Dear Asma,
The blank page in front of me is jealous of all the hues of orange and purple spilling across the sky over Costa Navarino. I am watching it all from the terrace of Three Admirals Lounge, where Aleks from Montenegro (it never stops fascinating me how small our country is, yet somehow, we are scattered all over the world) just greeted us and spoke about how the historical battles once fought in this area inspired the cocktail menu. Unintentionally, that set the tone for our stay here, because local history and tradition are becoming an integral part of every decision, we are about to make.
Let me rewind a couple of hours back. I was on a plane from Dubai and, thanks to Emirates introducing internet almost as fast as the airplane itself, I wrote to you about our upcoming print issue. I was looking forward to experiencing Costa Navarino, as I am about to try capturing its essence across both our digital and print channels. Upon landing in Athens, I saw Ivan laughing unreasonably loudly, as we always do when we see each other. Ivan is among my closest friends; you might remember him from my letter from Villa Dubrovnik in Croatia. The three-hour drive from Athens Airport to Costa Navarino flew by, thanks to the stories we had to tell, or perhaps thanks to the stories shared by our wonderfully charismatic driver. Landscapes passed quickly beside us yet somehow remained in the memory instantly. Little did I know that Costa Navarino would bring back core memories and create some new ones years later.
Our villa at Mandarin Oriental Costa Navarino is nothing short of exceptional. Whites and beiges dance through locally sourced textures of wood and stone, careful never to steal the show, because the show belongs to the view. Wherever you are in the hotel, sea-view takes centre stage. It effortlessly overpowers everything else, which sounds like a paradox, because overpowering something usually requires effort. The view here dominates simply by existing. Regardless of the time in the day, it unveils miracles again and again.
The year is 1995. I am riding my first bicycle. My father is behind me, secretly hoping I will become good at something other than writing. The moment he started cheering, I fell and hurt my knee. Even thinking about it now hurts slightly. Today, at Mandarin Oriental Costa Navarino, you have several ways to move from spot A to spot B: on foot, by buggy, or by electric bike. Can you guess what this Aries-Capricorn chose? Yes, and those bikes might have been the highlight of my stay. “Dad, I didn’t fall even once!” I wanted to scream. I am sure he would have cheered even if I had fallen every single time.
On our second day, we went for a golf lesson. We received the note about the dress code, and of course I brought all the wrong shoes, precisely all six pairs of them. The instructor was there, our willingness was there, the sun was shining brightly, and the grass was, for once, greener exactly where I was – It was not greener on the other side. The instructor explained how many celebrities play golf here, alongside professionals. Greece has ten golf courses. Four of them are in Costa Navarino. There are eighteen holes. I listened carefully, trying to absorb everything because I genuinely wanted to succeed. I was eager to hit the ball, although I never truly understood why the world becomes so obsessed with sports whose purpose is placing a ball into a hole, but oh well, here I was, about to do exactly that in a matter of minutes.
Golf appears effortless, yet it takes tremendous effort to do it properly. Quite the opposite of the view I described at the beginning of this letter. Feet aligned with the width of my shoulders. Back bent forward, but not too much. Knees flexible. Hips ready to turn. Hands straight, but not stiff. A mind full of rules, moments away from ignoring every single one of them. I swing. I hit the ball.
“You already played!” the coach says.
I am confused because I have no idea where the ball is. I did not even realise I hit it. And obviously, since I do not see particularly well, and the sun did not help either, I had no clue where it went. Apparently, it landed close to the third and furthest hole from us, approximately 260 metres away. My ball travelled around 230 metres. The coach was impressed. Ivan was laughing. I was still confused. I am sure my father was cheering from somewhere too.
That night, during a barbecue at the hotel, we met a couple who own a boutique ski hotel in Lech, Austria. It is funny how the world works in mysterious ways, because at one point I was supposed to travel there for a PR activation. At the same time, they were meant to visit Dubai, but their plans shifted. We met in Costa Navarino. I will tell you more about their hotel when I see you. I genuinely believe you would love it. This is not a digression though, my point is that Mandarin Oriental Costa Navarino subtly creates a platform where like minded people naturally meet. I especially loved that it all happened over a barbecue that genuinely felt like a family celebration. If you ever need anything in Costa Navarino, please let me know. All the chefs from Mandarin Oriental are my friends now, or at least that is truly how they made me feel. Their hospitality is something I will never forget.
Now, if you ever decide to come here, I would like you to memorise the name Chrysa Korella and ask for her when booking a treatment at their gorgeous spa. I experienced the Inner Balance massage and afterwards had the best power nap of my life. Everything felt smooth, intentional, and genuinely rejuvenating. I woke up younger. Well, at least that is how I felt, and honestly, who cares about facts in moments like that?
Our last dinner for this stay took place at the Brasserie, where we had a Cordon Bleu large enough to feed a family of six. I am not exaggerating. It was the definition of quality and quantity merging into something delicious. During breakfast the next morning, accompanied by gorgeous views, lovely Violeta joined us just to make sure everything was exactly as it should be. And while speaking to her, someone who once again felt like a friend moments after meeting her, everything truly was exactly where it should have been. And somehow, I felt exactly where I was supposed to be too, doing precisely what I should be doing. Life felt aligned, and I lived for it.
The car has just arrived. We are heading to The Romanos, a Luxury Collection Resort in Costa Navarino. Just a small hint about where the next letter will come from. Olivia Dean is playing on the radio:
“We could be nice to each other
Nice to each other
Wrong for each other, right for each other
And rise to each other
Rise to each other.”
Truly yours,
Milo
