The Latest Way to Create an Isolated Retreat: Buy a Whole Village

Why It Matters

The model opens a new niche in luxury real‑estate while addressing rural desertification, offering investors both social impact and premium retreat venues.

Key Takeaways

• Entire villages sell for under $1 million in Europe
• Rural depopulation creates abundant vacant property inventory
• Entrepreneurs convert villages into exclusive corporate retreat venues
• Fragmented ownership can complicate acquisition processes
• Retreat demand drives investment in remote heritage sites

Pulse Analysis

Across Europe, a quiet real‑estate wave is reshaping abandoned hamlets into high‑end retreat destinations. Decades of rural exodus have left thousands of villages empty, turning them into low‑cost assets for investors with a vision for experiential hospitality. The price point—often well below a million dollars—makes whole‑village acquisitions financially attractive compared with traditional resort development, while the historic architecture and natural settings provide instant brand differentiation for boutique operators.

Acquiring a whole village, however, is rarely a simple transaction. Many properties are held by multiple heirs or fragmented owners, requiring painstaking legal work to consolidate titles. Buyers must navigate local zoning regulations, heritage preservation statutes, and often negotiate with municipal authorities eager to revive depopulated areas. Financing can be complex, blending conventional mortgages with private equity or impact‑investment funds that value the social benefit of revitalizing rural communities.

The business case rests on the growing demand for exclusive, off‑grid corporate retreats and wellness experiences. Companies seek venues that combine privacy, authenticity, and the ability to customize every aspect of the environment. By repurposing villages, operators can offer immersive programs—from team‑building hikes to cultural workshops—while generating revenue streams through accommodation, events, and ancillary services. As sustainability and employee well‑being become strategic priorities, the whole‑village model is poised to expand, potentially reshaping rural economies and redefining luxury hospitality.

The Latest Way to Create an Isolated Retreat: Buy a Whole Village

Published January 31, 2026 (print edition February 5, 2026)

Some years ago, after selling their bed‑and‑breakfast in San Diego County, Jason Lee Beckwith and his wife began looking for hospitality property elsewhere. Their search moved progressively outward: Palomar Mountain, Joshua Tree, Portugal, Spain. In Granada, Beckwith became briefly interested in some dwellings built into a cave on the side of a cliff, “but it just didn’t stick.”

Then one day, he stumbled upon an article about an abandoned village in Spain that was up for sale — complete with a church, school, bar and even a swimming pool. He describes this as the moment his life split into “before I knew it and after I knew it.”

In 2024, Beckwith made his first down payment on that property.

Throughout Europe, there are thousands of quaint, attractive villages that are functionally deserted, depopulated over decades by residents in search of employment elsewhere. In Spain, Portugal and Italy, the problem of rural “desertification” has grown so dire it has become a political issue. In those countries, one can easily find an entire village for sale, some for well under $1 million.

Image: The group of people gathering at dusk near the old building illuminated with string lights

The tourism company Campfire has organized corporate retreats in abandoned or partly abandoned villages, including at Pisseloup, a village in Eastern France pictured above. Credit…Campfire

Some of the villages are sold outright by a single entity or family owner. Others under fragmented ownership must be acquired property by property, which can require tracking down distant heirs.

Wealthy buyers and tourism entrepreneurs have transformed them into isolated getaways — and at least a handful have become popular destinations for corporate retreats.

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Correction (Feb. 2, 2026):

An earlier version of this newsletter misspelled the city where Jason Lee Beckwith considered buying buildings built into the side of a cave. It is Granada, not Grenada.