The Château du Rondon hosts small residential seminars and team retreats for up to 15 people around a meeting table or 40 in conference style. Participants sleep in 7 bedrooms, four in the château and three in the gîte set in the orangery. The château stands on the banks of the Loiret river in Olivet, just south of Orléans, in the Loire Valley.
Seminars and company events
The owners present the seminar offer as a place set apart, made for slowing down, thinking together and working out priorities, rather than for large conferences. Meetings take place in the Orangerie, which seats up to 15 around a table, and the site can arrange up to 40 people in conference style. The château and the gîte are booked together for a seminar, so a group of up to about fifteen can live on site for the length of the program.
Between sessions, participants use the lounge with its fireplace, the kitchen and the outdoor spaces: a terrace with a table for 16, a garden lounge, a plancha and a pétanque area. The site is on the Loire à Vélo route, which makes a cycling session easy to add, and four golf courses lie within 30 minutes by car.
Rooms and capacities
The meeting space is the Orangerie, set up for 15 seated around a table or 40 in conference style. The gîte's dining table also seats 15, which suits working lunches and group dinners. The owners do not list technical equipment, so ask about a screen or projector when you book.
Accommodation
The château has four guest rooms on the first floor, all looking over the gardens and the Loiret, from 18 to 30 m². The Rondon room (30 m²) has a 200 cm bed and a bathroom with bathtub and walk-in shower. The Richelieu (22 m²), Richard (19 m²) and Rivière (18 m²) rooms each have a 180 cm bed and a shower room. Rooms are air-conditioned and include breakfast, Wi-Fi, a minibar, a Nespresso machine and a safe.
The orangery gîte sleeps nine in three air-conditioned bedrooms on the upper floor, with two bathrooms, three toilets, a fully equipped kitchen, a lounge and dining room with fireplace, a laundry room and a bike store. Together, château and gîte give 7 bedrooms and 6 bathrooms. The gîte is not accessible to guests with reduced mobility.
Catering
Breakfast is included for guests of the château rooms. The gîte has a fully equipped kitchen for group meals, and outdoor dining with a plancha. The website does not describe a catering service for seminars, so check with the owners how lunches and dinners are handled.
History and setting
The château was built in 1652 by a mayor of Orléans. Its gardens were first laid out by André Le Nôtre and reworked later. Two 17th-century wrought-iron gates come from the Château de Richelieu in Touraine, as do the antique-style busts on the facade, which passed through the Château de Chamerolles before arriving here. The main staircase in carved wood dates from the late 19th century. From 1930 to the late 1980s the château welcomed many writers and artists. It is furnished with period pieces. Renovation work is under way, and the owners warn guests of possible disturbance.
Getting there
The address is 3232 rue du Général de Gaulle, 45160 Olivet. The château lies about 2 km from the EuroVelo 6 and EuroVelo 3 cycle routes, La Loire à Vélo and La Scandibérique, and has a secure bike shelter and an electric charging point. The châteaux of the Loire are within easy reach for an outing.
