Get happily lost at Costa Navarino, Greece's golf destination, where nearly half the country's courses run alongside 4,500 years of history

PYLOS, Greece – Lost in a maze could be a scene straight out of my recurring nightmare. But not so when located amidst lush olive groves in the Messinia region on Greece’s southwest Peloponnese coast.

My wife and I were winding through the maze-like grid of paths at the sumptuous Romanos Resort, the first of four ultra-luxury hotels to open at Costa Navarino, and this was more like a dream replete with four challenging and very different golf courses at our disposal. A wrong turn brought us to the healing pools of a world-class spa or stumbling onto white-sand beaches. Should we go left or right? Every turn felt like the start of a choose-your-own adventure, and we weren’t alone in this thinking. When Greek tennis star Stefanos Tsitsipas, who reached as high as No. 3 in the world and enjoys playing at the resort’s grass tennis court, the only one in the country, was asked what he liked most about the resort, he didn’t hesitate.

“You can play hide-and-seek here and never find each other,” Tsitsipas was quoted as saying in Costa Navarino Magazine. "Just getting lost in nature ... that's what I love about this place."

It took a few days but eventually I got lost in the beauty of it all too.

I first was introduced to Costa Navarino while attending the 2019 International Association of Golf Tour Operators annual summit in Marrakech, Morocco, where a representative of its marketing team shared with me the story of Capt. Vassilis Constantakopoulos, one of the world's wealthiest shipping magnates, who was born in a small village near Costa Navarino and always loved this region. Twenty years before he died (in 2011), the self-made businessman bought thousands of acres, intending to develop part of it to revitalize the struggling local communities and to stop the flood of young men leaving for Athens. He was a golfer and chose to make the game one of the primary draws for people the world over to come and discover the beauty of Messinia. I remember telling my wife, Kristen, that someday I wanted to take her there, but just a few months later COVID hit and so for the next few years I stared at the marketing brochure, which I kept piled atop a folder of story ideas in my office. Initially, Kristen and I were planning to tour Rome and vacation elsewhere in Italy in October after the Ryder Cup concluded, but deep down what we really needed was to get our golf fix. So, when a PR person pitched me that Costa Navarino was only a two-hour flight from Rome, I already was sold.

The Captain’s dream of a golf tourism destination may never have gotten off the ground if not for the huge infrastructural development that took place in Greece in preparation for the 2004 Olympic Games. New toll roads connecting the Ionian Coast to Athens have turned what was a six-hour one-way drive along winding country roads into about three along a highway that slices through the mountainous landscape via tunnels and bridges, making day trips to the beach or golf course possible. During the prime season from April and September, visitors can also fly into Kalamata International Airport, which was named after the Captain in recognition of his contribution to his beloved region, and just 45 minutes from Costa Navarino but we took a car service from Athens, crossing the slender isthmus between mainland Greece and the paw-shaped southern peninsula of the Peloponnese.

This region, shaped by 4,500 years of history, is the stuff of legends. It is here that Hercules fought the Nemean lion and gods walked the earth, meddling in mortal affairs. Celestial and mythological charms aside, this region bears tangible traces of the many civilizations that once called it home.

Dunes Course

And now, in a country with just nine courses in all, Costa Navarino features four of them designed by mythical figures in the game – Bernhard Langer, Jose Maria Olazabal and Robert Trent Jones II – and discussions persist about adding a fifth layout. After being greeted with freshly squeezed pomegranate juice, we checked into the Romanos Resort, which features more than 300 luxurious rooms and suites. Bottom floors included individual infinity pools while those above enjoyed terraces with views of the Mediterranean. Like a good hunting dog, we found our way to Navarino Dunes, which was walking distance from our room and the first course to open here in 2010.

Designed by Langer in cooperation with European Golf Design, it was straightforward if not dramatic – the second hole a short par-4 with the historic Bay of Navarino, where, in 1827, a decisive battle was fought that consolidated Greece’s independence, in the distance. It was an unexpected joy to see a scenic water hole on a course called the Dunes. Parts of the course venture into olive and fruit groves, while some holes run along the Sellas River, which meanders through the site. A rival for our favorite hole on the Dunes was the drivable par-4 sixth, sitting at the highest point of the course with an 85-foot drop from tee to green and sloping terrain.

The benefits of a Mediterranean diet

We played until we ran out of sunlight and then got our introduction to the benefits of a Mediterranean diet at Cooc, an alfresco-dining restaurant where fusion meets traditional Messinian dishes.

