Yayaki Spetses
En-vogue vegetarian
Spetsioti neighbourhood of old
Be welcomed as family into the home of Karl and Hannah at Yayaki Spetses, a sophisticated meat-free bed and breakfast on the exclusive Greek island of Spetses. The word Ya-Ya is Greek for grandmother, imbuing the sense of homey hospitality that you’ll feel from the moment you arrive. Spend your morning casually lapping the pool or taking a yoga class, slipping into an afternoon siesta, and then discussing personalised recommendations for dinner over an afternoon cocktail. Spetses’ first and only exclusively plant-based hotel is a tonic for the mind and body.
Facilities
Rooms
15 rooms, of which three are suites.
Checkout
Check-in is from 3pm, check-out is at 12 noon. Requests outside of these times will be accommodated if possible, and luggage can be held.
More Details
Rates include a choice of freshly prepared vegetarian or vegan breakfasts, served on the poolside terrace or delivered to the suites.
Also
Renowned Lyonnais interior-design duo Stéphane Garotin and Pierre Emmanuel Martin of Maison Hand are responsible for the interiors, which add Gallic cues to the local Greek style. It’s a nod to the years that proprietors Hannah and Karl spent living in Paris before moving to Spetses and opening the hotel in 2021.
Hotel Closed
The hotel is closed over winter, from November to March.
Fitness Center
Free Internet Access
Laundry
Pool
At the Hotel
Yoga studio and gym, terrace bar, lobby lounge with bar and small shop selling local treats. In rooms: Free WiFi, air-conditioning, workspace, tea- and coffee-making facilities, minibar.
Our Favourite Rooms
The Panorama Suite boasts an outdoor shower and 180-degree views that stretch from the hotel’s pool, across Spetses town, and out to the mountains and sea beyond. If you’re a digital nomad, this veranda could become a fantasy workspace.
Poolside
Ensconced within a whitewashed courtyard and with vivacious pink bougainvillaea flowing behind, Yayaki’s bright lap pool was contrived for cooling dips in the midday sun. Eight sunloungers are spread around a wooden deck, and the fact that even the pool itself is closed for an afternoon siesta tells you how seriously leisure is taken here. Naturally, there’s an abundance of nearby beaches too. The pebbled Paralia Agios Mamas beach is a five-minute walk through town and has a lifeguard; the private Paradise Beach is slightly further afield but has sunloungers, watersports and a seafood restaurant and bar.
Packing Tips
Don’t forget your yoga leggings – Yayaki has a fully-equipped yoga, Pilates and meditation studio, and classes move poolside when the sun is shining.
Also
Proprietors Karl and Hannah pride their local knowledge and will act as your personal concierge throughout your stay.
Children
Children are welcome and babysitting can be arranged. Two Balcony Rooms interconnect and kids are welcome to play in the pool, but given its proximity to the rooms, it closes from 2-5pm daily for siesta. Cots can be added to rooms for free (on request)..
Gallery
Food & Drink
Top Table
Soak up the sun on the terrace.
Dress Code
Yayaki Spetses observes siesta religiously, which is an indication that you can wear whatever feels right.
Hotel Restaurant
A lovingly homemade breakfast is served under the shaded pergola daily on Yayaki Spetses’ outdoor terrace, filled with fresh local fruits and vegetables sourced from producers on the island and the hotel’s own garden. The breakfast menu was developed in conjunction with Esco, founder of Athenian plant-based restaurant the Plant Kingdom. There is a traditional vegetarian or a vegan option, and guests can add eggs, cake or a cheese plate to their order. And, if you give the owners a nudge, they'll pack you a picnic too.
Hotel Bar
The garden terrace turns bar in the afternoon, and proprietor Karl becomes bartender, serving a selection of plant-based poolside snacks and drinks. Don’t miss his late afternoon cocktail hour, a clever pick-me-up before you venture into town for dinner.
Last Orders
Breakfast runs from 8am to 10am.
Room Service
The homemade organic or vegan breakfast can be served to guests in the suites.
Planes
The majority of visitors fly into Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos, and take a 40-minute cab ride to Athens’ Piraeus Harbour, from where the Hellenic Seaway ferry to Spetses takes around two-and-a-half hours. Transfers can be booked from €220 one-way for two guests.
Trains
Athens’ Piraeus Harbour and its Spetses-bound ferry is technically connected to Europe’s train network via Belgrade, but only the committed would attempt it.
Automobiles
Travellers with a hire car on the mainland can park in Kosta, three hours’ drive from Athens, and take a 10-minute water taxi across the channel. Spetses town is blissfully car-free, and only residents can bring them onto the island. The hotel is a 15-minute stroll from the ferry terminal, and transfers are available on its charming Piaggio Ape tuk-tuk.
Worth Getting Out of Bed For
Spetses hits a little different to many of the Greek islands. Frequented in peak summer by well-heeled Athenians on city breaks, the island is a softer, more intimate alternative to nearby Hydra. Life moves markedly slower – cars are banned in Spetses town and even if you had one, there’s nowhere on the island that isn’t better accessed by a rented e-bike. Seafront Spetses town is noted for its restaurant scene and Florentine-era buildings and is seemingly shaped for post-siesta ambles – start at the Old Harbour and see where the mood takes you. The Bouboulina Museum and Spetses Museum are both housed in historic mansions, and the former’s wood-carved Florentine ceiling is remarkable. Summon the energy for the gentle hike to the Spetses Church of Panagia Armata, which was built in 1824 to commemorate the unlikely defeat of the Ottoman naval fleet by Spetsiote commander Ioannis Koutsis in 1822, and sits hilltop above the Old Harbour. It is one of the best spots to watch the sunset. There is but a single road on Spetses and it makes a 24-kilometre circumnavigation of the island. Hire a bicycle (committed), e-bike (sensible) or motor scooter (speed demon) and spend a day hunting views across the Saronic Gulf and chancing swims at hidden beaches. Arid scrub and pine trees meld to silky sands at the remote Agia Paraskevi Beach on the western coast, or swim through a cave to access a tiny subterranean beach at Bekiri Cave.
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. .
