Castle Wedding Guide

Chateau d Arlens Outside

Welcome to the Chateau d’Arlens

CHATEAU D’ARLENS is in the heart of Gascony, south west France. A warm and welcoming luxury bed and breakfast accommodation in which to stay and explore the local region, celebrate an event or just unwind from the rigours of a stressful way of life. The emphasis on the house is of an easy going family atmosphere where guests are encouraged to relax, help themselves to drinks, treat the place as home and to come and go as they please.

Weddings & Special Events At The Chateau

The magic of Château d’Arlens lends itself to a romantic setting with the back drop of the Pyrenees. An ideal place to celebrate a wedding or another special occasion. We have room for all in our fabulous authentic party barn / function room which includes a highly polished 280m2 floor and has hosted many weddings and parties. The château itself has hosted parties of 80 – 100. How the event is run depends on individual planning and of course the time of year. For example reception drinks can be taken on the lawn overlooking the beautiful countryside whilst a formal dinner or wedding breakfast can be enjoyed in the traditional barn with its main hall and gallery. No matter the size or scale of your party whether a family reunion, a birthday or a huge wedding, the entire property is reserved exclusively for your event.

Chateau d Arlens Wedding

The Chateau And Its Grounds

Château d’Arlens sits on its own promontory of land, surrounded by its own 63 hectares of woods and farmland, looking south over the rolling Gascon countryside down as far as the Pyrenees in the distance.

There was a house on the hill centuries ago but history dates back to 1666 when it was inhabited by a nobleman, Dominique d’Esparbes and his family until the Revolution. After 1789 it had a checkered history until it was restored and virtually rebuilt by a local family from Plaisance in the 1850s. The ‘de Saint Julien’ family lived and loved the chateau from 1941 enjoying its peacefulness as well as it ability to host parties. The Earl and Countess of Mayo fell in love with Arlens in 1989 and threw open its doors to private house guests almost immediately. Their son, Jem, was two and went straight into local education. We knew he had become bilingual when he said after a couple of weeks ‘mais non, maman!’

The Chateau has an air of non-fussy elegance and is comfortable furnished. An easy going family atmosphere pervades the whole house, guests are encouraged to relax, help themselves to drinks, treat the place like home and to come and go as they please.

Ground floor with snooker room, occasional bedrooms, offices, laundry, boot room etc.

Main floor with receptions rooms, 2 bedrooms/bathrooms, well stocked library, large day room with giant fireplace and doors opening out onto the terraces and gardens

Top floor with 8 bedrooms and 6 bathrooms. Bedrooms and beds are arranged according to the families that stay as some are en suite with bathrooms, some have king size beds, some have single beds etc. All rooms are very individual.

No two rooms are the same.

The front of the house looks over a lawn framed by mature trees with uninterrupted views. On the side of the house a series of terraces lead to the pool (12m x 6m) enclosed by an elaegnus hedge. Surrounding the pool are lawns with large shrub roses, beyond which is the artificial grass tennis court and the orchard.

Chateau d Arlens Accommodation

Eating at ARLENS …you may wish to join us for a meal. Depending on the season and the occasion, meals are partaken either in the formal dining room, in the day room, or outside on the terrace or under the pergola.

Chateau d Arlens Dining

Activities Available

How about taking a weekend off and having a change of scenery? Gather your friends and come to Chateau d’Arlens for some good food and relaxation. Here’s a sample of some of the great programmes we are able to arrange for you :-

Latin & Ballroom Dance Classes In France
David and Katya are the 2008 NUMBER TWO professional couple in Latin American Dancing in France. They continue to compete on the International circuit but have certain weekends in reserve that we can offer exclusively to our guests at Chateau d’Arlens. Click here for more information.

Yoga In France
Yoga at the chateau with Dominique Brun, professor of Yoga since 1985. Qualified at the Institute of Yoga-Therapy in Paris and at the Laughter Yoga School of Dr Kataria

Massage and Reflexology In France
Pamper yourself at the chateau with Véronique Lesage to relax the body, ease stress, tension, and relieve your dancing aches and pains!

Walking and Cycling In The Gers
Walking and Cycling through endless scenic routes in the MOST beautiful undulating countryside, nothing too steep or daunting and you can admire the dramatic Pyrenees in the distance without having to toil up them! All you need is a good pair of walking shoes and we can help the cyclists with rentals in Plaisance, just 6km away. Routes and Maps provided.

Bridge Sessions In France
Play Bridge at a chateau, accommodation at Arlens is ideal for 4 tables, guests are welcome to bring their own bridge master or simply a group of friends out here for exclusive weekend sessions.

Prefer something else..
We are always open to suggestions! If there is anything else that you would like to study, practise, do, learn, or, improve on, just get in touch. Arlens is a wonderful venue to meet people or to just enjoy the company of your friends without any of the organisation and catering hassles. Don’t hesitate …

Special Dancing Weekends At The Chateau

Dance in France with David and Katya

David and Katya are the 2008 NUMBER TWO professional couple in Latin American Dancing in France. They continue to compete on the International circuit but have certain weekends in reserve that we can offer exclusively to our guests at Chateau d’Arlens.

They teach classic Ballroom as well as Latin American – as you would imagine, they are great fun, highly professional, speak good English and live close by in our lovely ‘departement’, the Gers. David was born here and Katya, his partner, is Ukrainian. The sessions we have had with them already were a huge success – it’s very amusing to see your guests cha-cha-cha-ing around the breakfast table! On the Saturday evening we can organise a dance and invite keen local residents to join in. If more people want to come for the weekend than can be housed at Chateau d’Arlens, we can find additional accommodation very close by.

Chateau d Arlens Dance

Chateau d’Arlens Contact information / Location

Chateau d’Arlens

Couloume-Mondebat, 32160
Plaisance-du-Gers

Tel: (33) (0)562694036
Email: info@chateauarlens.com