The backbone of Greek cuisine is local, seasonal ingredients at their peak of flavor, served raw, or cooked simply – on a grill, flash-fried or slow-baked. Greeks have relied for centuries on staples like olive oil, wild herbs, seafood and lamb or goat’s meat, along with an abundance of fresh vegetables, fruit, grains and pulses, washed down with local wine. Cooc’s sommelier recommended a dry white wine with flavors of lemon, orange zest, flowers and jasmine. Neither he nor our waiters steered us wrong until he sold us on the baklava, the popular sweet Greek pastry in this case made with chopped pistachio nuts and topped with rose ice cream, for dessert. Another waiter overheard him and interjected that the last piece just had been secured by another table. We ended up circling back the next night for the baklava and he may have undersold it, if that was possible.

The Hills Course

The following morning, I called for a cart hoping not to get lost again in the maze. Meet out front at the olive tree by our room, the helpful driver said. Sounded simple enough except we picked the wrong tree. So many olive trees!

Costa Navarino’s four courses are located less than eight miles apart, but the contrasting natural landscape and sea views makes for great variety. To get to The Hills Course, we took a shuttle bus, an uphill climb along a winding road carved out of a mountain to a separate clubhouse that serves the two Olazabal courses, which opened in 2022. Only once, on the fourth tee, can you catch a glimpse of the sea, but the visual sensation is still dramatic, with mountain tops, long valleys and stunning rock formations. I had just duffed my second shot at the par-5 sixth hole at the Hills when my wife told me to stop my grumbling and take a moment to look around. She picked the sixth as her favorite hole from the trip and while actor Bill Murray didn’t specify that particular fairway at Hills, this quote from his visit felt relatable to our experience there:

“I’ve been to some beautiful golf courses in my life, but never one where you just relax so completely between shots. Here, you really live between the shots, you stop and take it all in and look back, forward, all around you. There’s certainly something about this landscape and about the atmosphere. It’s almost as if you’re becoming friends with your body; you bind with your spirit, you become friends with the space.”

Olive trees for as far as the eye can see

Olazabal, who also teamed with European Golf Design on the Olympic Course, carved the course out of mountain terrain and a seemingly endless olive orchard. From the hill on the seventh hole there are olive trees for as far as the eye can see. Greeks like to boast that their olive oil is the best in the world because of their rich soil and gentle climate, characterized by mild winters, warm summers, invigorating breezes and life-giving rain. From the Homeric epics, we know that kings and visitors attending royal banquets in this land sipped local wine from golden cups, and that olive oil, too, played a special role. Kalamata, world famous for its olives, a plump purple-black variety found in delicatessens around the world and which we learned must be hand-picked to avoid bruising, is Messinia’s capital and the second-largest city in Peloponnese.

Euripides, the fifth century B.C. playwright, called this region “the land of the good fruit,” while Homer called the oil extracted from the ripened fruit of the olive tree “liquid gold,” and an entire culture revolved around the olive. Even today, all these centuries later, it’s still a local symbol of great value, a miracle of nature and the cornerstone of the Mediterranean diet with its proven health benefits, and this land’s greatest gift to the rest of the world. During our first meal, my wife proclaimed, “I must eat at least one olive at every meal,” and damned if she didn’t try.

Dining options galore

There were numerous places to eat traditional Greek fare across multiple resorts at 40 different dining establishments, many of which specialized in international cuisines such as Italian, Asian and Lebanese, a treat that isn’t readily available back home. The clubhouse for the Hills and Olympic Course is set above the coastline with views of the Bay of Navarino and the Ionian Sea. We never got around to eating at its restaurant, Piquantro, a modern restaurant that fuses classic Spanish cuisine with contemporary techniques.

Instead, we dined at Barbouni underneath a mesmerizing fabric roof that blew in the wind and just a stone’s throw from the crystal-clear blue waters of the Ionian Sea and crescent-shaped Dunes Beach. The fresh, organic local ingredients and the casual, relaxed setting combined to make this meal unforgettable. I had forgotten how much I liked cherry tomatoes until experiencing that juicy explosion when I bit into our salad and the spreads with pita – especially the tarama, a delicious dip made of salted and cured roe of cod – hit the spot. Then we went over and looked at the morning catch, which were practically still flapping on ice. The chef strolled by and stopped to help with our selection. He told us his father was a fisherman and recommended the Sea Bream, which in ancient Greece was dedicated to Aphrodite, goddess of love, because it was broadly considered to be the most attractive and flavorful fish. It was prepared with nothing more than olive oil and a pinch or two of salt and pepper, requiring no culinary tricks to enhance its tastiness. Adding Barbouni to the shortlist for my last supper – it's that good.

But all the restaurants earned two thumbs up. The breakfast buffet at Pero was over-the-top. My wife was busy taste-testing the five different local honeys and nine different marmalades while I sampled the fresh juices. “I can’t wait for breakfast tomorrow,” she said as we departed.

Dining out is a good way to experience the other resorts. We shuttled to the W Costa Navarino, with its multi-level infinity pool stretching all the way to the sandy beach and 1,500 feet of shoreline along the Bay of Navarino. The hotel’s best restaurant is Armyra, where a DJ spun tunes outdoors, transporting the unique ethos of an Ibiza club to this serene seaside locale. That and the magical sunset at the W’s waterfront set the mood for a gastronomic experience that exceeded all expectations.

