Luxury villa holidays, from the Riviera to the Alps
A private residence for your group alone, chosen by season and staffed to suit, with breakfast and a private concierge included in every stay.
A luxury villa holiday with Lutetia Group is a private residence taken for your dates alone: a villa in Saint-Tropez, Cannes or on the Cap d’Antibes for the summer, or a chalet in Courchevel, Verbier, Zermatt or St. Moritz for the ski season. Daily breakfast and a private concierge come with every stay, while chefs, chauffeurs, boats and helicopter transfers are added to fit the group. Nothing is booked until you have read a tailored proposal and a written rental agreement.
This page follows that holiday from start to finish: which season and which place, what the rate on request actually covers from one house to the next, who the staff are and what each of them does, how the paperwork works, and, frankly, when a hotel would serve you better. Our team in Paris has arranged these stays since 1989 and has visited every residence it proposes, so the details below come from the houses themselves rather than from a brochure.
The year in six dates and figures
Checked against official sources, so you can plan with confidence.
Courchevel’s 2026/2027 winter season runs from 4 December 2026 to 18 April 2027.
Source: courchevel.comIn Verbier, the 4 Vallées lift company announces skiing from November to the end of April, across 410 km of slopes.
Source: verbier4vallees.chZermatt describes the Theodul Glacier as Europe’s highest year-round ski area, with 21 km of runs open to summer skiers at Klein Matterhorn.
Source: zermatt.swissThe 80th Festival de Cannes is scheduled for 11 to 22 May 2027.
Source: festival-cannes.comLes Voiles de Saint-Tropez, the leading sailing event on the French Mediterranean coast, runs from 25 September to 3 October 2027.
Source: lesvoilesdesaint-tropez.frNice Côte d’Azur is France’s second-largest airport after Paris, about 15 minutes from the centre of Nice.
Source: Nice Côte d'Azur tourist officeSummer on the Riviera, winter in the Alps
The first decision is not the house but the season, because the season settles the setting. From late spring to early autumn our luxury holiday villas are on the French Riviera. From December to April the same advisors look after chalets in Courchevel, in the French Alps, and in Verbier, Zermatt and St. Moritz, in Switzerland. Many families keep both in the diary: a fortnight by the sea in July, a week of skiing at February half-term.
Within each season, the place depends on how you want the days to run. Saint-Tropez is about the beaches of Pampelonne and evenings in the village, Cannes about having a real town, the Croisette and its events at the foot of the hill, and the Cap d’Antibes about seclusion with the sea a short walk away. If the coast is your choice and you are weighing one stretch against another, our guide to villas in the south of France compares the areas in detail. For winter, the luxury chalet collection sets out each resort and its houses.
| When | Where | What shapes the stay | When to ask |
|---|---|---|---|
| May | Cannes | Festival weeks: villas near the Croisette are asked for by working teams as well as families | As early as possible for festival dates |
| June and early July | Saint-Tropez, Cannes, Cap d’Antibes | Long days and heated pools before the school holidays begin | Early in the year |
| Mid-July to August | Saint-Tropez above all | The peak of the season: beaches, boats and the village at night | Winter or early spring |
| September to early October | Saint-Tropez, Cannes | Quieter beaches, and Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez at the turn of the month | A few weeks ahead can work |
| Christmas and New Year | Courchevel, Verbier, Zermatt, St. Moritz | Festive weeks for families and groups of friends | The previous spring or summer |
| February and March | Courchevel, Verbier, Zermatt, St. Moritz | Half-term in February, longer and brighter days in March | By the autumn for half-term |
| April | Zermatt, Courchevel | Late-season skiing, with Zermatt’s glacier open beyond the winter | Often a few weeks ahead |
Lead times reflect what we usually see, not rules: a well-matched house can still be free at short notice, and some residences are available without being published online.
What the stay includes, house by house
Two things come with every stay we arrange: breakfast served daily and a dedicated concierge, on hand before you arrive and throughout. Beyond that, luxury villa holidays vary far more than the photographs suggest, and the difference is mostly about people: who is in the house each day, for how many hours, and whether they are part of the rental or added to it.
On the Riviera, our villas fall into four broad patterns. The examples below come straight from the collection, so you can see what a word like ‘staffed’ means in practice.
- Is the chef cooking every meal, one meal a day, or a set number of evenings a week?
- Are groceries, wine and drinks included, or charged at cost on top of the rental?
- Does the driver work set hours, and does that cover evenings out?
- Are airport transfers part of the stay, or arranged by the concierge on request?
