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  "path": "/2026/05/14/mysterious-greek-island-no-tourists-no-hotels-a-247-000-price-tag-28339181/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-14T06:00:00.000Z",
  "site": "https://metro.co.uk",
  "tags": [
    "Lifestyle",
    "Travel",
    "Europe Travel",
    "Greece",
    "Travel Inspiration",
    "tourists outnumber locals",
    ".",
    "consequences of overtourism",
    "Metro Deals",
    "Get deal now",
    "banned sunbeds on 251 Greek beaches",
    "Lefkada, often described as the ‘Greek Caribbean’,",
    "@reisefieberfreude",
    "lefkada",
    "lefkas",
    "europeansummer",
    "drone",
    "♬ Originalton – reisefieberfreude",
    "The remote island only accessible by boat that Hollywood almost ruined",
    "‘Secluded’ Greek cove named world’s second best beach for 2026",
    "The best Santorini and Mykonos alternatives that are cheaper and still in Europe",
    "‘Cheapest’ Greek island crowned for a sunny getaway — and it’s not Corfu",
    "Greece’s Blue City is ‘untroubled by tourists’ but now it’s getting new Jet2 flights",
    "Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google\nAdd as preferred source"
  ],
  "textContent": "The only resident here is nature (Picture: Alamy Stock Photo)\n\nGreece has always been a hotspot for travellers from across the globe.\n\nBut in recent years, some of its most beautiful islands have become victims of their own success.\n\nIn Zante, tourists outnumber locals. Santorini and Mykonos are struggling with the volume of cruise ship passengers.\n\nHowever, not every island has this problem. In fact, some have avoided the consequences of overtourism altogether.\n\nOne such place is **Makri** , a 243-acre Ionian island with a craggy coastline, clear blue waters and long, hot sunny days for most of the year.\n\nIt is deserted, but it wasn’t meant to be that way.\n\n##  Best of Metro Deals\n\nGet exclusive discounts with Metro Deals – save on getaways and spa days. Powered by Wowcher\n\n**Bannatyne Spa** : Spa day for two with treatments, lunch & prosecco — save up to 57% off.\n\n Get deal now\n\n**Mystery Escape** : Hotel stay with return flights from as low as £92pp — save on worldwide holiday packages.\n\nGet deal now\n\n**Beach Retreat (Lanzarote)** : 4* Lanzarote beach holiday with flights — save up to 58%.\n\nGet deal now\n\nThis private island, which is the fifth largest in the Echinades archipelago, was once dubbed the ‘crown jewel’ for international investors.\n\nIn 2022, Makri was listed for €8 million by high-end real estate agencies, who pitched it as a prime spot for luxury getaways, complete with a five-star hotel with suites and private villas.\n\nAt the time, Makri was promoted as one of Greece’s private islands with a ‘mature’ legal framework for development prospects.\n\nIt was described as having clear ownership titles and being ‘immediately available for transfer.’\n\nThings did not go to plan, and the uninhabited island is now heading to auction with a dramatically slashed asking price of €247,000 (£214,446).\n\nFancy owning your own slice of paradise? Here’s everything we know about Makri.\n\n## What caused the Makri island price drop?\n\nFor the last four years, Makri has been on the block at electronic auctions — where buyers and sellers bid or trade on goods, services, properties, and even islands, online and in real-time.\n\nJuly 2022 was Makri’s first e-auction experience.\n\nThe island was listed with an initial price of €8 million (later reported as having a €3.8 million starting bid for a subsequent auction) based on a valuation report from the previous year.\n\nHowever, a second valuation deemed the listing null and void, after it was discovered Makri had been classified as a private forest.\n\nIt was also found to lie within a Site of Community Importance and Special Protection Zone, which compromised any five-star development.\n\nMakri island was once up for sale for €8 million (Picture: Alamy Stock Photo)\n\nUltimately, this meant that only agricultural activity was allowed on the island. As for infrastructure, light building work can only go ahead with a Presidential Decree.\n\nThere was also an issue with something called Natura 2000. This is a critical ecological network that protects habitats and species and prevents overtourism with strict regulations.\n\nIn recent weeks, the programme banned sunbeds on 251 Greek beaches right before summer.\n\nElsewhere, local outlet Sofokleous10 reported that whoever purchases Makri will receive mortgages, tax claims and legal restrictions dating back decades.\n\nThis includes Greek State claims exceeding €20 million.\n\nWith that in mind, there are few investors to fit the bill.\n\n## What’s on the island, and can you visit?\n\nLegend has it that the Echinades were nymphs who were transformed into islands by a river god. One of those, according to the lore, was Makri.\n\nOf course, we haven’t been, but with unspoiled beaches and crystal clear waters, we’re certain that the island has some spectacular swim spots.\n\nSadly, because it’s a private, undeveloped island, there are no public ferry services.\n\nNearby islands like Lefkada, often described as the ‘Greek Caribbean’, can scratch that itch instead.\n\n> @reisefieberfreude\n>\n> Lefkada ✨🤍🩵 🌊 #greece #lefkada #lefkas #europeansummer #drone\n>\n> ♬ Originalton – reisefieberfreude\n\nIn the event that you have the funds to buy Makri — and find a way around the rigid development rules — you’ll also have to contend with infrastructure challenges.\n\nThat means you’ll need to set up your own water, electricity, and waste disposal.\n\nWhat’s a bit of hard work if paradise is the prize?\n\n##  Metro's top Greece picks\n\n• The remote island only accessible by boat that Hollywood almost ruined\n• ‘Secluded’ Greek cove named world’s second best beach for 2026 \n• The best Santorini and Mykonos alternatives that are cheaper and still in Europe\n• ‘Cheapest’ Greek island crowned for a sunny getaway — and it’s not Corfu\n• Greece’s Blue City is ‘untroubled by tourists’ but now it’s getting new Jet2 flights\n\nComment now Comments \nAdd Metro as a Preferred Source on Google\nAdd as preferred source\n",
  "title": "The mysterious Greek island with no tourists, no hotels and a €247,000 price tag"
}