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Podere Isabella July 2010 -

"Everyone in our group had a great time. We had a lot of foodies in our group, and no one was disappointed by the food experiences. I'm so glad that Stefano recommended La Porta, because it turned out to be our single best dinner. The owner there is extremely friendly and gracious. …. Anna prepared some great meals for us. Her pork roast and deep-friend aubergines were amazing, as was her lasagna! You were a pleasure to deal with, and I never felt that you were reluctant to assist us with anything. I would not hesitate to enlist your help in planning our next Italian vacation, and hope to get some suggestions as to other great places in Italy to explore."

Unsu Lee & family, Singapore

Casa Glyn May 2010

“"A couple of friends along with ourselves, wanted to find  somewhere special in Tuscany to celebrate both our 25th wedding anniversaries. Having come across Casa Glynn on the internet we chose to spend our first week in
Tuscany in this is idyllic sounding place.

We were not to be disappointed,  Merrion could not have been more helpful sharing with us her passion for Italy and knowledge of Tuscany and the local area. On her recommendation we found down in Fivivizzano a wonderful café that provided us with the most fabulous homemade ice cream and also a general shop which was a treasure trove of local produce which made our meals into culinary delights. The couple of walks Merrion suggested we took when we could tear ourselves away from those magnificent views were very enjoyable.
Our stay could not have been more comfortable in the very tastefully decorated Casa Glyn, everything you could possibly need, Merrion, had thought of right down to her home made olive oil and the lovely red wine locally produced in the village of Cotto.

Our wedding anniversary was made into a memorable evening by Pietro cooking us feast of local dishes and finishing off the night entertaining us with his singing while Merrion played the piano. Memories of the deers coming down to the river to drink in front of the terrace, the cows been led off in the mornings with the farmer, their bells ringing across the valley than returning of an evening, the shooting stars, the pool where we whiled away the afternoons views of very dramatic Apuane mountains and of course Mojo, Merrion's trusty companion. Truly wonderful memories to take away with us. Thank you for sharing  such a special place."”

Best wishes Gilly, Malcolm, Elizabeth and Christopher – Jersey, Channel Islands.

Villa Bianca & Masseria Torre Maizza – Puglia

“Just to say that we thoroughly enjoyed our stay in Leuca at Villa Bianca which has one of the nicest swimming pools we have seen anywhere. Its such a good area and found some great restaurants. The 3 days in Torre Maizza were excellent – a very good hotel and beach and beach restaurant. So thank you for organising everything , and Maizza is a real find!

We could not have chosen a better person to book our Italian holiday. Merrion always answered my questions immediately by email - the efficiency was 100%. Perfect in summing up what type of holiday we wanted. A true specialist in all directions.”

Bartholomew family - Wiltshire

Mas St Joseph , Provence July 2009

Collins Family, London

August 2009 - Sant Andrea del Carpine, Lunigiana

Lulu & Jim Dubai

July 2009 - Casa Glyn & Sant Andrea
We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Casa Glyn:
Fantastic scenery, particularly the view from the terrace where we whiled our time away listening to Sarah play your piano (a big plus for her - just heard that she gained a distinction in her grade 8 flute exam!). We usually do quite a lot of day trips on our holidays but this place was just perfect for us to wind down/recuperate. Villa accommodation was ‘home from home’; internal furnishings, pool and terrace area, all contributing to relaxing and had everything we needed. It was also a bonus to have yourself and Mojo on site helping us to make the most of the location - your information folder was also very useful.

Sant Andrea del Carpine was fun:
Kept losing each other and having to make arrangements to meet up in certain parts of the accommodation. Great place for Steve to read his ‘Millenium’ book. Pietro’s meal was a highlight. Location of both villas were ideal for us - we could have visited a lot more places but couldn’t drag ourselves away from the villas!

Thanks again for your help. We will definitely recommend you to anyone else thinking of going to Italy .
Best wishes - it was a real pleasure to meet you."

