Large villa holidays on the Riviera, chosen by group size and layout
Villas in Saint-Tropez and Cannes for groups of twelve and above. How their bedrooms are arranged, who looks after you, and how to get everyone there without a convoy of hire cars.
For large villa holidays on the French Riviera, choose by how your group actually sleeps, not by the headline capacity. Twelve guests in six double bedrooms is a very different week from twelve guests spread between a main house and a garden cottage. Our villas for twelve or more are in Saint-Tropez and Cannes, and this guide sorts them by headcount, bedroom layout, staff and arrival logistics so you can shortlist quickly.
Every figure for a residence comes from the owner’s description and from our team’s own visits. Where something is not published, such as which bedroom sits on the ground floor, we say so and tell you what to ask. If your town is already decided, our pages on a large luxury villa in Saint-Tropez and a large luxury villa in Cannes go deeper on each setting; this one stays with the question that comes first for a big group: will the house work for these particular people?
A simple count before you look at photos: list the couples who share a bed, the adults who will not, the children who can share a twin room, and any nanny, chef or driver who needs to sleep on site. The headline capacity of large villas to rent assumes two people in every bed. Six couples need six bedrooms; a group of fifteen made of five couples, three single friends and two teenagers sharing a twin needs nine, not eight.
Moving a big group in France, the rules that matter
Checked against official sources, so you can plan with confidence.
A standard car licence (category B) covers vehicles of up to 3.5 tonnes with no more than nine seats, driver included. Anything larger needs a different licence, which is why groups of nine or more passengers travel with professional drivers.
Source: service-public.gouv.frA child car seat is compulsory in France for children under ten, whatever the length of the journey, adapted to the child’s height and build.
Source: securite-routiere.gouv.frCannes Mandelieu airport describes itself as France’s second business aviation airport, specialised in general aviation and business travel on the Côte d’Azur.
Source: cannes.aeroport.frThe Golfe de Saint-Tropez international airport at La Môle handles private and commercial flights by aeroplane and helicopter, and is listed as open every day of the year.
Source: Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur tourist boardThe French tourist tax is collected by the accommodation provider for each tourist staying, so the amount depends on the size of your group.
Source: collectivites-locales.gouv.frMinors are exempt from the French tourist tax, so a guest list with ages is all that is needed to settle it correctly.
Source: collectivites-locales.gouv.frWhich villa for how many guests
Start here, then read the layout notes below before you fall for a pool. Bedrooms, bathrooms and living space for each villa also appear further down with the residence cards.
| Your group | Villas to look at | Why they work | Check before booking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Twelve, mostly couples | Villa Sorya, Cannes; Villa Orea, Saint-Tropez | Six double bedrooms each with its own bathroom, plus separate staff accommodation, so a chef or housekeeper can live in without taking a guest room | No twin rooms are described: confirm how beds can be arranged for children or friends who will not share |
| Twelve with children or single friends | Villa Calista and Villa Solara, Saint-Tropez | Calista has four doubles and two rooms that work as doubles or twins; Solara has five en-suite doubles, a twin room and an air-conditioned guest cottage | Twelve is the ceiling at both, so a thirteenth guest means a different villa |
| Thirteen to sixteen | Villa Vittoria, Saint-Tropez | Eight double bedrooms and nine bathrooms, every bedroom en suite, with a private chef, butler and housekeeper included | All rooms are doubles: tell us early if teenagers or friends need separate beds |
| Seventeen to twenty | Villa Orvella in Cannes; Villa Amara, Saint-Tropez | Orvella pairs ten double bedrooms with two independent apartments and a lift to every floor; Amara spreads ten guest bedrooms, each with its own bathroom, over two independent buildings | Orvella is on five floors; Amara splits the group between two buildings, which some families love and others do not |
| More than twenty | Villa Amara first, then residences we do not publish online | Amara has the highest listed capacity in our Riviera collection and four separate staff rooms | Above twenty we confirm sleeping arrangements room by room in writing, before any commitment |
Capacities are the owners’ figures. We always recheck them against your guest list.
What ‘sleeps twenty’ really means
Large luxury villas tend to follow one of three plans, and each suits a different kind of group. Knowing which one you are looking at matters more than another hundred square metres.
One house, all doubles. Villa Sorya, Villa Orea and Villa Vittoria keep everyone under one roof in double bedrooms with their own bathrooms. Ideal for groups of couples and for families who want to be together at every meal. Less ideal when several adults sleep alone, because each of them takes a full double room.
