CNN
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If you tell someone you’re going to Greece, they’ll probably ask, “Which islands are you going to?” It’s a natural knee-jerk reaction, as many travelers spend little to no time on the mainland. But tourists who are only interested in the Aegean islands are missing out.
Specifically, Costa Navarino is a massive luxury development with four resorts (including Greece’s first Mandarin Oriental), golf courses, shopping, dining and spas, all located in the Messinia region, about a three-hour drive from Athens.
Once known primarily for its rustic landscapes, Kalamata olives, ancient temples and historic naval battles, this region of southwestern Peloponnese, based around Costa Navarino, is now becoming a global destination boasting deep history, unspoiled villages and miles of pristine beaches as well as luxury services.
Costa Navarino, a mixed resort and residence development that includes The Romanos, a Luxury Collection Resort, W and Westin, is spread across 1,000 hectares. It also contains the Navarino Agora, a town square that’s a vibrant waterfront shopping, dining and cultural hub, hosting everything from wine tastings to concerts that are free and open to the public.
Costa Navarino is fast becoming a part of jet set itineraries on a par with St. Tropez, Capri and Ibiza, but without the crowds.
All of this is part of the vision of one man: Captain Vasilis Konstantakopoulos.
Konstantakopoulos, founder of the world’s largest independent private freight transport company, grew up in the village of Diavolitsi in Messinia and ultimately dedicated his life to revitalizing his hometown. His goal was to transform Costa Navarino into a premier luxury travel destination while taking sustainability into account.
The idea for the neighborhood, with a focus on creating opportunities for local residents to stay in the area, was born in the mid-1980s. In 1997, Konstantakopoulos, who had already acquired much of the land for the Costa Navarino project, founded the development company TEMES to bring the project to fruition. Konstantakopoulos passed away in 2011.
“He wanted to bring people back to Messinia,” said Giota Spiliotopoulou, public relations director for Athens-based TEMES. Costa Navarino is the flagship project of the TEMES group, which has invested more than 1.25 billion euros ($1.4 billion) in its development so far.
Konstantakopoulos’ vision has transformed into a destination that caters to everyone from families to golfers, offering a variety of accommodations from the adult-oriented W Hotel to the Mandarin, which will open in August 2023.
The destination competes with other hotspots across the Mediterranean, but unlike many of those established favourites, Costa Navarino was built with a sustainable ethos and approach.
“Captain Vassilis was a dedicated environmentalist. He replanted 7,000 olive trees, 9,000 other types of trees and one million native plants during construction, then replaced them. Only 10 or 15 olive trees did not survive,” Spiliotopoulou explained.
There will be no single-use plastic within the complex, three water reservoirs have been built to use and recycle water in a more environmentally friendly way, and Costa Navarino has partnered with Stockholm University to set up an environmental observatory on-site to measure the effects of climate change.
If you build it responsibly, it seems, people will come: Spiliotopoulou says tourists from Britain, Germany and France are discovering the southwestern Peloponnese, increasingly choosing it over better-known destinations like Mallorca in Spain or the Algarve in Portugal.
And Costa Navarino has not joined other southern Mediterranean destinations in reaching Capri-level prices, with some hotels still charging triple digits.
For example, The Romanos’s rates for 2024 start at 345 euros (about $385), with high-season rates in August starting at 700 euros (about $770). At the ultra-private Mandarin Oriental, which overlooks tranquil Navarino Bay, low-season rates for suites start at 1,000 euros (about $1,115).
With over 40 restaurants, cafes and bars to choose from, your culinary options are seemingly endless.
Mandarin Oriental’s Oliviera serves up fine Greek cuisine. Olive oil from Messinia is one of the finest in the world, but the resort takes it just as seriously as it does its wines, offering tastings of world-class local olive oils. Many of the ingredients served in all the resort’s restaurants come from nearby farms, and are plated in the form of bright orange eggs and tomatoes (a dish called kayana) or Greek pies made with flour ground in the hotel’s own stone mill.
The Romanos is home to the canopied beachfront Barbouni, a laid-back yet elegant lunch spot described by Instagram influencer voyage_provacateur as “the most beautiful restaurant in Greece.”
Navarino Bay, home to the Mandarin and W Hotels, is an ideal boating spot for nature and history lovers. Drop anchor at Chris Amos Beach, opposite tranquil Jalova, to splash around in the shallow blue waters or relax on the tranquil natural beach. Scattered like buried treasure across three rocky, uninhabited islands, the bay is home to four tranquil war memorials – one each for the British, French, Russian and Italian navies – which honour the troops who supported Greece’s independence movement in the 1820s by ambushing unsuspecting Ottoman troops in Navarino Bay.
If there’s anything going on in the off-site environment, you’ll have to squint your eyes to notice it. About a five-minute drive from Costa Navarino is the village of Jalova. Jalova is a quiet, quaint village, but waterfront restaurant Kochili is a bustling eatery known for its pick-your-own fresh fish. But in keeping with the vibe of the area, it’s so casual you barely need to wear shoes.
Costa Navarino is set against the sweeping panorama of southwest Peloponnese, a region steeped in 4,500 years of history, home to timeless villages such as Pylos, pristine beaches, deserted islands and countryside dotted with olive groves.
Just a few minutes from Costa Navarino, the horseshoe-shaped (or omega) Voidokilia Beach is a must-see. It is one of the most iconic and pristine beaches in Greece and considered the best place for snorkelling. The sand dunes at Voidokilia are said to be the tomb of Thrasymedes, son of the mythical king Nestor (famous in Homer’s Odyssey). A short drive into the hills, the ruins of the ancient Temple of Nestor are one of the most famous historical landmarks in the region.
The region’s capital, Kalamata, named after the olive tree, hosts an international dance festival and has a well-connected airport: Kalamata International Airport, which was virtually idle two decades ago, now offers an increasing number of flights to major European hubs.
There’s plenty to explore: by bike (available for hire in the Navarino Agora), car rental, taxi, boat or on foot. Perched on a cliff overlooking the town of the same name and Navarino Bay is Pylos Castle, a fortress with a history of many eras and perfect for sunset panoramas.
The town of Pylos, visible from hotels along Navarino Bay, is steeped in old-world charm, but is also home to contemporary jewellery shop Aerides, an artisan workshop selling handmade jewellery by Katerina Carampela and Konstantinos Diamandis, and its central square on the bay is packed with charming country-town shops and restaurants.
The region is home to many waterfalls, tucked like hidden gems in the forested hills beyond the coastal settlements. Karamaris Waterfall is about a three-mile bike or car ride from Gialova up dusty, hilly country roads, followed by a short but thorny hike up a footpath, and a refreshing dip is the reward for arriving.
From all of Costa Navarino’s properties, there is plenty of untouched coastline with free (for now) or no beach chairs at all, accessible by all means of transport, and if you go further out by boat you can even reach the Ionian Sea.
For travelers still yearning for a Greek island, Methoni is a 20-minute drive from Costa Navarino, where you can rent a private boat for about €50 for the seven-minute ride to Sapienza.
There are deserted islands with crystal clear waters where you might see dolphins and flamingos, which migrate from North Africa in September, and there are no beach clubs where you can rent chairs for 200 euros a day, as in Mykonos.
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