Mas Merlet hosts seminars, training sessions, incentives, trade shows, client meetings, board meetings, gala evenings, product launches and weddings. Its nine spaces take up to 350 people in theatre style and 400 at a cocktail, and 29 guests can sleep in 13 bedrooms on site. The estate covers 8 hectares of wooded park on the edge of Nîmes, in the Gard, 15 minutes from the city's central station.
Seminars and company events
The estate hosts about a hundred company projects a year, from half a day to more than two weeks. The team handles organization, catering and technical needs. Every space comes with a sound system, projection equipment, Wi-Fi, flip charts, tables and chairs. The Salle Panoramique, 260 square meters, takes 350 in theatre style. The Salle des Peintres, the Salle Théâtre and l'Écurie connect to form 400 square meters for 250 seminar participants or 400 at a cocktail. La Cathédrale, 200 square meters, has a built-in 30-square-meter stage and takes 200 for a working session or 120 at dinner. For small groups, the Salle Haute and the Salon Rouge, 50 square meters each, take 10 to 20 people. Outside, 350 square meters of pagoda tents shelter incentive activities and outdoor receptions. A shuttle is available on request, and three free car parks hold several hundred vehicles.
Weddings and receptions
The estate opens from 9 a.m. to 4 a.m. on the wedding day. A project manager coordinates the event, a valet greets guests and a technical manager runs the reception room. The 1,200-square-meter courtyard, enclosed by the stone walls of the house, hosts the welcome drink. The one-hectare garden holds the pagoda tents, which seat 300 for dinner, with outdoor bars and a pool. The 400 square meters of indoor rooms serve as wet-weather space. Cleaning after the event is included. Private event packages, over one or several days, cover the venue, the park and pool, lodging, technical support, a security guard and cleaning. The estate also hosts christenings and birthdays.
Rooms and capacities
Beyond the main rooms, the Orangerie, a 90-square-meter pavilion, suits a small reception, and the Maison de Maître offers two connecting salons totaling 90 square meters. All indoor rooms are heated and air-conditioned.
Accommodation
Four buildings sleep 29 guests. The Maison de Maître has five bedrooms, two salons and three bathrooms. The Orangerie has two bedrooms with a shared bathroom, the Apartment two bedrooms with a shared bathroom, and the Maison du Gardien four bedrooms, a large living room and two bathrooms. Partner hotels nearby take larger groups.
Catering
The estate's restaurant, Le M, opened in 2014 and serves contemporary seasonal cooking based on local producers. It is open for lunch from Tuesday to Sunday and for dinner from Thursday to Saturday, and it caters events on site. For weddings, the team covers catering, decoration and the coordination of outside suppliers such as photographers and DJs, and shares a list of partner florists, photographers, musicians and planners.
History and setting
The property was first known as the Maison des Eaux and marked the last stop on the Via Domitia before Nîmes. It takes its name from François Hüe de Merlet, who bought it in the 15th century. In the 17th century, the Valat family built the farm buildings that now house the reception rooms. The park is planted with trees over a century old.
Getting there
Mas Merlet is 15 minutes from Nîmes central station, 15 minutes from the Manduel station and 20 minutes from Nîmes-Garons airport. Montpellier, Avignon, Arles and Uzès are within easy reach by road.
