Stairway to Heaven
Submitted: September 16, 2011
Stayed: May 2011
On this, the 40th anniversary of my first visit to Hydra, we wanted to stay somewhere truly special. The moment I came across the website for Stone House, it was clear no other accommodations would do. To live for several weeks as Hydriots, in one of the island's historic limestone 'archontika', is a unique, never to be forgotten experience.
Waking to the sound of church bells in the 'virani' - our spacious, upper floor bedroom - and pushing open the shutters to sweeping views of a loulaki-blue sea, the yacht-filled harbour, the dazzling white town with its terra cotta roofs, and the surrounding hills with their distant monasteries was a daily, breath-taking marvel. There can be very few vistas anywhere that are more glorious.
We found that after a day of exploring (and climbing innumerable stairways!) a simple, home-cooked dinner, enjoyed in the glow of hurricane lamps on one of Stone House's terraces, with the harbour's necklace of lights below and the stars overhead, was a sensory experience that would be difficult to surpass in any restaurant.
Stone House quickly became our home and on our final day we departed reluctantly (is there another way of leaving Hydra?), displeased to think of strangers waking to the bells in "our" bedroom.
Thank you Kate and Alexis, for the most enjoyable of our many holidays on Hydra. We look forward to returning to Stone House next year!
Recommended for:
Adventure Seekers,
Girls Getaway,
Tourists without a Car,
Sightseeing,
Families with Teenagers,
Families with Young Children,
Romantic Getaway
Helpful votes: 1/1
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