About Us

The faces behind Crystallife

A secluded resort and casino along the Mediterranean coast. We opened in 2004 with six rooms and a single conviction — that true hospitality never needs to announce itself.

Our story in brief

In the summer of 2004, two friends — a former hotelier and a chef — acquired a strip of shoreline and turned a private villa into a six-room inn. There was no pitch deck, no marketing strategy and no social media presence. There was a notebook holding two principles: serve fewer guests better than anyone else; and never settle for what passes as "industry standard".

22 years on we count 110 keys, three restaurants, a Michelin star, one private gaming salon, a complete spa, and a guest book that quietly fills with the same families returning, season after season. The notebook remains. The two principles have not budged.

We are still held by the same two families that founded the property. We have never sold to a chain, never licensed the name, and never opened a second address — though the question has been raised, repeatedly. Our reply is always the same: master one place.

What guides us

Hospitality without performance

The flowers are fresh because they ought to be. The robe is weighty because it ought to be. The work that counts is the work you never notice.

Continuity over turnover

The bellman who greets you at the door has been here longer than most of our suites have stood. The head sommelier has served for many years. We recruit carefully and we keep people for life.

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 are crafted by a chemist who lives forty minutes away.

Quiet by intention

Adult-only, screen-free public areas, gentle lighting at every hour and a music programme designed to dissolve into the room. Loud is simple. Calm is difficult.

The team

Six of the people who steer the property day to day. Their backgrounds differ; their dedication to the standard does not. Behind them stands a 280-person team across operations, food, beverage, wellness, gaming, and concierge.

Theo Sinclair
Managing Director

Decades in luxury hospitality across Europe's grandest houses. Has led the property since the early days and quietly defines the standard the rest of the team upholds.

Joined 2004
Ines Sterling
Founding Partner

Oversees food, beverage and the guest experience. A former Relais et Chateaux board member and the architect of the resort's unhurried service philosophy.

Joined 2004
Julien Fairholm
Executive Chef

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

Joined 2016
Henrik Weiss
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 2012
Marta Laurent
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 2023
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 2014

By the numbers

— Return to Crystallife