Vassilis Constantakopoulos, aka The Captain, was a man with a vision. Having made his billions in shipping, he dedicated his life to regenerating Messinia, the Peloponnese peninsula where he grew up, and the result was this estate of hotels and villas, golf courses, and restaurants, all with a committed eco punch. It sounds vast and unwieldy, but the design is clever, the landscape swallows up the buildings, the stone echoes the surrounding villages, and the dunes still have a feeling of wildness. Environmental awareness and conservation are all encompassing—rainwater reservoirs keep the rolling fourways a vibrant green, waste water irrigates plants, and the beaches are protected because of the sea turtles who lay their eggs there (the Barbouni beach club even closes at 5 p.m. so as not to disturb them).
Pick between the Romanos and Westin hotels. The former is more reserved, the latter more obviously family friendly, though they share everything—the restaurants, lounge chairs on the beaches, swimming pools, and spas. Two kids clubs come with an army of dedicated local teachers to entertain their charges, and a long-as-your-arm menu of activities including Young Gardeners, which takes them out to the hotels’ vegetable patch to sow and harvest. After a busy morning of gardening, children squeeze onto benches under an ancient olive tree to tuck into Greek salad drizzled with local olive oil. Older children can launch themselves at the climbing wall, bowling alley, tennis courts, water slides, or movie theater, or sign up for football coaching, while parents munch on Kalamata olives and taste wine from the hotel vineyards. For more adventurous guests, or those revising for an Ancient History GCSE, there are 10 major sites on the doorstep, including the Palace of Nestor, which was, fittingly, renowned for its hospitality.
Book one of the sailing boats for a voyage to Proti Island, which lurks crocodile-like in the Ionian. Sail into the natural harbor and see the messages scratched into the walls by sailors to warn others of the local pirates.
