Kiaffa Cottage  on Island of Hydra, Greece

  Keywords:   Romantic getaway. Home away from it all. Private holiday let. Affordable  family rental accomodation. Authentic, traditional, mediterranean vacation townhouse. Summer. Sun. Sea.

    Highlights: 
    Tastefully renovated(2010). 
    Traditional townhouse with plenty original features. 
    Both floors are self contained. 
    Great floorplan. 
    Private courtyard.
    Roof terrace providing gorgeous sea views. 
    Total cost for the whole house is 745-770 Euros.
   

Welcome & Thank you Danke Tack Merci Grazie for visiting.
 
A simple townhouse, beautifully renovated and maintained, above hydra town.  You can separate the two floors, and treat them like 2 apartments since they have their own private entrance, kitchen & bathroom.  Upstairs, a one bedroom apartment and Downstairs a large studio.  Perfect for couples, small families and small groups of friends wanting to holiday together but retain that sense of privacy.  Either floor can access the courtyard and roof terrace.  You can dine al fresco, or simply watch the sunsets over the harbour with an ouzo or a lovely Greek wine.  The house is located in a quiet residential neighbourhood on a cobblestone corner and all it takes to get to the port or the beach is a lazy 10 minutes.

With room to accommodate 4, Kiaffa Cottage also provides an ideal home for the artistically inclined.  Be it music, painting, writing, or learning parts for a film or play.  It is available for both long and short term accomodation, to immerse yourself in a project.  The house prides itself in having been able to play host to so many working in the arts today.

This house is unique in that both floors feel like 2 totally different spaces.  Each with their own charm and appeal.  The top floor is light, bright & airy.  White ceilings, white walls, beautifully and simply decorated.  Downstairs is rustic, earthy with it's thick walls, fireplace and stone tiles.  You get a feeling you've stepped back in time.    

Outdoor spaces-Courtyard & Roof Terrace accessable from both floors

A wooden door from the street enters into a private, walled-in courtyard—an intimate, serene space for eating and sitting.

From the courtyard, steps lead up to the roof terrace, which has a small retaining wall (parents might want to ban small children from this area to avoid accidents).

*Click to enlarge views from roof terrace                                                                                    photo taken in Febuary (winter) 2010

  
Spring views from the roof terrace.                                                                                                          Photos taken in May 2010 

UPSTAIRS FLOOR                       

              The master bedroom.

The upstairs floor can accommodate up to three people.  It consists of a master bedroom with a double bed, and a large living/dining room with a king size single bed, which doubles as a couch. There is a stereo system with a turntable to play the extensive collection of vinyl which guests are welcome to enjoy.  From Miles Davis to Jimi Hendrix.  Billie Holiday to the Clash.

     Both pictures were taken in the upstairs living room.                                                                 Copyright- Kevin Fagan.  

Just outside the bedroom and the living room is the hallway/landing where you will find a large wall closet with ample space for clothes. The trap door, when opened leads downstairs via internal staircase.

Off the living room you'll find the kitchen which has plenty of workspace, a stainless steel sink, a half-sized electric oven and hob and a bar fridge/freezer. The cupboards are stocked with all the cooking utensils, serving plates, dishes, glasses, and so forth that you could possibly need to cook dinner in the comfort of your own home.

The shower room/WC.

GROUND FLOOR  STUDIO. 
The walls are thick and the room is nice and cool even in the height of summer. Guests can escape the heat of the day to relax or take a siesta on the couches.

     
The large open-plan living room, accessed from the street, provides a step leading to an L-shaped sitting area with a Pro Dolby stereo in the recessed cupboard of the wall, at one end, and a dining area at the other.

There is a cozy, traditional wood-burning fireplace in the corner, although wall heaters are provided if you prefer not to have to light a fire in winter months.

The dining area can comfortably seat four, and if the table is brought forward, up to six people.  

Besides the dining area is a wooden staircase which leads to the upstairs landing. It has a trap door, which when closed, completely isolates the ground from the upper floor

This compact kitchen provides everything necessary to prepare full meals at home

A traditional external stone staircase provides independent access from the kitchen to the courtyard and sun-drenched roof terrace. Simply lift the custom created bench, which folds away effortlessly. 

Services

Kiaffa Cottage guests will be met at the port by the cottage's housekeeper, an Hydra resident, who will introduce you to the house and share with you the sights and secrets of Hydra. Donkey transport of luggage to the house can be arranged in advance. Although you will have complete privacy during your stay, the housekeeper will only be a phone call away to help you.  In the house, you will find a folder full of information about the cottage.

Awaiting the guests will be tea, coffee, bottled water, and cold beers in the fridge to help unwind from the journey to Hydra.
After the second week, a cleaner will come in once a week to clean the house, and change the sheets and towels for you.  If you should require a cleaner in at any other time, that can be arranged at an additional cost.

Conditions:

Max 4 persons.  Minimum stay 1 week.  50% deposit required to secure booking with balance of payment due no later than 8 weeks prior to arrival.

