Catered villas in France, and the team that runs them
Riviera villas, four levels of service. Who is in the house each day, where they sleep, how meals are charged and what the chef needs to know before you land.
Catered villas in France come in several forms, so the first thing to settle is who will be in the house each day. Across our villas on the French Riviera, service runs from fully staffed, with a private chef, butler and housekeeper included in the stay, to houses where cleaning is provided and you add a chef for the days you want one. Breakfast and a dedicated concierge come with every stay, whichever villa you choose.
This page covers every villa we offer in Saint-Tropez, Cannes and on the Cap d’Antibes, and every role on the staff, not only the kitchen. If you have already chosen the Saint-Tropez peninsula and the question is purely the cooking, our page on a Saint-Tropez villa with a private chef goes further into menus and evenings there. To weigh the three stretches of coast first, see villas in the south of France.
Think of a villa with staff as a small hotel that serves only your party, with one difference: you set the hours. Breakfast can be at nine on the terrace one day and at seven before a boat departure the next, and the kitchen adapts because there is no one else to cook for.
Markets and kitchen rules worth knowing
Checked against official sources, so you can plan with confidence.
The Place des Lices market in Saint-Tropez is held every Tuesday and Saturday morning, with stallholders setting up from dawn: the natural shopping trip for a villa chef on the peninsula.
Source: sainttropeztourisme.comThe Forville market in Cannes sells fresh produce, local specialities and Mediterranean catch from Tuesday to Sunday, 7am to 1pm. On Mondays the square hosts a flea market instead.
Source: cannes-france.comThe Provençal market in Antibes runs every morning from 7.30am to 1pm, except Mondays from September to May. From June to August it opens daily and closes at 1.45pm.
Source: antibesjuanlespins.comFrench and EU rules list fourteen allergens that food businesses must declare, including gluten cereals, crustaceans, eggs, fish, peanuts, soya, milk, tree nuts, celery, mustard, sesame, lupin and molluscs.
Source: service-public.gouv.frSulphur dioxide and sulphites above 10 mg per kg or per litre are on the same list, which is worth mentioning in the brief if a guest reacts to wine.
Source: service-public.gouv.frProvence wines come from three appellations: Côtes de Provence, Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence and Coteaux Varois en Provence, a useful starting point when you tell the butler what to pour.
Source: vinsdeprovence.comFully staffed villa or à la carte: the four levels
Fully staffed, catered and serviced are used loosely across the market. This is what they mean in our Riviera collection, according to each owner’s description and our own visits. If your group is twelve or more, our page on large villas to rent adds the bedroom layouts to the picture.
| Level | Villas | Included in the stay | Added on request | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fully staffed | Saint-Tropez: Calista, Solara, Vittoria | The core team of chef, butler, housekeeping and security. On top of that, Calista has a private driver from morning to early evening, and Solara two housekeepers plus a night security guard | Babysitting, wellness treatments, a fitness coach, boat hire, helicopter transfers | Families and friends who want every meal at home to be effortless from the first evening |
| Staffed, with a weekly chef meal | Cap d’Antibes: Zeliane | Butler, housekeeper and security; breakfast daily; the chef cooks one lunch or dinner each week; five hours of chauffeured car a day; transfers to and from the airport; two body treatments of an hour each | More chef-cooked meals, additional staff, boat hire, helicopter transfers | Guests who will often eat out but want a team in the house and a car on hand |
| Housekeeping included | Cannes: Orvella. Saint-Tropez: Amara | A housekeeper, with cleaning for the whole stay | Private chef, butler, driver, security staff, babysitting, fitness coaching | Large groups who want to choose how many meals the chef cooks |
| À la carte | Villa Sorya and Villa Elaris, Cannes; Villa Orea and Villa Evara, Saint-Tropez | Cleaning during the stay | Private chef, butler, driver, security staff, babysitting, fitness coach; Orea also lists a housekeeper and beauty treatments | Guests who like to build their own team, or who plan to dine in town most nights |
Breakfast and a dedicated concierge are part of every stay, at every level. Rates for the villa and for any added staff are on request.
A villa with staff: who does what in the house
Titles vary from house to house, so it helps to know what each person is there for, and what is outside their job.
- Private chef. Plans menus with you, shops, cooks lunch and dinner, and serves family style or plated, as you prefer. Part of the stay in fully staffed villas; elsewhere you choose the days.
