Costa Navarino sits on a 3,500 acre estate in Messinia, in the southwest corner of the Greek Peloponnese, about 45 minutes by road from Kalamata airport. Four 18 hole courses have been in play since 2022. That makes it the only place in Greece where a group can
Costa Navarino sits on a 3,500 acre estate in Messinia, in the southwest corner of the Greek Peloponnese, about 45 minutes by road from Kalamata airport. Four 18 hole courses have been in play since 2022. That makes it the only place in Greece where a group can play a different course every day for most of a week without repacking a suitcase, which is why golf holidays in Greece now start with this estate rather than one course and a long drive.
We have been building golf trips by hand since 1981, and Costa Navarino anchors our Greece programme. Most of our groups base at the Westin Resort Costa Navarino, from
The Dunes and the Bay: where to start
Play the Dunes course first. Bernhard Langer designed it with European Golf Design and it opened in 2010 as the first signature course in Greece: a par 71 of just over 6,000 metres through dunes and old olive groves, with the Ionian in view on the better holes. It remains the course the resort is judged by. It is also the one your group will still be arguing about at dinner.
The Bay course is the gentler day. Robert Trent Jones Jr laid it out in 2011, another par 71 but shorter and friendlier off the tee, with two holes running along the historic Bay of Navarino itself. Do not let the scorecard fool you, though, because the elevation changes are real, so take a buggy on the Bay even if you walk the Dunes.
The Hills and the International Olympic Academy course
The 2022 expansion doubled the golf. Jose Maria Olazabal designed both new layouts on the Navarino Hills site above the bay. The International Olympic Academy course is a 6,366 metre par 72, and the first course anywhere to carry the International Olympic Academy name; the Hills course beside it is a 6,280 metre par 72. Both look down over the Bay of Navarino and the Ionian Sea. Both are also built to examine better players harder than the two originals, so mid handicappers should pick their tees on the Hills with some humility. A 60 bay driving range sits up here as well, and a free shuttle links the estate hotels with all four courses, so nobody in the group needs a hire car.
Where our specialists would stay in Greece
The Romanos, the Westin or the W: which hotel suits you
Three hotels, three different trips. The Romanos, a Luxury Collection Resort, from
Pushed for a single answer: a four ball takes the Westin, a couple takes the Romanos.
Flights to Kalamata and the transfer
Kalamata is your airport, around 45 minutes from the resort by private transfer, which we include. British Airways, easyJet and Jet2 all fly direct from the UK in season. London Gatwick and Manchester are among the departure points, and the flight takes roughly 3 hours 45 minutes.
Check the flight timetables carefully, though. Those direct routes are seasonal, running broadly from late spring to October, and outside the summer schedules you connect through Athens and then face a drive of about three hours or a short onward hop. Winter golf at Costa Navarino is possible. From the UK, though, it is rarely worth the faff. Flights are never part of our packages; we arrange them as an optional extra with ATOL protection (ATOL 9046) when you want us to.
When to go: September is peak, May and October are the value
The courses stay open all year. September books up first, and for good reason: daytime highs around 28 degrees, the sea at its warmest and the tee sheets full of returning groups. May and October are the value months, a touch cooler, greener underfoot in May, quieter in October, and easier for rooms across all three hotels. If we had to name one week for a four ball, it would be early October.
July and August work less well. Messinian afternoons regularly push into the low thirties, so high summer golf means an 8am tee time and a long lunch by the pool. If school holidays fix your dates, that rhythm still makes for a good week, and the Westin is the hotel that absorbs a family-and-golf mix most easily.
Costa Navarino green fees and how the packages work
Searches for Costa Navarino green fees usually end in frustration, because the resort does not publish one simple public tariff. Rates move with the season and the course, and they differ again depending on where you are staying on the estate. Buggies typically cost 30 to 40 euros per round. None of this is obvious until you are standing at the pro shop desk.
This is where a package earns its place. We build Costa Navarino trips with the hotel, the rounds, reserved tee times and private transfers costed as one agreed figure before you fly, typically 7 nights with 5 rounds or 5 nights with 4 rounds, with early booking advantages for 2027 on request. It is not a cheap destination and we will not pretend otherwise, but a week at the Romanos from
Where our specialists would stay at Costa Navarino
What our golfers say
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Frequently asked questions
How do you get to Costa Navarino from the UK?
Fly to Kalamata, then it is about 45 minutes by road to the resort. British Airways, easyJet and Jet2 operate seasonal direct flights from airports including London Gatwick and Manchester, taking roughly 3 hours 45 minutes. In winter you connect via Athens. Our packages include private transfers from Kalamata.
What is the best month for golf at Costa Navarino?
September, if you can get it: warm sea, daytime highs around 28 degrees and the busiest tee sheets of the year. May and October give you nearly the same weather with better availability. The four courses are open year round, but UK direct flights only operate in the summer season.
Is there a handicap requirement at Costa Navarino?
Handicap certificates are not normally required on the four resort courses, though sensible pace of play is expected and the Hills and International Olympic Academy layouts will test higher handicaps. Bring proof of handicap if you have it; if a course asks for anything, we flag it when we confirm your tee times.
What is included in a Costa Navarino package?
The ground arrangements: your hotel, your rounds with tee times reserved in advance, and private transfers between Kalamata airport and the resort. Flights are not included; we arrange them as an optional extra with ATOL protection (ATOL 9046). Buggies, usually 30 to 40 euros per round, are costed in if you want them. Most trips are built around 7 nights with 5 rounds or 5 nights with 4 rounds, with early booking advantages for 2027 on request.
Can non-golfers enjoy Costa Navarino?
Easily. The estate has beaches, pools, a large spa, tennis and watersports, and the surrounding Messinia coast is worth the trip on its own. Voidokilia beach is one of the most photographed in Greece, and the castle town of Pylos is a short drive away. Plenty of our Greece bookings pair a golfer with a partner who never touches a club.
Come and play with us
Wherever you're travelling from, you're welcome on a Golf Planet hosted tour — a small group, a host with you from the first tee to the last, and every round, transfer and dinner taken care of. You just bring the clubs.