- Can staff live in, or do they arrive each morning?
| Pattern | Examples | Included | Added on request |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concierge-led villa | Villa Elaris and Villa Sorya, Cannes; Villa Orea and Villa Evara, Saint-Tropez | Breakfast, concierge and cleaning during the stay | Private chef, butler, chauffeur, security staff, babysitting, fitness coach |
| Housekeeper included | Villa Orvella, Cannes; Villa Amara, Saint-Tropez | A housekeeper and cleaning throughout, with breakfast and concierge | Private chef, butler, driver, security staff, babysitting |
| Fully staffed | Villa Calista, Villa Solara and Villa Vittoria, Saint-Tropez | Private chef, butler, housekeeping and security staff; at Villa Calista, a driver from morning to early evening | Helicopter transfers, boat hire, babysitting, wellness or fitness sessions |
| Hotel-style service | Villa Zeliane, Cap d’Antibes | Butler, housekeeper, security, a chef for one meal a week, a car with driver five hours a day, airport transfers and two one-hour body treatments per stay | Additional staff, boat hire, helicopter transfers |
Chalets: the question is the food and drink
In the Alps the pattern changes, because most of our chalets come with a chef and a chalet team as standard. What really separates them is the table. At Chalet Azelia and Chalet Gus in St. Moritz, and at Chalet Orizon in Verbier, dinners on five evenings a week and an open bar are part of the catered stay; Chalet Avalon offers the same on its fully catered option, or bed and breakfast for guests who prefer to dine out.
At chalets such as Chalet Zeyr in Zermatt, Chalet Auron in Verbier or Chalet Valmont in Courchevel, the chef and team are there every day, but food and drink are charged separately or at cost. Chalet Nore in St. Moritz is let on a self-catered basis with daily housekeeping, and a private chef can be added. None of these is better in itself: an open bar suits a group that entertains every night, while paying at cost suits a family that eats simply and skis hard. The difference is set out in our guide to all-inclusive luxury ski holidays.
Who looks after you during the stay
Staff titles overlap from one house to the next, so it helps to know what each person actually does.
- Concierge: your contact before arrival and during the stay, for chefs, transfers, restaurant tables, boats and experiences. Included in every stay.
- Housekeeper: daily cleaning, linen and the general order of the house.
- Private chef: plans menus with you, shops and cooks. Usually added on the coast, usually part of the team in the mountains.
- Butler or maître d’hôtel: serves at table, keeps the rhythm of meals and looks after drinks and guests.
- Chalet manager and hosts: the Alpine equivalent of a house manager, coordinating the team, ski passes and the plan for the day.
- Chauffeur: hours vary widely, from five hours a day at Villa Zeliane to 8am until 11pm at Chalet Azelia.
- Security, babysitting, fitness or yoga coaching: added on request in most houses.
From a first message to a signed agreement
The full sequence, including what happens on the day you arrive and the day you leave, is covered in how luxury villa and chalet rental works.
- Send the outline
Dates, even approximate, the place or simply the season, the number of adults and children, and anything non-negotiable: a lift, bedrooms on one floor, walking distance to the village. A WhatsApp message is enough, and the team usually replies within the day.
- Receive a shortlist
Residences the team has visited, sometimes including houses that are available without being published online, each with a straight answer on location and on how the house works day to day.
- Read the tailored proposal
Rates depend on your dates, the length of the stay and the services you choose, so the proposal sets out the house, the dates, what is included and the services you have asked for, priced for that exact combination.
- Sign the rental agreement
The written agreement restates everything above. The booking is confirmed on signature and receipt of the deposit, and a security deposit is requested before arrival, with its amount and terms set out in the agreement.
- Arrive and settle in
Check-in and check-out times are arranged according to availability, the exact address is shared once you have booked, and the concierge stays with you until departure.
Villa or hotel? An honest guide
A private residence is not automatically the better choice. It wins when the size of the group, the length of the stay and the way you like to live all point the same way. This is how we would advise a friend.
- For ski weeks, the same question has its own nuances (ski rooms, boot warmers, chalet hosts), covered in choosing between a chalet and a hotel for a ski holiday.
