A British company contacted us with a simple, slightly crazy idea: to offer their team a discovery of the Nice region's local products, but on the water. Not a conference room with a sea view—the sea itself. The story of a day on a catamaran between Nice and Monaco.
There are requests that fall outside the box, and we welcome them with enthusiasm. This one was among them. A British company, visiting the French Riviera for a few days of work and team building, was looking for a team activity unlike any other. Not a restaurant, not a rented room, not an outdoor climbing course. Something that truly tells the story of the region—and leaves a lasting memory.
The idea emerged quite quickly during our exchanges: what if we took the local products of the Nice region out to sea?
The brief: local, authentic, and no meeting rooms
What the client wanted to avoid was as clear as what they wanted to achieve. No cookie-cutter "team building," no tacked-on activity that could have taken place anywhere in the world. The team was coming to Nice: they wanted to taste Nice.
On our end, this is exactly the kind of project we love. We spend our weeks introducing people to the local products—Bellet wines, cheeses from the hinterland, charcuterie from the valleys, olive oil, Nice street food. The challenge here was to take it all out on a boat and serve it in conditions where every detail matters a little more than usual.
So we put together a tasting designed for the open sea: products that travel well, can be eaten with your fingers or nearly so, and each tells a piece of the region's story. Discreet logistics behind a table that, in turn, was meant to look simple and generous.
Why a catamaran, and not a yacht
The choice of boat is not a minor detail. For a group tasting, the catamaran is ideal, and far better suited than a monohull or a narrow yacht.
First, because it is stable: its two hulls give it a steady base that moves very little, which matters when you are placing glasses and boards on a table. Next, because it is made for conviviality—a large outdoor area to gather around, and especially the famous nets at the bow, those trampolines stretched between the hulls where you can lie in the sun, feet above the water. That is where part of the group spent the afternoon, glass in hand, while others chatted in the shade of the awning. A space to share, a space to relax: exactly what a team needs.
From Nice to Monaco, with the bays as a bonus
The journey was part of the gift. Departing from Nice, heading east along the coast towards Monaco—one of Europe's most beautiful coastlines, which you rediscover completely when seen from the open sea.
From the water, the French Riviera changes its face. You sail past the headlands, you can make out the villas clinging to the rocks, you see the mountains drop straight into the Mediterranean. Approaching Monaco by sea, with its rock and tiered buildings, made quite an impression on a team that had only known the principality through postcards.
On the return trip, we took the time to stop in a few more secluded bays along the coast, sheltered from the wind, for a swimming break and a final glass. These coves that you cannot see from the road are one of the luxuries of a boat trip: you cut the engine, silence returns, and the local products on your plate suddenly take on another flavor.
How the boat changes a tasting
We could have served exactly the same products on land. The experience would not have been the same, and that is precisely the point.
At sea, people let go more quickly. Phones are put away, shoes are taken off, the hierarchical barriers of a team fade away—it is hard to stay corporate while barefoot on a net above the water. The tasting becomes an excuse to talk to each other differently, and that is precisely what a company looks for when it takes its teams on a retreat.
There is also the delightful contrast between a luxurious setting—a catamaran, the sea, Monaco on the horizon—and deeply popular, rustic products: a mountain tomme, valley charcuterie, a glass of Bellet. That is the whole spirit of what we stand for: true luxury here is not caviar, it is local products served in the right place, at the right time.
Organizing this kind of day
This format is by no means exceptional in our capabilities—it is even one of the most beautiful settings we can offer a group. It simply requires a little foresight: chartering the boat, putting together the tasting according to the number of people and their tastes, managing the logistics of boarding, and closely monitoring the weather.
It is equally suitable for a corporate retreat or a board of directors as it is for a private event—a memorable birthday, a slightly chic bachelorette party, a special family occasion. The principle remains the same: the local products of the Nice region, the water, and a group brought together in a different way.
We take care of everything, in French, English, or Italian—as with this British team, for whom the entire day took place in their language, from explanations about the wines to anecdotes about the villages in the hinterland.
In practice
A tasting of the local products of the Nice region on a catamaran, between Nice and Monaco or along the coast, is organized by quote, depending on the size of the group and the desired format—a few hours at the end of the day or a full-day trip.
For a retreat, a corporate event, or a private occasion on the water, write to us from the Contact page: we will plan the day with you, from the route to the contents of the tasting board.
