From left: Ali Andrews, Libby Owen, Franky March, Cameo Turner and Carolina Holst at Villa Ama. Photo / Supplied
From left: Ali Andrews, Libby Owen, Franky March, Cameo Turner and Carolina Holst at Villa Ama. Photo / Supplied
How does a rich-list heiress celebrate her 30th?
She invites her friends - whose families' net worths are also in the hundreds of millions - to the Mediterranean to join her at one of the most luxurious villas on the cliffs of St Tropez for a week of partying ofcourse. A fellow Kiwi's multi-million dollar super yacht is thrown in for good measure. She then follows it all up with celebrations in Ibiza.
Spy can reveal a glimpse inside Bay Audiology heiress Ali Andrews' birthday bonanza. The brunette, who is carving out an international career as managing director of her digital and marketing agency, Holst Andrews Social, patiently waited out the pandemic at home in New Zealand, before heading to London for work a month ago, with her calendar marked out to spend her birthday celebrations in Europe before returning to New Zealand, where she has recently bought a home in Herne Bay.
Ali Andrews in red with girlfriends in pink at her surprise pink party on board H off St Tropez. Photo / Supplied
Andrews had best friends, Cameo Turner, daughter of Sleepyhead founders Craig Turner and his wife Cara Pollock-Turner, and Libby Owen, daughter of property magnate Steve Owen, in tow to help make the celebrations fabulous. Turner, a trained journalist and knitwear entrepreneur, left Godzone three months ago to launch a career in Los Angeles, and was joined by Owen, an artist, a month ago.
Planning helps when you have a friend like Empire Capital's Paula Herbert, who has come to call Europe a second home. She and husband Simon rented sought-after seven-bedroom Villa Ama in St Tropez last year. This year, Andrews, booked the fully staffed ultra-modern villa situated on 10,000sq m with a helipad, outdoor cinema and stunning views of Pampelonne Bay. Renowned as an escape for design lovers, it also houses some very serious art pieces by the likes of Jeff Koons and Damien Hirst, set among imposing and impressive furnishings and decor. Villas of this type are known to start at €100,000 per week.
Guests at the first soiree held at the villa included Herbert, Andrews' business partner Carolina Holst, property tycoon Ben Cook's partner Lavinia White, Parnell uber-rich lister Angela Seaton and former Survivor NZ contestant Franky March for what Spy hears was quite the reunion and party. The bon vivant group enjoyed a luxury degustation, accompanied by top-shelf beverages staggered throughout the evening, which ended in dancing on the villa's many terraces, amid thousands of rose petals and a string band.
The luxury villa in St Tropez. Photo / Supplied
Paula and Simon Herbert with their super yacht H at Cannes Film Festival in May. Photo / File
Day two was a night at L'Opera, where trays of Dom Perignon famously come out with sparklers atop and custom sees guests wave white serviettes above their heads in celebration with dancing on tables de rigueur.
On day three, the celebrations continued on the Herberts' boat H, for a pink surprise party thrown by Paula. The attention to detail is said to have been impressive, with pink one-piece swimsuits supplied for the guests and a red one for the birthday girl, all set against the famous coastline from Nice to St Tropez.
The following few days were a mix of celebrating and recovering, with some of the best beach clubs in the region only a stone's throw away from the villa.
Bay Audiology heiress Ali Andrews and Libby Owen. Photo / Supplied
Andrews then extended the celebrations and took the girls to Ibiza last Friday, where some of the island’s more fabulous villas and boats were on offer and of course the legendary Spanish beach and nightclubs, including the iconic VIP Blue Marlin on Cala Jondal and Lio Ibiza, where the girls sat next to Cristiano Ronaldo’s table. Also on the Med was Casey Green, ex-wife of former All Black Ali Williams, who, with her partner, rich-list son Antony Wyborn, was taking in the sights, including Sardinia. This week, the love birds headed to Paris to take in all the romantic surrounds.
