PRIVATE ESCAPE 8 DAYS / 7 NIGHTS
Basking in the Mediterranean sun
The French Riviera is not just a lovely postcard for travelers in search of sunlight. This land is exceptional and is the pride and joy of French wines and gastronomy, exploding with flavours and smells, from the plate to the glass.
Nicknamed his “playground” by Mauro Colagreco, it is the region he has chosen to express himself and share his passion for Mediterranean cuisine.
The triple Michelin-starred Chef revealed all his favourites spots: farmers markets, craftsmen, herbs, oils, fruits, gardens, citrus fruit gardens...
His cuisine reflects the joy, sunshine, colours and aromatic smells of the region, influenced often by Italian gastronomy. “Cooking is about sharing and blending cultures”. Citrus fruits mix with freshly-caught fish, red and yellow peppers with garlic and olive oil.
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The exceptional sun and hot, yet breezy, summers produce strong and radiant wines. In the Var region, the rosés and their fresh and fruity taste are the crown jewel of the Côtes de Provence designation.
Inbetween the Rivieras, Mauro Colagreco shares with us his universe and eclectic cooking, to the delight of travellers longing for sunlight and balmy weather.
“Menton is a pretty little town, a little unreal like all these places, but where you can nevertheless find some natural corners. Everything is ruled by the sun.”
Katherine Mansfield
Mauro Colagreco’s
French Riviera
The triple Michelin-starred Chef invites you on a visit of his chosen region, the French Riviera, or Côte d’Azur as the French call it. Because he loves his land and knows every hilltop village, vineyard and producer, he exclusively shared for L'Hedonist clients his favourite restaurants and secret spots, the places that endlessly inspire him.
Make your own
perfume
An exclusive perfume workshop in a charming hilltop village where centifolia rose, jasmine and tuberose have been cultivated for generations. Away from the hustle and bustle of Grasse, this eco-friendly perfumer will impress all your senses.
Wine tasting
in an abbey
A remarkable vintage deserves a remarkable setting. No concessions can be made to accommodate your tasting of Côtes de Provence wines! A fascinating glance into the history of the Domaine and visit of the cloister of the Fréjus bishops.
Open air Art gallery
Art meets nature in the wonderful Domaine du Muy. This 2 kilometres route through a magnificent pine wood is like no other: while walking you will be able to admire the giant sculptures of Niki de Saint-Phalle, Claude Lalanne and Carsten Höller.
The ceramist of Vallauris
Meet a ceramist in her gallery, built in a mid-19th century pottery workshop where the original wood-fired oven, that she renovated herself, still remains. Art and design can be found in every corner, from the tables to the walls. Her creations have appealed to the greatest Michelin-starred chefs, including Mauro Colagreco, who gave her free reins to conceive the tableware of his restaurant, CETO. An exceptional work of soft lines and refinement.
Hartung-Bergman Foundation
On the hillside above Antibes, in a typically Mediterranean pine forest, the former villa and workshop of artists Hans Hartung and Anna-Eva Bergman opened in 2022. A unique occasion to discover the work of two major figures in modern art.
Cooking class
The petits farcis or “Lu Farcit Nissart » are a product of Nice art-de-vivre. Reducing food waste and using locally-sourced products, this dish is a delicious ray of sunshine that you will learn to cook during this petits farcis workshop.
Bike ride to Pipo’s
Pipo is a staple of Nice. For a hundred years, the speciality has been the socca, pancakes made with chickpea flour. For an authentic experience of Nissa la bella, ride your e-bike to the old port, passing by the stunning viewpoint of Rauba Capeu to finally reach the temple of socca.
His Majesty the Lemon
“Everything is good in a lemon.” Laurent and Adrien, citrus farmers of Menton, share with an open heart their passion for this lemon’s PGI-protected sharp taste, non-bitter peel and vigorous aroma. An inspiring stroll through the terrace of their farm, exploring the 500 year old history of the “king of Menton”.
The Bellet’s nectar
Between sea and mountains, a few miles from Nice city centre, a small and discreet family vineyard cultivates biodynamic white and red wines. Nectar of the Côte d’Azur, Bellet is a well-kept secret for amateurs of wines with surprising salinity and acidity. Discover them during a private tasting.
Mirazur’s sanctuary
There is no better way to enter the world of Mauro Colagreco than to visit his vegetable garden. This green paradise he calls his “sanctuary” is at the centre of the recent culinary innovations he has made in his nature-inspired menus. “Until then, the garden was supplying the restaurant. Now, the restaurant is a part of the garden.” From quaint vegetable patch to exceptional dishes.
Hilltop villages
and their cheese
L’Hedonist invites you on a visit of the lovely medieval villages in the Nice hinterland: Saint Agnès, Gorbio, Èze… A surprise from the Chef’s cheesemaker awaits you on this escape in the hills.
Imagining flavours
Enter the four dimensions of the Chef’s cooking in this exclusive oil-tasting experience at one of his suppliers: Leaves (Nepeta), Flowers (Geranium), Fruits (Pink Peppercorn) and Roots (Ginger and Menton lemon).
Wines of the white country
A few kilometres west of Menton, in the Italian mountains, Filippo cultivates the rossese di Doleacqua – the crown jewel of Ligurian grapevines – along with pigato and vermentino. Enjoy a private tasting session of these ruby wines with hints of cherry and wild rose, exalted by the sun and the altitude.
