A Private Estate for Corporate Retreats in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat
A hotel conference floor solves for capacity. It rarely solves for privacy, and it never solves for the difference between a working session and the hour afterward when the group actually needs to switch off. A corporate retreat needs a different kind of space — small, self-contained, and built so that neither part of the day competes with the other.
Villa Aulivie is a luxury villa rental in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, a private two-villa estate on the French Riviera between Nice and Monaco. It combines two independent residences — Villa Ephrussi and Villa Aulivie — on one 4,200 m² domain, rented exclusively as a single estate for up to 16 people. No other guests. No shared walls. One gate.
Who Books a Retreat at This Scale
The two-villa layout and the 16-guest ceiling tend to suit a specific kind of group — smaller than a full company offsite, but larger than a single team of four or five:
- Leadership team offsites, where the point is to think differently than the office allows, without the visibility of a corporate venue
- Board retreats, where confidentiality matters as much as comfort, and a single gated property removes any question of who else is present
- Product launch or strategy teams, working intensively for several days and needing a clear line between focused sessions and rest
- Small executive summits, bringing together a core group plus a handful of external stakeholders for a working week rather than a single meeting
One Estate, Two Distinct Uses
What separates this property from a large single villa is the two-villa layout itself. Villa Ephrussi, the contemporary main residence, is where a group naturally works and gathers:
- An entrance reception room opening onto a covered terrace and the heated pool
- A mezzanine level with an office space, a lounge, and a gaming area
- A main living and dining room with 7-metre ceilings and seating for up to 10
- An outdoor bar and a 300 m² roof terrace
Villa Aulivie, the Provençal-style guest villa on the opposite slope, is where the same group disconnects:
- Four bedrooms, each with a direct sea view over the bay of Villefranche-sur-Mer
- A fully equipped open kitchen
- A covered terrace overlooking the bay
- Its own heated infinity pool
In practice, this means a leadership team can run structured sessions in one villa and genuinely step away from them in the other, without leaving the property or changing the terms of their privacy. It’s one of the few large villas in the South of France built at a scale where that separation is possible at all — most properties this size are a single house, not two.
Room to Work, Room to Disconnect
Across both villas, the estate offers:
- 8 bedrooms and 9 bathrooms, sleeping up to 16 guests, plus a separate staff room
- 850 m² of interior living space within a 4,200 m² private garden
- Two heated swimming pools — one accessed from Villa Ephrussi’s main terrace, one an infinity pool off Villa Aulivie
- A 300 m² roof terrace at Villa Ephrussi
- An outdoor bar and multiple covered terraces across the estate
- A professional-grade kitchen at Villa Ephrussi, separate from the main family kitchen and equipped specifically for a private chef
That last detail matters for a working group: catering for a retreat doesn’t have to compete with the household kitchen, and a private chef can run dinner service independently of the day’s schedule.
Complete Privacy, By Design
Villa Ephrussi and Villa Aulivie are rented together only, as a single exclusive-use estate. There is no scenario where another party shares the grounds, the pools, or the gardens during your stay — a distinction that matters for a group discussing anything confidential. The grounds are gated, the estate includes Wi-Fi and CCTV as standard, and arrival is handled through a dedicated welcome service, so the group moves in without the visibility of a hotel lobby or check-in desk.
Private Estate vs. a Hotel Conference Package
| Villa Aulivie | Typical Hotel Conference Package | |
|---|---|---|
| Access | One gated estate, one arrival point | Public lobby, multiple floors |
| Privacy | Exclusive use of the full property; no other guests | Shared building with other guests and events |
| Work / downtime split | Two separate villas — one for sessions, one for rest | Same floor, often the same room, for both |
| Catering | Private chef in a dedicated professional kitchen, on request | Set banquet menus, fixed service windows |
| Staff | One villa manager and concierge for the full stay | Rotating staff across hotel departments |
| Parking | 12 cars across two garages, on-site | Valet or off-site public parking |
| Contract | Single booking, one point of contact | Room block plus a separate meeting-room contract |
The comparison isn’t about which is more comfortable — a good hotel does that well. It’s about which one gives a group full control over who is present, when the day starts and ends, and how the space is used.
Staff and Service Built Around the Group
Each villa comes with its own dedicated Villa Manager, available eight hours a day, along with a live-out Housekeeper and Housemaid from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM and daily cleaning of six hours. Utilities and Wi-Fi are included, bed linen is changed twice a week, and a concierge service is available throughout the stay to handle requests as they come up — useful for a group whose schedule may shift day to day.
Beyond what’s included, a few services are available on request and worth planning for in advance:
- Chef and butler, for group dinners or working meals without pulling staff away from the household routine
- Transportation — car rental, chauffeur service, or helicopter, useful for coordinating arrivals or a same-day trip to Monaco
- Charter yacht, which several groups use as an offsite activity or an evening away from the estate
Positioned for Business, Not Just Leisure
The estate sits 20 minutes from Nice Côte d’Azur International Airport and 30 minutes from Monaco — close enough to bring in external stakeholders for a single day without asking the whole group to relocate. The wider region holds several Michelin-starred restaurants for a client dinner, and Villa Aulivie’s two residences were featured by Robb Report Monaco & Côte d’Azur as among the most extraordinary private estates on the French Riviera.
Planning Your Retreat
- Capacity: up to 16 guests across 8 bedrooms, plus a separate staff room
- Minimum stay: one week
- Availability: year-round; July and August are in highest demand, so earlier enquiry is recommended for those dates
- Rates (exclusive use of both villas together):
| Period | From (per week) |
|---|---|
| Oct – Dec 2026 | €27,000 |
| Jan – Mar 2027 | €27,000 |
| April 2027 | €29,000 |
| May 2027 | €38,000 |
| June 2027 | €41,000 |
| July – Aug 2027 | €47,000 |
| September 2027 | €41,000 |
| Oct – Dec 2027 | €27,000 |
The lower-rate months — October through March — also happen to sit outside peak family holiday season, which tends to suit a corporate calendar better than a summer week would in any case.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Villa Aulivie host a corporate retreat or team offsite? Yes. The estate is rented as a single private domain for up to 16 guests, with two villas that can be used separately for work and downtime.
Is Wi-Fi included, and reliable enough for video calls? Wi-Fi is included across the estate as standard.
Can a private chef or butler be arranged for the group? Yes, both are available as à la carte services, and Villa Ephrussi has a dedicated professional kitchen separate from the household kitchen for this purpose.
What is the minimum booking period? One week, year-round.
How far is the estate from Nice Airport and Monaco? Approximately 20 minutes from Nice Côte d’Azur International Airport and 30 minutes from Monaco.
Can transportation be arranged for meetings in Monaco or Nice? Yes — car rental, chauffeur service, and helicopter transfers can all be arranged on request.
Can all 16 guests dine together in one sitting? Villa Ephrussi’s main dining room seats up to 10. For a full group, the estate’s covered terraces and outdoor areas can be set up for additional seating — the concierge can help arrange this as part of planning the stay.
Is there enough parking for a group arriving in several cars? Yes. The estate has two garages with space for 12 cars combined, plus outside parking.
Does the villa manager help coordinate the schedule during the stay? The villa manager and concierge service are available throughout the stay to help with requests as they come up, including coordinating meals, staff, and outings around a group’s changing schedule.
Is the property secure and gated? Yes. The grounds are gated, and the estate includes CCTV as standard.
Can external stakeholders or clients join for part of the stay? The estate’s proximity to Nice and Monaco makes it practical to bring in external guests for a single day. Specific arrangements can be discussed directly when enquiring.
For current availability and full 2026–2027 rates, enquire directly.