Holiday Homes: We visit a resort in Greece that lets you design a villa, grow your own olives and make a boutique wine
They say it’s location, location, location, but who caresif you’re out in the sticks if you can grow and harvest your own olive oil? Brits have long harboured a Mediterranean dream but it’s no longer enough to buy an identikit white villa – it’s all about lifestyle when you get there.
These bespoke villas in Costa Navarino, available in a multitude of architectural designs, offer sun, sea and all the ingredients of a bacchanalian feast. If this sounds up your street, Messinia may be what you’re looking for.
Located on the southwest Peloponnese, it has over 4,500 years of history coupled with untouched landscapes – and it’s just a short drive to the stunning beaches of Navarino Dunes.
The resort has five star hotels, a spa, activities for families and is now developing Navarino Residences, a collection of 50 freehold pool villas that will sit within a local community.
Surrounded by unspoilt seaside landscapes, this collection of luxury private villas will have beach access, and are surrounded by olive groves, where you can learn first-hand how to grow and harvest your own olive oil.
If that’s not enough, the community is involved in foot pressing grapes from the neighbouring vineyards at Mouzaki, meaning oenophiles can start their own boutique wine label.
A panorama villa design from K Studio
Temes, the developers behind the project, have curated a collection of smart contemporary homes, each promising unobstructed views of the sea from all levels of the property. The freehold villas will range from 400sqm to 1,400sqm and will be located in two neighbourhoods, the Sea Dunes, with the beach on your doorstep and the Olive Groves.
There are three villa types to choose from: Beachfront, Golf Front (both single storey with basements),and the Panorama villas, which come with two-storeys and a basement. They all offer a private outdoor pool and extensive outdoor space.
The villas are also being built according to bioclimatic architectural and landscaping principles, using sustainable materials.
Evgenios Dendrinos, director of real estate development at Temes, said, “There’s an increasing demand for high-end holiday properties in Greece. Foreign direct investment in real estate hit historic highs last year, totalling €503m – Bank of Greece data showed that this 86.5 per cent increase on the year before was the highest in the last decade, meaning demand from foreign buyers has returned to pre-crisis levels.”
Prices start from €2.5m. Visit costanavarino.com/residences