„Between conferences and workshops with companies, I always need time to work on new concepts in peace. In the middle of summer, I‘m whisked away to Costa Navarino.“ Angela Barzen, Entrepreneur, Business Coach & Speaker
Pulling myself out and getting creative again – that‘s what I do best when I leave my usual environment and let a breath of fresh air blow around my ears. I want to go to the W Costa Navarino in the southwest of Greece, right on the so called “little finger“. Eventhough I know that the Marriott W-Hotel concept usually stands for lots of partying and music, I still hope to find quiet places to do my writing. The location of the Costa Navarino in Messenia, in the southwestern Peloponnese, suggests that. I can test it now for seven days.
Winds instead of doors
I fly from Munich to Kalamata. The city with the largest port in the region has a small airport and is bursting at the seams with several direct connecting flights from Europe. In the past Costa Navarina was a special insider tip for golfers and other guests who wanted to discover the growing eco-luxery archipelago, today it is special and popular.
It takes 45 minutes by hotel shuttle passing countless olive groves, lemon and orange trees, and finally I am amazed: what a location for the W Costa Navarino right on the beach, with a view over the entire bay. The house itself, like most hotels here, was made with materials from the region. Even in the large W at the entrance, old wooden planks from local fishing boats have been moulded into an iron frame. Throughout the house, breezes flood the interiors, and plants grow on the ceilings. There are no doors except for the hotel room doors, and there is no air conditioning (except in the rooms).
“Armed“ with my laptop, sunlotion and sunglasses, I searged for undisturbed spots, and I find them: many niches, personal sunbathing islands, terraces above the pool next to the lobby with a view over the entire complex. If I want peace and quiet – I find it and have access to power banks and high-speed internet everywhere, whether in the two restaurants, in the bar, on the beach, in the spa area or, of course, in my room with plenty of space to work and private access to the pool. And if I do have a video call, I find separate rooms that would be suitable for conferences.
Bays and places: Bleisure Tips
But the bay has even more to offer. If you want an original greek mail for lunch: 15 minutes from the hotel, along the beach, I discover Kochili Fish with the best saziki in Costa Navarino. A few metres away is the tiny village of Gialova with bars, restaurants and small shops. For breakfast among the locals, I drive to Pylos, 3 km away, to a café in the harbour at Central Square with 1,000-year-old oak trees. Early in the morning, the fishermen are still selling last night‘s catch from their boats. In the evening, the square is a hive of activity: Backgammon, children playing, heated discussions of old Greeks. And 10 minutes away is the castle Bastion Santa Maria.
A real sight is the Polylimnio waterfall, 30 km by car from the hotel. It takes about 20 minutes to walk uphill through water-strewn gorges.
The beach club Ammothines – Four Seas is also a highlight: numerous daybeds, sunbeds in the bay, a bar and a restaurant where fruit and vegetables from the hotel‘s own cultivation are prepared. And don‘t forget Voidokilia Beach, 11 km from the hotel: the “ox-mouth bay“ with a white sandy beach in the middle of a nature reserve for sun worshippers.
Angela Barzen …
… is still flashed by this spot. Next time she might take her dog with her, as many guests at the hotel do. And then she will stay still longer, because Costa Navarino also offers residences.
Photos: © Costa Navarino, Angela Barzen