Taylor Family from Dubai

June 2009 Casa Glyn
"Casa Glyn is a wonderful, peaceful and relaxing place to stay. The house is well equipped and very comfortable. Merrion, the owner, is very welcoming and helpful and has a great knowledge of the area. The view from the terrace is wonderful. It's a real pleasure to just sit and gaze at the mesmerising view down the valley to Fivizzano and over to the Apuan Alps. The town of Fivizzano is small but has great food shops. We shopped at the butcher, baker and Alimentari recommended by Merrion. It was great to be able to make the most of the wonderful food that was available. The staff at the shops were very friendly and helpful even though they didn't speak english and out Italian was extremely basic! We never went to a supermarket as it was such a pleasure to shop at these shops.

Casa Glyn has a wood fired pizza oven on the terrace which produces great tasting pizza. We bought the dough for the pizzas from the baker which made things much easier. It takes a while for the oven to get hot so while you're waiting you can sit on the terrace with a glass of wine and enjoy the view.

Many of the sites of Tuscany are easy to do for a day trip. The Cinque Terre is a good day out and the scenery is beautiful. But sometimes it's hard to drag yourself away from the peacefulness of Casa Glyn. It's nice just to go down to Fivizzano, enjoy a coffee and pastry by the fountain in the piazza, shop for your food supplies and then head back to Casa Glyn and relax on the terrace or by the pool. If you are feeling energetic there are good walks from the house.

Fivizzano is definitely not a tourist town which for us helped make our stay more enjoyable. To us it was a taste of 'real' Italy. I would recommend staying at Casa Glyn to anybody who enjoys getting away from it all while still having the option to venture out to the sites of Tuscany."

Hewitt Family Michigan USA

Puglia June 2009
“Merrion found us our dream holiday villa. That's skill itself without the personal, helpful and efficient advice and organisation which enabled 2 families coming from different directions to end up in a remote and idyllic spot, housed in a blissful white washed trulli style home with all mod cons. Just big enough for six of us adults and toddler, with a wonderful aspect and large white swimming pool, not a mosaic tile in sight, we were wonderfully rested, indulged with delicious food from the local markets and stimulated and fascinated by the beautiful towns all quite nearby.

As near perfect a week as you could hope for”.

Howard Family, London

Casa Glyn - June 2009
“Merrion Charles is a delight to work with. She is personable, professional, knowledgeable, cheerful, and a terrific human being. With great care, Merrion will cater her recommendations to your personal taste, interests and budget. I highly recommend Merrion's services without hesitation.”

Linda I, Toronto

Casellaccia, Tuscany
Just a note of thanks to you both from Dominic and I. Thank you, Merrion, for introducing us to Casellaccia on our initial trip to Italy in December last year, it was well worth the visit then and we are so thrilled with our final decision – not a single regret.

Elisa, the staff at Casellaccia are just amazing, Marcella and Loridonna (not sure of the spelling of her name), were particularly awesome. But in saying that, every one of the ladies we came into contact with during our stay were helpful, accommodating and very pleasant.

The wedding day itself was just beautiful, from the weather to the food to the friendly, wonderful priest, to the church (our guests LOVED that church!), and the Italian music duo. It was perfect.

All in all, our entire party had such an amazing wedding holiday. The setting, the food and the atmosphere all lent themselves towards creating an experience for Dominic and I that truly exceeded our expectations.

Many thanks and I hope that we can do this again in the future.

Take care and may you continue to create happy holidays for many, many more customers.

Dominic & Eloise Giampaolo from South Africa June 2009

Casa Glyn.
“What can we say…we knew that Casa Glyn would be beautiful but, it exceeded all expectations. Our photos & my (lame) painting cannot begin to capture the magic. We thank you very much for your hospitality – meeting you has made our trip even better. We understand why you love it so much. We love it too! Our last evening with Pietro as chef was truly perfect!! Thank you so very much for everything. We will be back. Kind regards Diane, Jim, Jamie & Mike Dondero. We loved meeting MoJo too!!

Dondero family USA - May 2009

Casa Glyn.

"The most important thing to remember when you rent Casa Glyn is that you're not going to feel like a tourist. All of my prior experiences in Europe were centered on major cities and this was the antithesis of those trips. The town of Cotto where the villa is located and the nearby town of Fivizzano are both warm and delightfully small. If there are tourists in the area they're so well dispersed you wont even know it. And with all that being said, Casa Glyn is still just a stones throw from most of the attractions you'll want to visit while in Tuscany .

