Domaine Le Castelet takes seminars, team building days, training sessions, weddings and family celebrations, with three meeting rooms and a covered space for groups of 10 to 130 people. The estate sits at the end of a small country road, 10 minutes from the center of Castres, in the Tarn, and about one hour from Toulouse. It can be hired in full for one event.
Seminars and company events
The owners, Suzy and Éric, spent years in corporate work in Paris and attended many seminars before buying the estate. They fitted out the old farm buildings as meeting rooms with natural light, video projectors, flipcharts and a sound system. The site lists uses such as product launches, conferences, board meetings, sales meetings, gala dinners and training days.
Several lounges and living rooms in the houses serve as breakout rooms or quiet areas. Outside, the wooded park, gardens and terraces can host meals and team building activities. The hosts point to canyoning, hiking and walks nearby, and they stay on site during a study day or seminar to deal with practical needs.
Weddings and receptions
Weddings are run with exclusive use of the estate. The drinks reception usually takes place in the farm courtyard under the oaks, or under the Hangar, a covered building with its original timber frame and a large wooden door, when the weather is uncertain. A cocktail can also be set beside the pool at sunset. Dinner is served in Les Ecuries, a 160 m² room with exposed stone walls and a wooden roof structure, or outdoors in the courtyard. The estate also offers secular ceremonies and hosts birthdays, christenings and family reunions.
Rooms and capacities
The event rooms are Les Ecuries, La Grange, Le Verger and Le Hangar. The site gives a range of 10 to 130 people across the three meeting rooms and the covered space. Les Ecuries is the only room with a published surface, 160 m². Ask the owners which room fits your number and layout.
Accommodation
The main house, known locally as "the château," holds five guest rooms, among them a family suite, a room with a canopy bed of 27 m² and a 19 m² room facing the pool. The renovated farm, barn and small chapel hold gîtes for two to nine people each: La Borderie, Les Oliviers, La Chapelle, La Ferme with its own pool, and La Grange. Guests have access to the pool, a gym, a sauna and a jacuzzi.
Catering
For seminars and team building days, the hosts serve breakfast and homemade meals, mostly from local and seasonal produce. Guest-room visitors can join the table d'hôtes for Suzy's cooking. For private events, the team can handle meals on site and coordinate outside suppliers.
History and setting
The main house is described as a former hunting lodge, later a farming property with a farm building added in 1868, and one page of the site dates the house to the 18th century. The park is wooded, with old trees, meadows and forest around it. Albi and Carcassonne, both on the UNESCO list, are within reach for an outing.
Getting there
The address is 119-121 Chemin du Castelet, 81100 Castres. Plan on 10 minutes by car from central Castres and about one hour from Toulouse. A car or a booked transfer is the practical option for the last stretch.
