Greece’s golfing legend

Costa Navarino on mainland Greece looks set to become the stuff of legends with the opening of two new golf courses in time for 2022.

This glamorous resort is already home to two signature courses, The Dunes and The Bay, and next year Costa Navarino will unveil the East and West courses designed by Jose Maria Olazabal.

This exciting new chapter for Navarino is just part of a story that started back in the 1980s.  Captain Vassilis Constantakopoulos, who created the largest independent private cargo shipping company in the world, turned his gaze inland to Messinia, where he was born.

Captain Vassilis’s vision was to create a prime sustainable holiday destination in the Mediterranean, to put Messinia on the global tourist map and provide jobs for local people.  As with every good story this dream took time to mature and the first part of Costa Navarino opened to the public in 2010.  Ultimately the resort will spread over 1,000 glorious hectares.

The original golf course, The Dunes, was designed by Bernhard Langer in association with European Golf Design.  This was quickly followed by The Bay Course, designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr.  Now two new courses will secure Costa Navarino’s reputation as a golf resort par excellence.

If the thought of four golf courses in one sunny place fills you with joy, you will love the two hotels on site.  The Westin Resort Costa Navarino and The Romanos, a Luxury Collection Resort, both lead down to the beautiful beach. The Westin Resort is a luxury family resort and The Romanos next door is a more tranquil destination, which is currently only open during the summer months.

The resort is laid out like a village with restaurants dotted around a square and a small amphitheatre for performances.  There are tennis courts, an excellent spa and an interactive environmental exhibition centre alongside recreational swimming pools.

You may not feel the need to explore the area, but we would recommend venturing out, even if only for a meal or two in one of the local beachside towns such as Gialova or Pilos.

If you want to dig deeper, Messinia’s cultural past takes you back 4,500 years.  You can explore Neolithic settlements, Mycenaean Palaces, classical temples, Byzantine churches and medieval castles. Costa Navarino can arrange organised outings or head off in one of the many local taxis available.

Back to the 2020s you can reach this Greek idyll very easily with direct flights from the UK to the Kalamata International Airport less than an hour away. Read more by clicking here.