Like many an Irish student, I worked in bars on several Greek islands back in the day.
My memories of times spent on the island of Santorini are among my fondest. Gleaming white churches with domed, azure roofs, turquoise ocean, diving, fishing, yachting… Santorini’s volcanic heritage is everywhere.
A short boat ride takes you to jet-black hills that steam. You can swim in hot springs…take a cable car to the crater rim…sip cocktails while lounging in infinity pools. The rich and famous visit and shop in the many galleries. Italian playboys sport pants and shoes as white as the postcard-perfect houses.
Just north is the island of Ios. Cat Stevens (or so the rumor goes) took up residence here in search of isolation some years back. Stunning beaches and rocky hills rise from crystal-clear waters.
The trendy set head for Mykonos, famous for its all-night-long parties and massive (and exclusive) dance clubs.
There’s a Greek island for anyone who yearns to leap from rocks into crystal-clear waters or relax on a sandy beach.
Despite recent economic woes, all the things that make Greece, and her islands (227 of which are inhabited) in particular, so appealing, are still there.
Long a favorite vacation destination for Europeans, the most popular of the Greek islands have been entertaining and wowing foreigners for decades.
Petaloudes, Rhodes
Listing Price: €75,000 ($88,700)
The largest of Greece’s Dodecanese islands, Rhodes is famous for its beaches, ancient ruins, and is steeped in history. Its home to the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and the medieval old town of Rhodes Town is a World Heritage Site. Rhodes is a popular European vacation spot, so a home here could be used for personal use or as a vacation rental.
This 1-bed, 1-bath home is located in Petaloudes, a part of Rhodes that is known as Butterfly Valley. It has an open-plan kitchen/living area with a distinctly North African feel to it and the bedroom is on a mezzanine level. Outside there is a small patio area. And you’re just a 30-minute drive to Rhodes Town.
Malevizi, Crete
Listing Price: €85,000 ($100,500)
Crete is the largest of all of Greece’s islands. It’s an island that offers everything…buzzing cities, spectacular beaches, and bargain real estate. Though most folks come for the beaches and the nightlife, there is plenty on offer if you prefer life a bit quieter. Scenic valleys, tranquil hill towns, and rugged canyons are also here to be explored.
The Heraklion province of northern Crete is the location for this 2-bed, 1-bath mansionette. It has an open-plan kitchen/living room and a spiral staircase leads up to the bedrooms. It’s in a community with a shared pool and Jacuzzi. It comes fully furnished so it’s ready to move into or to rent out.
Episkepsi, Corfu
Listing Price: €89,000 ($105,200)
Located in the Ionian Sea, at various points in history, Corfu was ruled by the Venetians, the French, and the British, and they all left their mark on this Greek island. Known as Greece’s Emerald Isle, Corfu is home to over 2 million olive trees. Like Crete, parts of the island can be overrun with tourists in the summer months, but get away from the tourist resorts, and this mythical island has much to offer.
In the heart of the village of Episkepsi, on Corfu’s north coast, is this recently renovated 2-bed, 1-bath house. You enter on the first floor, which houses the bedrooms, and a staircase leads down to the new, modern kitchen and living area which leads out to an outside patio. A small path leads from the house directly to the village’s restaurants and bars.
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