Marta Bernard
Managing Director
Decades in luxury hospitality across Europe's finest estates. Has led the property since the early years and quietly defines the standard the team upholds.
Joined 1988
Who We Are
The team behind Velvetpalaceridge
A secluded resort and casino along the Mediterranean coast. Launched in 1988 with six rooms and a single conviction — that outstanding hospitality never needs announcing.
Our history in three paragraphs
During the summer of 1988, two friends — an ex-hotelier and a chef — acquired a strip of shoreline and turned a private villa into a six-room inn. No investor deck, no marketing plan, no Instagram account. Only a notebook holding two principles: serve fewer guests better than anyone else; and decline anything that is merely "industry standard".
Thirty-eight years on we hold 200 keys, three restaurants, a Michelin star, three private gaming salons, a complete spa, and a guest book that steadily fills with the same families returning, year after year. The notebook remains. The two principles are unchanged.
The same two families that founded the estate still own it. We have never sold to a chain, never franchised the name, and never opened a second site — though the question arises often. Our reply is always the same: excel at one place.
What guides us
Hospitality without performance
Flowers are fresh because they ought to be. Robes are weighty because they ought to be. The labour that counts is the labour you never see.
Continuity over turnover
The bellman greeting you at the door has served here longer than most suites have stood. The head sommelier has remained with us for many years. We recruit deliberately and retain people for life.
Local before global
Our menus draw on what the coast provides, our cellar favours growers within four hours of the estate, and our spa products come from a chemist forty minutes down the road.
Quiet by intention
Adults only, screen-free public areas, gentle lighting throughout the day and a music programme meant to dissolve into the room. Noise is simple. Serenity is difficult.
Leadership
Six of the people who steer the estate daily. Their backgrounds differ; their dedication to the standard does not. Behind them stands a 280-person team spanning operations, food, beverage, wellness, gaming, and concierge.
Clara Renaud
Founding Partner
Directs food, beverage and the guest journey. A former Relais et Chateaux board member and architect of the resort's unhurried service philosophy.
Joined 1988
Henrik Devereux
Executive Chef
Educated at Le Cordon Bleu, with stages in several of Europe's leading kitchens. Secured the estate its Michelin distinction.
Joined 2006
Freya Fairholm
Head Sommelier
Court of Master Sommeliers-certified, overseeing a cellar of several thousand bottles with a fondness for mature Burgundy and small-grower Champagne.
Joined 2006
Julien Merrick
Spa & Wellness Director
Trained in Kyoto and Marrakech, shaping the spa programme on the belief that rest is a discipline, not an indulgence.
Joined 2007
Elise Delacroix
Gaming Director
Years on the floors of Europe's private salons. Built ours on discretion, fair play, and a personal-host model other houses now emulate.
Joined 1998
In figures
- 1988 — founding year
- 200+ suites, villas and bungalows
- Three restaurants, one holding a Michelin star
- Three private casino salons
- 280 staff across all departments
- 4.9 / 5 guest rating across 2,400+ reviews
- 75%+ of bookings from repeat guests
- 9 languages available through our concierge