Text overlay reading: Created by artists. Inspired by the Mediterranean. Infused with the hydra spirit of rebellion.

A past made present

Like so much of art, history and life, Arta began not with a plan, but as an impulse… an infatuation with the timeless charm of Hydra and the island’s role as a crossroads where the global jet set mingled with a legendary community of artists, writers, poets and revolutionaries.

“Tiny, intimate and engagingly stylish”

Francesco Bruni, Il Viaggiatore alla Moda

View through doorway into a cozy seating area with a built-in gray couch decorated with blue and patterned cushions. A small round black wire coffee table holds a glass of white wine and another glass. French doors with blue shutters are open, revealing framed artwork on the wall, and a woven basket with purple flowers is on the floor.

A man and a woman are laughing and sharing a joyful moment. The man is wearing a sweater, and the woman is holding a drink with a straw. They are close and appear to be enjoying each other's company.

A woman carrying a basket of laundry on her head in an outdoor setting.

Two men walking on a beach with their arms outstretched.

Amid quirky angles and traditional white washed arches, our self-catering house offers three independent rooms arranged around a tiny walled and gated courtyard. With vintage floor tiles, ancient wood doors, artisanal bath amenities and a collection of original art, even the smallest details are designed to surround and seduce you with the unique spirit of Hydra life to become an unforgettable part of your Arta stay.

Interior of a room seen through an open window, featuring a sitting area with cushions, a lantern with a lit candle on the ground, and framed pictures on the wall.

A woman in a casual outfit leaning on a large architectural column, looking thoughtfully out of a large arched window.

Our House

Where a simmering spirit
of revolution lives on

Arta sits mere steps from the famed Australian House, the 1950s-1960s home of expatriate writers Charmian Clift and George Johnston and a gathering point for Beat poets Jeffrey Corso, Harry Norse and Alan Ginsberg as well as musician Leonard Cohen. But Hydra’s alternative spirit did not begin with them. Independent attitudes have always run deep on this little island, its residents instrumental in the Greek War of Independence.

Outdoor seating area with gray cushions and patterned pillows, black wire side tables with candles, a large lantern with a candle inside, white wall with two gray painted windows and a door, decorative plant in the foreground.

Six people engaged in a discussion outdoors with rocky terrain and historic buildings in the background, black and white photo.

Black and white photo of a restaurant or café with three arched windows showing a coastline with buildings and hills. Inside, a woman in a large straw hat is seated with her arms crossed, near the windows. On the left, a child is sitting on a chair, and on the right, a woman is sitting at a table with a bottle and other items.

Along the way, Arta has retained its own quietly defiant attitude expressed by the house’s oddly perpendicular setting in an otherwise quaint little lane. Similarly, its steadfast refusal to grow above a single story when all of its neighbors built skyward makes Arta an architectural rarity and ensures that it remains an authentic and memorable retreat on a charmingly human scale.

“I never knew this small could be quite this cool”

Daphne Selle-Cyr, Cellist

White Mediterranean-style house with a gray door, a small window with closed shutters, a lantern, and potted plants, on a cobblestone street.

People sitting and talking at an outdoor café near the water with chairs and tables, boats docked nearby, and a hillside with buildings in the background.

Four women riding horses along a stone path in a town with white buildings and trees.

White stairs leading up to an open door in a white building with stone steps and cobblestone ground, casting shadows.

Our Courtyard

A beating heart

Arta’s tiny central avli or courtyard forms the heart of the house with the three guest rooms arranged around its perimeter. Within the purity and whiteness of its inner sanctum, tables and chairs sit amid potted flowers and aromatic herbs as the sounds of Hydra fade to a subtle rhythm. It’s an ideal location for enjoying a brought-in breakfast or an inspired mid-day salad. A soft lounge is piled high with indulgent cushions for sunning, curling up with a good book or simply sharing an evening drink with others… the perfect atmosphere for withdrawing from the beaches, shopping and sightseeing to a place of insular beauty and calm.

“Per favore non andateci… voglio il posto tutto per me” 
(Please don’t go there… I want the place all to myself)

Donatella Casati, Socialite

Outdoor patio area with white walls, gray shutters, a built-in gray bench with blue and gray pillows, surrounded by potted plants, small tables, candles, and outdoor dining furniture.

Our Lifestyle

Irresistibly rebellious.
Forever fashionable

Arta was created as an alternative to conventional, lackluster short-stay accommodation for those who enjoy an authentic engagement with art, design, fashion and architecture wherever they travel. The decor of each of Arta’s rooms has been carefully considered and contain an amazing assortment of original works of art, photography and gallery ephemera.

