Domaine Santa Maria hosts company seminars, product launches, gala dinners and weddings for 15 to 450 seated guests, and up to 850 people for a standing reception across the whole site. The estate is hired by one group at a time, with no other event running in parallel. It stands on Chemin Santa Maria in Villefranque, in the French Basque Country, eight minutes by car from Bayonne.
Seminars and company events
The business offer covers executive committees, team building, product launches and gala dinners. For a company event the estate states 15 to 350 seated guests and 600 in a cocktail format. The Patio serves as the plenary hall, the Salon Eugénie suits a confidential leadership meeting from 15 people, and the Salle Annexe works as a breakout room with an HD projector, whiteboard, modular furniture and a fiber connection.
The technical set-up comes from the owners' background in live shows. The estate lists a Meyer Sound and LD Acoustic system designed by an acoustician, 42 light points run from a console, a laser, giant screens, HD projectors and a modular stage with a dressable backdrop. A technical manager is included in the hire. At night the palm-lined driveway can be lit in the company's colors. Team activities such as morning yoga, surfing, hiking and local food tastings can be added to the program.
Weddings and receptions
Weddings take place over one site in three stages: arrival along the Allée des Palmiers, a secular ceremony on the covered terrace or in the park, then dinner and dancing in the Patio, with Le Kayolar bar taking over later in the night. The covered terrace is the stated fallback if the weather turns. Two dressing rooms with mirrors, wardrobes and private washrooms let the couple, speakers or performers prepare away from the guests.
Rooms and capacities
The Patio covers 500 m² under an exposed timber frame and seats 80 to 450 guests. The Salon Eugénie, 150 m², seats 15 to 60, with a château fireplace, a 1935 bar that came from the Hôtel du Palais, heating and air conditioning. Le Kayolar is a speakeasy-style bar with its own sound and lighting, listed for up to 120. The Salle Annexe, 60 m², takes up to 40. The covered terrace and park, the palm driveway and the two dressing rooms complete the seven spaces.
Accommodation
There are no bedrooms on the estate. Partner houses three to five minutes away on foot offer about 30 beds, reached by a path through pepper fields. Larger groups stay in hotels in Bayonne (8 minutes) or Biarritz (25 minutes), with private shuttles coordinated by the team. A brunch the next day can be arranged on site or nearby.
Catering
No caterer is imposed. Clients bring their own caterer, florist and photographer, or choose from the estate's list of partners. The hire includes furniture, the sound and lighting system, parking, a concierge service and staff support for the whole event. Through the agency Double Casquette, the team also offers event design, full coordination and artists such as DJs, musicians and a banda.
History and setting
The estate was founded in 1997 by Michel, a builder, and his son Jimmy, and for ten years hosted family celebrations from the area. After a fire destroyed it, the family rebuilt from scratch, with decor and objects gathered in Morocco, Mexico, London and Portugal. Jimmy, a former show producer at the Arènes de Bayonne, designed each space as a stage. Victoria, of the next generation, now runs operations.
Getting there
The estate gives these driving times: 8 minutes to Bayonne, 12 minutes to Bayonne TGV station, 18 minutes to Biarritz airport and 25 minutes to Biarritz.
