Costa Navarino in late March?

Posted by Neel on 12/29/22 12:03 AM

First time in Greece but in off season due to kid's Spring Break. We are thinking of just doing Athens - 4 nights and 3 days. The other 3 nights we were thinking of potentially staying near Nafplio or I just discovered Costa Navarino which seems to have a great resort. We can explore Olympia and Mycenae from Costa Navarino. Would love to hear your experience about the west coast of Peloponnese. While our kids like visiting historic sites, etc. they do get bored after a while. They love doing hikes, spending time in pool or beach, playing tennis, etc. We think we can get the best of both worlds if we split between Athens and Costa Navarino.

Plan would be the following:
1/ Spend 3 full days in Athens and explore/tour the sites
2/ Rent a car from Athens and drive to Nafplio and spend 3-4 hours in town (have lunch)
3/ Drive around 3pm to Costa Navarino
4/ Spend 3 nights in Westin Costa Navarino (do day trips from here to Olympia, Mycenae, relax in the pool/beach)
5/ Drive back to Athens and spend the last night there before taking the flight the next day

Any feedback?

Posted by JoLui

France Southwest

12/29/22 12:47 AM

1792 posts

My only feedback, seeing the price for 3 nights at the Costa Navarino is... at this price I could spend a full week in Greece, room meals and car included. :))

Posted by janet

Philadelphia, PA, USA

12/29/22 04:33 AM

3317 posts

Costa Navarino appears ideal for people who want luxury and aren't interested in anything very Greek ... a perfect "international resort".

Note: Mycenae is not a day trip from Costa Navarino; check a map.

Posted by Lee

Camarillo, California

12/29/22 05:49 AM

3120 posts

You might as well just stay home and rent "Zorba The Greek" for all the Greece you'll experience at Costa Navarino!

Posted by Neel OP

12/30/22 05:33 PM

25 posts

haha - this is brutal feedback but appreciate it. What would be your top pick for a nice place to stay in or around Nafplio?

Posted by stanbr

Nanaimo, BC, Canada

12/31/22 06:06 AM

1366 posts

Neel appreciate your good attitude to the accurate comments received.

First of all you really need to keep Athens to the end of your trip. You need to be in Athens the night before your return flight so your plans are not affected by weather events, strikes or whatever may go wrong with the transportation system.

You can rent a car from the airport. We have always used ACR Athens car rental. Having said that its not a really good plan to rent a car and drive totally jet lagged after a transatlantic flight. You might want to look into a transfer service. We have used City cab who will meet you at the airport and drive you to your first destination. I have no idea of the cost but it is something to think about.

Nafplio is one of the prettiest cities in Greece. It feels like an island as it is situated beside the sea.

Get over jet lag in the old town area . Explore the old town. Join in the waterfront promenade every evening for sunset. Spend time in the main square where Greek families gather for the evening. We stay at hotel Agamemnon which is the only hotel directly on the waterfront.

Now return to Athens to see the wonderful ancient sites there. It is a really good idea to spend your last night in Athens so you are on the mainland the night before your return flight.

Some images to inspire you.
Athens https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/albums/72157632121475515
Nafplio https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/albums/72157632094108982