Coming into Hydra’s port, where cube-like, grey stone houses and mansions climb all the way up the rocky slopes, a colourful, lively scene in the town centre below greets you. It’s a time-warp. All the dogs come to meet each arrival; small, stocky, older men in straw hats lead donkeys along the wide promenade of old stone; fisherman untangle yellow fishing nets; grandmothers lean back on old wooden and straw chairs in front of brightly painted shopfronts, wisps of grey hair escaping from scarves. Apart from the donkeys taking people or parcels, water taxis are the only other mode of transport in sight, lining up to take people onto their holiday homes.

The majority of people milling around us were locals or workers, a sure sign of these harder economic times. You would expect the island to be busier with day tourists from Athens, especially on weekends. We felt a real sense of excitement coming into this world, and I was glad that the hotel was right in the heart of Hydra town.

Leaving the intensity of the Mediterranean sunshine and coming into the cool stone space of the BRATSERA lobby, we were immediately drawn into the calm. The organic, raw feel of the beautiful stone floors and exposed wooden beams and walls - both left as raw stone or whitewashed - has an authenticity that flows on from the old-school island atmosphere outside. The reception desk is made from unpolished planks of wood that look like they were simply ripped up from the dock. The generous scale, including double height ceilings, and decorative objects, all link you with the building’s origins as an industrial factory. We loved it all: the giant silver fans, old copper industrial lamps, maps, fishing nets draped in the living room and reference to the hotel’s own past - huge sponges from the deep. But there is a feeling of sanctuary as well. The beautiful furniture looks as if it comes from someone’s home, with quaint little windows, soft, comfy linen fabric in faded pink and a baby grand in the lobby. The effect is charming and inviting; there is nothing slick or urban about the feel. The Bratsera was already casting a Hydra spell…

SUITE DREAMS

We got the full blast of matriarchal Greek warmth from Martina and Eleni who happily welcomed us and took us to our 2 rooms, which we assumed to be the best there and had booked months in advance. Noah was in room 27 opposite the pool, a lovely room that struck the right balance between rawness and comfort (170 Euros).

We had workshopped our needs in advance, including having Zoe in our room with us. They had put us in the LAFINA SUITE with balcony (310 Euros), thinking that we could sleep up in the loft bed that creates a sense of separate space for Zoe in the downstairs area. But Sheira hates lofts, finding them claustrophobic. We find it very limiting: all you can really do is leave the luggage down below, with a little room for Zoe, and then live like Quasimodo, all hunched up top. I think air space should remain air space!

If you know me at all you know that I am a big believer in ‘tweak till you get it right’ because hotel rooms are your home away from home. It was not going to be easy changing our suite because there were a lot of guests there but I had to tell Martina that I had made a mistake; this room was just not big enough and my wife would never have chosen it. Somebody must have explained things inaccurately because this wasn’t the number one suite that I was looking for – she agreed that the more suitable choice would be the VARANI which was not available.

I gave her space, trusted her to find a solution and went for breakfast at the port. Sometimes staff make panicky decision or refusals when you overcrowd or rush them. It’s all about how you approach the dilemma. But the horizontal coffin bed was not going to happen!

My optimism was rewarded: on our return… the VARANI suite had somehow become available ! I will never know how this came about, but who was I to knock it back.

THE VARANI SUITE (No 15)

This is the oldest room in the original building, right above the reception area. A gorgeous industrial wooden staircase leads up to a long room that takes up a large part of the top floor. It has an expansive, open feel and beautiful old windows overlooking whitewashed walls and tiled roofs.

It is a gorgeous room on a larger scale, with all the atmosphere and detailing that you would expect of a former sponge factory: the wooden door with knots in it, the deep set window sashes and hand painted freize on the ceiling. The sable coloured raw stone gives the room a warm, yellow glow that reminded Sheira of the old fashioned look you get in sepia photos.

The antique timber screens with cloth, seagrass matting and bed were just gorgeous, a real change from bland, generic hotel décor - and there were no mod cons except a plasma TV on the desk. This suite really showcased that magical sense of throwback time and island culture on Hydra.

240- 400 Euros seasonally.