Holiday homes on the Peloponnese peninsula: where to look to buy for ancient Greek culture, diverse history and stunning landscapes
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Think of a holiday home in Greece and you’ll probably imagine a place on a sun-baked island — Crete, perhaps, or Santorini, Mykonos or Corfu. But Greeks covet holiday homes on the vast Peloponnese peninsula, south-west of Athens.
The area’s tagline is “Mythical Peloponnese”, a nod to centuries of ancient culture and history. Homer and Euripides wrote lyrically about it and must-see sites include Olympia, birthplace of the Olympics, the Palace of Nestor and the amphitheatre at Epidaurus.
The Greeks love its landscapes, as diverse as its history. There are mountains, forests, rocky coastlines on both the Aegean and Ionian Seas and acres of silver-grey olive trees. Sixty-five per cent of Greece’s olive production is from this region, including the famous, prized Kalamata olives.
WESTERN PELOPONNESE
The seaside city of Kalamata is the capital of Messinia in the south-west Peloponnese, and Kalamata International is one of Europe’s fastest-growing airports. Last year British Airways launched summer season flights from Heathrow and take-up was strong enough that this year the season has extended into October. Along with easyJet’s four weekly flights from Gatwick, it means that getting to the western Peloponnese is now an easier option for Londoners.
Much of the reason for this expansion is down to Costa Navarino, a five-star resort 40 minutes from Kalamata airport, with grounds filled with jasmine, lavender and honeysuckle and a strong drive for sustainability. Completed facilities on the 3,000 acre-plus site include two hotels — the Westin and the Romanos, with 746 rooms in total — 21 restaurants, beach clubs, numerous pools, two golf courses and some of the best sports and children’s resort facilities in Europe.
Costa Navarino has spent £492 million on development so far and claims to be the first high-quality, secure beachfront community of this scale in Greece.
Navarino Residences are 50 detached luxury pool villas of 3,230sq ft to 10,765sq ft, some among the olive groves, others beachfront and all with wide sea views. Freehold off-plan villas start at £1.75 million and smaller flats, prices not yet disclosed, will also be for sale.
“The Peloponnese is unspoilt with history and plenty to offer,” says Achilleas Dorotheou, Costa Navarino’s general manager. “Unlike many of the Greek islands it is not crowded. We have been working with BA for a while and expect 60 per cent more business from the UK as a result of the new flights.”
EASTERN PELOPONNESE
Across the wide Peloponnese peninsula on the Aegean coast, two hours from Athens, Porto Heli is a popular holiday base for many part-time sailors. Older three- and four-bedroom homes in Porto Heli are from £297,000, several including sea views. while for the last three years, on-trend and ultra-modern Nikki Beach club has sold flats to an international clientele from £254,000.
The eastern Peloponnese is also a region beloved by wealthy Greeks. Ex-King Constantine of Greece lives nearby and the King and Queen of the Netherlands have an envy-inducing cliff-top villa.
Ten minutes inland from Porto Heli, perched above the sea, Amanzoe is a 38-suite hotel from superbrand Aman that opened in 2012. Amanzoe also has substantial villas for sale, all with full access to the hotel’s spa, gym, tennis courts and restaurants, and 15 have sold to international buyers.
New for this year are smaller, fully furnished two-bedroom homes designed by Aman favourite Ed Tuttle in an understated and minimalist style, priced from £2.5 million.