The Olympic Academy Golf Course

When we showed up at the International Olympic Academy Golf Course, the second of Olazabal’s design, the caddie master said, “If you liked The Hills, wait until you play The Olympic,” and Konstantinos, the starter, echoed that opinion, saying, “Welcome to the best course. In a few minutes you will see why.”

The back nine, played along the edge of a cliff, he bragged, provided such spectacular sea views that we wouldn’t be able to concentrate. On cue, the Bay of Navarino comes into view at the 10^th hole as well as the 12^th and 16^th, a pair of par 3’s running in opposite directions, are top-shelf eye candy with the sea lining opposite sides of the holes. We played with Michael and Olga, a couple from Dusseldorf, Germany, who were returnees to Costa Navarino. Based on conversations at the bar and during shuttle bus rides, this once sleepy village has become a haven for buddy trips and we also joined several groups from European golf clubs being escorted around by their home pro. My wife and I took turns guessing several different languages being spoken – was that Croatian? – and agreed we found it oddly refreshing not to run into many Americans.

Spa day

We felt in the minority during an afternoon spent at the temple-inspired Anazoe Spa, which derives from the Greek word for rejuvenation, and its healing waters. It was our first time trying Thalassotherapy, the use of the soothing powers of seawater, with hydrotherapy jets to stimulate tired, aching muscles, as well as one pool where we floated in water with the same salt density as the Dead Sea. There were three different steams – herbal, hot and a cold grotto – an old-school sauna and five different showers including a dousing bucket in which you tug the rope to flip the bucket above your head. Next time I’ll skip that one and just do the dunk station at the local carnival but otherwise this was some serious good living.

Bay Course beauty

The body did feel rejuvenated as we headed to our final round of the trip the next morning at the Bay Course. Opening in 2011 and located south of the Dunes course, the par-71 Bay is most appropriately named as the seaside layout is routed along Navarino Bay. (Nestled on its shore is the Mandarin Oriental Costa Navarino, the latest chic resort to open there just last year.) Mutual friends from Sacramento introduced The Captain and Jones II, who told him his mother’s first name was Ione, a name of Greek descent, and his grandfather had run in the Olympic Games in Athens in 1896 and, as Jones recounted, those ties alone made it a done deal that he would build the second course there. When he arrived to scout the land, he had one request: “Give me the most beautiful piece of property,” he said.

“I try to create beauty and if beauty is given to me, I try to save it,” Jones said. “Whenever great land meets great water there is great scenery but integrating the two together is the trick of architecture.”

He succeeded from start to finish despite being shoehorned into just over 6,000 yards for the layout from the tips. The first tee sits atop the clubhouse, which is harmoniously built into the hill, and the short par-4 is framed by olive trees on both sides and the Bay of Navarino as a backdrop. It’s one of the best first-hole views I’ve played and then the second hole is possibly even better, an exquisite par-3 running along the Bay, the first of six par-3s of what Jones dubbed “the charm holes,” on the shortest of the four courses there.

Views of the water felt ever-present on the front nine before turning and playing through lush olive groves and mountain canyons and then the sea makes a final appearance at the last three holes, including one more drop-dead par-3 at 17, and one last chance to make a donation to Poseidon, god of water. Jones noted that he was finally going to complete his vision for the course this year thanks to a settlement with the one property owner who had refused to sell, a woman wielding a butcher’s knife who made it very clear that you did not search for sliced shots on her property unless you wanted to get sliced too. My only knock on the Bay course? It isn’t walkable.

A Greek treat

By the last day of our trip, my wife and I didn’t need to leave a trail of breadcrumbs along the vast Costa Navarino property. We even figured out where we had originally gone wrong. We had solved this Rubik's cube and other than the need for some better signage and lighting through the maze that is the Romanos Resort our only complaint was that we had only scratched the surface of all we wanted to explore there.

And elsewhere too for that matter. From Byzantine cities to Venetian fortresses, the southwestern corner of the Peloponnese is peppered with architectural gems for day trips: to ancient Olympia, birthplace of the Olympic Games; Mycenae, citadel of Agamemnon, commander in the Trojan war; Sparta, home of the bombshell Helen and her cuckolded husband, Menelaus; Nestor's Palace, the geriatric Argonaut who entertained extravagantly; Corinth, where St. Paul enlightened the Corinthians, and on and on. We opted instead to explore Athens in a day – you can’t be that close to the Acropolis and not see it for yourself – but try to book a few more days if you can and get lost in the land of the good fruit and Costa Navarino’s sea of activities.

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Get happily lost at Costa Navarino, Greece's golf destination, where nearly half the country's courses run alongside 4,500 years of history