Greece is riding a wave of popularity, thanks to its laid-back lifestyle, famous hospitality – and, of course, its golden visa scheme.
The Peloponnese is among the areas on the rise – not only for its unspoilt beaches, stunning scenery and affordable property prices, but also because the golden visa threshold here remains €400,000. That’s compared with €800,000 in places like Crete, Corfu, Mykonos and other popular islands.
From lockdown dreams to TV reality
For Liz and Ian Dale, a love of sailing, and a little lockdown boredom, led them to apply for A Place in the Sun TV show in search of a home in Greece.
“We’d visited the Messinia area and loved how naturally beautiful it was, and how authentically Greek it has remained. It feels like stepping back in time,” says Liz, 60.
The Dales – along with their two grown-up children – are a sporty family from Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire. They enjoy windsurfing, sailing, skiing and hiking, and the area ticked every box. “Before we knew it, we were flying out with Lee Juggurnauth and the TV crew in July 2021,” she adds.
Finding their first home in Neochori
After filming in the Mani Peninsula – the finger of land just below Kalamata, neighbouring the Messinia region – they bought a three-bedroom house in the village of Neochori during the programme, with a budget of £280,000.
The number of flights to Kalamata has been increasing which makes access much easier – otherwise it’s a three-hour drive from Athens.
“We’d never been to the Mani, but it was full of quiet fishing villages. We liked Stoupa – it’s more touristy and livelier.” The couple later added a swimming pool, which ended up costing far more than the €50,000 they had budgeted for – but they were happy enjoying their new holiday home.
They also applied for their golden visa – which was available at €250,000 at the time, before the threshold increased last year – meaning they won’t have to worry about the 90-day limit when they spend more time in Greece during retirement.
A surprise second project next door
A few years later, a neighbour mentioned that someone else was interested in buying the plot next door. To protect their view, Liz and Ian decided to step in and purchase it themselves. “We then thought, why don’t we build?”
Local planning laws had changed to protect the integrity of the area, so the couple needed to obtain planning permission before 2026. “We took money out of our pensions and bought the plot for €80,000,” says Ian.
They decided to build their dream house: a six-bedroom, five-bathroom villa with a gym, wine room, and a huge terrace for entertaining and events. They used the same builder who had installed the pool in their first house.
A visit from A Place in the Sun: What Happened Next?
This may sound familiar if you caught the couple on an episode of A Place in the Sun: What Happened Next? when Lee returned to see them at their home in 2023.
Eighteen months later, their dream home is nearly complete.
To help offset the “more than double” cost of house number two, they’re now selling house number one – and renting it out in the meantime. (You can even stay there to get a flavour: neochorivillas.com.)
The property is for sale at €500,000 through local agent Mani Homes.
Loving life in the Peloponnese
“We love life here,” says Liz. “There’s quite a big expat scene in Stoupa – padel, walking groups, bridge – there are a lot of over-50s here. You can even ski an hour away! The winters do get cold here,” she adds.
Ian is now retired but does a little consultancy, while Liz continues to work in marketing.
Thinking of making your own move to Greece?
Search for properties in Greece or read our Complete Buying Guide to Greece to find out more.