| Your situation | Villa or chalet | Hotel suite | Our view |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eight or more people, or three generations together | Everyone under one roof, shared meals, separate bedrooms | Several rooms, often on different floors | A villa or chalet, almost always |
| Young children with set routines | Your own kitchen, early suppers, a chef who works to their timetable | Room service, and a children’s club where one exists | A residence, especially for a week or more |
| A couple for two or three nights | Possible, but the house is more than you need | Restaurants, spa and service from the first evening | Often a hotel, unless privacy is the point |
| Privacy matters above all | No lobby, no other guests, the address shared only on booking | Shared public spaces | A residence |
| A celebration or a working retreat | Room to host, cook and gather, with no other guests | Event rooms with the hotel’s own rules | A residence, within the house’s terms |
| You enjoy the bustle of a resort hotel | Quiet by design: the life is inside the house | Bars, restaurants and people around you | A hotel, and we will tell you so |
Luxury villas in Europe: why we stay in France and Switzerland
Searches for luxury villas in Europe run from Greek islands to Tuscan hills. We have chosen to stay narrow: the French Riviera between Saint-Tropez and the Cap d’Antibes in summer, and four Alpine resorts in winter. Keeping to these places is what allows the team to visit every house, to know which street goes quiet after dinner and which garden loses the sun first, and to say plainly when a house is not right for you. If your heart is set on another country, we would rather tell you at the start than send you something we have never seen.
Luxury holiday villas and chalets, summer and winter
Residences that show the range, from fully staffed villas by the sea to catered chalets in the Engadin and in Zermatt.
Residences side by side
Guests, bedrooms, bathrooms, living space and highlights at a glance, for the coast and the mountains.
| Residence | Guests | Bedrooms | Bathrooms | Living area | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Villa VittoriaSaint-Tropez | 16 | 8 | 9 | 460 m² | Heated Pool, Sea View, Massage Room, Gym |
| Villa SolaraSaint-Tropez | 12 | 7 | 7 | 451 m² | Heated Pool, Sea View, Tennis Court, Wine Cellar, Massage Room |
| Villa ZelianeCap d'Antibes | 10 | 7 | 6 | 340 m² | Heated Pool, Tennis Court, Hammam, Sauna, Gym |
| Villa OrvellaCannes | 20 | 12 | 12 | 1,100 m² | Heated Pool, Cinema Room, Wine Cellar, Hammam, Sauna |
| Chalet AzeliaSt. Moritz | 14 | 6 | 7 | 1,000 m² | Indoor Pool, Cinema Room, Hammam, Massage Room, Jacuzzi |
| Chalet ZeyrZermatt | 12 | 6 | 7 | 565 m² | Sauna, Massage Room, Jacuzzi, Gym, Elevator |
Rates are on request and depend on dates and services. Your advisor confirms availability and the final details of every residence.
One team for both seasons
What changes when the same agency looks after your summer and your winter.
Same advisors, sea or snow
Nathalie Nguyen and Adam Haddad handle Riviera villas and Alpine chalets alike, so a family that spends July by the sea can plan February in the mountains without explaining itself again.
Inclusions spelled out
We tell you which staff are in the house, for which hours, and whether food and drink are included or charged at cost, before the proposal rather than after it.
Every house visited
The team has been inside every residence it proposes, which is how it can answer on stairs, noise, views and the real walk to the beach or the lift.
Houses not shown online
Some residences are available without being published on the site, and your shortlist can include them whenever they fit the brief.
Luxury villa holidays: your questions
Anything else? Our team in Paris answers personally, usually within the day.
Ask our teamHow do you book a villa holiday?
With us, you send your dates, the number of guests and any essentials by WhatsApp or email, and an advisor replies with a shortlist of residences the team has visited. Once you choose a house, you receive a tailored proposal and a written rental agreement. The booking is confirmed when the agreement is signed and the deposit received, never before you have read the terms.
How far in advance can you book a villa?
As far ahead as you like. For July and August on the Riviera, or for Christmas, New Year and February half-term in the Alps, we suggest starting the conversation months ahead, often the previous winter or summer. Outside those weeks, a few weeks’ notice can be enough, and houses not published online sometimes open up at short notice.
Do villas require a deposit for damage?
Yes. Alongside the booking deposit that confirms the reservation, a security deposit is requested before arrival. Its amount and payment terms are written into your rental agreement, so you know them before you sign. It is a standard part of renting a private residence rather than a hotel room.
How much are luxury villa holidays?
Rates are on request, because they depend on the dates, the length of the stay and the services you choose. The same villa costs differently in June and in August, and a stay with a full household team differs from one with housekeeping alone. Your advisor sends a tailored proposal that sets out exactly what is included for your dates.
What should you pack for a villa holiday?
Less than you think. Houses such as Villa Elaris provide fine linens and bath products, many have gyms and wellness areas, and the concierge can arrange most things locally, from boat hire to restaurant tables. In winter, chalets have ski rooms with boot warmers, and ski passes or equipment can be delivered to the door in many of them. Bring what is personal: medication, documents and your own sports kit.
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Plan the season with us
Tell Nathalie Nguyen or Adam Haddad your dates, your group and the season you have in mind, on WhatsApp at +33 7 80 98 05 43 or at contact@lutetia-group.com. You will usually hear back within the day, with houses that fit and an honest word on those that do not.