Domaine de la Geneste hosts executive committees, study days, residential seminars, gala dinners, weddings, birthdays and garden parties. The château has 150 square meters of reception space over three salons, for 80 people seated or 100 standing. Seminars are sold for groups of up to 30. A 23-hectare park and forest and six rental cottages complete the estate. It lies on Chemin de la Geneste in Châteaufort, in the Yvelines, at the edge of the Chevreuse valley, about 30 minutes from Paris.
Seminars and company events
The estate sells committee meetings, gala dinners, study days and residential seminars. The seminar page lists groups of up to 30 people, technical equipment, team-building, the château's Haussmann-style salons, on-site cooking and accommodation in the cottages. Isabelle and her children run the estate and build each program to measure, in a relaxed, home-like setting.
The park suits outdoor sessions, yoga or meditation, sports activities and team games, and the estate also hosts cooking workshops, exhibitions, openings, film shoots and photo shoots. Past guests include business school groups and company teams, who used the château terrace for dinners and the park for team lunches.
Weddings and receptions
The château hosts weddings, christenings and birthdays in its three salons, with 80 guests seated or 100 standing. In fine weather, the park takes garden parties, barbecues, concerts and brass bands, and the estate can provide a stage and other infrastructure. The château terrace is used for outdoor dinners. Guests can stay in the cottages on the estate.
Rooms and capacities
The château offers 150 square meters of reception space in three salons, for 80 people seated or 100 standing. The salons are described as Haussmann-style rooms. The park and forest cover 23 hectares, with room for marquees, outdoor activities and installations. Individual salon sizes are not published.
Accommodation
Six cottages are rented on the estate, with a two-night minimum. La Tour sleeps up to 10, the Loft de l'Écurie up to 14, the Pavillon de Dessin up to 6 and the Maison de l'Écurie up to 6. La Chapelle takes one or two guests and the Studio de la Bergerie one guest. Together they sleep around 39 people. Each cottage can be rented whole or by the bed, and linen and cleaning are options.
Catering
The estate does not run its own restaurant. Partner chefs propose a menu for each event, and the seminar page lists on-site cooking. The château has also hosted cooking classes.
History and setting
The fief of La Geneste is first recorded in Châteaufort in 1339. A first château probably stood here by 1554, and it was rebuilt in 1614 with stones from the ruined medieval keep of Marly. The present château dates from 1857. It was built by Mr. Stenhover with the architect Eugène Petit, and the old château was then pulled down. On August 19, 1913, the aviator Célestin Pégoud took off from Châteaufort airfield and jumped from his plane by parachute over the estate, with the owner's consent. A few weeks later, he flew the first deliberate loop in nearby Buc. The estate also keeps owners' horses, with a show-jumping and dressage arena.
Getting there
Châteaufort is about 30 minutes from Paris by car, between Versailles and the Chevreuse valley. The GPS coordinates are 48.732252 N, 2.088452 E. The nearest stations are not listed on the estate's site.
