Cotommatae 1810 is the Hydra hotel for couples who want to stay inside the island's history rather than look at it from a harbor café. It is a restored mansion dating from the early 19th century, about 200 meters from the port, with only seven rooms and suites around courtyards, a garden and a veranda that looks over the stone rooftops of Hydra town. Descendants of the original family restored it, keeping the wooden ceilings, old furniture and objects that give the house its character.
Hydra suits this kind of stay. Cars and motorbikes are banned, so you arrive by ferry, walk up through lanes of grey stone mansions and live on foot for a few days. Mornings are church bells and roosters. Evenings are harbor-side dinners and slow walks home.
The hotel suits couples who want intimacy, history and a short trip from Athens. It is a historic house, not a resort, so there is no pool, no spa building and no sea view from most rooms. Breakfast runs late, which fits the island's pace.
Highlights at a glance
- Early 19th-century Hydriot mansion
- Only seven rooms and suites
- Pigeons suite with a private outdoor jacuzzi
- Courtyards, garden and town-view veranda
- About 200 meters from Hydra harbor
Why Couples Love Cotommatae
Size is the first reason. With only seven rooms in the main house, it feels like borrowing a friend's family home on Hydra. The courtyards and garden are quiet places to read or share a bottle of wine and the veranda gives you a view over the town that most harbor-front hotels cannot match.
The second is the sense of place. The house keeps its old hall ceilings, wooden walls and roof beams, along with authentic objects and furniture and the rooms are named rather than numbered. You are close enough to the port to stroll down for coffee in a few minutes, yet far enough up the lanes to sleep without the late-night buzz of the waterfront. Reception is open 24 hours and staff are used to arranging boats, tavernas and porters for guests.
Rooms and Suites to Book
Each room is different, so choose by name.
- Peristeronas, or Pigeons, is the suite designed for couples, on the ground floor and mezzanine with stone and woodwork, a sitting room and a private outdoor jacuzzi. This is the honeymoon pick.
- Sfougaria is the most independent suite, with a rustic feel.
- The Cellar and Therino are two-level suites with wooden beams, stone walls and interior wooden staircases.
- Icons, on the first floor, has two separate rooms and views over the town.
- Kalo Domatio, the Master Bedroom and Kali Kamara ton Mousson are 16 m² doubles with canopy beds and glass showers.
The Residence by Cotommatae is a separate 85 m² house with its own private courtyard, a good choice for a longer stay or more privacy. Rooms here are compact, so book a suite if you plan to spend time indoors.
Breakfast, Wellness and Services
Breakfast is served from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., which suits late nights in the harbor. If you are catching an early ferry or heading out on a boat, the hotel offers early breakfast and breakfast boxes. Room service runs from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. with a selection of dishes and drinks.
There is no spa, but the hotel organizes yoga and meditation sessions and Hydra itself does the rest: car-free lanes, coastal walks and quiet swims from the rocks. The Pigeons suite has a private outdoor jacuzzi, the closest thing to a spa on site. The hotel can arrange luggage transfers to and from the port for an extra charge. Ask them to meet your ferry, since there are no taxis on land and the lanes are steep in places.
Why guests fall for it
Things to Do on Hydra
Hydra is made for walking. Follow the coastal path west to Kamini, a small fishing village about 20 minutes away, for a long lunch at a taverna by the water. Continue to Vlychos for a pebble beach and a quieter swim. Swimming in town is from rock platforms with ladders, such as the spots below the old cannons near the harbor, so pack water shoes.
Water taxis run to beaches around the island, including Bisti and Agios Nikolaos on the far west, for a day of clear water. Hikers can climb to the monastery of Profitis Ilias above the town for big views over the Saronic Gulf. Hydra has a strong art scene, with galleries and summer exhibitions around the harbor. In the evening, watch the yachts and fishing boats squeeze into the harbor, then eat at a taverna up in the lanes, away from the busiest strip.
Getting There
Fly into Athens International Airport (ATH), then travel about an hour by taxi or metro to the port of Piraeus. Fast ferries to Hydra take roughly 1.5 to 2 hours. In summer, book ferry tickets ahead and give yourself a cushion on the day you fly home, since schedules can change with the weather.
The hotel is about 200 meters from the port. There are no cars or taxis on Hydra, so you walk up with your bags or ask the hotel to arrange a porter, which costs extra. Boats also connect Hydra with Poros, Spetses, Hermioni, Porto Heli and Nafplion, which makes it easy to add another Saronic island or the Peloponnese to your trip. Two to four nights on Hydra is right for most couples.
Is It Worth It?
For couples who love old houses and quiet towns, yes. Cotommatae gives you a rare chance to sleep in a real Hydriot mansion with only a handful of other guests, at prices well below Santorini's cliffside suites. Rates vary by season and room, so treat any figure as approximate and check the official special offers.
Pick elsewhere if you want a pool, since the hotel has none. Bratsera, a converted sponge factory in town, has a pool if you need one. Pick elsewhere too if you want sea views from bed or a resort with a spa and restaurants. Couples who struggle with stairs or steep lanes should know that Hydra is hilly and the mansion has several levels. For an intimate, historic stay a short trip from Athens, it is one of the island's most romantic choices.
Insider tips
- Book the Pigeons suite for the sitting room and private outdoor jacuzzi.
- Ask the hotel to arrange a porter to meet your ferry.
- Walk the coastal path to Kamini for lunch, then swim at Vlychos.
- Visit in May, June or September for warm water without the summer crowds.
