Château de la Mothe hires out its whole estate for weddings, private parties and company events, with a reception hall seating up to 210 for dinner, a 190 m² second hall and beds for 53 guests on site. The moated château stands in the hamlet of Lamothe at Saint-Privat-des-Prés, in the Périgord Vert in the north-west of the Dordogne, close to the Gironde border.
Seminars and company events
The owners, Rebecca and Cyril, say the estate takes seminars as well as private occasions, and that each booking is shaped around the project. A team can have the whole place to itself: two halls for plenary work and meals, a park for outdoor sessions and enough beds for a group of about fifty. The main hall is heated, air-conditioned and soundproofed, so it works in every season. Photo shoots, advertising spots, music videos and film or television shoots are also welcome, on quotation.
Weddings and receptions
Weddings are the core of the business. The estate is let in exclusivity and in full, for at least two nights, which leaves the day before for setting up and the day after for a slow departure or a brunch by the pool. The drinks reception can take place under the old horse chestnut or beside the pool, and the cocktail hall serves as the fallback for a ceremony or a drinks reception when the weather turns. The party can run late into the night within the local noise rules.
Rooms and capacities
The main reception hall, set in a former farm building with bare stone walls and exposed beams, seats up to 210 people for a meal; the estate gives up to 220 guests as its overall figure. It has a caterer's kitchen, step-free access and two disabled parking spaces. The Salle Cocktails covers 190 m² and holds all the guests for a ceremony or a drinks reception under cover. Tables, two models of chairs and cocktail furniture are included in every hire. The car park holds 100 cars and has a double electric charging point.
Accommodation
The château, the gîtes and furnished tipis sleep up to 53 guests. The château itself, a 530 m² house, has two bedrooms and four suites for 15 people, two lounges named Montaigne and La Boétie and an old kitchen with a large fireplace. The Pavillon Cognac in the courtyard sleeps up to seven, and the Atelier St Emilion, a 200 m² building with a dormitory, sleeps 15 with step-free access. An 8 m by 15 m pool sits in the shaded park. More gîtes, guest rooms and hotels a few minutes away can take the rest of a large party.
Catering
There is no in-house restaurant and no exclusive supplier list. Hosts choose their own caterer, DJ, photographer and florist; the owners can suggest names and take no commission. Water, electricity, recycling bins and end-of-stay cleaning, under conditions, are part of the hire.
History and setting
The château dates from the 13th century and was reworked in the 17th and 19th centuries. Moats surround it, and the estate covers more than 6 hectares of wooded park with palm trees, a large horse chestnut and a walnut tree near the water.
Getting there
The estate lies in the north-west of the Dordogne, at the edge of the Gironde. Guests mostly arrive by car; ask the owners for the best station and airport for your group.
