About Us

The faces behind Suitessurfnest

A secluded resort and casino on the Mediterranean coast. Since 1982 we have grown from six rooms around a single conviction — that outstanding hospitality never needs announcing.

Our story, briefly told

In the summer of 1982, two friends — one a former hotelier, the other a chef — acquired a strip of shoreline and turned a private villa into a six-room guesthouse. There was no pitch deck, no brand strategy and no social media. Only a notebook with two rules: look after fewer guests better than anyone else; and never settle for what passes as "industry standard".

Forty-four years on we count 80 keys, four restaurants, a Michelin star, two private gaming salons, a full spa, and a guest book that quietly fills with the same families returning, season after season. The notebook remains. The two rules have not budged.

We are still owned by the same two families who founded the property. We have never sold to a chain, never licensed the name, and never opened a second address — though the question comes up regularly. Our answer is always the same: master one place.

What guides us

Hospitality without performance

The flowers are fresh because they ought to be. The robe is weighty because it ought to be. The work that counts is the work you never see.

Continuity over turnover

The bellman who greets you has been here longer than most of our suites have stood. The head sommelier has served for many years. We recruit carefully and keep people for life.

Local over global

Our menus follow what the coast provides, our cellar favours growers within four hours of the property, and our spa products come from a chemist forty minutes down the road.

Quiet by intention

Adult-only, screen-free public areas, gentle lighting throughout the day and a music programme designed to dissolve into the background. Loud is simple. Calm takes effort.

The team

Six of the people who steer the property each day. Their paths differ; their dedication to the standard does not. Behind them stands a 280-person team across operations, food, beverage, wellness, gaming, and concierge.

Anais Fontaine
Managing Director

Decades in luxury hospitality across Europe's grandest houses. Has led the property since the early days and quietly defines the standard the rest of the team upholds.

Joined 1982
Julien Marchetti
Founding Partner

Oversees food, beverage and the guest journey. A former Relais et Chateaux board member and the architect of the resort's unhurried service philosophy.

Joined 1982
Lena Ashford
Executive Chef

Trained at Le Cordon Bleu, with stages in some of Europe's finest kitchens. Secured the property its Michelin recognition.

Joined 1985
Marco Renaud
Head Sommelier

Court of Master Sommeliers-certified, stewarding a cellar of several thousand bottles with a fondness for old Burgundy and small-grower Champagne.

Joined 1992
Marta Vaughn
Spa & Wellness Director

Trained in Kyoto and Marrakech, and shaped the spa programme around the belief that rest is a skill, not an indulgence.

Joined 1989
Henrik Merrick
Gaming Director

Years on the floors of Europe's private salons. Built ours around discretion, fair play, and a personal-host model that rival houses now imitate.

Joined 1985

By the numbers

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