- Butler. Runs the house day to day: table and pool service, drinks before dinner, welcoming your guests, and coordinating the rest of the team. On a busy week, the butler is the person you speak to most.
- Housekeeper. Bedrooms, bathrooms, linen and the living spaces between meals. Villa Solara has two, which matters with children and pool towels in July.
- Driver. Beach, village, restaurant and airport runs, so nobody has to drive home after dinner. Included for part of the day at Villa Calista and Villa Zeliane, added elsewhere.
- Security staff. A discreet presence, often at night. Included at Calista, Vittoria and Zeliane; Solara has a night guard.
- Babysitter, coach, therapist. Booked by the session: a babysitter for adult dinners, a coach for morning training, massages at home in villas with a massage room such as Villa Elaris, Villa Orea or Villa Vittoria.
- Your advisor and private concierge. Not in the house but behind it: they pass on your brief, book tables and boats, and change the plan when the weather does.
Where the team sleeps, and why it matters
A chef who lives in can start breakfast early and close the kitchen after a late dinner without a drive home along the coast in August traffic. Whether that is possible depends on the house, because staff need rooms of their own that do not take a guest bedroom.
Villa Sorya in Cannes has a separate staff apartment, so a chef or housekeeper can live on site without touching your privacy. Villa Zeliane on the Cap d’Antibes has a separate two-bedroom apartment for its team. Villa Orea and Villa Solara in Saint-Tropez each have a separate staff room, and Villa Amara has four, which is why it suits a full household team for a big group.
For the other villas, the owners’ descriptions do not mention staff quarters. We confirm in writing how the team is organised for your dates, which matters if you want very early breakfasts or late service every night.
How meals are billed in a catered villa
Nothing about food should surprise you on departure day. Before you commit, your advisor sends a tailored proposal, and the terms for the chef, groceries and wine are written into it and into the rental agreement. Because those terms differ from villa to villa, the table shows what to check rather than one rule for all.
| Item | What the villa provides | What your proposal settles |
|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | Served daily in every villa | Times, and early starts for boat days or departures |
| The chef’s service | Included at Calista, Solara and Vittoria; one lunch or dinner a week at Zeliane; on request elsewhere | Meals per day and on which days. An added chef is priced on request, according to the number of meals, the number of guests and the level of service |
| Groceries | Terms vary by villa | Whether ingredients are included or charged on top, and how you see what was bought |
| Wine and drinks | A welcome of wine, juices and snacks at most villas; soft drinks and mineral water included at Zeliane | Your wish list, and how wine beyond the welcome is supplied and charged |
| Guests for dinner | Planned with the chef | How many, how often, and whether extra help is needed in the kitchen or at table |
| Staff added mid-stay | Arranged by the concierge, subject to availability | Confirmed in writing before the person starts |
All rates are on request. If any line in a proposal is unclear, ask Nathalie Nguyen or Adam Haddad before signing, not after.
What to brief the chef, in six points
The best villa meals are planned a week before anyone sits down. Send these six points to your advisor about ten days ahead; they pass them to the villa team so the kitchen is ready for the first meal.
- Who is eating
Names, ages and numbers at each meal. For allergies, name the exact ingredient (sesame, not ‘seeds’), and keep allergies apart from dislikes so the chef knows what is medical and what is taste.
- The rhythm of the week
Which days you lunch on a boat or at the beach, which evenings you dine out, and when you like to eat. Say whether children join the adult table or have their own, earlier sitting.
- The style
Market cooking, long grilled lunches, a lighter week or a few formal dinners. Kitchens differ: Villa Solara has an outdoor kitchen with a pizza oven, a barbecue and a teppanyaki bar; Villa Orvella has two kitchens, one professional, with a cold room; Villa Calista has a professional-grade designer kitchen.
- The first evening
Your arrival time, and whether you want a full dinner, something simple or nothing at all after the journey. It is the meal most often wasted.
- Drinks
Wines you love and dislike, aperitif habits, soft drinks for children, and anything to open for a celebration.
- Occasions and visitors
Birthdays, a lunch for friends staying nearby, a dinner for twenty: dates and numbers, so staffing is planned rather than improvised.
When a staffed stay drifts, and the simple fix
- Too rich by day three. Ask for lighter lunches (fish, salads, fruit) and keep the full menu for the evening. A chef would rather hear it on Tuesday than read it at departure.
