Bisti Bay is one of the prettiest bathing places on Hydra to my mind. The pines crowd the back of the beach which is of gray and white pebbles and draws a line between the bright green of the trees and the stunning aqua marine and turquoise of the sea.

Bisti is operated and run by some of the caique owners who ply back and forth on a timetable (about every two hours starting at 11ish until the last boat leaving the beach at 6) a return ticket for 2008 costs €10 per person from Hydra Harbour. You'll find umbrellas and sun-beds (€6 for 1 umbrella with 2 beds) along with a refreshment kiosk for soft drinks and crips. If you're going for the day, you might want to take a picnic with you.

From the headlandThe convoluted coast line either side of the beach is marvelous for snorkeling or just swimming along. The water doesn't get deep too quickly so it's relatively safe for children, who will enjoy sitting on the flat topped rocks on the shore line that seem to have been put there just for that purpose!

The still, very shallow water either side of the bay is an ideal place to look for sea urchins but make sure you have something on your feet with thick soles so you don't get stabbed by the spins if you step on them. If you're lucky you'll also find little orange star fish, but if you do, please don't take them out of the water for more than 30 seconds and put them back where you found them. And if you look carefully in any decent sized shells, you might find a hermit crab (those with the one big claw). Again, please put them back in the water where you found them quickly so they live.

If you prefer not to use the umbrellas or sun-beds, you'll find plenty of family-sized spaces between the trees where you can each your picnic in the shade.

And there are plenty of nice walks with excellent photo opportunities and painting spots within very close reach.