Theodora's is a unique property perched above Hydra harbour with extensive and panoramic views. In fact from the top patio (level 4) the views are 360deg I reckon and in the sunshine this is a great spot to be. Watching the comings and goings of the little harbour, particularly in the holiday season could be a day-long 'activity'. In fact to enable this very enjoyable past-time I would recommend a parasol be provided, if possible, as by mid afternoon the sun can be pretty fierce.
The house itself is over 4 levels and has been well and accurately described in earlier reviews. Nicely furnished and with Greek art-ware and some personal items (I assume) adorning the walls and surfaces we felt really at home here. Cooking in the 'bijou' kitchen is a bit of a challenge although in reality hot weather food prep is of the 'construction' variety. In that vein a decent chopping board would have been very useful, if provided; all the other items were adequate with some showing signs of ageing though.
For our first few nights the temperature was in single figures - this thankfully picked up during our stay - but there were plenty of heaters around to take the chill off. After a couple of total electrical overloads (= blackouts!) we soon worked out the 'switched on' combinations to avoid being in the dark; from our extensive travels in Greece over several years this 'flavour' is not unusual!
On arrival from Piraeus we were met by Antonis who guided us to the property and gave us the low down. Reaching Theodora's is a steady climb from the harbour-side up 80+ steps; this could present a challenge for those with any mobility problems. This is mentioned in the description of course but it's not until you're there with a few bags of shopping etc that you realise the effort required. This didn't put me off at all although my wife, at 63, did feel that going up and down more than twice a day was not something to look forward to. So an evening stroll around the harbour taking in the tavernas etc was really only attempted once.
For the explorers amongst us the positioning of the Theodora's inspires a hike to the Elias Monastry as well as coastal forays to Kamini, Vlycho (and beyond) and Mandraki of course. Plenty of street walking in and around Hydra Port but avoid, if possible, the timing of the midday cruise boats as the little port can quickly seem over-whelmed by tourists.
As independent, wordly travellers who have spent the last 2 years visiting Greece both in and out of season my wife and I would consider Theodra's to be a Premium property and a one-off in Hydra. I think that is priced as such. We did expect Premium service, albeit relaxed, but felt somewhat let down on arrival to be told that we were leaving a day earlier than planned. Now a day later, after email checks etc, this was found to be a mistake.
Whilst a lovely cleaner was gratefully provided, we were told by Antonis that she would be in on the day after our arrival and require 3 hours to clean. Well for a 6 day stay having the property cleaned after 1 day seemed unnecessary, so with some persistent discussion on my part the compromise of a mid-visit clean (seemed the most sensible to us) was agreed. In the event the cleaner arrived a day earlier, re-stated that we had to vacate the property a day earlier than booked. The cleaner was happy to accept that she had arrived on the wrong day, re-arrange for the next day (1 hour clean required). We ignored her assertion to leave a day earlier than planned.
As for vacating the property on the actual due date then the cleaner wanted to start at 0900 which, you know for holiday is a bit on the early side we thought. We settled on a 0930 start as she had another job elsewhere at 1030. This is small stuff really but our holiday shouldn't be organised around the cleaner to this degree. However, we were all set on departure day/time but no show. We waited until 1115 as we didn't want to leave the property unlocked (keys on internal table as requested) and then called it a day. We left.
We really enjoyed and appreciated Theodara's house, it's style and setting but felt that we were at times somehow having to manage the administration of our holiday during the holiday. This is not relaxing actually; this is not Premium
There was also of an early, owner-instigated change to our formal original booking acceptance (and paid deposit), due to an online issue somewhere. There were some communication issues too which necessitated Tripadvisor assistance to resolve.
So, we're happy to give the property 5* (with room for a few enhancements as offered) but 3* for all else as described above. Hence 4* overall.