The chances are, you’ve never travelled to Greece to play golf, or even considered it for that matter. In a country of 10.4 million people, there are only 11 courses, and golf here at any level is a fairly new concept. Traditionally, Greece’s tourism has been built on its climate and beautiful food, enjoyed among idyllic, sun-drenched landscapes, rather than whacking a ball around a field.
Greek golf is uncharted territory for most, but a visit to Costa Navarino might just have you questioning why you didn’t make it out here sooner. Because, ultimately, there are your standard golfing destinations, and then there is Costa Navarino.
It sits across a sprawling expanse of land along the Messinian coast, by the Bay of Navarino on the Peloponnese peninsula. It’s the vision of one man – Captain Vassilis Constantakopoulos, the founder of Costamare Shipping Co, the largest independent private cargo shipping company in the world, who envisioned Costa Navarino in the mid-1980s. Costa Navarino was first opened in 2010 with one course, meaning he got to see his vision achieved before his death in 2011. In the years since, Costa Navarino has grown, with three more courses opened, four hotels and a vast array of stunning villas built on the property.
It has put Greek golf on the map in that time, winning World’s Best Golf Venue at the 2024 World Golf Awards. Its reputation as one of the best golf destinations in Europe is established, and wholly justified during a scorching stay coinciding with the Legends tour’s visit to Greece’s Messinian coast
Paul Lawrie tees off during the 2025 Legends Tour event at Costa NavarinoPhil Inglis/Getty Images
Getting there
Kalamata Airport offers direct flights to London Heathrow, which take just shy of three and a half hours, before an easy 45 minute transfer. Flights can be sporadic out of season, though, and flights from Athens are more frequent. Costa Navarino is then a three-hour transfer away. Toll roads make for pretty rapid progress, though, before the roads wind round the hills as Costa Navarino draws closer.
Once you’re there, you’ll discover a beautiful location, and the place wouldn’t even need golf to keep you occupied – but, thankfully, there are spectacular courses on hand too.
Golf at Costa Navarino
The Hills Course at Costa NavarinoCosta Navarino
There are four courses to pick from at Costa Navarino. Now, at your standard golf destination, you might find one or two strong courses, paired with much gentler, less prestigious options for the hackers and the holidaymakers to let loose. Not here.
It’s immediately clear that Costa Navarino is far from your typical holiday golf set up – setting eyes on the flawless grass ranges and impeccable short game areas tells you that much – and the way in which quality and intrigue is maintained across all four courses at Costa Navarino is truly impressive.
Three of the courses have hosted the Legends tour, and all of them offer proper championship tests, not to mention beautiful views on almost every hole. The greens are uniformly excellent and rapid to boot. Our visit coincided with the Legends Tour event, and the tournament greens on the Olympic and the Hills course were slick and grainy to say the least.
While the International Olympic Academy Golf Course is the most challenging layout of the four, and the one where most official tournament action takes place, all four are also designed and maintained in a way that makes them playable for most types of golfer off the different tee boxes (no-one wants to get beaten up by courses when they’re on their jollies, after all).
One thing you are guaranteed on all four courses is views. The vista across the bay from the 11th tee of the Olympic is spectacular, and the 12th is one of the best looking par 3s you’ll find anywhere, high above the surrounding landscape, straddling a cliff face.
Views from the International Olympic Academy Golf CourseCosta Navarino
The Hills Course offers a wider and less technical challenge than the Olympic, but the greens are just as tricky – think quick with subtle breaks. The views are still fantastic, if a little less spectacular than the Olympic, but the mountains frame holes on the back nine beautifully and the dramatic elevation changes make for a thrilling place for matchplay.
The Dunes Course, which has been ranked the highest of the four before now, is a Bernard Langer design with, you guessed it, beautiful views across the Navarino estate. Hole two is an inviting par 4 which slopes down the hill towards the water, and the grandiose, downhill tee shot on the short par 4 seventh is a knockout too.
Hole two on the Dunes CourseCosta Navarino
All four are uniformly excellent, and everyone you speak to has a different favourite of the 4 courses, which speaks volumes. The prettiest of them all, though, and the favourite during my stay is the Bay Course. It’s surely one of the most elegant 18 holes of golf you’ll find in Europe, with an impressive house to relax in afterwards. The par 3 second straddling the bay is a gem, and while things get a little funky on the back nine of the Bay, with a dual fairway and a few other quirks, it’s a beautiful routing.
