The French Riviera is the only coast in the world where the dining room of the world’s former number-one restaurant faces the sea at Menton, where a gilded Louis XV salon in Monaco holds three Michelin stars, and where a single appellation produces wine within the city limits of Nice. Pax Lux translates the Cote d’Azur from spectacle into controlled, private experience.

Gastronomy

Mirazur, Mauro Colagreco, Menton (3 Michelin stars)
Ranked number one in the world in 2019, Mirazur occupies a terraced house above Menton where Mauro Colagreco grows much of what arrives on the plate. The cuisine is organized around the lunar calendar: root days, flower days, leaf days, fruit days. The result is a table unlike any other on the Mediterranean coast. Pax Lux arranges reservations and, for groups, the private dining salon with dedicated tasting menus composed to order.

Le Louis XV, Alain Ducasse, Monaco (3 Michelin stars)
Opened in 1987 in the Hotel de Paris, Le Louis XV is the room that redefined what a Mediterranean restaurant could be. The gilded architecture of the Belle Epoque, the cellar holding some of the oldest vintages in the Principality, and a service of absolute precision. Pax Lux secures tables and arranges private dinners in the cellar vaults, including access to the famed cave des Tresors.

La Vague d’Or, Arnaud Donckele, Saint-Tropez (3 Michelin stars)
At the Cheval Blanc Saint-Tropez, Arnaud Donckele has developed one of the most poetic cooking philosophies in France: a cuisine constructed around broths, infusions, and preparations that draw the full depth of the Mediterranean into every plate. His bouillons of shellfish and arrangements of garden vegetables represent a coherent world rather than a succession of dishes. Donckele holds three stars simultaneously at La Vague d’Or and at Plenitude in Paris, making him among the most decorated chefs alive. The waterfront setting of the Cheval Blanc, on the Ponche beach facing the bay, is the most coveted al fresco dining position in the Var. Pax Lux arranges private lunches on the hotel terrace and, for resident groups, exclusive service from the estate cellar.

Two Michelin Stars

La Voile at La Reserve Ramatuelle, Eric Canino, Ramatuelle (2 Michelin stars)
On the coast south of Saint-Tropez, La Reserve Ramatuelle is the most architecturally considered hotel on the Var coast. Eric Canino’s two-star table within it is one of the finest in the region: a Mediterranean cuisine of clean lines and exceptional produce, served in a dining room of glass and stone with unobstructed views across the sea toward the Iles d’Or. The combination of setting, cooking, and the hotel’s private beach and pool complex creates an experience with few equals in southern France. Pax Lux arranges private lunches, sunset dinners, and access to the hotel’s exclusive water sports and spa facilities for resident groups.

Beyond the Michelin Galaxy

La Colombe d’Or, Saint-Paul-de-Vence
Not Michelin-starred but irreplaceable: since 1920, this inn has housed works by Picasso, Matisse, Calder, and Miro in exchange for meals. The dining room is a living museum, the garden a sculpture park. La Colombe d’Or does not advertise. Pax Lux secures tables and, for private groups, access to the intimate dining salon.

Wine

The Riviera produces three wines that cannot be found anywhere else: two from the hills above Bandol, one from within the city of Nice itself.

Domaine Tempier, Bandol
The reference for Mourvedre-based wines anywhere in the world. Lulu Peyraud, who spent decades at the estate with her husband Lucien, made Tempier one of the most written-about domaines in wine literature. The Bandol rouge, aged three years minimum, is a wine of extraordinary tannic structure and aromatic complexity. Pax Lux arranges private visits and tastings at the domaine.

Chateau Pibarnon, Bandol
At 300 metres altitude, Pibarnon occupies the highest terroir in the Bandol appellation, where the Mourvedre reaches a concentration unavailable at lower elevations. The estate has been in the de Saint Victor family since 1977. Their single-vineyard cuvees are produced in quantities too small for commercial distribution. Private visits are arranged exclusively through Pax Lux.

Domaine de Bellet, Nice
The AOC Bellet is one of the smallest appellations in France, its vineyards growing within the hills of Nice at altitudes between 200 and 400 metres. The wines, from indigenous varieties found nowhere else, are produced in quantities so limited that most bottles never leave the city. A visit to Bellet is an experience of extreme rarity. Pax Lux organises private access to the domaine and vertical tastings on request.

Venues That Can Be Privatized in French Riviera

Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat
Built between 1905 and 1912 by Beatrice de Rothschild on a narrow peninsula between two seas, with nine themed gardens descending to the water. One of the most architecturally significant private houses on the Riviera, available for exclusive evening events of distinction.

Palais Bulles, Theoule-sur-Mer
Designed by Hungarian architect Antti Lovag in the 1970s, Palais Bulles is an organic structure of interconnected spherical volumes built into the cliffs above the sea. Pierre Cardin’s private residence until his death, it now receives a strictly limited number of private events per year. One of the most singular privatizable spaces in Europe.

Grand Hotel du Cap-Ferrat, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat
A Four Seasons property at the tip of the Cap-Ferrat peninsula, with private sea access, an Olympic pool hewn from the rock, and suites with views of the open Mediterranean. Full privatization available for residencies of the highest standard, including exclusive use of the infinity pool and private beach.

Eden-Roc, Cap d’Antibes
The defining address of the French Riviera since 1870. The Pavilion Eden Roc, set on the rocks above the sea, constitutes one of the most sought-after event spaces on the coast. Available for private dinners and receptions combining the hotel’s legendary service with a setting that has no equivalent.

Monaco Yacht Club
Designed by Lord Norman Foster and inaugurated in 2014, the Yacht Club de Monaco offers a unique vantage point over the harbour and the Formula 1 circuit. Private events in the terrace dining room or the maritime salon, with full access to the Club’s hospitality infrastructure for groups requiring absolute discretion.

Chateau Sainte Roseline, Les Arcs-sur-Argens
A 13th-century priory with a chapel containing works by Chagall, Giacometti, and Bazaine. The estate produces one of Provence’s most respected rosé wines. Available for private events combining wine, medieval architecture, and a consecrated artistic heritage.

Chateau d’Azur, Gassin
On the heights of the Saint-Tropez peninsula, with panoramic views over the vineyards and the Golfe de Saint-Tropez. A property of rare intimacy, available for weddings and private residencies where the distance from the port is itself part of the offer.

Bastide Saint-Antoine, Grasse
Chef Jacques Chibois’s estate in an 18th-century olive grove above Grasse. The bastide and its gardens are available for private events combining the finest Provencal cuisine with an intimate property that sits above the perfume capital of the world.

This selection is not exhaustive. Pax Lux maintains access to additional private estates and vessels throughout the French Riviera, presented upon request.