72 Hours at The Villa Constantins
Have you ever thought about buying your own house in Southern France or Mallorca? It is truly tempting to have your own private getaway far away from home, but would it make it sense for you? You won’t be there all summer long, who will take care of the house when you are not there, what about maintenance? After all, a five star hotel with all its amenities is more comfortable, right? Well, we might have the perfect solution for your next getaway, called: Scott Dunn
The Scott Dunn Villa concept is simple yet brilliant - when taking advantage of their service, you are not renting any villa, you are renting it Scott Dunn style. Let me explain: Each villa comes with an dedicated chef, host and if necessary nanny for your kids. That means that there is no need to worry about anything - the villa staff is always there for you, all amenities are included!
The trip started already a week earlier when my mailman surprised me with a small package from Scott Dunn, containing my itinerary for the upcoming days - I love when someone pays attention to the details!
Villa Constantines is located near Opio, a picture perfect village only 30 minutes from the international airport of Nice. After passing the massive entrance gate, Harry (host) and TJ (chef) warmly welcomed me and gave me a quick tour of the beautiful property. With 5 bedrooms, the villa is ideal for two families or a couple of friends traveling together. Even though the contemporary designed living room which led into the open kitchen was stunning, the outdoor spaces really made this house special. A fire-pit, roofed dining area, lounge area, hammock and gorgeous pool - is there anything else that you can ask for when vacationing in France?
When talking about the Côte d’Azur most will refer to outrageously priced hotels, people showing off their supercars and mass tourism - in fact we all know someone who regularly visits Cannes, St. Tropez or Monte Carlo in the summer.
It is funny how close all those cities are, yet only a few tourists make their way up the hills and explore the 'real‘ French Riviera - in only two days we toured an olive oil factory, cycled more than 25 kilometers around the hills, had an exclusive wine tasting with recently awarded Michelin star chef Julien Bousseau and a private cooking lesson with Rob Daley who is Scott Dunn’s executive chef. Oh, and did I mention that we spend hours at the pool working on our tan?
The highlight of each day had to be the three-course dinner menu which we enjoyed each night on our terrace overlooking the Riviera. Pomme mousseline with lobster and girolles as a starter, followed by duck with beetroot and turnip as well as a vanilla marshmallow with avocado to finish off the meal - just to give you an idea on what your casual dinner would like. Seriously, to die for... - but when in France. ;-)
Although all those amenities come with a certain price tag, it is worth mentioning that it is basically an all-inclusive price. All meals, drinks (alcoholic and non- alcoholic), personal chef, host and if needed a nanny are always included in the Scott Dunn Villa package. Only additional amenities such as an in-room massage are subject to further charges.
Renting out a whole villa is certainly not for everyone but more and more people are looking at hotel alternatives and Scott Dunn clearly knows how to set them apart from all other villa rentals and airbnb offers. Should you be interested in taking a completely different holiday trip than you have ever done before, check them out on www.scottdunn.com or check out the Villa Constantins on www.scottdunn.com/luxury-holidays/europe/southern-europe/france/south-of-france/villa-constantins#! !
We were exclusively invited to this press trip by Scott Dunn. However, all above written expresses our own opinion and has not been influenced.