- The team feels too present. Agree quiet hours: no housekeeping before ten, the terrace left to you after dinner service. Separate staff quarters make this easier.
- Plans change. Wind cancels the boat and twelve people are home for lunch. Warn the house the evening before when you can; the concierge moves the boat to another day.
- Extra guests. Six friends joining for dinner is easy with notice. Give numbers as early in the day as you can so the chef can shop.
- A new diet mid-week. A late arrival eats differently: send details to your advisor before they travel so the kitchen buys for them.
- Children and late dinners. A babysitter on request lets adults dine late while children eat early and sleep at home.
Villas with staff on the French Riviera
Villas where the team is included in the stay or can live on site.
The villas side by side
Space and highlights at a glance; staffing details are in the tables above.
| Residence | Guests | Bedrooms | Bathrooms | Living area | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Villa CalistaSaint-Tropez | 12 | 6 | 6 | 400 m² | Heated Pool, Wine Cellar, Gym, Gated Estate |
| Villa SolaraSaint-Tropez | 12 | 7 | 7 | 451 m² | Heated Pool, Sea View, Tennis Court, Wine Cellar, Massage Room |
| Villa VittoriaSaint-Tropez | 16 | 8 | 9 | 460 m² | Heated Pool, Sea View, Massage Room, Gym |
| 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 |
| Villa SoryaCannes | 12 | 6 | 6 | 550 m² | Heated Pool, Gym |
Rates are on request and depend on dates and services. Your advisor confirms availability and the final details of every residence.
How we organise a fully staffed villa
A good team is only half of it. The other half is what reaches them before you do.
Seen by our team
Every residence is visited by our team, so we can tell you how the kitchen, the staff quarters and the dining terrace actually work together.
One brief, passed on once
You send your preferences to one advisor. They reach the chef, butler and housekeeper before you land, and nobody asks you twice.
Terms in writing
Chef, groceries and wine terms are set out in your proposal and rental agreement before you sign, villa by villa.
Adjusted during the stay
Your concierge adds a driver, a babysitter or an extra dinner, and moves the boat day when the wind gets up.
Catered villa questions
Anything else? Our team in Paris answers personally, usually within the day.
Ask our teamWhat is a catered villa?
A catered villa is a private house where meals are prepared for you, usually by a private chef. On the French Riviera the term covers anything from a chef for a few dinners to a fully staffed villa with butler, housekeeper and security. In our collection, breakfast and a dedicated concierge come with every stay, and three Saint-Tropez villas include a private chef.
What does fully staffed villa mean?
It means the core household team is part of the stay rather than added: at minimum a private chef, a butler and housekeeping, often with security. Villa Calista, Villa Solara and Villa Vittoria in Saint-Tropez work this way. Our other Riviera villas can reach the same level with staff added on request, confirmed in your proposal.
How much does a private chef cost for a villa in France?
Rates are on request. An added chef is priced according to the number of meals, the number of guests and the level of service, and grocery terms vary by villa. Everything is set out in a tailored proposal before you commit, so you can compare a fully staffed villa with one where you add a chef.
Can you book a villa with a private chef for only some meals?
Yes. Where the chef is added, you choose the days and the meals, for instance dinners only, or lunch on the days you stay home. At Villa Zeliane a chef cooks one lunch or dinner a week as part of the stay, and further meals can be added. Tell your advisor the rhythm you have in mind.
Do villa staff live on site?
It depends on the house. Villa Sorya has a separate staff apartment, Villa Zeliane a two-bedroom staff apartment, Villa Orea and Villa Solara a staff room each, and Villa Amara four staff rooms. For other villas we confirm in writing how the team is organised for your dates.
Can you arrange a villa with staff that is not listed online?
Often, yes. Some residences are available without being published online, including staffed houses. Tell Nathalie Nguyen or Adam Haddad your dates, group and the service you want, and they will suggest what fits. In winter, the same approach applies to catered chalets in the Alps.
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Tell us how you like to live, we will build the team
Send Nathalie Nguyen or Adam Haddad your dates, your group and how many meals you would like at home. They reply within the day with the villas that fit and a proposal that names every member of staff. WhatsApp +33 7 80 98 05 43 or email contact@lutetia-group.com.