ARCHITECTURE:Phaedra Hotel
To celebrate the unique architecture of Hydra island, we are making walks in the streets to discover buildings, that their use has changed. Mansions, captain’s houses and other buildings have been transformed to the most beautiful and interesting hotels, each with its own history and stamp. The National Heritage laws governing the island mean that the structure of the buildings is protected. Situated in a very quiet location, three minutes away from the main port in a traditional 19th Century house we discover Phaedra Hotel, that was formerly a small factory producing carpets for homes of the island. In the course of the 20th Century, many local people left the island to seek their fortunes elsewhere in the world, and much of the industry on the island closed down; consequently, the Phaedra building lay derelict for years. Today’s owner, Hilda Eksian found The Phaedra in much the same state as it was when the last carpet came off the loom in the early 1970s. In the refurbishment of the hotel, Hilda has taken great care to incorporate as many of the original features and details as possible. Today Phaedra Hotels musters just six units over two storeys. The name recalls the 1962 film shot locally, with Melina Mercouri and Anthony Perkins playing the leads. The wall colors, ceiling designs, window sills, cistern, well heads and other features have been renovated to maintain the character of the building. All the modern additions have been very sensitively incorporated to create this atmospheric, intimate and elegant hotel. Breakfast is a real treat and especially the home-made jams and cheese pies but the most outstanding thing about your trip is Hilda’s helpfulness, she knows the island, the shops and the people and she is always willing to help everyone guest, finally Hilda loves photography and a big series of her very interesting icons of Hydra are in the hotel, some of them in the rooms.-Efi Michalarou
