Greece, Four Championship Courses, One Aqua Park, and a Lot of Olive Groves in Between
Costa Navarino occupies a rare position in European golf. It is a destination built to satisfy the single-minded golfer and the family holidaymaker in the same fortnight, without either group feeling like an afterthought. Set on the southwest tip of the Peloponnese in the region of Messiniai in Greece, it pairs four championship courses with two resort hotels engineered for exactly this kind of dual-purpose trip. For Tee Times Golf Holidays clients weighing up whether this is the right destination for a mixed group, here is what to expect.
The Golf
Costa Navarino’s golf offer is built around four courses, each with a distinct identity. The Dunes Course, designed by Robert Trent Jones II, was the first championship layout in Greece and remains the resort’s signature round, weaving between olive groves and the coastline with sea views from several holes. The Bay Course, a Bernhard Langer design, sits closer to the water and rewards precision over power.
Further inland, the Hills Course climbs into more dramatic terrain, with elevation changes that open up long views back toward the Ionian Sea — both Hills and the fourth course were shaped by José María Olazábal. Rounding out the portfolio is the International Olympic Academy Golf Course, a shorter and more relaxed track well suited to mixed-ability groups or a lighter round between family commitments.
Four courses across one resort means golfers can vary the test daily without changing hotels or driving distances. It also means non-golfing family members are never more than a few minutes from wherever the group happens to be playing.
Where to Stay
Two resorts anchor Costa Navarino, and which one suits a group often comes down to who’s travelling. The Westin Resort Costa Navarino is where the family infrastructure lives — the Aqua Park’s three waterslides and play pool sit a short walk from the beach, and two dedicated kids’ clubs cover the full age range, Cocoon for toddlers from four months to three years and Sandcastle for children aged four to twelve, with a separate youth hub for teenagers. Golf and tennis lessons are available for children too, so a mixed-age group genuinely has somewhere for everyone each morning.
The Romanos, a Luxury Collection Resort sits next door and pitches itself a register higher, with private infinity pools in most ground-floor rooms, beachfront villas, and 24-hour butler service for suite guests. It leans toward couples and golfers seeking a quieter, more polished stay, though children are welcome and can still use the Westin’s kids’ clubs and Aqua Park just along the beach. For a group split between serious golfers wanting five-star quiet and a family wanting full facilities, staying at each property has its own logic — worth discussing with your Tee Times contact when you book.
Beyond the resort’s own facilities, Messinia rewards a family willing to leave the grounds for an afternoon. The medieval fortress at Methoni sits a short drive away, and snorkelling excursions along this stretch of the Ionian coast occasionally turn up sightings of the loggerhead sea turtle, a species that nests locally. It is the kind of destination where the non-golfers in the group return from their own day out with just as much to talk about over dinner.
Dining and Downtime
Messinia has long been considered one of the most fertile corners of Greece, and the resort’s kitchens make the most of it — olive oil, in particular, is treated here with the same reverence Tee Times clients in Portugal reserve for fresh dourada. Between rounds, the Anazoe Spa offers oleotherapy treatments built around that same local olive oil, a detail that sums up the resort’s approach: everything, from the golf to the spa menu, is rooted in where it actually is.
For Tee Times Golf Holidays clients considering Costa Navarino, the appeal is straightforward. It is one of the few destinations in Europe where a serious golfer and a family in search of a proper holiday can book the same trip and both come home satisfied. Browse Costa Navarino golf holidays and start planning.
