In a rare ray of light for the golf tourism industry, Costa Navarino – the prime, sustainable destination in the Mediterranean – has completed its peak summer season buoyed by occupancy rates, positive guest reviews and a Covid-secure operation that blended safety with relaxation.
With Greece having been much-lauded for its handling of the pandemic, summer life at Costa Navarino – in the eyes of its guests – was the same recipe of sunshine, laughter and memories, underpinned with the secure knowledge that, operationally, the destination went above and beyond the standard safety protocols.
As golfers from northern Europe survey a fast-diminishing choice of short-haul sunshine destinations to visit this autumn, Costa Navarino is experiencing increased demand for September, October and November, all of which are perfect months for play on the Messinian coast.
Furthermore, a host of direct flights into nearby Kalamata are on hand to service demand, with options available from London Heathrow, Manchester and London Stansted (UK), Munich, Dusseldorf and Frankfurt (Germany), Warsaw and Gdansk (Poland), plus Paris, Zurich, Vienna and Amsterdam. A plethora of flights are also available to Athens International Airport.
Despite the global pandemic, the development of two new golf courses stretching over 150 hectares at Navarino Hills, is on track for a spring 2022 opening, with seeding on the West Course already underway.
Overlooking The Bay Course and the historic Bay of Navarino, the two new 18-hole courses, both designed by José María Olazábal, offer panoramic views of the surrounding countryside, the fertile Messinian landscape, dotted with olive groves, fragrant citrus orchards, rosemary and lavender scrubs, the mountains and local villages and the sapphire-blue Ionian Sea. Navarino Hills’ two new courses, complementing the signature layouts at The Dunes Course and The Bay Course -will boost Costa Navarino’s position as one of the world’s most environmentally-friendly golf destinations.
With four golf courses, each with a different concept, Costa Navarino will enhance the overall golf experience and further its standing among the top golf destinations in Europe.
Costa Navarino already features two luxury five-star hotels – The Romanos, a Luxury Collection Resort, and The Westin Resort Costa Navarino – Costa Navarino Residences, a collection of luxury villas for private ownership; Anazoe Spa, a 4,000m2 spa and thalassotherapy centre; and a variety of gastronomy venues, sports, outdoor and cultural activities.
At Navarino Bay, an ultra-luxury, all suite and pool-villas resort is currently under construction, alongside an upscale, vibrant, lifestyle resort at the nearby site Navarino Waterfront.