Villa in Caribbean with Chef

[threegoofs]

Thinking of getting a house rental on a beach - Mexico, Belize, a Caribbean island, or Costa Rica. Would love to have it staffed with a chef/cook.

Was planning on having my kids and sig others come for a week.

Has anyone done this?

Hoping to keep the cost at about $1000/night for a 4 BR - with ocean access.

How does the chef thing work? Do they just show up at dinner time, or is it a full time thing?

 

[Scuba]

We haven’t done this, but have looked into it. We decided we prefer privacy and I like to cook anyway. I think you can structure it however you wish - just dinner or all meals or anything in between.

 

[Z3Dreamer]

Yup. Stayed here many years ago. Two times. https://www.mysilversands.com/villas/Jamahome_Villa_Jamaica.aspx

Chef/cook shows up about 10 am and makes brunch. Then begins working on dinner. Leaves about 5 with everything prepped and/or in the over. Makes blender drinks.

Earlier in week, she asks what you want: seafood, beef, etc. She arranges to have the store in town deliver stuff. Fisherman comes by and asks what fresh fish you want.

Can arrange for babysitters, too, if you have an infant and need an extra set of hands.

Yes, I highly recommend it.

 

[marko]

We used to do it every few years on a place called Peter Island off of Tortola. It was a private island with no permanent residents, just guests. The help came in early on a ferry each day, so our guy had to out the door by 9:45PM

However, it was a helluva lot more than $1000 a night!! (More like $6k 20 years ago). Sadly, the place has been closed for over a decade after their last hurricane.

I'd highly, highly recommend it wherever you go. Your own chef can make it an incredible experience. Plus, do you want to spend your time out shopping instead of at the pool??
Make sure they are also experienced bartenders as well! .

 

[MichaelB]

Yup. Stayed here many years ago. Two times. https://www.mysilversands.com/villas/Jamahome_Villa_Jamaica.aspx

Chef/cook shows up about 10 am and makes brunch. Then begins working on dinner. Leaves about 5 with everything prepped and/or in the over. Makes blender drinks.

Earlier in week, she asks what you want: seafood, beef, etc. She arranges to have the store in town deliver stuff. Fisherman comes by and asks what fresh fish you want.

Can arrange for babysitters, too, if you have an infant and need an extra set of hands.

Yes, I highly recommend it.

My sister in law + family did something similar in Trinidad and was very pleased. They hired just for dinner, although brunch was an option, and the cook stayed to clean after dinner. The menu design was exactly as Z3D describes.

 

[MarieIG]

I think I found my part-time gig during retirement . . .

 

[Markola]

You can ask the house rental company for leads to local chefs who serve their rentals. We’ve hired chefs for one special meal when traveling with a group in Mexico, and others I know hired a chef for the whole week, so there’s a range of possibilities.

 

[bltkmt]

Yup. Stayed here many years ago. Two times. https://www.mysilversands.com/villas/Jamahome_Villa_Jamaica.aspx

Chef/cook shows up about 10 am and makes brunch. Then begins working on dinner. Leaves about 5 with everything prepped and/or in the over. Makes blender drinks.

Earlier in week, she asks what you want: seafood, beef, etc. She arranges to have the store in town deliver stuff. Fisherman comes by and asks what fresh fish you want.

Can arrange for babysitters, too, if you have an infant and need an extra set of hands.

Yes, I highly recommend it.

This looks cool. Is the complex secure/safe? Jamaica can be sketchy outside of resorts.

 

[Koolau]

I think I found my part-time gig during retirement . . .

Yeah, I'd do it for half that $1000/night. I know where to get some nice fresh Ahi not to mention some great Costco steaks. Any takers?

 

[marko]

Yeah, I'd do it for half that $1000/night. I know where to get some nice fresh Ahi not to mention some great Costco steaks. Any takers?

I thought the $1000 a night was for the villa, not just for the chef. OTOH, 20 years ago, we paid our chef $350 each night, plus food costs so maybe that's not out of line.

 

[MuirWannabe]

We did a chef in Costa Rica. Only for a couple dinners. And our maids cooked an amazing breakfast each morning complete with extensive fruit tray. It was a great experience. I don’t remember it costing that much extra. Maybe $1000 total for the week. Things just seems cheaper in CR with great service and friendly locals.

 

[Koolau]

I thought the $1000 a night was for the villa, not just for the chef. OTOH, 20 years ago, we paid our chef $350 each night, plus food costs so maybe that's not out of line.

Well, we do have a spare bedroom.

 

[marko]

Well, we do have a spare bedroom.

If you can do Lobster Thermador, I'm on my way!!

 

[Franklin]

Thinking of getting a house rental on a beach - Mexico, Belize, a Caribbean island, or Costa Rica. Would love to have it staffed with a chef/cook.

Was planning on having my kids and sig others come for a week.

Has anyone done this?

Hoping to keep the cost at about $1000/night for a 4 BR - with ocean access.

How does the chef thing work? Do they just show up at dinner time, or is it a full time thing?

check this out. rented 3 times and always exceeded my expectations.

palacebythesea.com

 

[Franklin]

https://www.palacebythesea.com

 

[autonomousdog]

Thinking of getting a house rental on a beach - Mexico, Belize, a Caribbean island, or Costa Rica. Would love to have it staffed with a chef/cook.

Was planning on having my kids and sig others come for a week.

Has anyone done this?

Hoping to keep the cost at about $1000/night for a 4 BR - with ocean access.

How does the chef thing work? Do they just show up at dinner time, or is it a full time thing?

This is on my bucket list things to do
We have been overspending (by a lot) recently and I was planning a grand melee for the family with just this type of set up in mind (in Grand Cayman) but I'm going to postpone until we get our spending under control. Everyone I know who has done it has said it's so worth it, you should totally do it!



We hired a private chef for an event a few years back, and they came with the groceries, made the food, cleaned up, and we got charged for groceries + their time. I can only imagine the luxury of having someone do this for a whole week....

 

[SecondCor521]

I'm sure having a chef is nice.

A possible alternative idea would be to book two or three rooms (or one large one) on a cruise ship. It would be multiple destinations instead of one, which could be a bug or a feature. And I don't think they would cook *exactly* what you want, but there would be several options and they would be cooking all meals for you.

Depending on which cruise you took vs. which island/chef combo you chose, I think they could be approximately in the same ballpark cost-wise.

Just an option to consider.