The villa itself is a remarkable property. Merrion has managed to maintain it's old world appeal while updating it beautifully to meet more modern expectations. But what stood out for my family and me was the setting. Even though it's nestled up against the town, most parts of the property give you the feeling that you're all alone in paradise. The views of the surrounding hills and valley, back dropped by majestic alpine mountains are now etched in my permanent memory bank. Coming from the U.S. with such a daunting exchange rate to overcome, the lovely kitchen and cooking facilities proved a Godsend. And, even though the home isn't huge, all of our 9 party members had a very comfortable place to sleep.

Casa Glyn is for those who want to be near enough to the traditional allures of Tuscany , with the option to pass on them entirely and still have a wonderful time. For us it was perfect."

Doug Tarter June 2008.

Tuscany

Thank you for a glorious autumn break in Tuscany at Zingoni. A superbly understated yet elegant hideaway in the hills with a view which encourages hours of sitting on the terrace. Our wonderful housekeeper, Graziella, couldn't have made our stay more comfortable and her cooking was perfect. Fresh salad from the garden, figs from the poolside trees and a log fire at night....we didn't want for anything.
Sarah - October 2008 - Zingoni, Tuscany.

Hi Merrion
La Limonaia was a fabulous villa for our two families totaling 11 people. We had the most relaxing holiday in the spacious and very comfortable villa set in the grounds of Castello di Celsa. The staff, Fico and Kameja, and Lara, were delightful and very accommodating, and we had many funny charades to get past the language barrier! The little children had a great time on the estate, exploring, swimming and playing tennis in the hot Italian sunshine. Every second day or so we would venture out on a day trip to one of many local villages, climbing bell towers, eating, drinking and taking in the fabulous culture. San Gamigniano, Monteriggioni, Siena, the Chianti towns, and of course Florence are all within easy reach of La Limonaia. We explored little local restaurants nearly every day, and when we didn’t go out we would have a delicious feast laid out on the table under the grape vines. We learnt much about Italian wines by tasting many! All in all, the perfect getaway!

Fiona Donnelly – July 2008 – La Limonaia, Tuscany

The Pheasantry  Hascombe  Surrey - 22 January 2008
Comments on trips arranged for us by Merrion Charles

Malta. 
‘Couldn’t have been better.  Everything went as planned.’
‘A week in January is not the easiest thing to get right but she did it perfectly.  The briefing, schedule, flights, hotel and local information could not have been better. Very impressive.’

The Dolomites
‘Last minute decision but went without a hitch.’
‘Super service. Super planning.  Super hotel. Full marks Merrion’
‘We could not decide where to go or how to arrange it.  Merrion’s great knowledge of the area came to our rescue and she sorted it all out quickly and efficiently.’

General
‘When you deal with Merrion you get the best service, her extensive knowledge, her efficiency and her lovely personality. Can’t beat that’
‘Merrion knows her world of travel and is very good at what she does.’
‘Her attention to detail means that she gets it right’
Mike & Joan McLeod - Surrey 2008’

Dolomites
'Last year we decided we wanted to ski in the Dolomites but needed advice on the resorts. Having read all the press reports and brochures we decided there was too much choice, we needed help. After one call to Merrion explaining what we wanted and our level of skiing she came up with Arabba and the Sport Hotel, where we spent Christmas and New Year. Merrion organised everything for us: flights, taxi, hotel and the best ski instructor. A fantastic holiday which we are about to repeat. We would not hesitate in recommending Merrion, nothing seems too much for her.'
A very happy customer. Sussex.

Family trip to Italy
'Merrion organized a family trip to Italy for us (my daughter 5 my son 9 and my husband) I asked for something that was not going to be ‘touristy’ she understood my needs exactly and spent some time making sure that it all went smoothly for us, it really helped that she speaks fluent Italian and there were no misunderstandings or disappointments on the other end. I would not travel to Italy without using Merrion.'
Fiona Rawlinson - January 2008

Hi Merrion, Happy New Year to you too!
'We could not have been more pleased with the villa, and Latif is a treasure. Thank you so much for the recommendation and please convey our thanks to the (lucky) owner. Do keep in touch.'
Best wishes Nick & Deveren – December 2007

For more information please contact Merrion on:
Italy: +39 0585 92098, on her mobile +39 392 155 146,
United Kingdom: +44 (0)20 3326 1213
or via email: info@merrioncharles.com