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Experiencing Greece’s New ‘W’ Resort and the Bigger Picture of Costa Navarino

W Costa Navarino

Having made its debut less than a month ago, the W Costa Navarino – the first W Hotel in Greece – invited us to experience the unique energy of the W brand and also to see the bigger picture of Costa Navarino, following the addition of W in its collection of resorts in Messinia, Peloponnese.

The first W hotel in Greece is located in Navarino Waterfront, the newest integrated resort area of Costa Navarino, on a setting of unspoiled Mediterranean landscape, natural beauty and free-spirited attitude.

A resort that fosters diversity & inclusivity

Globally, the value proposition of W hotels is to celebrate the guests’ never-ending desire to discover what’s new in every destination – to see more, feel more, experience more and stay longer. And this is exactly what the new W Costa Navarino offers, contributing this way to the general vision of Costa Navarino to redefine the hospitality experience.

Exclusively welcoming adults and teenagers, W Costa Navarino introduces a place that fosters creativity, individuality, and freedom of expression.

W Costa Navarino

At a time when “inclusion” and “belonging” are hot topics for the hospitality industry, it seems that TEMES, the developer of Costa Navarino, is leading the way in breaking stereotypes and embracing diversity and inclusivity by having created a space – the W Costa Navarino – where everyone is welcome.

Through the vibrant W resort, Costa Navarino adapts its core values of respect, quality and authenticity to new perspectives and caters for the needs of inclusion and belonging of a new generation of free-spirited travelers, the Millennials and Gen Z.

The architecture

The beachfront lifestyle resort is set within a scenic 13-hectare site, along a 450-metre-long sandy beach, overlooking the Sfaktiria islet in the protected and historic Bay of Navarino with the natural landscape of Messinia in a background.

Guests can book one of the guestrooms or villas, which introduce a unique modern luxury experience.

The Fabulous Infinity Swim Up Rooms offer direct access to one of the swimming pools, perfect for groups of friends booking neighbouring rooms. For breathtaking views, guests can opt for the Spectacular Panorama rooms, and for an exclusive luxury private stay, they can choose one of the WOW Beachfront Infinity Villas complete with an outdoor private terrace and pool, and direct access to the beach.

W Costa Navarino guest rooms

The guestrooms décor see locally inspired Greek architectural elements mixed with modern cutting-edge finishes, in-room technology, and Signature W Amenities.

Renowned Greek architects, Tombazis and Associates have created a residential detail-driven rustic and raw design throughout the hotel using natural materials such as stone, wood and reed, a nod to the region’s traditional architecture.

The neutral toned guestroom interiors, led by London-based MKV Design, offer a nod to Greek artisans with playful interpretations of the saddler’s art, seen in leather chairs and the craftsmanship of basket weavers, potters and carpenters share the spotlight in the lighting and floor coverings.

Artistic hub

While touring the W Costa Navarino, we couldn’t help but notice the strong presence of contemporary art, which provoked conversation.

“Hotels are a heterotopia,” says Poka-Yio, visual artist and curator of the resort’s art collection, while showing us around.

Through the eyes of Poka-Yio, a hotel is a space that does not exist.

“It is a transit, an empty space which we fill or wait for visitors to fill with their own presence and their own stories,” he says.

The W Costa Navarino has created its own narrative – a narrative reproduced through art.

“For us, art is a way to explore and escape as well as a means to connect and reflect,” Poka-Yio adds.

For W Costa Navarino, décor is secondary as the goal is to create a series of portals and rituals through art that will intrigue each visitor to create their own narrative.

“Visitors want art to trigger a series of their thoughts,” Poka-Yio says, reminding that today’s visitor differs from the guest we knew a few years ago.

“Today’s visitor is the composer of his or her own life… With a mobile phone in hand, visitors piece together the frames of their own story. Instagram leads visitors before they experience something for the first time,” he highlights.

Having understood this trend early on, W has created numerous instagrammable spots for its guests to create their own narrative.

“Art in a hotel space needs to strike a balance between the visual culture and the experience, so that it’s not seen as something cut off from everting else that’s going on in the space,” Poka-Yio concludes.

The W totem

The experience of art begins at the entrance of the hotel. Every W Hotel around the world has a distinct totem near the entrance with varying styles and material finishes to reflect the identity of the destination. Inspired by the local area and Greek heritage, the custom-designed W totem at Costa Navarino was crafted with reclaimed wood collected from old fishing boats, representing the notion of seafaring.

“The Totem is iconic,” Poka-Yio explains. “Visitors are photographed at the W totems around the world and we want the totem at Costa Navarino to lead guests to other paths, more complex and emotional, such as to the theme of seafaring which is synonymous with the Konstantakopoulos family (owner of TEMES Group).”

W Costa Navarino Totem

And what does the W stand for?
Poka-Yio tells us: “We chose Who, What, When & Where as questions for those who come here, before entering the space. It is very important to start a journey with a question: ‘Where am I?’, ‘Where am I going?’, ‘What am I doing?’, etc.”.

Beachfront dining

Home to a number of culinary points, W Costa Navarino brings a sophisticated yet playful approach to dining and programming, immersing guests in a fusion of music, food (with fresh, seasonal, local and organic products), and beachside fun.

