Who We Are

The faces behind Pearlvalleyresort

A secluded resort and casino on the Mediterranean coast. Launched in 2000 with six rooms and a single conviction — that true hospitality never needs announcing.

Our story in brief

In the summer of 2000, 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 and no Instagram account. Just a notebook with two rules: serve fewer guests better than anyone else; and refuse anything that is merely "industry standard".

26 years on we hold 220 keys, two restaurants, a Michelin star, one 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 we have been asked, often. We answer the same way every time: do one place well.

What guides us

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 existed. The head sommelier has been with us for many years. We hire slowly and we keep people for a lifetime.

Local before 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 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 curated to fade into the room. Loud is easy. Calm is hard.

The team

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

Lena Fairholm
Managing Director

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

Joined 2000
Julien Merrick
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 2000
Adrian Sterling
Executive Chef

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

Joined 2003
Marta Albright
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 2006
Nadia 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 2019
Freya Beaumont
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 2017

By the numbers

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