About Us

The people behind Diamond Manhattan Lodge

A private resort and casino on the Mediterranean shore. Opened in 1984 with six rooms and one idea — that the best hospitality is the kind you do not have to point out.

Our story in three paragraphs

In the summer of 1984, two friends — a former hotelier and a chef — bought a stretch of coastline and converted a private villa into a six-room inn. There was no investor deck, no marketing plan and no Instagram account. There was a notebook with two ideas: serve fewer guests better than anyone else; and refuse to do anything that is merely "industry standard".

42 years later we have 110 keys, two restaurants, a Michelin star, two private gaming salons, a full spa, and a guest book that quietly fills with the same families coming back, year after year. The notebook still exists. The two ideas have not changed.

We are still owned by the same two families that started 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 we believe

Hospitality without theatre

The flowers are fresh because they should be. The robe is heavy because it should be. The work that matters is the work you never notice.

Continuity over churn

The bellman who meets you at the door has worked 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 over global

Our menu uses what the coast gives us, our wine cellar leans on growers within four hours of the property, and our spa products are made by a chemist who lives forty minutes away.

Quiet by design

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.

Theo Sinclair
Managing Director

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

Joined 1984
Elise Amaro
Founding Partner

Oversees food, beverage and the guest experience. A former Relais et Chateaux board member and the origin of the resort's no-rush service philosophy.

Joined 1984
Sofia Beaumont
Executive Chef

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

Joined 1988
Henrik Whitmore
Head Sommelier

Court of Master Sommeliers-certified, curating a cellar of several thousand bottles with a particular love for old Burgundy and small-grower Champagne.

Joined 2005
Lena Fontaine
Spa & Wellness Director

Trained in Kyoto and Marrakech, and built the spa programme around the idea that rest is a skill, not a luxury.

Joined 1996
Adrian Bernard
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 copy.

Joined 1994

By the numbers

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