Why Costa Navarino is Greece’s hottest luxe gem – and why you must check in here, on your next holiday!
Greece has been trending with Indians as an upscale summer holiday destination this year. But if you want to skip the islands, the cruise ships, and the sweaty, touristy lot, nothing is more stunning – and soulful — than Costa Navarino
By Anoothi Vishal
A thousand-year-old Olive tree shades us at the edge of one of the most beautiful golf courses in the world. As the afternoon wanes, we sit under it, cooled by the salty air of the Ionian sea lapping this ancient part of the world– and discuss Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, the three Greek philosophers whose ideas have been borrowed over the centuries and continue to define the modern world’s thought, philosophy and politics.
The discussion is with a contemporary Greek philosopher—an academic from the University of Kalamata who has driven 45 minutes from the port city and capital of the region, to reach us in this hidden part of Messinia, the south-west corner of the Peloponnese (peninsular Greece), and to have a conversation on the modern day’s many problems in the context of Aristotelian thought. We bring up a bit of Chanakya, and land up discussing the ancient connections between India and the Hellenic world, and realise with a pang how valuable this moment is in a day when conversations are fading, and Gen Alpha speak and emojis reducing our capacity for depth.
“The Philosophy Walk” inspired by the ancient Greek practice of philosophers discussing ideas while talking, similar to Aristotle’s Lyceum, is one of the most unusual experiences you can sign up for — if you choose to vacation at Costa Navarino, here in this hidden part of Greece, the idyllic and ancient Messinian countryside, away from tracks more tread, selfies more clicked. It’s a discrete development that is currently having a moment under the sun in the world of upscale experiential travel even though it is as yet undiscovered by Indians (though Nita Ambani apparently did visit last year, as we were told).
“I get a lot of investment bankers, entreprenuers and sometimes even their children who want to know what the Greek philosophers thought and whether it is possible to solve the current world’s issues in the light of that thought”, says the university professor leading our discussion, as we talk about the idea of “happiness” and what makes for a happy society, as per Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, and realise that some of it is similar to the philosophic Gita ideal of following one’s own “dharma”— or unique “purpose”, as is loosely translated.
There are four resorts within the huge Costa Navarino development, embracing three distinct areas near Pylos, an ancient port of Messinia. Westin caters to a family audience, with its meandering pools and suites with pools. There’s the Romanos, a leading hotel of the world, W, which is adult’s only and LGBTQ friendly and the latest, a Mandarin Oriental that opened in 2023. Then there are over 40 restaurants, wine bars, cafes, pristine beaches, agoras (market places), wine clubs, an open air cinema, spa, not one but four, 18-hole, world-class golf courses and more, all embracing the sea and the mountains, fringed by thousands of Olive trees. And guests move between all, sampling, sipping, sporting… a holiday unlike any other.
The beaches are mesmerising —clean, empty and testimony to the fact that if you go off the beaten track there are so many more undiscovered idylls than those influencers advertise. You could sit building sand castles, enjoying long lunches and dinners in chic shack-like restaurants, and then there are the host of seriously prestigious sports: world class golf, an NBA basketball school for both kids and adults, fashionable pickle ball, and tennis courts – with a Mouratoglou tennis centre, founded by Patrick Mouratoglou who coached serena Williams. However, what makes Costa Navarino distinct is its strong roots in the Messinian way of life that you get immersed in while you are here.
The Messinian Life
Messinia is a region in southwest Peloponnese with Kalamata as the Capital, and some of the oldest historical sites in Greece: Olympia, Koroni, ancient Messene and Pylos. The region is mentioned in the Homeric epics, The Iliad, and The Odyssey, as ruled by King Nestor, who is visited by Telemachus, the son of the wandering Odysseus, in his palace. The Mycenean-era (1750-1050 BC) palace of Nestor has been excavated at Pylos, and is just 15 minutes away from Costa Navarino, open to the public since 2016. Apart from amphorae for wine, a drainage system, a bathtub, the queen’s quarters separate from the king’s and so on, the two storey palace with gorgeous views of the mountainous coast and the Navarino bay, also contained a tablet with the Linear B script — a form of ancient Greek, whose influence extends far beyond the Greek-Latin worlds to the entire Western civilisation.
At the W resort, that is filled with art curated by Poka-Yio, founder of the Athens biennale, Linear B is a motif in some of the installations evoking a sense of history. This sense of roots is in fact pervasive all through Costa Navarino– unusual for modern resorts or “integrated resorts”, the latest buzzword in hospitality. Whether it is restaurants celebrating Messinian produce and recipes, Olive oil tastings that can be arranged for you to help you distinguish supermarket olive oil from “liquid gold” (this after all is the world’s best region for olives and olive oil), local materials used in the construction and design of the hotels, or indeed a silk scarf that you may buy from the luxury stores in the agora (marketplace), everything has a local connect.
When Costa Navarino owner Captain Vassilis Constantakopoulos, a ship owner and a local legend, started building his first hotel in 2010, after having bought land from his shipping profits, piece by piece for years, the vision was clear. This was going to be a love letter to Messinia: to put it on the map. Fifteen years later, as the world’s well-to-do walks in, the idea is in motion.
Olives, Feta, wine and Taramasalata
The first day we are there, the sky a glorious blue, the sea cooling the summer heat so that this is much cooler than Athens, we go to lunch at a restaurant that became ostensibly an Instagram sensation as the most beautiful in Greece! In a rare occurrence, this wasn’t an exaggeration at all! Barbouni (named after the Greek word for red mullet, a beloved local fish in the cuisine) is a picture perfect beach restaurant at the Westin Costa Navarino. It’s ridged canopy ceiling became an internet sensation a few years ago—movable in the wind, which is a powerful element here on this coast. The turquoise waters, perfect in the glistening sun, form a perfect view for our seafood lunch that comprises of octopus, oysters, Orzo with blue crab, a seafood linguine, as also the freshest tomato salad with feta, a generous drizzle of olive oil, capers and caper leaf. Local tomatoes are in season and their taste in unmatched. There’s also taramasalata, the Messinian fish roe salad/dip that comes with local breads. It’s the perfect beginning to a Greek holiday—a two hour lunch, that can only be followed by a nap!
The big black Kalamata olives are a part of every meal in the days to follow. But we soon learn that these are not the olives local farmers use to make olive oil from. Messinian olive oil is equally world famous and known for its high quality, and uses another local variety, the Koroneiki, which yields rich, fruity oil with a peppery finish, and low on acidity. That afternoon, we have an instructive oil tasting session with a local expert, and are immediately able to discern the difference between a “supermarket” oil and the Navarino one, made from olives grown right here in the centuries’ old groves.
Wines from the Peloponnese are equally full of character and distinct from what you may find anywhere else, including in Greece. When you think of Greek wine, it is wines from Santorini and Crete that are the best known. But the Peloponnese has some good ones too, made from local and ancient grape varieties. I did a comparative tasting at the new Cellier (it is one of the biggest wine retailers in Greece) wine bar that has just opened at the Navarino Bay Agora, and loved the wines from Nemea made by the well-known Gaia winery (not Gaja, the Piedmontese heavyweight) with its private vineyard in Koutsi. The red wine is made from Agiorgitiko grape, and oaked. It’s a wine quite similar to Sangiovese and just as suited to Indian palates that prefer well-rounded fruitiness with a hint of spice.
The W Costa Navarino is the first (and only) W hotel in Greece, with a fabulous location on the sweeping arch of the Ionian coast, near Pylos, the charming and ancient port where you will get some of the best sea views of this Greek coast. Parelia, a Greek inspired beach club and restaurant at the hotel, is trendy, and offers chic gentrified takes on local recipes, as well as spectacular grills with the local catch that is brought to the table to be inspected. Our neighbouring table one evening chooses a humungous red snapper that had the entire restaurant craning their necks for a dekko. We, in the meanwhile, asked for the scarily-named “scorpion fish”, which has often been described as one of the world’s most venomous species. It is supposed to be a rare delicacy—and is 100 per cent safe to eat. In fact, babies in this part of the world are often fed broth made with the mild and sweet flesh. The fabulous views, a long Instagrammable pier, island bars and DJ beats later in the evenings make this quite the party spot in keeping with the W’s positioning as a brand. You can go to the party, and bring here your own party!
Ps. The Lunch in Pylos
One afternoon, we drive down to Pylos, taking in the ancient ruins, and then making our way to the town square for a bit of shopping and just soaking in the Med vibe. Pylos reminds me of the South of France with more languor and no tourists. You can see the yachts bobbing in the ocean below. There are sweeping views of the deep blue all across, and just a small town where neighbours have gathered for a beer and a few bites at tables propped up in the town centre. We eat the local spicy sausage, some meatballs and of course copious amount of bread and olive oil, drink beer, and a few Frappes, browse around in the local stores full of silver jewellery and silk drapes. But mostly, we just see the sea and soak in the vibe. It’s a med day, a dreamy one.
