The countdown for the opening of Europe’s most eagerly-awaited new 36-hole golf-design project at Navarino Hills, part of Costa Navarino in Greece has begun.
With less than a year until it fully opens to the public, Navarino Hills has already been named as the ‘World’s Best New Golf Development’ at the 2020 World Golf Awards, with two-time Masters champion and Ryder Cup legend José María Olazábal leading the design of the two new layouts, which will increase the overall golf offering of the destination to an incredible four courses.
Stretching over 500 hectares of rugged natural terrain and overlooking the historic Navarino Bay, Navarino Hills will provide the ideal complement to Costa Navarino’s two signature golf courses, The Dunes Course (designed by Bernhard Langer in association with European Tour Design) and The Bay Course (created by Robert Trent Jones II).
Olazábal has inherited an incredible canvas on which to pen his two courses, with Navarino Hills’ location benefitting from sea, mountain and valley views, thus enriching hole designs and backdrops.
Golfers will experience panoramic vistas of the fertile Messinian landscape, dotted with olive groves, fragrant citrus orchards, rosemary and lavender scrubs, the mountains, local villages and the sapphire-blue Ionian Sea.
While many golf-course developments have ground to a halt with the global pandemic, the opposite has been the case at Costa Navarino.
The West Course is set for a soft opening this autumn, with the opportunity to play for the first time at the fifth Messinia Pro-Am, followed by a full launch of both courses in Spring 2022, which will elevate Costa Navarino as one of Europe’s most desirable golf destinations.
The two courses, will be offering very different playing experiences.
Olazábal explained: “The West Course is closer to the cliffs so it’s going to be windier and more demanding. The wind is always going to be a factor and it’s going to be a little bit tougher.
On the East Course, you are protected from the wind and you are going to have more of a tree-lined golf course, with forest and mountains in the background. I think it’s going to be ideal for anybody who wants to come and play at Costa Navarino for a few days and enjoy a different feeling and a different view when they are playing.”
As part of the new development launch, golfers can look forward to a new clubhouse designed by acclaimed architect Lubomír Zeman as well as additional tourism and recreational facilities dedicated to wellness and countryside activities.
Until next year however, there is plenty to experience away from the fairways, as the destination includes two five-star deluxe hotels – The Westin Resort, Costa Navarino and The Romanos, a Luxury Collection Resort, Costa Navarino, a 4,000m2 spa and thalassotherapy centre, more than 20 fine-dining venues and a wide range of year-round sports and cultural activities.
With the promise of award-winning golf, blue skies, and a sumptuous coastal setting, Costa Navarino is an ideal all-year-round destination.
Visiting from the UK has never been easier, with new direct flight routes to Kalamata airport, operating from Birmingham and Bristol this summer in addition to London and Manchester flights.
CONTACT COSTA NAVARINO ABOUT YOUR NEXT VISIT HERE . . .
