WHAT OUR GUESTS SAY

This is living the Greek Island fantasy. The house is huge and gorgeous. It's very historic and is beautifully restored. Hydra itself is a gorgeous fantasy island, without cars and chaos. It's perfect for long, beautiful walks. The only problem is the house! The mesmerizing views of Hydra's postcard-perfect harbor are so great from the terraces and rooms, that we never wanted to leave the property. The owners have someone meet you when you arrive and they make everything easy. Can't wait to go back.

Ryan
New York City, USA
January 2016

Hydra was really amazing, and so was the house we stayed in. We were also really lucky with the weather and October made everything really relaxing. I have a strong feeling that we will be back there one day. Daniela was also extremely helpful and the preparations in the house (flowers, bread, drinks, wine) made us feel welcome from the start. So, really, thank you for everything from our side.

Simone
Bern, Switzerland
September 2015

We had a fabulous time. The master bedroom was one of the nicest rooms we have slept in anywhere in the world!

Tim
London, UK
August 2015

Stone House was the perfect backdrop for our daughter's wedding. We felt very comfortable here and got into the Greek state of life with the beauty and charm of the house as well as the island of Hydra.

We appreciated having a house for family, rather than individual hotel rooms - it was the best decision we made. The house is close to town and beach so we could come and go at our leisure.

On the evening of the wedding we took photos at the Stone House and  they will be keepsakes forever. Thank you for sharing this special place with our family!

David
July 2014

What a fantastic time we have had. A revisiting of Hydra that exceeded all expectation. This house is a dream. Location, size, everything - we needed no more. WE LOVE THIS PLACE! Thank you!

Angela
May 2013

The Stone House was such a joyful place for our family reunion on Hydra, a place we spent our childhood in the 50's. It really is the ultimate way to experience, what I consider to be, the most beautiful place in all of Greece. We were welcomed off the ferry with donkeys to carry up our luggage and when we became ill with flu, Daniela, our lovely concierge, brought us medicine and made sure we had all we needed. The house has all you need to be comfortable, yet retains the old Greek feeling that I treasure. The views of the port are spectacular, with terraces for romantic candlelit dinners. A short walk takes you to marvelous swimming spots. Highly recommend this house!

Sula
Big Sur, CA
May 2013

 
There's really nothing like the magic of the Stone House. When the grand wooden doors swing open to the courtyard you feel you are home. Somehow this property boasts the personality of an ancient castle coupled with all the practical comforts of everyday living. The house is impeccably decorated and kept up the care of a family home. The views are prefect, and accessibility to the town and ocean are ideal. Shower under the bougainvillea or kick back with a glass of wine on the deck. It's a perfect home base for an incredible Hydra experience. I would recommend the property to couples, families, or a good group of friends. It'll provide you everything you need and more :) Thank you for sharing the experience with me! I will be back!

Robinson
West Hollywood, CA
June 2012

 

The Stone House is a wonderful house. You probably have the best views in town, and the feeling is extremely powerful. All the rooms are a dream, but the master bedroom is just incredible, with light and windows all around. Waking up in the morning was a pure joy.It took us a long time to choose this house since there are many for rent in Hydra, and we didn't regret it. It was Easter so we used the fireplace. The children were having fun all around the lovely garden with lemon trees, and a little path took us very quickly to a very ancient little byzantine church that was our favorite spot. The owner has great taste, and the decoration is simple but refined. One day, the wind took the umbrella and broke it. Kate was elegant enough to admit it was the wind and didn't charge us. We appreciated it a lot. Since you are at the top of the village, you have quite a walk to get there (or with donkeys) but you get the calm you wish for. Alexis, who greets the clients when they arrive, and takes care of everything as soon as you need something, is a wonderful woman (painter and Lonely Planet's writer for Greece...). We had dinner with her and she told us all the stories about the island. We just loved her. So you understand: we had a lovely holiday.

Michael
Paris, France
April 2012

 

We spent the most heavenly week in the Stone House- the perfect summer getaway for two overworked couples from NYC. The house is clean and airy, with minimal, chic decor- perfect for clearing your head and making yourself feel at home in Hydra. The kitchen and 2 outdoor dining tables welcome long, lazy, sumptuous lunches of local antipasto and salads. Each day we would go for walks on the surrounding trails and relax on one of the many beach coves, jumping off the rock cliffs for a swim in the beyond perfect, crystalline Mediterranean. At night, after taking deep, intoxicating breaths of the night-blooming jasmine on the terrace of the house, we would go to one of the many delicious restaurants down in the town. The walk back up to the house was perfect for burning off dolmas and various other meat stuffed vegetables! We couldn't have asked for a more perfect getaway. Hydra is a magical island and so worth the bit of extra travel to get there. Thank you so much for having us- we will be back!!

Georgie, Geremy, Brian and Simon
New York, NY
October 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, we knew 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 dazzlingly 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 left 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!

