Château de Poudenas can host weddings from 50 to 500 guests, residential seminars, product launches and company evenings. Its six reception rooms seat up to 550 people in banquet layout, and the main courtyard takes up to 600 seated. Four houses on the estate sleep 42 guests in 21 bedrooms. The château stands above the village of Poudenas, in Lot-et-Garonne, roughly halfway between Bordeaux, Toulouse and Pau.
Seminars and company events
The château sells seminars, meetings, team-building days, general assemblies, product launches, training days, networking evenings and film shoots. Conference spaces seat up to 300 people. A client can book several meeting rooms, the terraces, the pool area for a cocktail, or the whole château for exclusive use. The site lists an overhead projector, flip charts and wifi in the reception rooms and the houses.
For a residential seminar, the four houses offer 21 bedrooms, and guest rooms in the village add beds when the group is larger. The 15-hectare park has a tennis court, a golf practice range with an approach green, pétanque and running paths. Bike rides, wine tastings and an escape game can be arranged nearby.
Weddings and receptions
Weddings are sold in three packages. L'Essentiel includes the Grandes Écuries and the Billard rooms, the main courtyard, the park and the gardens. La Panorama adds the Salon and access to the panoramic terrace. La Prestige opens all six reception rooms. Each package includes three houses that sleep 28 guests and a free choice of venue for the next-day brunch.
The château chapel can be used for a religious ceremony and holds 300 people. A secular ceremony can take place in most outdoor spaces. The South terrace is listed for a cocktail of 200 guests. Couples have exclusive use of the estate on their wedding day. Music is allowed outdoors until 11:30 p.m. and in the dance room until 4 a.m., with an option to extend.
Rooms and capacities
The château publishes banquet figures for each room: the Écuries, a former stable of 176 square meters, seats 180. The Salle des Gardes seats 100, the Billard 90, the Salon 60, the Salle à Manger 60 and the Bureau 50. The main courtyard is used for open-air dinners and dancing. Every reception can move indoors in bad weather, since the rooms together seat around 540.
Accommodation
The estate has four self-catering houses: the Logis du Château for 16, the Bastion du Prince Noir for 14, the Maison de Simone for 8 and the Maison d'Olive for 4. The Logis includes five suites. The Bastion has its own pool and can be added to a wedding package. Rooms with step-free access and adapted bathrooms are available.
Catering
Catering is not in-house. The client chooses a caterer, and the château gives a list of local suppliers at booking with no obligation to use them. A catering room of 85 square meters with a cold room is provided for the caterer. Tables, chairs, buffet tables, standing barrels and a projection screen can be rented on site.
History and setting
The château is a listed historic monument built in an Italian Renaissance style. It overlooks the village of Poudenas and the Gélise valley in Gascony. The family who owns the estate runs the events and the rental houses.
Getting there
By car, the château is 50 minutes from Agen station, 1 hour 45 minutes from Bordeaux-Mérignac airport and 1 hour 50 minutes from Toulouse-Blagnac airport. Regional buses on the Agen to Mont-de-Marsan line stop in Poudenas. Guest parking is inside the park.