The Bay Course clubhouseCosta Navarino
Great holes are often all about framing, and there are tee shots at Costa Navarino that offer some of the best you’ll find anywhere in the world. Really, this land is the stuff of dreams for a course architect. In fact, they’d be doing well not to create something spectacular with the views and elevation changes available to them. José María Olazábal was the brain behind the Olympic and the Hills course designs, but Robert Trent Jones Jr brought a beautiful, and more generous, design to the Bay in terms of playability. There’s always a bail out option if players don’t feel like taking on the champagne shot, and it makes the Bay friendlier for holiday golfers: don’t feel like taking on the bunkers on the par 3 12th and having a pop at the pin? No bother, take the conservative route that funnels down the right hand side and take your chances with a long lag putt instead. It all helps to create a wonderful golfing experience, and one you could play over and over without tiring of.
Where to stay
The pool at W Costa NavarinoCosta Navarino
The four hotels at Costa Navarino make up a luxurious assortment. W, where we stayed, is the one that seems to cater for slightly younger crowds. The king-size bed here is quite possibly the most comfortable I’ve ever slept in, and waking up to the view from my bay-view room was a delight – the sprawling grounds are a maze of olive tree-lined walkways snaking around resplendent pools, shimmering in the Mediterranean sun. Lift your gaze above the canopies of the trees and you’re met with the sight of the beach and the bay in the distance.
The perfect morning here starts with a swim, then a steam room and sauna, followed by a superb breakfast, with five separate rooms to choose dishes from – each dedicated to either pastries, continental options, cooked dishes fresh from the kitchen, and more. There’s a beautiful beach bar for relaxation in the evenings, too. The whole place smells of sandalwood and excellence, with luxury at every turn.
The Romanos, a Luxury Collection Resort, has one of the most stunning open air lobbies you’ll ever see, with beautiful views of the pools and grounds, leading off to the beach behind.
The open air lobby at The RomanosCosta Navarino
The Westin Resort certainly seemed more popular with families than the other hotels during our visit – notably, the majority of ground-floor units come with private infinity pools. For the truly opulent, there’s the Mandarin Oriental, too.
The cavernous Anazoe Spa, measuring 4,000m² and with a lobby decked out with dozens of awards, is one of the pride and joys of Costa Navarino. It blends state of the art facilities with treatments inspired by the health and beauty practices of ancient Greece.
All of the four hotels, and the Navarino Villa rentals which are also available to guests, fit seamlessly among the beautiful local environment, taking inspiration from traditional architecture and the landscape of Messinia itself.
In between the olive groves and vineyards, there’s plenty to explore on-site too. The Navarino Agora is a charming little holiday village, entirely on site, and the beach is a short walk away.
Where to eat
There are dozens of places to choose from, during our stay we sampled just a few.
Santorre could be the most idyllic spot on the property for dinner by the water – it must have seen a few proposals in its time. Expect strong Italian and Mediterranean dishes and beautiful steaks. Flame offers a view from the Dunes clubhouse a short drive from the main site, all paired with extravagant steaks and great local wines.
SantorreCosta Navarino
Beachside spot Barbouni comes with its Instagram-famous fabric ceiling, which ripples in the wind like ocean waves. It’s a delightfully simple idea. Offsite, Koukos Restaurant by the harbour was the perfect spot to take in a beautiful sun set, while enjoying traditional, rustic Greek dishes and great wine.
BarbouniCosta Navarino
All restaurants use ingredients grown on the property and in the local area. The staples are excellent – the burrata at Santore was obscenely fresh and flavourful and the best our group had ever tasted. Every tomato is full of flavour and not merely window dressing on a plate like it is so often back home.
Reassuringly, for me especially, the vegetarian options were excellent across all of the restaurants, and never felt like an afterthought or a clear downgrade on the meat dishes.
It all came together to create a wonderful visit. In the 15 years it’s been here, Costa Navarino has grown to become a jewel in the crown for Greece, but a golfing destination that’s – quite rightly – been recognised as the best in Europe. It’s one of the most luxurious locations any golfer willing to spend to get the best could hope to discover, and one that will live long in the memory.
For more information about Costa Navarino, head here
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