Château La Chenevière hosts seminars, conferences, exhibitions, company evenings and weddings for up to 150 guests. It is a five-star hotel in an 18th-century manor set in a 12-hectare park, at Escures-Commes near Port-en-Bessin, between Bayeux and the D-Day landing beaches in Normandy. The hotel has 30 bedrooms and two restaurants, and belongs to the Small Luxury Hotels of the World group.
Seminars and company events
Three spaces are offered for business events. The meeting room covers 50 square meters and seats 20 to 48 people. The conference room covers 150 square meters and seats 30 to 80. An exhibition setting in 150 square meters takes 50 to 120 people. A flip chart, a screen and a video projector are included. The restaurant can be used for a banquet of 80 to 100 guests or a cocktail of 120 to 150. Le Petit Jardin also takes cocktail dinners and company evenings.
The park and its facilities give room for breaks and informal time: a heated outdoor pool from mid-May to mid-September, a tennis court, bicycles and in-room massages. The hotel has a large private car park and an approved helicopter landing area. Seminar requests go to the hotel's sales contact by email.
Weddings and receptions
Weddings require full hire of the château. The two-hectare walled garden, with century-old trees and a terrace, hosts the ceremony and drinks in summer; small lounges with fireplaces take the drinks in autumn and winter. The reception room of Le Botaniste seats up to 90 guests, and a private room suits smaller weddings or engagement dinners. The party continues at the Zanzibar, a hidden bar with room for a DJ. Le Petit Jardin, in the former orangery by the pool, seats up to 45 for a next-day brunch. Fireworks and a helicopter arrival can be arranged. A suite is set aside for the couple.
Rooms and capacities
Meeting room, 50 square meters, 20 to 48 seated. Conference room, 150 square meters, 30 to 80 seated. Exhibition, 150 square meters, 50 to 120 people. Restaurant, 80 to 100 for a banquet, 120 to 150 for a cocktail. Le Botaniste reception room, up to 90 seated. Le Petit Jardin, up to 45.
Accommodation
The 30 bedrooms comprise 3 classic rooms, 16 deluxe rooms, 1 deluxe executive, 6 junior suites and 4 suites. Each has its own decoration, with paneling and marble fireplaces in the main house; some rooms are in the former stables. All have air-conditioning and free Wi-Fi, and some are adapted for guests with reduced mobility.
Catering
Catering is in-house. Chef Didier Robin leads the kitchens of Le Botaniste, the gastronomic restaurant, with deputy chef Hugo Genty, using Normandy farm produce from regional producers and short supply chains. Le Petit Jardin serves local, seasonal dishes using the château's permaculture vegetable garden. A sommelier selects the wine list.
History and setting
In the 17th century the estate grew hemp for fishermen's ropes and clothing, which gave the house its name. The Gosset family built the main house in the 18th century and kept it for 133 years. During the Second World War the estate was occupied, then used by the Royal Army Service Corps after D-Day, when fuel lines ran past it from the artificial harbor at Arromanches. Marie-Françoise and Thomas Dicker bought it in 1988 and opened the hotel, which joined Small Luxury Hotels in 1992 and received its fifth star in 2014.
Getting there
Bayeux station is 10 km away, and the hotel organizes transfers from it. Caen-Carpiquet airport is 37 km away and Deauville-Normandie 100 km; transfers can be arranged from both and from the Paris airports. By road from Paris, take the A13 via Caen toward Cherbourg, then the D6 from Bayeux to Port-en-Bessin.
