Hydra
isn't as famous as Santorini for being romantic and exotic, but
believe me, Hydra looks like heaven on earth. We wanted to go to
Santorini, but we couldn't because of a lack of time and money.
Remember, I travel on a budget.
Getting
to Hydra is very affordable and easy. We booked our ferry tickets in
advance from Athens' port at Piraeus. We traveled with Flying Dolphin
ferry. It cost 25 euros a ticket and the trip is about 90 minutes.
The ferry wasn't bad for a short trip, but came a little later than
scheduled.
Once
you get off the ferry you will see a breathtaking view of Hydra. The
white buildings, the hills and the Mediterranean. People there are
very nice and helpful.
The Harbor
There
are no cars allowed in Hydra. On the land you can get around by foot
or by hiring a donkey to carry your bags for 10-15 euros up front
from the harbor.
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To get around in water you can take a shuttle boat
for 3 euros (not working in winter), or a water taxi, which is more
expensive.
The
harbor area is lively. Restaurants, cafes, shops, a bank, ferry
ticket office, a museum – pretty much everything is there. It
wasn't very crowded in winter. It was beautiful and calm.
Sleeping
in Hydra:
We
stayed at Nereids Guest House. Just a few minutes' walk from the
harbor. It was simply perfect. Our room was on the third floor with a
view of half of the island. You could sit on the terrace area to
enjoy the lovely breeze and listen to the leaves shaking. The
guesthouse doesn't offer breakfast, but there are small grocery
stores everywhere on the island so we just bought bread and cheese,
sat on the terrace and had breakfast. The owner was nice and helpful.
The only negative thing I would say is the wifi was broken most of
the time. I heard the slow internet connection was all over the
island.
The View from the Terrace
Eating
in Hydra:
As
I mentioned before, there are a lot of restaurants along the harbor.
You can walk around and check the menus and prices.
Psaropoula
restaurant offers you dinner on the top floor. You can enjoy the view
of the island. The food was tasty and the service was outstanding. I
asked if they have pastitsio, which wasn't on the menu and the chef
nicely made it just for me. And the dessert was on the house, which
was yummy.
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Pastitsio
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Chocolate Dessert
You
can hike to Kaminia village, just 10-15 minutes from Hydra town. In
between the way from the harbor to the beach, there's Kodylenia's
Taverna restaurant, which is a family restaurant. The fish dishes
were so expensive that we couldn't afford them. However, the starters
were at reasonable prices from 4-10 euros and that what we got. The
location of the restaurant was perfect. You could see the small
fishing boats while dining. The food was ok, but I wasn't impressed
with the food or the service.
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Red Pepper and Cheese
Things
to do in Hydra:
A
visit to the Historical Archives Museum. The museum has a big
collection of Hydra's history. Cost 5 euros a ticket. Opens daily
from March-October 9:00-4:00 and from November-February from
8:00-3:00.
Beaches:
The
water was a little cold in winter but it was still nice to walk
barefoot and feel the waves on your feet.
Spilia
beach, which is the only swimming beach in town. It was a very basic
beach, no showers or changing rooms.
Mandraki
beach is located to the east of Hydra. It's a private beach dominated
by the hotel Miramare. Kaminia Castello beach is located to the west
of town. Vlychos beach located past Kaminia, you can rent a chair and
an umbrella for 3 euros each.
Hike
to the 6 monasteries and the churches of Hydra. Unfortunately I had a
foot injury and couldn't hike to the monasteries, but I heard they
are beautiful.
A Church in Hydra Town
As
for the night life, there are a lot of bars by the harbor.
Hydra
was the place to be on Valentine’s day. It was romantic and
gorgeous. Highly recommended for an affordable romantic destination
in Greece.
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