Hydra is a welcoming island that has been a favorite with Flotilla sailors and yacht charterers for many years. The island is proudly traffic-free – not even bicycles are a permitted mode of transport – so its winding maze of labyrinthine back streets are used by the donkeys that the islanders employ to move their goods around. The whole island is subject to a preservation order that ensures that its traditional charm is not eroded and preserves its appeal to the coterie of sophisticated holiday-makers who return to Hydra year upon year.

The horseshoe-shaped harbor of Hydra Town is lined with elegant mansions, built by the wealthy owners of the island’s merchant fleet in the eighteenth century.  Leonard Cohen was so enchanted by the island when he visited in the 1950s that he bought and restored one of the grandest and spent considerable time on the island. In its heyday, Hydra had a population of close to twenty thousand – now it is less than three thousand.  The restored Lazaro Koundouriotis mansion high above the town on its western side encapsulates what life was like when Hydra was at the peak of its wealth and glamor.

There is terrific people-watching to be enjoyed from your seat at any one of the bars and cafes that line the waterfront, while the restaurants further up the town have a reputation serving superior food.  Once you have enjoyed the delights of Hydra Town, set sail on your Hydra boat charter to explore the lovely coves, beaches and secluded anchorages that dot the north coast of Hydra. There is good swimming and snorkeling to be enjoyed at Mandhraki, Kamini, Kastello and Vlyhos – just cruise around and see which one you most like the look of.  Hikers who enjoy remote and mountainous trails will find plenty of isolated hilltop monasteries and across the pine-forested interior of the island.