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Costa Navarino is a benchmark resort development that Maria Vafiadis and her team at MKV Design have worked on since the very beginning. Located in the Greek region of Messina and overlooking the Ionian Sea, with verdant landscapes and beautiful beaches, it is a place where history, legend and
the natural world conspire to create a remarkable backdrop for the experience of thoughtful luxury shaped by the design team.

The first phase of development encompassed the Agora village, a destination spa, a golf clubhouse, a conference centre and two hotels, The Romanos Luxury Collection and The Westin, all designed by MKV. It was during these early days, that Maria demonstrated her instinct for creating seamless indoor/outdoor experiences that celebrate the location – an approach that has since informed all sorts of hospitality settings in both urban and countryside locations across Europe.

Several new restaurants and a second golf clubhouse followed for MKV and then another standard setting hotel project – the creation of W Costa Navarino, the first W hotel in Greece. Here luxury and informality meet, reflecting both the soul of the resort and the spirit of the brand. Meanwhile, the team embarked on their first significant refurbishment, at The Westin, remarkably over 12 years since it was originally completed.

From the time that Costa Navarino was first envisioned by the client and their designers, sustainability and environmental responsibility was at the core of everything they did. This reached its zenith in the Mandarin Oriental, a largely earth-sheltered development built into the ancient topography of the land. Once again, Maria was called in to design the crowning glory of the project, the five-bedroom Royal Suite. Completed last year, the suite is one of serene luxury. Authentic materials and nature’s colours are brought together with bespoke design and master craftmanship to achieve a deeply rooted retreat, in conversation with the land and sea that surrounds it and the
culture that informs it.