Have Greece’s hottest spots finally gotten too hot? Billionaires compete with celebrities for mere slices of Mykonos and Santorini. Restaurants slap tourists with $1,200 bills for calamari and cocktails.

But the lure of waters azure and clean cuisine mean New York’s obsession with Greece won’t be ending anytime soon. In fact, the Mediterranean cognoscenti have already made a new discovery: Costa Navarino.

Located in Messinia, in the southwest Peloponnese — north of Libya and across the Ionian Sea from Malta and Sicily — Costa Navarino didn’t see resort development until 2010.

Its late-to-the-game construction means that it could be built with sustainability foremost in mind. Natural surroundings were preserved and existing stone was used to build architecturally stunning accommodations with sweeping views of Navarino Bay.

The area now has four hotels — an adult’s-only, couples-friendly W (the first in Greece), with rooms you can swim up to (from $268 per night). Next is the family-oriented Westin (from $300 per night), which has a waterpark and kid’s club. Finally, there are the five-star Romanos and Mandarin Oriental, which opened in August (from $2,256 per night).

But despite the growing resort presence, this area has more to offer than sand and sea. For instance, golf aficionados come for the four magnificent 18-hole courses, overlooking sparkling beaches along the Ionian Sea. A Mouratoglou Tennis Center, the first in Europe, has 12 clay courts and very engaging pros. Swimmers have options of every shape and size, including a seemingly endless infinity pool with an edge that looks like it will drop into the bay. Costa Navarino even has an NBA basketball school that opened this spring.

Sure, there are picturesque beaches to explore, but why walk when you can cycle? There are miles of scenic rides to discover. If you are a bit tired to pedal back on some of the rougher roads, don’t stress — the hotels provide e-bikes that will have you navigating those hills effortlessly.

Though the weather tends to be spectacular, there are also indoor options at Costa Navarino’s Sports & Entertainment Centre, including bowling, volleyball, soccer, a climbing wall and workout classes.But there is no law against relaxation here. In fact, there are two healing havens here: Away and Anazoe spas.

Naturally, therapies — like the nourishing facial — are performed with olive oil (the town of Kalamata is just a hop away). For precocious, wellness-traveling children and teens, the spas also have specially designed treatments.

While there are many local dining spots worth visiting, the hotels themselves have 20 of their own, including Italian, Japanese, Lebanese and steak spots. But, of course, there is nothing like enjoying Mediterranean cuisine at Armyra and Kooc Taverna, where your lavraki was swimming in the sea and tomatoes and olives plucked off the vines, hours earlier.

The resort area is still in an expansive mode. In addition to the new Mandarin Oriental, an open-air market called Navarino Agora debuted in July, offering street food, retail, music, cultural events and nightlife.

Flights from New York go into Athens and, as of this summer, there are new connections to Kalamata airport, so you now have a choice of taking a three-hour drive from there to Costa Navarino, or hopping on a quick flight.

Since you are flying into the historic capital, it’s well worth spending a couple of days there on either end of your trip, and you would be hard-pressed to find a more luxurious hotel than Athens’ Four Seasons Astir Palace.

Just over 12 miles from the Acropolis, it is located on a peninsula called the Athens Riviera, and has three private beaches. Rooms have oversize verandas that gaze over water and mountains, and some have their own pools. The general swimming area is on a spectacular waterfront setting and the hotel’s spa has indoor swimming, as well. The Four Seasons has eight restaurants including Michelin-starred Pelagos.

For those who prefer to stay in the heart of Athens, the boutique Xenodocheio Milos hotel is a great choice. The brand started in Canada and is known to foodies as the name behind one of the finest Greek restaurants in the world, with two locations in New York. The hotel also has a partnership with Naxos, and not only are the room amenities made by the high-end apothecary, guests can also create their own personal scent.

Now that’s a wonderful way to recall the relaxation of your Greek sojourn anytime you take a whiff.

— Beth Landman

Inside the ancient isle’s Blue Palace resort and spa

The island of Crete was disputed over by Byzantines, Venetians and Turks for centuries before becoming part of Greece in 1899. It’s best resort make it easy to see why it was worth fighting for.

Cascading down the mountainside to white-sand beaches and crystalline surf, is the Blue Palace, a resort nestled between the tiny fishing village of Plaka and the increasingly trendy port of Elounda on the island’s northeast.

Opened two decades ago, this sprawling yet intimate retreat is best experienced via the Grand Villa, a two-bedroom residence with its own courtyard, private pool, two indoor Jacuzzis and an al fresco dining area where meals are served to the sweet smell of saffron crocus and the melodic song of a lark drifting on Aegean breezes (from $2,600 per night).

For those on a tighter budget, the deluxe suites (from $660) feature bright bedrooms, a stone veranda and private pool. Bungalows range from $300 during the high season and come with a private splash pool and veranda large enough to recline and read in the shade.

The beach is the priority here, so hitch a ride on a golf cart or walk to the main lobby where you can ride the funicular down to an array of pools and shoreline. Jet skis. water skis, windsurfing and wakeboarding await. Dive masters offer scuba lessons, night diving, boat diving, and snorkeling — common activities at most resorts. But only on Crete can you sail a wooden caïque (a traditional Greek fishing boat). Your destination is Spinalonga, an island sitting just off the coast, home to a fort that protected ancient Olous during Venetian occupation, dating from the 14th to 18th century. It’s a former leper colony and a UNESCO World Heritage site.

A sunset sail is a Cretan tradition best enjoyed over evening drinks. Return later for open-air cinema on the beach or listen to the haunting strains of a Cretan lyre while feasting on lamb spit roast over a bonfire.

The resort’s Anthós restaurant offers Cretan cuisine courtesy of Chef Athinagoras Kostakos whose farm-to-table menu features produce from the garden adjacent to the patio. There, you might watch them pick ingredients for your salad of cucumber, olive oil, dry oregano, galomizithra cheese and Kalamata olives.

For the main course, you can’t go wrong with sea bass “Guna” made with a raw vegetable salad and lemon-verbena sauce.  Don’t miss out on an olive oil tasting — after all, the olive holds a place in Greek culture just this side of sacred. Crete is home to the Olive tree of Vouves, dating back roughly 3,000 years, the world’s oldest.

When you’re done exploring, kick back in the Blue Palace’s Elounda Spa, offering Ayurvedic treatments personalized to suit your dosha.

Sure the palace might be blue, but you won’t be.

Once you’ve done Crete, have a sniff at Sifnos, a heavenly Cycladic island 80 miles south of Athens where the cruise ships don’t stop.

Sparsely populated with a shoreline kissed by the cerulean surf of the Aegean, it’s only accessible via SeaJet, a regular ferry departing daily from the capital’s main port, Piraeus. 

Your final destination is Verina Astra (from $192 to $985), a 16-suite property perched at the edge of Poulati cliff affording epic vistas of the ocean and neighboring Cycladic Islands as well as the blue and white church of Panagia Poulati and the majestic Kastro, a far-off castle.

The resort’s Bostani Bar & Restaurant is where local produce meets cutting edge cuisine. “Bostani” is the Greek word for a small garden of plants and herbs — sage, thyme, mint, oregano, rosemary and verbena. That means chefs here source from independent farmers and suppliers on the island and neighboring Cyclades.

If you prefer sand and surf to a clifftop, try Verina Terra in Platis Gialos, a beach town set amidst ancient olive trees. This boutique pied-à-terre offers four apartments and one three-story family unit just steps away from a private pool and a gate leading to the beach (from $192 to $746).

— Jordan Riefe