There's something rather magical about a warm spring evening in the courtyard of a French château, and last Friday we were lucky enough to experience exactly that.
Beaux Villages Prestige held its first vernissage event at the beautiful Château Ladausse in Monflanquin, and it turned out to be a very special evening. The setting – a sun-warmed courtyard, aperitifs in hand – did everything a setting should do: it put people at ease, sparked conversation, and reminded everyone exactly why they fell in love with the South West of France in the first place.
Art, property and a splash of practicality
The evening centred on an exhibition of work by artist Rebecca Taber, whose pieces were displayed to wonderful effect in the château surroundings. Rebecca also spoke about investing in art – not in a dry, financial way, but with real passion and insight that made the subject accessible and genuinely interesting.
We also heard from Katriona Murray-Platon of the Spectrum Group, who shared some very practical advice on navigating the tax implications of buying property in France. If you've ever worried about your château dream turning into a tax nightmare, Katey’s tips were exactly the kind of grounded, no-nonsense guidance that our buyers find invaluable.
The right people, under the right sky
It was a well-curated gathering, and the feedback was genuinely warm. It was particularly pleasing to hear from several notaires present that we are, apparently, the only agent in the South West holding events of this kind. That's a real compliment from people who see a lot of what goes on in this market, and it confirms there's a genuine appetite for gatherings that go beyond the standard property brochure. A huge thank you to Victoria Holt, who organised the evening so beautifully, and to the rest of the Prestige team who came along to support – it really does take a team effort to make an evening like this feel effortless.
The venue – and the food – stole the show
The food was provided by Château Ladausse itself – and it was, by all accounts, superb. The location performed beautifully, and it was hard not to be charmed by the setting as the evening unfolded. It's worth mentioning that Château Ladausse is currently on the market with Beaux Villages Prestige – so if the evening left you wondering what it might be like to call a place like this home, that's a conversation we'd very much welcome.
On the screen all evening
One detail that went down particularly well: a video showcase of some of Beaux Villages Prestige properties ran on a loop throughout the evening. The owners of Château Ladausse were genuinely delighted to see their property featured, and guests had the chance to browse some of our exceptional listings in a relaxed, unhurried setting.
Watch this space
We'll be sharing photos and footage from the evening very shortly on LinkedIn and YouTube – so if you weren't able to join us, you'll soon get a flavour of what you missed. And if events like this appeal to you, do keep an eye out for what we have planned next.
Evenings like this are at the heart of what Beaux Villages Prestige is about – bringing together people who share a love of exceptional properties, beautiful art, and life well lived in the South West of France.