“A little Greek purity, a touch of rustic Puglia and Larry Gagosian’s cast aways thrown in for fun!”

Roger de Vores, Gallerist

A hallway view through two blue French doors, with a wall decorated with framed artwork, a small wooden console table with books and a bowl of oranges.

A window with black shutters open above a windowsill with three decorative pillows, and part of a round table with a line drawing of a woman's face and hand.

Brightly lit living room corner with open blue window shutters, a white round table with a bowl of fruit, wicker chairs, cushions, framed artwork, and a hanging woven light fixture.

Entrance hallway with hanging wicker light fixtures, a stone wall on the left, an open doorway leading to a bedroom, and a small table with a book and a decorative object on it.

Black and white photo of a young man drawing in an open sketchbook with a pen, sitting outdoors with a scenic view of a body of water and hills in the background.

From vintage fashion photographs by Louise Dahl-Wolfe, to works by Arte Povera icon and local resident Jannis Kounellis, as well as memorabilia from Hydra’s expatriate writers such as Henry Miller and Patrick Leigh-Fermor, the collection is unabashedly eclectic. And just to keep you in the know, you’ll also find a changing selection of current fashion, travel and culinary books that highlight kindred spirits and contemporary innovators from some of the world’s trendiest getaways. Whether it’s farm to table food from Napa, the barefoot luxury of Tulum or the gypset culture of Ibiza, Arta embraces an all-encompassing connectivity with the global creative scene.

A woman in a polka dot swimsuit standing on a concrete pier near the water, shielding her eyes from sunlight with her hand, with two small boats nearby.

Outdoor patio table with a book titled 'Memory and the Mediterranean' by Fernand Braudel, sunglasses, a vase of purple flowers, a glass of iced tea with lemon, and a straw hat resting on a chair. In the background, another small round table holds a plant, two glasses of water, and a bowl of salad.

A woven basket with a rolled gray towel inside and a gray cloth draped over the edge, on a sandy surface.

Our Rooms

Life less ordinary

Arta offers three lovingly appointed non-smoking guest rooms with private baths. They may be rented individually, in combination, or the house can be taken in its entirety for a stay by a family or friends with a maximum sleeping capacity of seven adults. Please keep in mind that Arta is entirely self-catering and not a hotel. Although we do not have staff on site, we have tried to anticipate your every need to ensure that your stay is as enjoyable as possible. In our attempt to support a greater degree of slower, more engaged eco-conscious travel, we request a minimum booking of three nights.

“Whatever the two smaller rooms lack in space, they more than make up for in style”

Sylvie Lazare, InVogue

Silhouette of coral branches on a light blue background

Interior of a bedroom with pillows on a bed, a small wooden stool, wall-mounted lights, and framed artwork on the wall.

Title page with Greek text at the top and the words "The Writers" in white cursive font on a black background.

Silhouette of marine coral against a blue background.

A bedroom with a bed, blue pillows with pom-pom trim, and a decorative pillow with a floral and striped pattern. There is a framed text art on the wall with the quote about ancestors and great ideas. The room has white walls, a small wooden nightstand, a shelf with framed pictures, and an open blue door leading to another room with more framed pictures on the wall.

Text in Greek in white font on black background reading 'o kalítexnis' and large cursive white text below reading 'the artist'.

A blue background with a darker blue abstract leaf pattern on the left side.

A cozy room with dark blue window shutters, a built-in window seat with decorative pillows, a small white side table, and walls decorated with framed artwork and a large black-and-white typography poster that reads 'SOCIETY DOESN'T FIT ME BUT MY LITTLE BLACK DRESS DOES.' There is a wicker chair with a straw hat on it, and a vase with lavender on a mantel.

Text in Greek and English stating 'the muse' in white on a black background.

Our Location

At the Center

Sitting on a quiet residential lane in the heart of Hydra’s harbor town, and less than 300 paces from the waterfront with no significant steps to climb, Arta is within easy range of all of the town’s cafes, restaurants and shops.
Arrival on foot is an easy matter and our House Manager will meet you at the ferry to show you the way. Donkeys and hand carts can also be arranged at an extra charge for the convenient transport of your luggage.

“Une célébration de l’Hydra immortelle”

Lulu, artiste et joaillière française

Gray abstract shape with the word "MAP" in white capital letters in the center.

A group of people dining outdoors at a cafe near a marina with boats, in front of a hillside with old buildings and a statue.