Domaine de Clairefontaine hosts executive seminars, study days and residential seminars for up to 35 people, and weddings, birthdays and family receptions for about 130 guests in the reception room of Le Cottage. The estate stands in the village of Chonas-l'Amballan, in Isère, about 10 km south of Vienne and 40 km south of Lyon, and has 35 bedrooms around a Michelin-starred restaurant.
Seminars and company events
The seminar room sits in Les Jardins, the four-star building of the estate. It takes up to 35 people in theater layout or 20 in a U shape, and comes with projection screens and a sound system. Natural light and the surrounding park suit leadership meetings, and breaks can be taken outside. Study days can also be held at Le Cottage.
The study-day package includes the equipped meeting room, a morning break, lunch and an afternoon break. Residential seminars and study days are built around the group's budget and needs. Business lunches and dinners are served by the estate's starred restaurant, which can make a meal part of the program rather than a pause.
Weddings and receptions
Weddings, birthdays and family events such as christenings and reunions are held at Le Cottage. Its reception room takes about 130 guests, and the team handles menus and floral arrangements. Smaller celebrations can take place in the bistro. Couples and families can lodge guests in the three hotel buildings.
Rooms and capacities
The estate lists two event rooms. The seminar room at Les Jardins seats 35 in theater layout or 20 in a U shape. The reception room at Le Cottage takes about 130 guests for a wedding or family event. Other spaces at Le Cottage include a large lounge with a wood fireplace and a wide sunny terrace.
Accommodation
The estate has 35 bedrooms in three buildings. La Maison, a manor whose first walls date from the 17th century, has six simple rooms, two of them family rooms, open from mid-May to September. Les Jardins, a four-star hotel 20 meters from the main house, has 18 Superior and Privilège rooms with balconies or terraces, in former stables redesigned in the spirit of a Dauphiné walnut dryer. Le Cottage, a three-star hotel a few minutes away, has nine standard rooms, two suites and an apartment. Pets are accepted in the rooms for a supplement.
Catering
The gastronomic restaurant at La Maison is led by Philippe Girardon, Meilleur Ouvrier de France in 1997, and holds a Michelin star. The cooking draws on Dauphiné tradition. Fruit and vegetables are grown 800 meters away on the Chonas plateau, herbs come from the chef's own production, and eggs from the estate's hens are cooked to order at breakfast. The restaurant opens from Wednesday evening to Sunday lunch. The Cottage bistro serves from breakfast to dinner in a simpler style.
History and setting
The estate is run by the Girardon family: Philippe in the kitchen, Laurence in charge of the house and their daughter Amélie bringing new projects. The park is classified by the French national forestry office. Chonas-l'Amballan is a rural village of about 1,500 people in a farming plain, facing the Condrieu and Côte-Rôtie vineyards across the Rhône.
Getting there
By road, the estate is reached from the A7 motorway via exit 9 Vienne or exit 12 Chanas, then the N7, and lies less than 10 km from the motorway. The nearest stations are Saint-Clair-du-Rhône (7 km) and Vienne (12 km); Lyon Part-Dieu and Lyon Perrache are 40 km away. Lyon Saint-Exupéry airport is 45 km away.
