The ancient Greeks knew where to build their sites. Testament to this is any of the sites we have visited! The same though can be said about modern Greeks.

Costa Navarino is one of the most luxurious resorts in the world, if not the most! Unparalleled natural beauty, combined with a respectful architecture, creates a wonderfully calming and exclusive place to vacation at. With something for everyone, it truly has all grounds covered.

Going in to Costa Navarino for the second time, we thought we knew what to expect, since we had experienced part of it, albeit a small part. But we were not prepared for what we experienced today. Beautiful restaurants of every taste, fountains, ponds and flowerbeds everywhere, you really could not believe your eyes. We found Victoria Raschi afterwards, who particularly liked Costa Navarino: “Costa Navarino was a fresh view and taste of Greece. It was a beautiful resort that blended the traditions of Greece with a modern style of architecture and shops. It allowed us to experience the unbelievable history of Greece but also gave us a break from walking while providing a magnificent view of the Ionian Sea.”

We didn’t have much time to take in the sights. We were led in to a big room full of wonderful smells. In the middle of the room was a group of women, dressed in traditional local clothing, sitting and preparing food. What initially seemed odd though, was that they were singing; gentle songs, songs that soothed one’s tired ears and made them forget their sense of hunger.

They were all from a local Women’s association, and were preparing a local delicacy named “boukies”, meaning “bitesize”. They’re fresh pasta cut into small pieces, boiled for couple of minutes then covered in a mixture of Mizithra, a white cheese like feta, but hardened and dry, and olive oil. The cheese is grated and lightly fried in the oil, which they used to cover the pasta. No matter the description, the taste of them was from another world.

After they stopped cooking, they danced with our participants. The music? Their own voices.

The rest of the food was a buffet of traditional foods, but of course, it being Costa Navarino, the quality and taste was indescribable. Rocky Kamen-Rubio was especially taken aback: “Getting to eat moussaka and octopode brought me right back to my grandparents’ apartment in Montreal. It was so fascinating and inspiring to get to see the seas and fields that inspired these dishes and the traditional way that these dishes would be made by locals. I feel so much closer to the roots of what has been such a strong culinary influence in my life.”

So, with everyone full and content, we embarked back to Athens. A wonderful three-day trip comes peacefully to an end, but the adventure is far from over.

There’s so much space at Costa Navarino, it can easily fit us all in one picture!

Food and dancing. Nothing more Greek than that!

Blog editor and photographer: James (Dimitris) Voutsas