Next spring, you’ll be able to stay at the new Mandarin Oriental that’s opening on the southwest coast of the Peloponnese
For the jetsetting traveller, vacations in Greece often mean a couple weeks on either Mykonos or Santorini. As a result, escaping to those islands can feel less like a getaway and more like a convention, depending on when you book a ticket. Come next spring, however, you’ll be able to broaden your horizons in the Mediterranean country with a stay at a new luxury hotel by Mandarin Oriental that’s opening on the southwest coast of the Peloponnese.
The beachfront resort will be the first from the five-star hotel group to open in Greece. Just 45 minutes from Kalamata International Airport, it will reside in Costa Navarino, an upscale development that’s home to multiple high-end hotels, two golf courses, a spa and thalassotherapy center, 20 dining outlets, recreational facilities and more.
The Mandarin Oriental resort itself will house a total of 99 guest rooms, which includes 48 pool villas; each will have its own outdoor terrace overlooking the sea. You’ll have access to a 1,500-square-metre wellness facility with an indoor-outdoor pool, as well as five restaurants and bars. Activities ranging from water sports to biking and rock-climbing will be also available to guests, or you can tee up on the signature golf courses designed by German pro golfer Bernhard Langer, Robert Trent Jones II and José María Olazábal.
“We are delighted to be opening our first property in Greece in Costa Navarino and look forward to sharing this striking combination of unspoiled landscape, olive groves, pristine beaches and authentic Greek culture in the region with our guests” says James Riley, group chief executive of Mandarin Oriental, in a statement. “We are pleased to partner with Temes, the group that has been responsible for the creation of Costa Navarino as a bourgeoning tourism destination,” he adds, referencing the Grecian developer that was founded in 1997 and opened the first of its current five luxury resort sites in 2010.
In turn, Achilles V. Constantakopoulos, chairman of Temes., notes in a statement that “Mandarin Oriental is known for delivering exemplary service and exclusive experiences in its many luxury properties around the world, (and) we are proud to have the Group bring their hospitality expertise to Greece for the first time, signifying the further growth of Costa Navarino, which is becoming a top international destination for people to visit and to live.”
The award-winning Hong Kong hotel group currently operates 36 hotels and seven residences in 24 countries and territories, and has several additional outposts in the works. Following the Mandarin Oriental, Costa Navarino opening in 2023, for example, you’ll be able to follow the brand to another waterfront location when the company’s private island resort in the Maldives opens in 2025. In a statement, the brand shares that the Indian Ocean site will stretch across three private islands on the Bolidhuffaru Reef in South Male Atoll and have 120 stand-alone villas. For more information on all the properties, visit the Mandarin Oriental website.
This story was first published on Robb Report USA
