Michelin On The Mediterranean In Your Own Private Villa

It’s not uncommon to find some great Michelin-rated restaurants along the Mediterranean. It’s also not a tough challenge to find a beautiful villa to rent on the Côte d’Azur for that luxe vacation experience, but what you might be hard pressed to find is a villa that comes with a chef that has earned a coveted Michelin star. Enter Amavia Collection for all of those gourmands who want to enjoy a Michelin culinary experience and five-star service from the comfort of your own private mansion in the South of France.

Amavia’s premiere property, Villa Gaïa, sits at the top of Villefranche-sur-Mer in the French Riviera. Michelin-starred chef Alain Llorca serves as the executive chef of Amavia Collection and oversees the culinary program. As a young chef, Llorca received his first star while at Les Peintres in Cagnes-sur-Mer. He then earned two stars in 1996 at Negresco in Nice. In 2004 he was named the successor to noted chef Roger Vergé at Moulin de Mougins. Llorca opened his namesake restaurant and hotel overlooking Saint-Paul de Vence in 2009 and obtained his first star there in 2012. Llorca’s cuisine is heavily inspired by the flavors and tastes of the Mediterranean and Provence.

The beauty of Amavia’s dining program is that their culinary team can do it all from a leisurely champagne-filled lunch on the lawn to a five-course dinner extravaganza to bites and apéritifs by the infinity pool to even decadent snacks for a movie night in the villa’s private cinema complete with gourmet popcorn. For your stay in the French Riviera, I might suggest a screening of the mid-90s classic French Kiss starring Meg Ryan, Kevin Kline, and Jean Reno.

Whenever possible the culinary team likes to source organic and local products. All of your meals can be tailored to your specific dietary needs and can be made as casual or formal as you want. The villa also boasts an expansive wine cellar representing all of the French regions. If that’s not enough to whet your appetite, you can also coordinate a guided tour of the local farmer’s market in Nice with your culinary team.

Your experience can be as high touch or low touch as you want. Villa Gaïa comes with a butler, housekeeping staff, Michelin chef, and a slew of amenities. With six suites and eight bathrooms Villa Gaïa accommodates up to 12 sleeping guests, but more during the day if one wanted to hold a private reception for a party or even an intimate wedding. The villa has a state-of-the-art gym featuring Technogym equipment, chef’s kitchen, movie theater, spa area with natural stone that includes a sauna and indoor pool, in addition to the heated outdoor infinity pool overlooking Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat with its own pool house and kitchen. Future Amavia Collection properties are planned for Corsica, Courchevel, Provence, Saint-Tropez, and Ibiza.

Find Benjamin Liong Setiawan on Instagram: @hungryeditor.