As a general policy, it is not advisable to come with small children (under age seven) unless they will be very carefully looked after. Parents are responsible for their safety, especially around the roof terrace, as the drop from the wall surrounding the terrace is quite steep, Similarly, people with mobility issues, are not suited, because of the climb, unless they're used to walking.
Animals are welcome as long as they are very well trained.  Check in after 2:30pm - check out by 10:30am. 
Visitors are respectfully requested to leave the house as it was found.

Property amenities:

Furnishings: Roof terrace, Beach Access, Fireplace, Heating, Housekeeper, Linens Provided, Mountain View, Sea View, Courtyard, Wood Floors, Dining table (x2) seats 4-6.  Lounge Area (x2) seats 4-6.  Courtyard seats 4.

Sleeping:  3 upstairs. + 1 1/2 downstairs
Bedroom 1:  Double Bed sleeps 2.  Notes:  Upstairs living room can sleep 1 on the couch. 
Bedroom2:  1 adult & 1 child size mattress downstairs.  These double as couches by day.

Appliances: Washing Machine, Vacuum cleaner, 2x portable fans, 2x electric fin radiators, Hair Dryer, Iron, Ironing Board,

Electronics: Answering Machine, , Internet Access, Stereo (x2) with tape/cd/aux input for mp3/ipod.  Turntable (upstairs). Telephone (free local calls and accepting all incoming calls).

Kitchen:  2 & 3 hob cooker, oven, bar fridges, electric kettle, toaster, plenty of pots, pans, cutlery, crockery & glassware, Electric juicer, blender & processor, espresso coffee makers

Other amenities:  Flippers and goggles, mosquito net, backgammon, Playing cards, books, cd & vinyl collection.

Recreation/Activities:  Boating, Hiking Nearby, Restaurants Nearby, Shopping, Swimming. 

Location on Map

*Click to enlarge map
      & click again to zoom some more


Guest Book:



Review  - "So much character!"   Review Rating 5/5  Ali Daw. U.K.  9th June, 2010
"Having stayed in many Greek villas over the years, this one definately has the most character!  I soon got used to the clip-clopping of the mules going past the window every morning, which just heightened our sense of the romantic!  All facilities worked perfectly and the sun terrace comes into its own in the morning for a yoga session, although it has the sun all day.
I will certainly be back!"  Summer 2010

Review  "Peace & Relaxation in Traditional Hydra House"     Review Rating 5/5  Marcus.  Paris.  1st June, 2010
"My partner & cousin spent an idyllic week in this traditional hydra house in early May 2010.  The house has just had the kitchen & bathroom updated.  The house is on 2 levels: downstairs can be a separate apartment if you wish with own kitchen, bathroom & separate access; we tended to live on the upper floor using the kitchen & bathroom there.  There is a small roof terrrace where you can sit and take in a panorama of the greek mainland & hydra harbour.  From here the sunsets are beautiful.
The best part is the peace & tranquility.  Hydra of course only has the mule/donkey as its form of transportation.  Spending time away frrom the omnipresent sound of the combustion engine is a delight!  Listening to the occasional clip-clop of donkey hooves on the cobbled steps from the comfort of your bed is wonderful.
As with most houses, this house is a bit of a climb up from the harbour but only takes about 10 minutes.  It does mean that it is conveniently located for all beaches (a short stroll away) and has 2 supermarkets 5 mins walk away".  Summer 2010

Review -"We'll be back"     Review Rating 4/5   Travelling Chrissie.  Jersey, Channel Islands.  3rd June, 2010
"Stayed in this delightful cottage in June 2009, before the renovations took place!  We loved it then and it's probably even nicer now it's been upgraded!  Great location (even though walk home after a long night was a bit taxing!) but a good little 'supermarket' down the road and a short amble to Leonard Cohen's house (a bonus for me!).  The cottage was well equipped with all one would need for a holiday let, no shortage of kitchen implements, great little dvd player and even a selection of books to read on those lazy days!
This really is an authentic Greek cottage not too far from beach or port and i will be back to stay again very soon!" 

Sent via email - 
"Hi, I just wanted to email & say how fantastic your cottage is and thank you so much for the opportunity to stay there, we had a perfect week where we did some painting, ate a lot of figs and yogurt, swam and snorkelled alot, we took a boat to Bisti which was lovely.  Went for a big walk into the hills, so feel rather fit from the steps!  The house has a wonderful feel and we would love to return.  The record collection brought back many memories for us, the children enjoyed it too,  so thank you."   Nicola Tizzard,  AUS

Rental Cost & Discounts:

The house is available all year round - minimum stay is 1 week for a maximum of 4 adults. 50% (non refundable) deposit required to secure booking with 50% balance of payment due no later than 8 weeks prior to arrival. Additional weeks are discounted according to the length of your stay. All pricing is in Euros. Payment by bank transfer.

The cost for a couple staying a week, is €745.  Staying a 2nd week, would cost the couple an additional €708 per week.  Staying a 3rd week would cost an additional €670 on top of that, etc...

Please feel free to get in touch with me if you have any questions and enquiries at all. 
Ph:  +613 9025 0699, or SMS on +61 (0)422 966 184.   Email at the following address.  

hydra@showeb.net