About Us

The faces behind Grovebay

A secluded resort and casino on the Mediterranean coast. Since 1998 we have grown from six rooms around a single conviction — that true hospitality never needs announcing.

Our story in brief

In the summer of 1998, two friends — a former 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. Just a notebook with two rules: serve fewer guests better than anyone else; and never settle for what passes as "industry standard".

Twenty-eight years on we count 120 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 rules have not changed.

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 location — though the question has been raised, often. Our answer is always the same: do one place well.

What we stand for

Hospitality without performance

The flowers are fresh because they should be. The robe is heavy because it should 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 hire slowly 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 come from 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 run the property 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.

Freya Merrick
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 meets.

Joined 1998
Lena Sinclair
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 1998
Adrian Sterling
Executive Chef

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

Joined 2002
Lucas 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 2003
Theo Amaro
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 2019
Nadia Renaud
Gaming Director

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

Joined 2006

By the numbers

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