Who We Are

The faces behind Solaceplazaglacier

A private resort and casino along the Mediterranean. Opened in 1980 with six rooms and a single conviction — that the finest hospitality never needs announcing.

Our story in three paragraphs

In the summer of 1980, two friends — a former hotelier and a chef — acquired a stretch of coastline and turned a private villa into a six-room inn. There was no investor pitch, no marketing roadmap and no Instagram page. There was a notebook holding two principles: look after fewer guests better than anyone else; and decline anything that is merely "industry standard".

46 years later we have 220 keys, three restaurants, a Michelin star, one private gaming salons, a full spa, and a guest book that steadily fills with the same families returning, year after year. The notebook is still here. The two principles have not shifted.

We remain owned by the same two families that began the property. We have never sold to a chain, never franchised the name, and never opened a second location — though we have been asked, often. We reply the same way each time: do one place well.

What we believe

Hospitality without spectacle

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

Continuity over turnover

The bellman who greets you at the door has worked here longer than most of our suites have stood. The head sommelier has been with us for many years. We hire slowly and we keep people for a lifetime.

Local before global

Our menu draws on what the coast supplies, our wine cellar favours growers within four hours of the property, and our spa products are crafted by a chemist who lives forty minutes away.

Quiet on purpose

Adult-only, screen-free public spaces, soft lighting at every hour and a music programme chosen to dissolve into the room. Loud is easy. Calm is hard.

The team

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

Elise Sinclair
Managing Director

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

Joined 1980
Marco Fontaine
Founding Partner

Guides food, beverage and the guest experience. A former Relais et Chateaux board member and the source of the resort's unhurried service philosophy.

Joined 1980
Oscar Larsen
Executive Chef

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

Joined 2000
Adrian Fairholm
Head Sommelier

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

Joined 1990
Freya Bernard
Spa & Wellness Director

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

Joined 1981
Theo Laurent
Gaming Director

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

Joined 1999

In figures

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