Private chauffeur inÈze · Cap-Ferrat

Between Nice and Monaco, two territories face each other without resembling each other. Èze, medieval village perched four hundred and twenty-seven metres above the sea, carved into the cliff like an eagle's nest. Cap-Ferrat, wooded peninsula descending towards the Mediterranean, where the most discreet villas — and among the most expensive — of France line up.

Èze concentrates, in its cobbled alleys impassable to motorcars, one of the most iconic palaces of the Riviera, its suspended Exotic Garden, and the ruins of its fortress at the summit of the rock. At the village's foot, on the Basse Corniche, Maison Vehira conveys its guests to the foot of the path that leads to the Chèvre d'Or — the motorcar goes no further, the luggage is carried up on foot or by shuttle.

Cap-Ferrat is another world. Where Èze shows itself upon its rock, the Cap hides behind its pinewoods. The villas there are enclosed, the interior roads reserved for residents, and the Maison enters only on prior instruction. The Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat occupies the southern tip of the peninsula, facing the bay of Villefranche ; the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild dominates the centre of the Cap.

Vehira operates on these two territories with distinct protocols. At Èze, its chauffeurs know the particular conditions of the village — the narrow ramps, the single car park below, the hours when the palace's shuttles run. The motorcar drops off, waits below, and picks up according to the palace's instructions.

At Cap-Ferrat, the Maison serves the guests of the Grand-Hôtel, the invitees of the great private villas, and the international families who reside part of the year on the peninsula. The chauffeurs know the codes of the old gates, the names of the caretakers, the height restrictions on the private lanes.

Its motorcars are Mercedes S-Class or E-Class. For family transfers between the Cap and Nice Airport, the Maison places at disposal an accompanying Mercedes V-Class vehicle, coordinated with the principal motorcar — Cap villas rarely have fewer than eight suitcases at departure.

Maison Vehira regularly serves the guests of the two palaces that mark this territory — the Chèvre d'Or, suspended in the cliff of Èze, and the Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat at the southern tip of the peninsula — without permitting itself to name them in its ordinary usage. It is known to their respective concierges, who call upon it for their guests.

On the Cap, the Maison also attends the private villas of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, on prior instruction from the owner or the caretaker. Several international families engage it on seasonal or annual attachment, with a dedicated chauffeur and a reserved motorcar for the duration of the stay.