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Mirazur
experience
A dinner at Mirazur is an experience encompassing all the senses. The menu itself is mysterious: will we marvel at a Roots, Fruits, Flowers or Leaves menu? Only the Chef’s vegetable garden knows! The cosmos itself inspires Mauro Colagreco and every day the dishes are reinvented according to the lunar calendar. A poetic parenthesis followed by a delicate announcement of the dishes. Then comes the time for tasting with surprising combinations. It’s not just a gastronomic dinner, it’s a once in a lifetime experience!
DAY 1
. Arrival in Nice, pick-up your car at Nice-Côte d’Azur airport
. In Antibes, visit the newly-opened Hartung-Bergman foundation (audioguide provided).
. Head to Vallauris, “the pottery city”, to meet the ceramicist who imagined the tableware of the CETO as well as several other Michelin-starred restaurants of the French Riviera.
. Settle in your hotel in Mougins and enjoy some free time.
. L’Hedonist will happily book a gastronomic dinner for you in one of its secret spots (to be paid locally).
DAY 2
. Your day in the Var region starts with a private visit of the Domaine du Muy, where giant sculptures by Niki de Saint-Phalle, Claude Lalanne and Carsten Höller stand among the pinewood (app. 2 km walk).
. We can book your Michelin-starred lunch in a ravishing 16th century fortified bastide (to be paid locally).
. In a superb listed historical 13th century cloister, private wine tasting of Côtes de Provence wines. Take a moment to enjoy the Sainte-Roseline chapel and the domain’s gardens full of artworks
- Back in Mougins, enjoy free time until dinner. L’Hedonist will happily recommend your one of its secret spots (to be paid locally).
DAY 3
. Poetic break in a quaint village next to Grasse: participate in a perfume workshop where you will “create beauty that also feels good”.
. We recommended detours through the villages of Cabris, Spéracèdes, Tourrettes-sur-Loup before arriving in Saint-Paul-de-Vence where we can book a gastronomic lunch for you (to be paid locally).
. Visit the Maeght Foundation with a private tour guide.
. Drive to Nice and settle in your ideally-located hotel.
. A double Michelin-starred table will be booked for you: friends of the Chef warmly open their restaurants to you (to be paid locally).
DAY 4
. Learn to cook petits farcis, a Nice speciality, in this culinary workshop. After buying the ingredients directly in the farmer’s market, time to prepare this delicious dish and enjoy it right after for lunch.
. Private red and white wine tasting, cultivated biodynamically in a small family farm in Bellet, a few kilometres away from Nice
. Free time before an electric bike ride in the late afternoon. Reach the Rauba Capeu outlook and finish in the Old Port where a delicious dinner awaits you at Pipo (to be paid locally).
. Bike ride back to the hotel.
DAY 5
. Let your own preferences guide your visit of Nice. For amateurs of art, many museums and foundations will open their doors. Meanwhile, others will prefer some sightseeing (a tour guide can be provided for you as an extra)
. Journey to Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, free visit of the Cap Moderne villa, an icon of contemporary architecture and very first creation of Eileen Gray (entrance ticket included)
. Settle in the hotel and free time. We recommend a stroll on the Garavan boulevard to admire the authentic French Riviera villas, followed by an apéritif on Garavan port.
. L’Hedonist will happily book dinner for you in one of its secret spots (to be paid locally).
DAY 6
. In Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, visit La Villa Santo Sospir, entirely decorated by Jean Cocteau, and then Rothschild’s Villa Ephrussi (audioguide provided)
. Special picnic provided by the villa’s Michelin-starred restaurant, in the Ephrussi garden. If the weather doesn’t allow it, you will instead enjoy this gourmet break in the tea parlour located in Beatrice de Rothschild’s former dining room.
. Explore the vegetable gardens of Mirazur with the chef-gardener Mauro Colagreco. The garden provides almost every ingredient necessary to the Chef’s inventive cooking
. L’Hedonist recommends the village centres of Gorbio, Sainte-Agnès and Castellar (with a supplement, we can provide you with a private tour guide). Meet one the the Mirazur’s cheesemaker and enjoy a tasting session.
. Dinner at Mirazur where Mauro Colagreco, triple Michelin-starred chef, bursts with creativity and talent (drinks to be paid locally). A surprise awaits you before your dinner.
DAY 7
. Shop at Menton’s farmer’s market before your private visit at the farm of the chef’s citrus fruits suppliers.
. Exclusive lemon ravioli workshop with Luisa, holder of the only official trademark in the region! Enjoy your very own creations for lunch.
. In a hundred-year-old plant oil factory, taste aromatic oils elaborated with Mauro Colagreco in accordance with the four dimensions of his menus.
. Head to Italy, where in the small town of Dolceacqua (approx. 25 km) you will enjoy a private sampling session in a tenuta (vineyard) of rossese di Doleacqua – the crown jewel of Ligurian grapevines, along with pigato and vermentino.
. On your way back, Mauro Colagreco recommends to dine at Casa Buono in Vintimille (to be paid locally), the restaurant of his former sous-chef.
DAY 8
. Day at leisure. L’Hedonist recommends different options to suit every taste (with supplement): a private cruise to discover Cannes, the Lérins islands and red bedrocks of the Esterel; a reservation at the Maybourne Riviera beach club with a table booking at CETO (one Michelin star) where Mauro Colagreco offers marine gastronomy with sustainable values; a day in Monaco with an excursion in Cap d’Ail and a waterfront lunch in A'trego, a chic cabin imagined by Philippe Starck.
. Later in the day, drive to the Nice-Côte d’Azur airport and car drop-off.
Customer is advised to drink responsibly.