Main house plus independent space. Villa Solara adds a guest cottage with its own terrace, Villa Orvella two independent apartments, and Villa Amara a second building altogether. This is the plan for two families sharing, for grandparents who go to bed early, or for older children who want a door of their own. The trade-off is that someone is always a short walk from the kitchen.
Flexible rooms. Villa Calista’s two rooms that switch between double and twin make it the most adaptable twelve-guest villa we offer, useful when the guest list keeps changing until the last fortnight.
- Which bedrooms are on the same floor as the main living rooms, for anyone who finds stairs difficult (Villa Orvella is the only one of the seven whose description mentions a lift serving every floor).
- Which rooms can take a cot or an extra bed, and whether that changes the owner’s maximum capacity.
- Where staff sleep in relation to guests: a separate apartment, as at Villa Sorya, keeps the house private.
- Whether the master suite is one of a kind (Villa Solara’s has its own terrace over the sea), so you can decide who gets it before you arrive.
- How far the annexe or second building is from the pool and the dining terrace, if your group is split.
Who looks after a group of twenty
Feeding sixteen to twenty people three times a day is a job in itself, so staffing is where large villas differ most. Some come fully staffed; others include housekeeping and let you add a chef. Breakfast and a dedicated concierge are part of every stay. Our guide to catered villas in France explains how a villa team works day to day; the table below shows what each large villa includes.
| Villa | Included in the stay | Can be added on request | Kitchen and staff housing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Villa Calista, Saint-Tropez | Private chef, butler, housekeeper, security staff, driver from morning to early evening, daily housekeeping | Helicopter transfers, boat hire, babysitting, wellness treatments | Professional-grade designer kitchen |
| Villa Solara, Saint-Tropez | Private chef, butler, two housekeepers, night security guard | Chauffeur, babysitting, fitness coach, boat hire, helicopter transfers | Separate staff room; professional outdoor kitchen with pizza oven, barbecue and teppanyaki bar |
| Villa Vittoria, Saint-Tropez | Private chef, butler, housekeeper, security staff | Chauffeur, babysitting, yoga or fitness coach, car or helicopter transfers | Ask us about staff accommodation |
| Villa Orvella, Cannes | Housekeeper, cleaning throughout the stay | Private chef, butler, driver, security staff, babysitting, fitness coach | Two kitchens, one professional, with a cold room for large gatherings |
| Villa Amara, Saint-Tropez | Housekeeper, daily cleaning | Private chef, butler, chauffeur, security staff, babysitting, yoga or fitness coaching | Four separate staff rooms |
| Villa Orea, Saint-Tropez | Cleaning during the stay | Private chef, butler, housekeeper, driver, security staff, fitness coach, beauty treatments | Separate staff room; in-house beauty salon |
| Villa Sorya, Cannes | Cleaning throughout the stay | Private chef, butler, chauffeur, security staff, babysitting, fitness coach | Separate staff apartment |
Rates for the villa and for any added staff are on request.
Getting everyone to the villa
- Map the arrivals first
Big groups rarely land together. Send us every flight or train as soon as it is booked, and we group them into a few pick-ups rather than a day of separate taxis. Check-in times are arranged according to availability, so an early wave can often settle in while the rest are still travelling.
- Plan vehicles by seats, not by cars
A standard licence stops at nine seats including the driver, and luggage for twenty fills a van on its own. For anything beyond a family car, our concierge books chauffeured vehicles, so nobody spends the first evening driving unfamiliar coast roads.
- Use the air when it saves hours
For guests flying privately, look at Cannes Mandelieu for the Cannes villas and La Môle for Saint-Tropez. Villa Calista has a private helipad and Villa Vittoria’s estate has one, so a helicopter transfer can land at the door.
- Give us the children’s ages
Child seats are compulsory in France for under-tens. With ages in hand, we make sure every transfer vehicle has the right seats fitted before it leaves.
- Send a final guest list
It lets us confirm the bedroom plan with the house team and settle the tourist tax, which is counted per guest with minors exempt. It also tells the chef how many will sit down on the first night.
Common snags with large groups
- Two families, one villa. Look at Villa Amara’s two buildings, Villa Orvella’s independent apartments or Villa Solara’s cottage, so each family has a door to close.
- Grandparents and stairs. Villa Orvella’s lift serves all five floors. Elsewhere, ask us which bedrooms are level with the living rooms before you allocate them.
- Teenagers who stay up late. A soundproofed cinema (Villa Orea), a private cinema (Villa Orvella, Villa Amara) or the games corner at Villa Solara keeps late evenings away from the bedrooms.
