Twenty years of relationships have opened doors to exceptional people, places and experiences. Our Little Black Book is where local expertise, trusted connections and the unexpected come together.
Open the bookThe most memorable journeys begin with who you know.
For more than twenty years, AAV has built trusted relationships with the people who make Europe extraordinary: château owners and vignerons, chefs and artisans, curators, guides and private hosts. These are not suppliers found in a directory. They are friends of the house, met in person and returned to year after year.
This is not simply a network of partners. It is a Little Black Book built over two decades, one relationship at a time: the numbers that answer, the doors that open, the names that vouch for ours. It is, quite simply, the reason our journeys feel the way they do.
France is the heart of what we do, and where most of our journeys unfold. Yet the same relationships, cultivated with the same patience, reach across Italy, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Spain and Portugal. In every country, our specialists live where you travel, and the people they trust become the people you meet.
From private châteaux and Champagne houses to the vineyards of Burgundy, the French Riviera and the Alps, discover the addresses and people we have come to know over two decades.
From Tuscany and the Italian lakes to Venice, Rome and the Amalfi Coast, discover remarkable places, family traditions and exceptional experiences beyond the familiar.
From London's discreet private addresses to the country estates of the Cotswolds, discover historic houses, beautiful gardens and experiences shaped by local connections.
From Andalusian estates and the vibrant streets of Seville to Barcelona and the Basque Country, discover extraordinary architecture, regional traditions and exceptional gastronomy.
From Lisbon and Porto to the vineyards of the Douro Valley and the Algarve coast, discover intimate estates, exceptional wines and the warmth of Portuguese hospitality.
From the shores of Lake Geneva to the alpine retreats of Zermatt and St. Moritz, discover extraordinary mountain escapes, discreet hospitality and exceptional Swiss addresses.
And, when your story calls for it, beyond.
Some of the most memorable experiences cannot simply be booked. They are offered, by people who choose whom they welcome. They exist outside opening hours and off the pages of any guidebook, and they are extended only through introduction.
A private collection viewed with its owner. An exceptional estate that is still a family home. An artist's studio on a working morning. Each door is opened for you personally, always with discretion, and never simply for the sake of exclusivity.
A private introduction to the world of Parisian high jewellery, where exceptional craftsmanship and generations of savoir-faire are revealed away from the public eye.
An invitation into the private world of a renowned French wine estate, where exceptional vintages and family traditions are shared away from the public eye.
A celebrated Italian chef welcomes you into his private home, sharing the recipes, stories and traditions rarely experienced beyond his own table.
A rare glimpse into the private world of Coco Chanel, where fashion, history and personal stories come together behind closed doors.
Behind the doors of a historic French perfume house, rare creations and forgotten fragrances reveal a world few are invited to discover.
An invitation into a historic English country estate, where generations of family history live on and doors open through a personal introduction.
What sets these experiences apart is not that they are rare. It is that they are personal. Three principles guide every page of our Little Black Book, and you will recognise them in any journey we write for you.
Every introduction in our book was made face to face and kept over years. It is why doors open for our guests that do not open for a booking platform.
Many of our hosts welcome guests precisely because we never advertise them. What happens behind a closed door stays there.
Access matters only when it means something to you. We open a door because it belongs in your story, not because it is hard to open.
Exceptional access begins with relationships built over time
The AAV way, for twenty yearsMany of the doors in our Little Black Book open only because we have promised they will stay closed to everyone else. We keep that promise. It is why some of what we do cannot appear on this page, and why our guests are welcomed as friends rather than visitors.
Tell us what you are passionate about: the artists, the craft, the wine, the history, the table. We will open the pages that speak to it and shape a journey around encounters you will not find anywhere else, including some you may never have known were possible.
