Domaine de l'Epau can host seminars, conferences, team days, company parties and weddings for groups from about 20 up to 250 guests standing, or 200 seated in theatre style. The estate has a low-energy event building split into several rooms, its own restaurant, Le Verger, and a set of eco-lodges. It lies at Lieu-dit Le Verger in Yvré-l'Évêque, inside the green setting of the Arche de la Nature, about 10 minutes from the center of Le Mans.
Seminars and company events
The event building was designed for both private and business use. It is fully accessible to guests with reduced mobility, has its own restrooms and a parking lot of 200 spaces, with charging points for electric cars. Every room comes with a projector and HDMI cable, a microphone, a sound system, a flip chart and Wi-Fi, and coffee breaks can be added.
The Epicéa room is set up for conferences and company meetings. It has LED lighting, a white screen, wireless microphones and a bar with a professional coffee machine. The team arranges round tables, rectangular tables or comfortable chairs on request. The smaller Ecorce room carries a connected 4K LED screen 2.10 meters wide, which makes it a good room for video work or a breakout group. Tablet chairs or a U-shaped layout are possible.
Groups can also use the lounges of the eco-lodges. Each has a kitchenette, a round table and a private terrace, and they give access to the wellness area.
Weddings and receptions
The estate sells weddings, engagement parties, birthdays, retirement parties and family gatherings. It spreads over 7 hectares of green land. The kitchen team can serve close to 200 guests in one evening, and guests can sleep on site in the eco-lodges. The Acacia room opens onto a covered terrace with a view over the grounds, which suits a reception drink. The site has hosted public events in the past, including the Europajazz festival and art openings.
Rooms and capacities
Acacia covers 125 square meters and seats 95 in theatre style or 40 on tablet chairs, with a workshop layout possible. Epicéa also covers 125 square meters: 75 in theatre style, 80 for a cocktail and 60 at round tables. The two rooms join into one space of 250 square meters for 200 in theatre style, 180 at round tables or 250 for a cocktail. Ecorce covers 45 square meters for 35 on tablet chairs or 20 around a U-shaped table.
Accommodation
The eco-lodges are built with natural materials such as wood and earth. They come in three categories, Classic, Comfort and Superior, for up to 4 or 6 people each, with double or twin beds, a balneo bath or shower, a connected TV, a safe, a coffee machine and a furnished terrace. Guests in the lodges can use the heated pool, the hammam and the sauna, open from May to September. The estate treats its wastewater with a reed-bed system and recycles its waste.
Catering
Le Verger cooks seasonal dishes from local producers in the Pays de la Loire, with a wine list chosen from small growers. The restaurant is air-conditioned and has a large terrace. It is closed on Mondays. A brunch and a snack bar are also run on site.
Getting there
The estate is about 10 minutes from central Le Mans. City bus line 6, toward Saint-Martin, stops at Arche de la Nature. The parking lot holds 200 cars.
