On a sun lounger, a few meters from where the wave breaks, in Hydra’s Mandraki, in a beautiful land between sleep and reality, I remembered a scene from Eat, Pray, Love, in which Italians explain to Julia Roberts what il dolce means far niente – the beauty of doing nothing, just enjoying the passage of time. Especially if you are tired of work, I would add.

Of course, today the sweet idleness of the lifestyle has become a cliché like the dolce vita. Throughout the year we plan holidays in which we will “relax”, we are looking for the perfect accommodation for this, the ideal conditions to relax from the stress of everyday life. But even during this blessed vacation time, the brain remains at work, notifications ring without stopping, we stay in touch with everything that bothers and tires us. Even in order to fix the solarium, somewhere to spread our drought, you need to make a little effort.

Bad lies, doing nothing is the ultimate luxury these days. That’s what Arthur Fitzwilliam said last year to the people of Wrapsody, who were to prepare a communications strategy for their new hotel in Mandraki, in the historic bay where Andreas Miaoulis hid his fleet.

“They asked me, ‘What are you selling?’ “Nothing,” I told them. “The ability to do nothing. Come here and don’t worry and don’t worry.” And then they asked me: “Yes, what will you do in a day?”. “Nothing,” I say again. “He will go to the beach, eat, walk on the sea or in the city.”

In fact, Fitzwilliam was describing exactly what Hydra had once been to him: a refuge, a corner of the world where no one could find it.

They asked me, “What are you selling?” “Nothing,” I told them. “The ability to do nothing. Come here and don’t worry and don’t worry.”

He first came to the island in the late 60s, at the age of 17, following his diplomat father. “Then you went to Hydra or Spetses. Mykonos wasn’t open,” he explains with dull British humor that the cosmopolitan life – he lived in England, Greece, Argentina, USA, Dubai, Hong Kong, Nigeria, Germany and other countries – could not calm him down. He remembers how charming she seemed to him not because of its difficult history, its natural beauty, mansions and captain’s houses, 300 churches or cobblestones, but because of the beautiful girls who seemed to suppress it. “I remember I was 17,” he says, while we enjoy breakfast in the hotel restaurant.It is no coincidence that a Greek woman eats an omelet, but a British yogurt with fruits and chia seeds.“Hydra for me then was a disco and girls.”Indeed, in the late 60s, early 70s, Hydra with its legendary bars like Lagoudera was the perfect place for the local and international elite and for artists like the famous Leonard Cohen.

In the end, however, for Arthur Fitzwilliam, Hydra became more than just a teenage crush. She remained indelibly in him, like a childhood friendship. Wherever he was in the world for work – he was a successful financial consultant – he returned to the island, first alone, and then with his wife Janice, to catch his breath, to find himself again. “For many years I worked 14 hours a day, 7 days a week. I had a company with offices in 23 countries. I have never spent more than three days in any country. Two nights a week I slept on planes. I used to come to Hydra to calm down. This was the reason not to see the 300 churches or the blue waters. It is nice to swim here, but the Caribbean Sea is also good. I have never seen more crystal clear waters than on the east coast of Mexico. In Hydra you come to relax and enjoy the tranquility. And calmness is largely due to the lack of cars. You have no idea how relaxing it is. You’ll understand when you leave. I came for three days, and it was as if I had not been there for a whole month.

In 1983, the couple bought a house. Ruins, Mr. Arthur corrects himself. But it took them 30 years to decide to repair it. Prior to that, they stayed in hotels, the usual habitat for Britons traveling the world. “And I couldn’t live anywhere either. Telling people what to do with their money, I had to “show” the money, so I stayed in the best hotels. I stayed in hotels in 23 countries.” Somehow, he formed an opinion about “What I value most is comfort, ease of living. I remember the Mandarin Hotel in Hong Kong had a butler on every floor. Great service, but not intrusive.”

The decision to embark on the adventure of refurbishment—preservation of historic architecture—and hotel management, with no prior experience in the tourism industry, came during his retirement years. “The goal was to enjoy life on Hydra for six months of the year, but I saw that I couldn’t sit.” Doing nothing is a luxury only for the hardworking.

“I’m also a relatively good businessman who takes advantage of opportunities that come his way.” His original idea was for the Mandraki Beach Resort to bring back the charm of Hydra and the concept of hospitality he knew. What he didn’t know was the famous Greek bureaucracy and duplication of duties between competent services, but as the sun sinks into the sea ahead of us, and as we wait for the steamer to the port of Hydra, feeling like a slightly talented Mr. Ripley, we understand why anyone should go for all these troubles.