Dining destinations at the resort include ‘Platía’ – the hotel’s modern take on a deli food market, ‘Between’ – the sunset bar, the brand’s signature W Lounge and ‘Parelía’- the destination Beach Club, an elevated take on quintessential Mediterranean beach bars.

One thing is for sure. Whatever the mood and whatever the hour – guests at W Costa Navarino will have something that promises to please the palate!

Recreation

Guests at W Costa Navarino will be able to elevate body and soul through spa treatments, sport, and many outdoor activities including:

tennis at the Mouratoglou Tennis Center, Costa Navarino that offers 16 courts, including the only court with natural grass in Greece at Navarino Dunes;

Mouratoglou Tennis Center, Costa Navarino
golf at one of the four signature golf courses, The Dunes Course, The Bay Course, The Hills Course and The International Olympic Academy Golf Course;

outdoor activities such as climbing, hiking and biking, as part of Navarino Outdoors activities, at Navarino Dunes; and
water activities offers such as sailing, diving and snorkeling at Navarino Sea.

Costa Navarino: The bigger picture

The W Costa Navarino is just part of the great vision TEMES founder, Captain Vassilis Konstantakopoulos had for his homeland: “to promote, preserve and help bring prosperity to Messinia“.

The idea of ​​creating Costa Navarino began 30 years ago. In 2010, twelve years ago, the idea began to take form when the resort welcomed its first guests. Today Costa Navarino is one of the very few prime sustainable destinations in the Mediterranean that offers mixed-used resorts, and the only one in Greece.

Once completed, Costa Navarino will comprise 5 distinct sites (Navarino Dunes, Navarino Waterfront, Navarino Bay, Navarino Hills and Navarino Blue) covering an area of ​​more than 1,000 hectares and featuring five-star deluxe hotels, luxury private residences, conference facilities, spa and thalassotherapy centers, signature golf courses, as well as a wide range of unique year-round activities for adults and children.

The first site developed was Navarino Dunes, home to two luxury five-star hotels, The Romanos, a Luxury Collection Resort, and The Westin Resort Costa Navarino; the signature golf course The Dunes Course; a 4,000m2 spa and thalassotherapy centre; the state-of-the-art conference centre House of Events; specially designed facilities for children; and a variety of gastronomy venues, sports, outdoor and cultural activities.
Navarino Dunes is already on a successful path, having managed to put ​​Messinia on the global tourism map and highlight it as a destination not only to visit but also a unique place to live. This can be easily confirmed by the scheduled direct flights at the nearby airport of Kalamata, which every year connect the destination with more and more cities abroad – this year exceeding 25 cities in Europe.

Costa Navarino is now in the process of developing two new areas – Navarino Bay and Navarino Waterfront.

Navarino Bay is home to the signature golf course, The Bay Course and the earth-sheltered Bay Clubhouse, and is set to welcome the Mandarin Oriental, Costa Navarino in 2023.

At the nearby site Navarino Waterfront, stands the upscale, vibrant W Costa Navarino. Next to the new hotel, the Navarino Agora is being developed. This is planned to be an open market with selected shops, street food, outdoor cinema and many happenings. This new addition to Costa Navarino, expected to launch in 2023, comes to redefine the guest experience with a wealth of new experiences.

Navarino Agora

Nearby is Navarino Hills where, in February 2022, its two new 18-hole golf courses – situated over 125 hectares – welcomed its first golf enthusiasts. Designed by two-time Masters champion and Ryder Cup legend José Mariá Olazábal, the two 18-hole courses – The International Olympic Academy Golf Course and The Hills Course – are set in a magnificent location with panoramic views of the historic Navarino Bay and the Ionian Sea. The golf courses offer comprehensive services to professional and amateur golfers, together with the new clubhouse.

Navarino Hills

TEMES next phase of investments for Costa Navarino concerns Navarino Blue, in the area of Rizomylos, which is in close proximity to Kalamata International Airport.
Here the vision is to develop themed hotel complexes that will offer a variety of high quality sports and entertainment activities.

It should be mentioned that as Costa Navarino’s sites develop and all-season activities and experiences are created, Messinia is highlighted more and more as a year-round destination.

Real estate opportunities

Costa Navarino is not just a year-round destination offering a singular resort experience. For, in addition to 5-star hotels, signature golf courses, a wide range of sports and outdoor activities, a spa, and culinary choices, TEMES has also forged a permanent bond with the area of Messinia through a variety of real estate opportunities.

Navarino Dunes, Costa Navarino’s first area is home to Navarino Residences, a collection of luxury villas for private ownership, spread in three areas (Sea Dunes, Olive Grove and Rolling Greens); and The Residences at The Westin Resort Costa Navarino – fully furnished resort apartments for sale.

According to TEMES, there is a great interest in the villas by people from Greece and central and northern Europe. In the last two years the company has recorded and increase in buyers from Switzerland and the UK. In total, more than 70 percent of the villas have been sold.

With regard to the resort apartments of The Residences at The Westin Resort Costa Navarino, more than 85 percent have been sold.

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About the Author
I love turning ideas into businesses, especially if it involves media and travel! Civic-minded and a mother of three, I enjoy volley, ashtanga and photography in my downtime.

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