Privacy on this coast is not primarily a matter of guards. It is a matter of who has keys, who knows the dates, which name is on the restaurant booking, and how many separate vehicles come up the drive in a week. The physical measures matter, and they are the easier half. What follows is how we handle both.
Start with the perimeter, and be realistic about it
Most substantial Riviera villas sit behind a gate, with an alarm on the perimeter, cameras at the entrance and a contract with a local monitoring company that will send a patrol. That is a genuine deterrent against opportunistic intrusion, which is the actual risk profile of the coast in summer — burglary of unoccupied or lightly occupied houses, not anything more dramatic.
It is worth walking the boundary on the first day. Hillside properties frequently have a lower garden that opens onto a footpath, and waterfront houses almost always have a sea approach that no gate addresses. Neither is a reason not to take the house; both are reasons to know before rather than after.
- Key holders — the complete list, including agency, gardener, pool technician and neighbours.
- Alarm and camera configuration — interior cameras disabled in writing; exterior zones confirmed.
- Perimeter in daylight — every access point, including the ones the owner has forgotten.
- Staff list and vetting status — names, roles, hours, and who is new this season.
- Neighbouring sightlines — which terraces and which windows overlook the pool.
- Route and arrival plan — vehicles, timings, and where luggage is handled.
Staff, discretion and the paperwork behind it
The people in the house are simultaneously the greatest asset to your privacy and the largest surface of exposure. Staff we place are vetted, referenced and work under a confidentiality undertaking that covers photography, social media and the simple fact of your presence. Owners’ own teams are a different matter: long-serving, usually excellent, and rarely under any written obligation at all.
For stays where discretion matters, we ask for that to be regularised before arrival — a short, plainly worded non-disclosure undertaking signed by everyone with access to the property, including seasonal and external contractors. It is not an unusual request on this coast and it is almost never refused. A well-run house also keeps a simple access log for the week; knowing that four people entered the property on Tuesday, and which four, is worth a great deal more than another camera.
We arrange discreet stays, including close protection where the situation calls for it.
When personnel are warranted
Static guarding — one or two officers on the property overnight, or across the twenty-four hours — is proportionate for a large house holding valuables, for stays coinciding with major events, and for any property whose perimeter cannot realistically be closed. Close protection is a different service, travelling with the principal rather than sitting on the gate, and it requires planning: routes, venues, advance work at restaurants and marinas.
Both are legally regulated in France. Personnel must hold a CNAPS card, the company must be licensed, and firearms are not permitted for private protection. Anyone offering otherwise should be declined immediately. We work with a small number of French-licensed firms and place them ourselves rather than accepting whoever the property comes with.
The exposures people forget
Three, consistently. The booking trail — restaurants, berths, helicopter transfers and spa appointments all held in the guest’s own name across a dozen local businesses, which is how a presence on the coast becomes known within forty-eight hours. We hold reservations under our own name as a matter of routine.
The yacht. A villa can be made private; a yacht at anchor off Pampelonne in August cannot, and AIS makes its movements public. If a week combines both, the discretion plan has to cover the water as well as the house.
And the guests themselves — a photograph posted from the terrace locates the property more precisely than any other single event. It is worth one conversation at the start of the week, awkward as it is, particularly with younger guests.
How we prepare a house
For stays where this matters, we go in ahead: walk the property, meet the team, confirm the alarm and camera configuration in writing, agree the arrival plan and the vehicle movements, and brief a single member of staff as the point of contact for anything unexpected. It takes an afternoon and it removes almost every problem that would otherwise appear in week one.
If privacy is the governing constraint of your stay, tell us at the enquiry stage rather than at the contract stage — it changes which houses we put in front of you. Our villa team keeps a separate shortlist for exactly this.