The nice thing about a holiday in Hydra is that simply sauntering around the port and winding cross section of back alleys, soaking up the atmosphere feels like you are ‘doing’ a lot on your travels. I loved the amazing architecture, which has it own regional, Saronic personality. The Hydra look is all grey stone with a white outline around the windows as the decoration. It is quarried from the neighbouring islet of Dokos - between the island and the Peloponnesian coast, with its own beaches, a nunnery and the remains of a 7th century castle. The roofs are distinctive too, made in the ‘liakos’ style with peasant ingenuity: cypress trunks are bound with earth and seaweed then covered in tiles. There is a timelessness to this architecture: the grey buildings could be 10 or 1000 yrs old and the stone is the same colour as the rock foundation, as if one is organically growing out of the other.

The squared off houses are all the way up the hillside, forming a “u” around the port. They range from simple houses to elegant mansions with deep verandahs and stone arches, which gives the town its point of difference. They belonged to the sea captains and merchants when Hydra used to be the wealthiest region in Greece hundreds of years ago.

There is a lot of interesting history here for those who seek it out, like the island’s great fight during the War of Independence against the Turks in 1821. There are marble and bronze statues of the fleet commanders and leaders all over town. The Greeks won their freedom from a powerful empire, so it still has emotional resonance even today. There was also the great ship building era and then the discovery of the island by artists and intellectuals. It is still a bohemian haven for the theatre, art and crafts - and now tourism is the main game in town.

The harbour is the centre of town life. The boats, which are the lifeline of the island, come in and out to dock there. Hydra’s outdoor culture thrives on the generous size of PAVLOS KOUNTOURIOTIS SQUARE - giving plenty of room for the community to gather together to eat, drink and dance on the waterfront in front of the clock tower. In that gorgeous time of 6.30 before dinner, with the clip clop of donkeys everywhere, it is like the 20th century never happened. Especially along the windy little cobble roads with no footpaths, like in ancient times. There are a lot of roads off the port promenade. Although it is a small town you could explore the backstreets for 3 or 4 nights and never get bored. The traditional side still lives on amongst all the modern entrepreneurs - with local Greek Orthodox church rituals and Hydra’s famously long wedding banquets.

During the day there are day trippers who come by boat or ferry, eat, shop around and then leave. By night it is mainly Greek families on summer holiday, who are often joined by the men coming in from Athens on the weekends. Hydra port is not a party town; it gets quieter by about 11. The siesta mentality of Greece is an organic thing that happened to us naturally, by osmosis. Your body clock adapts to an environment where people don’t get up until late, eat late and shut down in the afternoon. It’s actually a great way to live, that’s why so many people come to sample it…

One of the many joys of Hydra is the off-rock swimming and small bays around the island. I love to do reconnaissance of the island as soon as we arrive, to uncover the spots that we could return to over next couple of days.

To cruise around the entire island takes about 2hrs, 45 mins. (cost about 200 Euros). Mandraki was the first small bay we came across if heading East but the village was too built up and commercial. So no returning here. I advise going much,much further on. I prefer the Southwest, where the terrains change every second from lush shrubbery and tall cliff face to giant boulders, pine forests and beach umbrellas. The four of us were out on the back of the boat enjoying the sea spray as we passed an occasional tower or sentry building amongst the rocky outcrops and geological formations. There is a mountain, Eros in the island’s centre which is really tall. Our favourite bays we discovered were, Bisti and Ayios Nikolaos and Limnioniza Bay.

These bays have umbrellas, chairs and cold drinks, little else ! So bring your own food if you planning spending the day,… and a charged cell phone to call a water taxi to return to Hydra port when you are done.

AYIOS NIKOLAOS is the absolute jewel. The water is incredible, becoming a mix of teal, cerulean blues or emerald according to the light. The tiny little picturesque church with a blue arch door gives the protected cove its magic, along with the rows of lovely, curved wooden fishing boats painted pale blue and masts or flags flapping in the occasional breeze. There are just simple shacks on the beach; it is one of those unchanging, peaceful seaside settings that is getting rarer and rarer to find.

Our other coastal favourite is just around the corner, BISTI (See PICNIC LUNCH AT BISTI in Where to Eat). This beach has no restaurant - just the simplicity of thatched umbrellas and its gorgeous, secluded location by piney slopes. It is one of the best spots on the island for swimming, and snorkeling.

With all the water taxis for hire, you do have the freedom to come and go as you please and see the whole island. But budget travelers can do any of this at designated times when scheduled boats go by all these spots around Hydra.

I run shirtless in some countries where I am comfortable as it saves on our mountains of hotel laundry. On this trip I was looking forward to occasional morning run company as Noah was going to join me - which is somewhat miraculous for a teenager who usually seems glued to his bedroom in the early morning hours.

Often on my run I go bush (rural),.. so in this case I went all the way uphill, taking the streets of Hydra as far as I could, on a bit of a mission to find a monastery and church that I had heard was at the summit of the hill above the port. But there didn’t appear to be any obvious way of getting there. Even though I couldn’t find these buildings on my first run, I made it up really steep paths, passing the donkey holding yard where the town’s biggest assets live overnight. I usually encounter this kind of real life backstories on these morning runs.

As the red roof tiled buildings fall away, the cicadas crescendo like an orchestra to an unbelievable fever pitch. I felt a great sense of achievement pushing through such steep terrain to get to the farmland just above town.

We made our way up Miaoulis St, a main street that winds through the Kala Pigadia neighbourhood, with gorgeous stone staircases etched into the stone and little wrought iron balconies. From there a road ascends from up to Kiafas, Hydra’s oldest quarter.

Once we made it to the high point on the hill, we got the spectacular view over red tiled roofs, the bright indigo patch of sea at the beautiful little port way down below. As we started heading downhill to the bay we happened across so many enchanting little scenes: explosions of lush, fuchsia bougainvillea and vine escaping from interior courtyards; a narrow little road that leads into a dead end with a bright blue door in the middle of an old stone wall, like the secret garden. I half expected pixies and fairies this hidden little enclave is so otherworldly! This township is a very magical place with plenty of hidden corners to keep it interesting.

The Bratsera is too intimate and niche to have its own gym so I one morning I did manage to make it to the one and only gym in Hydra port. It had old rusty weights, an unpretentious, friendly atmosphere and no name, but I loved it all the same.

Problem was its 11am open time (only in Greece !), which is hard for a bright n’ early exerciser like me.