Clara Sinclair
Managing Director
Decades in luxury hospitality across Europe's grandest houses. Has led the property since the early days and quietly sets the bar the rest of the team upholds.
Joined 1991
Who We Are
The team behind Estateglaciernest
A secluded resort and casino on the Mediterranean shore. Opened in 1991 with six rooms and one conviction — that the finest hospitality is the kind you never need to announce.
Our heritage in three paragraphs
In the summer of 1991, 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 deck, no marketing plan and no social media presence. There was a notebook holding two principles: serve fewer guests better than anyone else; and refuse anything that is merely "industry standard".
35 years on we hold 80 keys, three restaurants, a Michelin star, two private gaming salons, a full spa, and a guest book that quietly fills with the same families returning, year after year. The notebook still exists. The two principles have not shifted.
We remain owned 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 address — though we have been asked, often. We answer the same way each time: do one place well.
What guides us
Service without spectacle
The flowers are fresh because they ought to be. The robe is weighty because it ought to be. The labour that counts is the labour you never see.
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 over global
Our menu draws on what the coast provides, our wine cellar favours growers within four hours of the estate, and our spa products are made by a chemist who lives forty minutes away.
Quiet by intention
Adult-only, screen-free public spaces, soft lighting at all hours and a music programme designed to blend into the room. Loud is easy. Calm is hard.
The team
Six of the people who steward the estate day to day. Their backgrounds differ; their commitment to the standard does not. Behind them stands a 280-person team across operations, food, beverage, wellness, gaming and concierge.
Lena Beaumont
Founding Partner
Oversees food, beverage and the guest experience. A former Relais et Chateaux board member and the origin of the resort's unhurried service philosophy.
Joined 1991
Marco Ashford
Executive Chef
Trained at Le Cordon Bleu, with stages at some of Europe's finest kitchens. Secured the property its Michelin recognition.
Joined 2012
Julien Rousseau
Head Sommelier
Court of Master Sommeliers-certified, curating a cellar of several thousand bottles with a particular fondness for old Burgundy and small-grower Champagne.
Joined 2008
Oscar Whitmore
Spa & Wellness Director
Trained in Kyoto and Marrakech, and built the spa programme around the belief that rest is a skill, not a luxury.
Joined 1998
Anais Calloway
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 emulate.
Joined 2008
By the numbers
- 1991 — year founded
- 80+ suites, villas and bungalows
- Three restaurants, including one Michelin-starred
- Two private casino salons
- 280 staff across all departments
- 4.9 / 5 guest rating across 2,400+ reviews
- 60%+ of bookings from returning guests
- 9 languages spoken by our concierge team