Elafonisos

Among the debated amendments of an Environment Ministry multi-bill on Monday was one for the suspension of building permits in areas outside town planning on the popular tourist island of Mykonos until the end of the year.

The beauty of the Greek islands is not just about the beaches

The underwater city of Pavlopetri

The residents of one small Greek island have strayed from the Mediterranean diet and an active life largely lived outdoors in favor of a more sedentary and Western way of life, resulting in high levels of obesity compared to the rest of the country, according to a group of experts who are sounding the alarm for other rural parts of Greece where similar habits are emerging.

A tourist camp on the island of Elafonisos, in southern Greece, has been evacuated for a second day in a row, as a wildfire which broke out Saturday morning at a nearby landfill has intensified again because of the prevailing winds.

The island's mayor has also ordered the evacuation of nearby houses.

Tourists at a camping site and a hotel on the island of Elafonisos, southern Peloponnese, were told to evacuate due to a fire that broke out on Saturday morning.
The evacuation was ordered for precautionary reasons and no settlements were currently at risk, the deputy regional governor of Lakonia, Adamandia Tzanetea, told state-run news agency ANA-MPA.

A loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) was found dead by officials from the Port Authority of Gytheion at the beach of Chalikia Vatta, in the eastern part of the Mani peninsula, authorities said on Sunday.

This is the second sea turtle of its kind found dead in the region of Laconia, after one was located on Saturday on the island of Elafonisos.

A former mayor of the island of Elafonisos, off the southern coast of the Peloponnese, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison by the Kalamata Appeals Court after being found guilty on multiple counts of fraud involving public funds.

Five Greek beaches are in Europe’s top 15 list for 2017, according to preferences of travelers from around the globe on the website European Best Destinations. Those are Xi beach in Kefalonia, Simos Beach on Elafonisos island, Seychelles Beach in Icaria, Porto Timoni Beach in Corfu and Canal d’Amour in Sidari.

Three Greek beaches are among the top 20 in the world, according to TripAdvisor’s 2017 Travellers’ Choice Awards. Elafonisi in Chania, Crete comes in 9th in the top ten list globally, while it is 2nd best in Europe. Five Greek beaches are included in the best 20 European beaches for 2017. Here is the European list:

1. La Concha Beach, San Sebastian, Spain