully out in the elements (an exposure that expends more energy than many of us are used to) we took it easy on our last morning—a little more slowly—allowing the hellenic impressions to settle into our psyches.
We did not have a bad meal in Hydra, and all the restaurants whose outdoor seating flows into each other into one giant dining room seem to be comparable. But we noticed that higher Google rankings tend to specifically correlate with faster service (service, which by now you’ve likely noticed, is very hands-off). We liked breakfast at Isalos for precisely this reason. Early in the week I had what was maybe my first cappuccino ever and immediately became a devoted convert. I ordered this and Greek yogurt drizzled with Greek honey, almost every day, savoring every bite, knowing that the exact combination back home would simply not be the same.
After breakfast, we decided to get ourselves lost. The streets, if you can call them that, are absolutely poetic with their turns and undulations, flashes of the port, punctuated by magenta bougainvillea climbing up doorways. But any way you slice it, Hydra is a workout. Our legs became so strong! Our heart and lungs too. My favorite yoga teacher in Portland likes to distract us with joy while we're doing a hard rep and the stairs in Hydra are like that. We hardly noticed the incline (until I slipped. The stones are naturally polished and slick!) because we were so busy staring out in utter awe of the beauty: the white-washed architecture, the cats, the cats tormenting a lizard for sport, the citrus trees, and eventually, the sound of singing alerting us to our arrival at Leonard Coehn’s home. Getting lost here is no biggie because you can only wander so far, and we learned fast not to rely on a map for the details. Hydra is too analog for that.
Our last day was a good day to shop, so we wandered back down towards Labeîn, our most exciting find for treats to bring home. It is slightly off the beaten path, decidedly not touristy, yet caters to visitors looking for thoughtfully-curated, locally-made wares. We bought honey, halva (a dessert were were told Greek grandpas love), mastiha (a traditional liqueur), and were tempted by the olives and vats of olive oil (which the Athens airport will specially pack for you in “suitcase-style” packaging to bring home). The shop is owned by a local man with a nephew who was as helpful to us as he is to his uncle who he was “just helping out.” We relied on his guidance for which authentic flavors our family might like best.
From here, we headed home to drop off our shopping bags and rest before dinner. Hydra—as well as all of Greece—is heavily Italian influenced, which we noticed most prominently on menus, including at an Italian restaurant tucked into the turns called Il Castra. It looked just romantic enough to save for our final meal on the island. If you are a non-drinker, like me, you’ll be delighted by all the alcohol-free options everywhere, especialy beer. It may not be listed, but if you ask, you shall recieve.
Hydra sparkles at night and it was only fitting to enjoy the harbor view under its lights on our last evening—just as we had upon our arrival. We’d heard that actor Sacha Baron Cohen owns a bar on the island called The Pirate Bar and that he'll sometimes bartend here. No Sacha this time, but the vibes and views were good, especially as the rest of our party met us for a final “yamas!” together on this idyllic isle.
As you depart, a warning: your return to the mainland, or anywhere else outside the islands, may feel chaotic and harsh. Give yourself grace with this transition (it’s hard to compete with Hydra’s beauty and serenity) and perhaps select your next hotel and neighborhood with this in mind. Our next stop was Athens where we stayed just outside the center of things at The Social Athens. It was a great choice in and of itself, but also for our steady reacclimation.
A Few Practical Points
Book a donkey or two for your luggage. This definitely has a novelty factor, but it’s more than that: once we saw the steep, uneven stones and winding stairways, we were grateful not to schlep our luggage ourselves. Most hotels and accommodations can help arrange donkeys when needed.
Pack river shoes for swimming
Remember that toilet paper goes in the trash, not the toilet
Drink bottled water. Brushing your teeth from the tap won’t make you ill, but drinking lots of it will. The water that comes from the tap is a bit brackish.
Keep cash on you. Most places take card, but not everywhere, and you’ll be happy to have it generally.
Bring your patience while dining out. The custom is to allow people to stay as long as they like. Servers will never rush you or bring the bill prematurally (my biggest pet peeve with American dining), but when you are ready to pay, expect to actively flag someone down.
Don’t worry about tipping. It’s not expected. The rule I heard—and used—was not to tip at all unless prompted by a point-of-sale system. Then, add a small sum, no more than 10%.
Dress for the weather: the sun hits differently in Hydra. A pleasant 71-73° F is plenty hot when you factor in humidity. You’ll want to wear clothes that capture the wind, the breezier the better—linen, dresses, loose shorts, even open-toed shoes. Remember, though, that the streets are made of stone so don’t think you’ll get away with heels of any kind. I wore my Birkenstocks almost exclusively, fully leaning into the delusion that they are an acceptable shoe to wear to dinner.
Check the boat schedules regularly and arrive early. It’s a funny double-bind visitors hve to get used to: schedules are subject to change, but when the schedule says 12:05 pm, they do not mean 12:05:30 pm. They mean 12:05 on the dot. We experienced this on our first day, when our ferry from Pireaus to Hydra was scheduled for 10:30 pm and ended up being rescheduled for 7:30 pm — except nobody told us. Maybe it was nervous travel energy, but we triple-checked our ticket with the ticket office at the pier and thank goodness because we would have otherwise spent an unexpected night in Pireaus. From the comfort of our seats on board, we watchd a woman run, wave, yell, and eventually succumb to her situation realizing she had missed the boat by mere seconds. Be early.
Greece is comprised of 227 islands. While Hydra is the only one I’ve vistited (so far), I’d go back again in a heartbeat. I can earnestly say it is perfect.
🖤