3 days ago
Michelin-Starred Chefs Host Beach Dinners At This Greek Paradise
Sunset at W Costa Navarino Adam Morganstern
Normally to experience the cuisine of Chef Osman Sezener you would travel to Türkiye and visit either of his two Michelin-starred restaurants — Kitchen located in Bodrum and Od Urla located in İzmir. But this summer you could find him in Greece and the beaches of the Costa Navarino resort where Sezener participated in this summer's 'Chefs on the Beach' series of dinners — cooking over open fires with music and stunning sunset views over the Ionian Sea.
Featuring a number of culinary all-stars from the region, 'Chefs on the Beach' kicked off in July with Chefs Giannis Loukakis and Spiros Pediaditakis from Akra in Athens (Michelin Bib Gourmand). Upcoming dinners feature Chef Maksut Askar of Istanbul's Neolokal — awarded both a Michelin Star and a Michelin 'Green Star' for its commitment to sustainable practices — Chef Manolis Papoutsakis from Athens' Pharaoh (Michelin Bib Gourmand) and Chef Tasos Stefatos, who's worked across many of Greece's top Michelin-starred restaurants and is now Executive Chef of Canaves Collection hotel group in Santorini.
Chef Nikos Billis Courtesy of Costa Navarino
Located in Messinia in the southwestern part of the Peloponnese, Costa Navarino is a collection of four different five-star resorts: the W Costa Navarino, Mandarin Oriental, The Westin and The Romanos. Each have their own charm and vibe — think of W and Mandarin Oriental for more adult and couples-oriented vacations and The Westin and The Romanos more for families — but all have the beaches, pools and dining you would expect at a Greek resort. The destination also includes some of the best golf courses in the country as well as a tennis center and other sports camps. But even beyond the 'Chefs on the Beach' series, there are enough restaurants and dining opportunities between the different properties to make this a culinary destination as well as a beach vacation.
After working at some of the world's top restaurants, including Noma and De Librije, Chef Nikos Billis has returned to his native Greece to take over as Executive Chef at W Costa Navarino. Set along the beach, the restaurant Parelia offers the best of Greek and Mediterranean cuisine with local seafood and meat dishes cooked over wood-fires. Dining here can be a dressy romantic evening or a relaxing collection of mezze while sipping wine and enjoying the water views. Green Pepper offers vegetarian dining and healthier meals for lunch and dinner. And the resort has partnered with Athens-based The Bar In Front Of The Bar — one of the World's 50 Best Bars — to take over cocktails.
Courtesy of Costa Navarino Parelia at Costa Navarino
Navarino Dunes — where The Westin and The Romanos are situated — offers a collection of restaurants to try a different cuisine every night of your stay. Top choice here would be The Flame, a steakhouse featuring locally sourced meat and vegetables from their own gardens. They kindly give the vegetables equal billing in the restaurant's 'Homegrown Meat and Vegetables' tagline, but you know why you're really here. For elevated local cuisine there is Paráfrasi by CTC — an outpost of the Michelin-starred restaurant in Athens by Chef Alexandros Tsiotinis. Armyra is the best of seafood and fish offerings, run by chef Yorgos Papaioannou, widely respected for his seafood restaurants across Greece. Onuki for a Japanese dinner and Da Luigi for Italian are great for those enjoying a long stay and wanting to change things up. And for not-to-be-missed simple pleasures there is Souvlakerie which serves the perfect traditional souvlaki and wine and olive oil tasting at Eno Teca.
Mandarin Oriental Ormos Beach Club Courtesy of Costa Navarino
The area of Messinia is steeped in historical sights within easy drives from the resort and worth venturing off the grounds for. At the town of Pylos you can visit the castle of Niokastro (New Fortress) which was built by the Ottomans in 1573 overlooking the sea, and if you're in the mood for a hike you can also visit the Palaiokastro (Old Fortress) built in 1278. From up top you get a fantastic view of Voidokilia Beach — also worth visiting — which is shaped like the Greek letter Omega (and a popular place for photos). Methoni Castle (from 1229) is another popular site, and for truly stepping back into ancient times the Palace of Nestor dates as far back as the Trojan War and is mentioned in both Homer's Iliad and Odyssey.
