Costa Navarino kicks off 2023 golf season with expanded destination offering

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Four award-winning golf courses, a new hospitality offering, and unrivalled experiences pave the way for a new era at the Mediterranean’s prime sustainable destination.

International Olympic Academy Golf Course

Following a landmark year which included the launch of the world’s first International Olympic Academy Golf Course and the neighbouring Hills Course, providing the ideal complement to the acclaimed Dunes Course and Bay Course, the four award-winning 18-hole signature golf courses in Costa Navarino will open next week. From February 20, the destination will be ready to welcome players of all levels to the ‘World’s Best Emerging Golf Destination’, as recognised at the 2022 World Golf Awards.

The Westin Resort Costa Navarino – the ideal family and sports destination – will open on February 19, along with the Mouratoglou Tennis Center as of March. The vibrant, lifestyle resort W Costa Navarino will re-open its doors on April 5, while the authentic setting of The Romanos, a Luxury Collection Resort, will welcome its guests from April 13.

The buzzing open marketplace Navarino Agora will also make its debut in April, whilst a new Watersports Hub will further add to Costa Navarino’s diverse offering. On the gastronomy front, more than 15 new venues are set to elevate the dining experience across the destination.

Finally, summer 2023 marks the highly anticipated Greek debut of Mandarin Oriental – one of the world’s most admired hotel brands – at Costa Navarino, adding to and complementing the existing premium hospitality offering.

Green Practices on the golf courses
Costa Navarino will further enhance its sustainable credentials in 2023 by adopting a number of new initiatives on the golf courses. As well as reducing the total grassed area that needs to be irrigated on the Bay and Dunes courses by five and ten per cent respectively, through further use of native plants and recycled olive tree wood branches, the destination is promoting a plastic-free philosophy across all its golf venues, by eliminating the use of all plastic bottles on and off the course. This comes as a natural step, following the destination’s partnership with WWF Greece, with the aim to limit single-use plastics across its resorts and operations. Another key target set by Costa Navarino is to achieve carbon neutrality for the GHG emissions resulting from the activities of the facilities by 2030, through – among others – direct emissions reduction and on-site energy production from renewables.

Costa Navarino welcomes Mandarin Oriental’s breathtaking first Greek property
The beachfront luxury Mandarin Oriental, Costa Navarino will feature 99 guest rooms, including 48 spacious earth-sheltered pool villas, all with outdoor terraces and breathtaking sea views, along with five restaurants and bars and a 1,500 m2 spa and fitness centre with a stunning 25m indoor-outdoor pool. It will be located amidst a 140-hectare natural landscape at Navarino Bay, already home to the 18-hole signature Bay Course, with sweeping views across the historic bay of Navarino.

Navarino Agora – A fresh take of the marketplace concept
Situated between Navarino Waterfront and Navarino Bay, the vibrant Navarino Agora will launch in April. The modern, buzzing marketplace will enrich the experience for all guests, residents, as well as the general public, through a wide range of retail outlets, dining venues and street food options, an open-air cinema, in addition to an exciting event programme celebrating and showcasing the local culture and traditions.

This year will see the residential community of Costa Navarino Residences grow, as Navarino Dunes welcomes the first owners of Rolling Greens – the neighbourhood which sold out within just a year since its launch in 2020 – alongside the residents of the Sea Dunes and Olive Grove neighbourhoods. In addition, Costa Navarino Residences will also present its new residential project in the Navarino Dunes resort area, Valley Greens, which features a range of two-bedroom semi-detached villas through to four-bedroom detached villas, based on the ‘turn-key’ model.

Also in April, a new Watersports Hub will open at Navarino Waterfront, offering a wide range of water sports such as windsurf, waterski, as well as kayak and SUP, while featuring state of the art equipment and training options.

With a total of four distinct sites featuring five-star hotels, signature golf courses, private residences, more than 40 dining and entertainment venues, and an abundance of sports and entertainment experiences, Costa Navarino has established Messinia as a place to visit as well as to live. This year will be a milestone for the destination, with its largest offering to date for its guests and residents.

A new four-days per week connection between Athens and Kalamata makes Costa Navarino more accessible than ever
Olympic Air – subsidiary of Aegean Airlines – will connect Kalamata to Athens International Airport four times a week from May 19, opening multiple international connections with the Star Alliance and Aegean Airlines network.

Additional new routes include weekly flights by Aegean Airlines from May 15 connecting Tel-Aviv to Kalamata, and weekly flights from Nantes, operated by Volotea, starting on May 30.

Kalamata International Airport, located just 40 minutes’ drive from Costa Navarino, will welcome its first flight of the season on February 19 from Munich, followed by Stockholm and Copenhagen on February 25, all operated by Aegean Airlines.

Article c/o IAGTO