Villas with Chefs
Outsourcing the time-consuming and repetitive daily practice of cooking can be the ultimate vacation experience as anyone will know who spends a portion of their day catering to their family. However, even if you are a talented cook capable of whisking up a feast without breaking a sweat, you may want to outsource the work.
Nothing can drive the primary caregiver into a luxury version of Hell's Kitchen than to be tied to a stove while everyone else is frolicking on the beach.
So, whether it's all-inclusive villas with private chef or a beautiful beachside property with a talented cook, here are some of the very best reasons to check out villas with chefs. So, hang up your apron, and be lady or lord of your villa for the duration of your vacation. Read More
Find your villa with a personal chef in one of our top destinations:
Caribbean | Barbados | Turks and Caicos | Jamaica | Mexico | Costa Rica | Europe
At Exceptional Villas, our clients frequently ask us about villas with chefs. So, here is a small sample of some of the glorious, staffed homes we feature. At last count, we represent over 700 villas with chefs in the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia. So, you will be delighted to have a wide variety of beautiful properties to choose. Everything from large beachfront villas in Costa Rica with chefs to a pink cottage in Barbados, there's the perfect property just waiting for you and your family.
The Spice of Life
There are many villas in Jamaica with chef services. You will find the opulence of Aqua Bay villa at Jamaica's prestigious Tryall Club is enhanced by having your staff of 6, including the services of a chef. Beautifully curated dinners poolside that are restaurant-worthy in terms of how they taste, and look can be a daily feature of life. One of the fabulous aspects of a vacation in a self-contained staffed villa is that you can dress up or down each evening for cocktails and a candle-lit dining experience.
Conversely, if you want something uncomplicated yet tantalizing, your chef can run up some light bites that suit everyone. Your chef can also prepare something as homely as freshly buttered popcorn for your movie night in your air-conditioned den.
The Ingredients of a Delicious Vacation
So many of our global destinations are famous for their national cuisine. Mexico is one such country. Forget the very derivative Tex/Mex cuisine you might be familiar with and step into a delicious new world. Whether you choose one of the Caribbean coast Tulum villas with chef or a state-of-the-art property like Casa Yvonneka in Puerta Vallarta on the Pacific coast, there's a wealth of divine flavors waiting to be sampled by you.
You may already know that Mexico is an incredible country that produces most of its food. You will find a rich array of tropical fruits, glorious meats, and seafood imbued with deep flavors. It's not all chili heat, though. Don't forget the chocolate!
The same is certainly true when you travel further south and choose one of the Costa Rica villas with chef, like Villa Panorama above Manuel Antonio Bay. These culinary maestros can draw together the best quality ingredients from their doorsteps to conjure up authentic dishes that become another exciting facet of your vacation.
But, of course, you don’t have to eat only local dishes. You can build gourmet pizzas or simple grilled fish into your vacation. Your chef understands the joy you’ll experience dining on home-comfort foods while away.
Sourcing the Best
Generally, any of the Caribbean villas with private chef, will have supporting housekeeping staff who will know where to buy the best local foods. In addition, your chef will have an excellent working relationship with the local fishermen and farmers and can get the freshest foods delivered daily. Picture your breakfast juices, produced from pineapples and mangoes picked that morning.
And let's not forget the coffee; Jamaica's Blue Mountain, freshly ground and brewed, is the perfect note to close out a gorgeous lunch or dinner. Not only are these fabulous meals created for you and your group, but all the associated housekeeping tasks, from set-up to clearing away, are generally managed too. So, you can have all the care and service of a hotel but set to a tempo that complements your holiday goals.
You're Buying Time
Self-contained luxury villas provide that delightfully private vacation experience. There's nothing quite like walking out onto your private pool terrace each morning or taking a short stroll to an idyllic beach. Once you've booked, say, one of the Caribbean villas with chef like Villa Seaclusion in Barbados, you are, in essence, buying time. The time you might spend driving to a market to pick up groceries. Plus, the time spent preparing and cooking meals. You can spend every minute of your vacation relaxing or going on adventures with all your domestic chores outsourced.
What we recommend is as follows. Let Exceptional Villa's concierge team pre-book your first meals in your gorgeous villa home. You will arrive at the villa for a pre-agreed gorgeous lunch or dinner. Breakfast can be pre-ordered, too, so you can spend your first 24 hours decompressing and exploring. We then recommend you sit down with your chef to outline your preferred mealtimes, discuss menu options, and hear about some fabulous occasions your chef can build into your trip. Your time is precious, and your private chef will save you so much.
From Candelabras to Picnic Hampers
One of the most beautiful destinations in the Caribbean, popular with everyone from wedding couples to families, must be the West Indies. So, if you are keen to host a memorable event during your vacation, then one of the Barbados villas with chef might be the perfect answer. The memorable Bluff House on Sandy Lane Estate comes with a staff of 5, including a chef. So, picture sumptuous dinners under candlelight on your private terrace and tasteful yet fun picnic hamper lunches when you jump on a boat to explore the coastline.
A private chef can mastermind all dining experiences from high to low – depending on your wishes. Sometimes the man of the house will want to retain his status as King of the Barbecue. Your chef can bring together all the elements you will need for some home grilling, setting meats and fish to marinade, and hand it all over to you to cook. Your staff can be as visible or discreet as you wish during your dream vacation.
Chef v Cook
Some of our fabulous villas come with the services of a cook. Our valued clients often ask the difference between a chef and a cook. Technically, the term chef describes an individual who has worked professionally in a hotel or restaurant and has undergone formal training in the culinary arts. Cooks, by comparison, are usually highly talented individuals who create delightful dishes but haven't necessarily gone through formal chef training.
Regardless of the title, the culinary abilities of both will add a delightful dimension to your dream vacation.
If you enjoy cooking but are choosing to hang up your apron while on vacation, you might enjoy learning some new recipes at the elbow of your chef. The secrets to making the perfect beurre blanc or hand-ground spice rub might be some of the treasures you bring home from your vacation. You will find the friendliness of your in-house chef will facilitate a bit of knowledge transfer.
Special Dietary Requirements
The level of sophistication of our villa chefs is high. These individuals usually come to the property with training in the kitchens of celebrated hotels and restaurants worldwide. Their understanding of the specific dietary requirements of clients is fully understood. If you have specific food allergies or are on a restrictive diet, your chef can engineer a diverse menu that will still allow you to feel indulgent but without any of the no-nos. Maybe you want to return from a few weeks of sunshine looking more streamlined. Why not allow your chef to conjure up healthy dinners and snacks to work with your program without leaving you feeling deprived?
One of the most beneficial elements of having your chef is how you can devise a truly bespoke dining experience for you and your family. Of course, picky eaters will find themselves catered for too. There's nothing your chef hasn't had to manage in his varied career, so bon appetit.
In Conclusion
You may be a veteran of private luxury villa vacations but without the wonderful add-on of staff. So, maybe it's time you elevate your trip to the next stage in proper pampering.
Whether you are considering the villas with chef Europe, Hawaii, the USA, or the Caribbean offer, allow our talented Sales and Concierge Teams at Exceptional Villas to identify the perfect property and staff that can mastermind your memorable trip.
Celebrating a special birthday, anniversary, or saying 'I Do' under a pristine blue sky, can all be part of the trip of a lifetime. So, as you blow out the candles on that confectioner's dream cake that your chef has created in your private villa home, you'll know just the wish to make. 'Let's do this every year!'