Mandraki Beach Resort
All set for shore leave
Hidden Hydra bay
You’d think staking a claim on the only sandy beach on bohemian Greek isle Hydra would give you fame enough, but not for Mandraki Beach Resort. No – in the 19th century it was a naval base and shipyard for Admiral Miaoulis, who played a key role in the Greek War of Independence. Now, like the countercultural figures drawn over here throughout the halcyon hippie days until now, the hideaway’s mind is turned to peaceful pursuits – your own sunlounger for the whole stay, spritzes and sushi, sunbathing on the floating dock and idly grazing like the island’s famous mules. Yes, its military honours are as gleaming as the Aegean waters, but at Mandraki you’re utterly at ease.
Facilities
Rooms
17 suites.
Checkout
11am, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 3pm.
More Details
Rates include the à la carte Mediterranean breakfast (with options for all diets), plus sparkling wine and doughnuts.
Also
Hydra’s hilly landscape and the resort’s remote location make this unsuitable for guests with mobility issues.
Hotel Closed
The property opens for the summer season from April to October.
Fitness Center
Free Internet Access
Laundry
Pet Friendly
On-Site Restaurant
Room Service
At the Hotel
Beach with free-to-use sunloungers and parasols, private jetty and dock, concierge, charged laundry and ironing service, free WiFi. In rooms: TV with Netflix, minibar (with one free round during your stay), coffee- and tea-making kit, hypoallergenic pillows on request, bathrobes and slippers, Diptyque bath products, and air-conditioning.
Our Favourite Rooms
When you’re staying by the only sandy beach in Hydra, you want to be in on the action, and the Beachfront Suites position you staps from the sand; and, if you want to get your strokes in in private, there’s a sunken pool modestly tucked away behind a fence on the terrace too. For wistful sea-gazing, the Tower Suite, with its 19th-century stone walls, has expansive views from the windows and an alfresco sundowner spot.
Poolside
There’s no pool but those sparkly blue waters lapping at the beach are swimmable.
Spa
There’s no spa, but a massage therapist can be called on if you’re in need of kneading.
Packing Tips
Bring a bundle of beach reads – much ink has been spilled about Hydra and her famous adoptee Leonard Cohen. Get stuck into Leonard, Marianne, and Me: Magical Summers on Hydra by Judy Scott, or Tamar Hodes’ The Water and the Wine: the story of Leonard Cohen and Marianne Ihlen on Hydra. And Polly Samson’s A Theatre for Dreamers is an evocative love letter in novel form.
Also
The hotel’s a part of Grecian history too, with a small 18th-century Orthodox church and remnants of its time as a military base for important 19th-century naval officer Admiral Miaoulis.
Children
This is more of a kick-back without the kids kinda place for over-16s only.
Gallery
Food & Drink
Top Table
Swim your drinks over to the floating dock off the beach for sundowners, chase an Instagrammable moment on the sign with a rope swing, and watch time tick slowly by from your own loungers.
Dress Code
Powerfully flower-y in a nod to the island’s hippie nature.
Hotel Restaurant
Say ‘aye, aye’ to Captain M, the hotel’s restaurant, named in tribute to military leader Miaoulis. Rations are anything but meagre here and there’s a steady stream of fresh catches used in dishes such as citrus-y grilled shrimp with a truffle-balsamic crumble; sous-vide octopus with squid-ink mayo and confit lemon; and lobster salad with salty Arseniko cheese crumbled over; or starring in the siren song of a sushi menu. The cauliflower salad is also a signature with caramelised almonds and honey vinaigrette, and the likes of crab brioche with avocado cream and cinnamon-y baklawa with marzipan ice-cream make lunching a decadent affair too. Breakfasts on the Greek islands are always an event, and there’s no exception here, with moreish feta-laden tomatoey strapatsada, olive-pocked omelettes, French-toast-style tsoureki, thick yoghurt drizzled in local honey,and a Grecian pie of the day.
Hotel Bar
Drinks can be taken on the terrace, or guests can sip and sunbathe. Signature cocktails keep things fruity and refreshing even as temperatures climb – take the Mandraki Spritz with gin, yuzu, lime mint and grapefruit soda; or the Captain M with rum, mango, coconut, guava, and citrus. But frosty glasses of sparkling Greek wine, and champagne mixers are welcome quenchers too. And, if you get peckish, there’s a beach menu of bao buns, sushi rolls, fresh sashimi and lobster burgers.
Last Orders
Breakfast is from 8am to a leisurely 11.30am. Lunch is from noon to 6pm, and dinner is 6.30pm to 11pm. Last drinks are poured at 11.30pm.
Room Service
No need to curb your cravings here – room service is available round-the-clock.
Planes
For those not resident in Greece, it’s easiest to touch down at Athens’ Eleftherios Venizelos Airport and then reach the hotel via Piraeus. Or you could charter a private jet to land at Sparti Air Base in the Peloponnese.
Automobiles
Cars are banned on Hydra, and this is why four legs are good here: traditional methods of transportation (horse, donkey, mule) are still in use.
Worth Getting Out of Bed For
The hotel isn’t just by the beach, it’s by the only sandy beach in the whole of Hydra. So, Mandraki Resort has made the most of its fortuitous position, spacing out sunloungers and parasols that are free for guests to use. The bay is sheltered and safe for swimming, and there are moorings for yachts, too, if you fancy a luxurious jaunt along the coastline – the hotel can help to arrange hire of various vessels if you didn’t glide in on your own. There are two resident yogis who hold private sessions on request (for a charge), and a therapist can be called on for massages. Hydra Port is just a three-minute free shuttle ride away, and the stately naval mansions of the 18th and 19th centuries, winding cobbled streets, and a kibosh on modern architecture make Hydra’s main town a picturesque one indeed. Watch fishermen haul in their catches, spy drowsy cats, and stop into the History Museum and the Lazaros Kountouriotis Mansion to learn about the island’s past. Or pull on the island’s countercultural roots; Cubist artist Nikos Hadjikyriakos-Ghika set up an artistic community here in the 1930s, and by the 1960s the likes of Henry Miller and more famously Leonard Cohen (who wrote Bird on a Wire and So Long, Marianne here), had bought properties. The songwriter’s pad is tucked away on a hillside close to the Four Corners grocers, if you want to pay your respects. While wandering, try to hunt down a small door marked ‘poems’, behind which is a book of verse contributed to by residents, and the beautiful 19th-century Rafalias Pharmacy. And, each summer, Slaughterhouse, a Deste Foundation project space, hosts pop-up shows by well-known artists. In the wilds, you can ride or swim with horses, or hike out to Kamini, where there’s an upmarket yacht club (ask for ‘KYC’).
Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt
This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .
