Every now and then GTE gets the opportunity to visit a new golf course, resort or development, and it is always an interesting and educational experience hearing about the vision and the strategy to attract visitors or members.
I have allowed a few days to pass before commenting on a recent visit to Costa Navarino, the magnificent Mediterranean resort in the beautiful, unspoilt, Greek region of Messinia in the South West Pelopennese.
The resort lies amid ancient, lush olive groves, between the pristine sandy beaches and sapphire waters of the Ionian Sea and the Pelopennese Mountains. It could hardly be a more inspiring and stunning location.
It is a 45 minute drive from Kalamata Airport where the flight arrived from Gatwick, and upon arrival we were lead to the reception of the Westin Hotel. There is another reception a couple of hundred yards further on for the Romanos Hotel, which is designed for a slightly more luxurious stay. When I was buggied to my room, the quality and outstanding design of the resort became apparent immediately, with a vast number of plants lining the pathways and concealing whatever lay behind, adding a general feeling of luxury and privacy.
The room was instantly impressive; beyond the bathroom and bed was a patio and then an infinity pool looking down to the beach. To say I was excited and delighted would be an understatement.
The site has numerous swimming pools and the two hotels sit opposite each other, but in a way that it would be hard to notice until you were informed. The resort also has 12 restaurants and numerous bars. Barbouni’s on the beach was exceptional; the food great, beach stunning and crystal clear water enticing; an intoxicating mix. The Greek restaurant Kooks, and Japanese, Onuki, were very special too.
The facilities, which take a while to appreciate as they are all beautifully tucked away in various area around the resort include gyms, tennis, paddle tennis, watersports, kids areas, and much more.
Another must on any trip to Costa Navarino is a visit to the authentic fishing village Gialova, where there are many restaurants and bars perched on the edge of the bay, and only minutes from the resort.
But this is very much a golf resort, and there are four fabulous courses, with 3 state of the art Clubhouses, to entertain and challenge you! On the immediate site is the Dunes course; an excellent creation by Bernhard Lander in association with European Tour Design. The course is not old, opened in 2010, but the maturity and condition of the course is superb. Elevation changes aplenty and wide generous fairways encourage good golf, but the green and bunker complexes are meant to challenge. I wouldn’t normally make a fuss over the range and variety of vegetation, but surrounded by ancient olive trees, centuries old, lavender with an incredibly powerful scent, it is hard not to notice.
A five minute transfer, arranged by the Resort, will take you to the Bay course. This Robert Trent Jones II design is perhaps a little easier than the others, but the views across Navarino Bay from the majority of the holes are simply spectacular. It provides a joyful round of golf, and it seems that most regard this one as their favourite….but that may be because the Olympic Course and the Hills have only recently opened. These two courses sit on higher ground than the Dunes and the Bay, and the Olympic has on a number of holes even more spectacular views across Navarino Bay and indeed far beyond. Again the condition of the course is faultless, and it is a must play on any visit. The Hills would appear to be a tougher test…as the name suggests there are plenty of hills and there is a mix of uphill and downhill drives, some interesting doglegs. Although it doesn’t have the views across the Bay, here you have rugged countryside framed by the mountains. It is likely to be considered as the toughest test, and better golfers will particularly appreciate it.
The variety of golf on offer is hard to beat, the quality of the greens, fairways, practise areas, club houses, all first class. I saw that Costa Navarino was ranked No.7 resort in Europe while on my stay. Without wanting to enter into any debate or argument, let it be suffice to say that this ranking is incorrect in my opinion. There is no way, in any way, that there are 6 resorts in Europe better than Costa Navarino. And what is quite obvious is that the Resort is only going to get bigger and better. There appears to be a very clear vision of how it will grow; two more hotels open soon, one a Mandarin Oriental; a fifth golf course is already on the agenda.
One final comment that should be mentioned, particularly in the light of the fact that in so many countries the hospitality and travel sectors are struggling for staff and to provide a great service; it was very noticeable how much pride so many people at Costa Navarino had in their jobs and in the resort. Many employees were from the immediate area, some had come from Athens and other cities, but the intelligence, professionalism and courteousness of everyone encountered was a real pleasure and absolutely in line with a 5 plus star establishment and more.
In summary, Costa Navarino is pure class, and the three days spent at the resort was a truly wonderful experience. And in the words of Frankie Valli…almost…..Greece is the time, is the place, is the motion….for golfers definitely! 🙂