- Everyone eating at different times. A chef working from Villa Orvella’s professional kitchen, or from Villa Solara’s outdoor kitchen, can run a long buffet lunch instead of one fixed sitting.
- A birthday dinner turning into a party. Extra guests beyond the house party need the owner’s agreement, which we request in advance; our page on a villa for private celebrations covers how that works.
- A grey day. Villa Orvella has a hammam, sauna and panoramic jacuzzi; Villa Amara a gym, hammam and cinema; Villa Solara a gym with room for yoga. Nobody is stuck indoors with nothing to do.
Large luxury villas for twelve guests and more
Villas in Saint-Tropez and Cannes, each visited by our team, with sleeping arrangements confirmed in every proposal.
Villas for large groups side by side
Guests, bedrooms, bathrooms and living space, to read with the headcount and staff tables above.
| Residence | Guests | Bedrooms | Bathrooms | Living area | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Villa AmaraSaint-Tropez | 25 | 14 | 14 | 900 m² | Heated Pool, Sea View, Cinema Room, Wine Cellar, Hammam |
| Villa OrvellaCannes | 20 | 12 | 12 | 1,100 m² | Heated Pool, Cinema Room, Wine Cellar, Hammam, Sauna |
| 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 CalistaSaint-Tropez | 12 | 6 | 6 | 400 m² | Heated Pool, Wine Cellar, Gym, Gated Estate |
| Villa OreaSaint-Tropez | 12 | 6 | 7 | 510 m² | Heated Pool, Cinema Room, Wine Cellar, Hammam, Massage Room |
| 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.
Booking a big house with us
The bigger the group, the more a booking depends on details that never make it into a listing.
A bedroom plan, in writing
We send a room-by-room plan with your proposal, matched to your guest list, so nobody discovers on arrival that two friends are sharing a double.
Houses we have walked through
Our team visits every residence, so we can tell you which rooms are up three flights of stairs and which open onto the garden.
Beyond the published seven
Some large residences are available without being published online. If none of these fits your numbers, ask us about the others.
One contact for the whole group
Nathalie Nguyen or Adam Haddad handles the guest list, transfers and staff for everyone, and usually replies within the day.
Large villa holidays, your questions
Anything else? Our team in Paris answers personally, usually within the day.
Ask our teamAre villas priced per person?
No. A villa is rented as a whole, so the rate covers the residence for your dates, whatever the number of guests up to its capacity. Staff and services added on request are quoted separately, and all rates are on request. The one per-guest element is the French tourist tax, which is counted for each guest staying, with minors exempt.
How far in advance can you book a villa for a large group?
As early as your dates are fixed. There are far fewer villas for sixteen or twenty guests than for eight, so in July and August the choice narrows quickly. Booking is confirmed on signature of a written rental agreement and receipt of the deposit, and a separate security deposit is requested before arrival.
How many bedrooms does a group of twenty need?
Usually ten double bedrooms if everyone is in a couple, and more if some adults sleep alone or teenagers need their own beds. Villa Orvella’s ten doubles and two independent apartments, or Villa Amara’s ten guest bedrooms across two buildings, are built for this. We check the count against your actual guest list before proposing either.
Can a large villa come with a private chef and staff?
Yes. Villa Calista, Villa Solara and Villa Vittoria include a private chef, a butler and housekeeping in the stay. At Villa Orvella and Villa Amara a housekeeper is included and a chef can be added. Villas with a professional kitchen or separate staff rooms make catering for twenty far easier for the team.
What is the best large villa for a multi-generational family?
One that gives each generation its own space without splitting the meals. Villa Orvella has a lift to every floor and two independent apartments; Villa Solara has a guest cottage and a children’s play area; Villa Amara offers two buildings. Our luxury villas collection also includes smaller homes for families of ten.
Can we host a party at a large villa?
A house party for the guests staying is part of the holiday. Inviting people from outside, hiring musicians or setting up a dinner for more than the house sleeps needs the owner’s prior agreement, and some residences accept events while others do not. Tell us the plan before booking and we confirm in writing what is allowed.
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Send us the guest list, we will find the villa
Tell Nathalie Nguyen or Adam Haddad how many are coming, who shares, the children’s ages and how everyone is travelling. We reply with a shortlist and a bedroom plan for each villa, usually within the day. Write on WhatsApp at +33 7 80 98 05 43 or to contact@lutetia-group.com. Rates are on request.