Who We Are

The faces behind Southernpalmlife

A private resort and casino along the Mediterranean coast. Opened in 1986 with six rooms and a single principle — that true hospitality needs no announcement.

Our story in three paragraphs

In the summer of 1986, two friends — a former hotelier and a chef — purchased 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 account. There was a notebook holding two ideas: serve fewer guests better than anyone else; and refuse anything that is merely "industry standard".

40 years later we have 80 keys, two restaurants, a Michelin star, two private gaming salons, a full spa, and a guest book that steadily fills with the same families returning, year after year. The notebook remains. Those two ideas have not shifted.

We are still held by the same two families that founded 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 every time: do one place well.

What we believe

Hospitality without theatre

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 see.

Continuity over churn

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

Local over global

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

Quiet by design

Adult-only, screen-free public spaces, soft lighting around the clock and a music programme chosen to dissolve into the room. Loud is easy. Calm takes effort.

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 spanning operations, food, beverage, wellness, gaming, and concierge.

Henrik Sterling
Managing Director

Long experience 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 1986
Elise Sinclair
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 outlook.

Joined 1986
Lucas Larsen
Executive Chef

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

Joined 1996
Sofia Moreau
Head Sommelier

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

Joined 1998
Ines Marchetti
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 2006
Marco Calloway
Gaming Director

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

Joined 2003

By the numbers

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