ADVERTORIAL • April 2021
Weighing up your best options for a post-pandemic treat? Look no further than The Romanos, a Luxury Collection Resort, Costa Navarino
This Greek retreat in the southwest Peloponnese has its own stretch of golden sand by the Ionian Sea, butler service, a pampering spa, sea-view rooms (many with private pools), a giddy array of dining and wining options and classical civilisation galore. Sold? Here are five things to swap for the Romanos come summer...
Replace lockdown blues with a generous serving of Greek coastal blues in a shimmering array of shades. Soak up unobstructed views of the Ionian Sea from the comfort of The Romanos, whose charms include a sparkling soft-sand beach that stretches beyond 1.5km. Lie back and float in the crystalline waters like a giant starfish, or swim deeper with help from the hotel and discover the underwater secrets of Proti Island, formerly a haunt of Ionian pirates, with Navarino Sea by Aqua Divers Club.
If you only pack one thing, make it your appetite. The Romanos is home to a dizzying choice of 21 restaurants, cafés and lounge bars, making culinary boredom impossible. There’s something for every mood and predilection, from classic meat-stuffed pitas, salads and chips at Souvlakerie to upscale Lebanese offerings at Nargile, flawless sushi at Onuki, succulent seafood at Armyra by Papaioannou, burgers at The Diner, romantic Italian fare courtesy of Da Luigi – and the rest. If you’d like a generous portion of sea-sand views with your meal, make a beeline for Barbouni.
Flatmates: good; butlers: better. Book one of the suites or villas included in The Romanos Ionian Exclusive set and you will be treated to personalised service from your butler, who will obligingly unpack and pack your luggage, anticipate your needs before you do, and share the inside scoop on this unspoiled, off-the-radar patch of the Peloponnese. Ionian Exclusive sleeping quarters come with a host of other tempting perks, including a Champagne welcome, private check-in, fragrant Acqua di Parma potions and lotions in the villas, an on-the-house experience or tour and much, much more.
Put the remote control down and be bowled over by The Romanos’ array of activities. Get a true flavour of the region with help from the hotel’s Messinian Authenticity programme: enjoy cookery classes with local women in the village, savour wine tastings (and stomp the grapes in season), perfect your swing on the duo of world-class golf courses, plunder Greek treasure at the Agora’s boutiques, try on-water and underwater sports, yachting and sailing, and stage a tournament at a brand-new, state-of-the-art Tennis Center. If you can tear yourself away, take the hint from the hotel’s emerald expanse of olive groves and vineyards (130 acres and counting) and explore the region on a bike with Navarino Outdoors. Expect supermodel good looks and a millennia-spanning cultural bounty.
Bubble bath can only get you so far. Go a lot further at The Romanos’ multi-award-winning Anazoe Spa, whose expert masseuses will help lockdown-induced aches and strains to melt away faster than an ice-cream in the Greek sun. Drawing inspiration from its classical roots, the spa’s signature therapies and indulging oleotherapy® treatments riff on ancient Greek healing practices uncovered at the nearby Palace of Nestor. (Swing by, if you have time.)
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