South-western Messinia is not just around the corner, and that is part of its charm: getting here is a choice, and each choice makes for a different journey. There are essentially three options.
1. Fly to Kalamata
This is the quickest option. Kalamata International Airport is about an hour's drive from the house, and in summer it has direct flights from several European cities, including some in Italy. If you can find a direct flight, you land and in just under an hour you are here.
The drawback is seasonality: flights are concentrated in the summer months and drop off considerably the rest of the year. Check which connections are available for your travel dates before building your itinerary around this option.
2. Fly to Athens and drive
This is the most flexible option, and the one available all year round. Rent a car in Athens and head down into the Peloponnese: leave the capital, cross the Corinth Canal and continue on the motorway towards Kalamata, then turn off towards the Ionian coast.
The drive takes about three and a half hours, mostly on a modern, free-flowing toll motorway. It is a pleasant journey, but you need to allow for it: if you land late in the evening, consider spending a night in Athens rather than driving in the dark after a flight.
3. Ferry from Italy
If you want your own car and are not in a hurry, the ferry is still an excellent option. Crossings to Patras leave from several Adriatic ports (Ancona, Bari, Brindisi, Venice), taking anywhere from nine or ten hours on the shortest routes to over twenty on the longest.
From Patras to the house is about two and a half to three hours' drive: you head south along the west coast of the Peloponnese, via Pyrgos and Kyparissia. It is the favourite option for families, for those bringing a lot of luggage and for anyone who wants to get around freely once here.
The car: practically essential
However you arrive, you will need a car here. The house is in the countryside, between Marathopoli and Navarino Bay, and everything there is to see (beaches, fortresses, archaeological sites, villages) is spread over a radius of twenty or thirty kilometres. Public transport exists, but it is designed for residents, not visitors.
If you are flying in, book your rental car in advance, especially in high season, when availability at regional airports runs out early.
The final stretch
Whichever route you choose, the last part is similar: you reach the Ionian coast of Messinia and continue along the provincial roads linking Kyparissia, Marathopoli and Pylos. They are ordinary roads in good condition, but they are not expressways: average speeds drop, so allow for this when working out journey times.
The last few kilometres, the ones leading to the house, run through the countryside between olive groves. It is a good idea to download offline maps before you leave, because mobile data coverage is patchy and in the countryside satnavs tend to suggest shortcuts along farm tracks that are best avoided.
Arriving in the evening
One tip that applies to everyone: the country roads here are unlit, and the landmarks you see by day disappear at night. If you expect to arrive after dark, let us know in good time so we can agree directions for the last stretch, and don't rely solely on your satnav.
If you are arriving on an evening flight, on the other hand, think carefully about whether to drive straight away or stop for a night near the airport. Three and a half hours at the wheel after a flight, at night, on unfamiliar roads, is the worst way to start a holiday.
Once you are here, geography is on your side: Voidokilia is eight kilometres away, Pylos twenty minutes, the Palace of Nestor eleven kilometres. You only do the long drive once.
Once here, there's little driving to do
From Navarino Greek House, the beaches, fortresses and archaeological sites of Messinia are all within a few kilometres: you arrive and your holiday begins.
And in the house you will find the extra virgin olive oil and the soap made from the olives of our own grove.