Kenneth and Michael
Nova Scotia
June 2011

 

When the time came to plan a father-son getaway for myself and my 4-year-old son, I reached out to Olive and Stone and planned a trip to the wonderful island of Hydra. Kate and Alexis were very professional in handling our reservation and the Stone House is possibly the most magnificent home I have ever had the privilege of staying in. My son enjoyed fishing with the local boys at the port in the morning and swimming in the many natural bays around the island. Hydra is an ideal environment for children and the Stone House, with its excellent & qualified staff, served as a cherished sanctuary for our extended stay.

Jacob
Palo Alto, CA
September 2010

 

Marvelous house with its well-kept character and charm. Hydra gave us, for the second year, all the Greek atmosphere that we love. Thank you to Kate and Alexis for arranging such a house for rent with all the details to make you feel like you are in your own home.

The Nordlinger Family
Barbezieux, France
August 2010

 

We could not have chosen a more romantic, private island and house for our honeymoon. We enjoyed coffee in the cafes looking over the harbor, delicious Greek food in quaint restaurants (with clean kitchens—we were invited to see them all!), long walks with breath-taking views, refreshing swims, sunbathing on the rocks, meandering around town, and stunning sunsets from the terrace and the road winding along the cliffs. It is hard to describe the peace that envelops the Stone House. The master bedroom is a great retreat for naps in the afternoon and late night stargazing with the distant sound of harbor nightlife. Thank you so much for a wonderful time we will never forget.

Sarah
New Orleans, LA
October 2009

 

Strongly in need of some warm, sunny, and relaxing days after a period of hard work and cold, wet spring weather up under the North Pole - we couldn`t have chosen a more perfect place than the Stone House. Taking a deep breath entering the harbour on arrival, our shoulders dropped from our ears down to normal position - as the good Hydra atmosphere (and Alexis!) welcomed us. Our days were filled with early morning walks up to the Monastery and Mount Eros with its spectacular views and time for reflection, visits to the bakery on the way home, waking up the rest of the family with breakfast on the terrace, everybody doing whatever pleases them, taking a swim, a stroll into town, reading books, painting and drawing, sitting on the terrace on top of the guesthouse looking down on harbour life, listening to music - that's relaxing! We could feel and easily imagine what the Stone House`s thick grey walls had witnessed through the years...being placed as it is, in a perfect spot to view the life in Hydra town and harbour. As a bonus and "farewell" gift, Hydra offered us the festival and celebration of Miaouli, with the most fantastic fireworks we have ever seen!

Teresa and Olav
Skien, Norway
June 2009

 

You know when the boat pulls into port that you are on a Greek island like no other. The grey stone structures have a magical feel, and there is no building more stunning than the Stone House. Sitting nearly at the top of the island, you're afforded a view of the harbor that is like a dream. (Be sure to stay up late enough to look down on the sparkly lights of the town!) The deck on top of the guest house might be the most perfect spot in the world to enjoy a glass of wine. The master bedroom is a vast, bright and peaceful space that will beckon you to stay all day, but be sure to get out and check out Hydra town, which is full of great shopping, fantastic people watching, and delicious local food.

Allison
New York, NY
April 2009

 

Thank you for our ten days of bliss in your home atop Hydra. We delighted in the view, made glorious meals in your kitchen, and swam in the sea. Our son loved the terrace and still remembers watching the harbor and all the sailboats. What a magical home you have – one our family will look forward to returning to.

Jenny
Oakland, CA
February 2009

 

Situated on a slope overlooking the charming main port, the Stone House is the ideal place to stay on Hydra. It is a beautiful and multifaceted property, replete with a guest house, multiple terraces, indigenous botanical life and the view to end all views (only to be enhanced by a bottle of Greek rose wine). The main house features beautiful masonry, is very spacious and yet somehow simultaneously manages to be warm and inviting. Its location is perfect in that it is close enough to Hydra Port to walk to shops, markets, and tavernas but removed just enough to deliver a little peace and quiet from the hustle-bustle (no kidding) of the town. Hydra Port itself is the perfect antidote to those a little wary of tourist-saturated destinations, as the population levels out at a very manageable 2,500 and there are no motor vehicles - so be prepared to hoof it (either yourself or literally on one of the many donkeys available for transport) into town or around the island to one of the irresistibly dainty neighboring hamlets. My wife and I visited a few of the inns and hotels on the island for drinks and/or meals and were so comforted by our choice to stay at the Stone House - there is simply no more enjoyable way to experience Hydra.

Connor
New York, NY
April 2008

 

What a few magical days we spent in Hydra – the stone streets, whitewashed houses against the blue water, sounds of the bells on the sheep seem like a dream. Our daughter spent hours in the gentle sun picking lemons from the tree. I loved perching on the roof deck listening to the hum of the tiny port town, and timing our day to the sun's journey over the hillside.

Diana
San Francisco, CA
November 2007

 

Thank you so much for accommodating us again at the Stone House in Hydra. Returning with our two-year-old was a wonderful follow up to our honeymoon visit to the house (though very different)! Our warmest memories continue to be sitting on the deck overlooking the harbor and sea sipping cocktails at sunset. Nothing better.

Adam
New York, NY
August 2007