With Merrion you’ll discover
the insider’s Italy

Private Travel Consultant Italy

Nothing is too much trouble.

I pride myself on being available round the clock day and night to make my clients’ holidays as stress free and fulfilled as possible and my relationship with villa and hotel owners, private guides, restauranteurs, chefs and ‘those in the know’ is second to none.  As a dedicated, discreet and experienced private travel consultant I will assist you with organising everything at no extra cost.  So many of my discerning clients tell me repeatedly that everything always lived up to and beyond their expectations and that is praise indeed!

I’ve been told my skills as a Private Travel Consultant lie in an ability to communicate openly, honestly and enthusiastically  – and as a fluent Italian speaker it helps  to open many doors.  As I hope you can see, I love what I do  – I love Italy –  and I look forward to helping you arrange your tailor made journey, honeymoon, wedding, private villa, cookery course or ski safari.

Tailor made journeys

The ultimate bespoke service from Merrion Charles – an itinerary that is completely unique and tailored for you.

Exclusive villas

Sublime selection of hand picked luxury homes.

Luxury hotels

The best selection of boutique hotels – all tried and tested by Merrion.

Ski safaris

An exceptional experience in the Italian Dolomites – like nowhere else in the world!
Honeymoons and weddings in Italy

Honeymoons and weddings

Italy is undoubtedly one of the most romantic destinations.  Merrion knows the top spots!

Bespoke services & treatments/Concierge

Be it a masseur coming to your villa, a candlelit honeymoon dinner for two or shopping on arrival, Merrion can assist with literally EVERYTHING.

As featured in….

Country Life

Six beautiful Italian houses to rent with last minute availability

“Italy is never a bad idea — now, more so than ever. It’s rate of infections is still significantly lower than the UK and you won’t have to spend two weeks in quarantine, when you get back. Masks are still mandatory at various parts of the day and in certain indoor spaces, but it’s worth it for that well deserved slice of Italian La Dolce Vita.”

Read the article here

The Times

The Italian island where isolation is part of the scenery.

“When I booked a two-week holiday to the tiny Sicilian island of Pantelleria at the end of last year, I anticipated it being the perfect antidote to what was meant to be a hectic 2020 schedule.”

Read the article here

I Work with Amazing people

 

As requested, here is our feedback. You helped make our vacation very special.  Casa Fontana was the most beautiful house I’ve ever rented and you made that experience possible. We’ll never forget our time there. As I’ve said, my main regret is not meeting you sooner! Everything about Ponza was just marvelous. Casa Fontana is spectacular.  The house itself is amazing, of course, but the gardens really take it to the next level. Our last day I made a decision to stay home just to enjoy it. So glad you suggested the boat trips.  That was enormous fun and, as you pointed out, the only way to really see the beaches and grottos. We can’t wait to work with you again!  Do you do anything in Greece or Spain?  As I mentioned, we have a big anniversary coming up! 

Good morning!!! Well, Day 2 back at work and I wish we were still in Stresa!!!  Oh my goodness Merrion – what a wonderful home you found for us for a week in Italy.  From the moment we arrived to the moment we left – couldn’t have asked for more.  It really felt like a home away from home – beautifully furnished, sparkling clean and I do like a big house for 4 of us!!!  Linda was absolutely lovely – very hospitable, full of good recommendations and had even put out 2 bowls and a dog bed for Indie (which we managed to ensure she didn’t chew)!  How lovely is that!! We ate like kings and enjoyed days out mooching about – Indie was just a superstar and it took us ages to get anywhere with the shouts of bellisima and morbida etc etc!!!!  She is super well socialised!!!  Great restaurants – La Rampolina, Vistaqua, Piccolo Lago (Michelin 2 star – totally worth it) and Albergo Ristorante Verbano on Isola Superiore!  Oh, and a visit to La Casera for yummy goodies to buy and a nice lunch too! So, I could go on for a long time extoling the amazing Ermelinda but I think it is clear we loved it.  If we could have, we would have stayed another week!! Hope you are keeping well – back to reality for now but catch up soon I hope and thank you again!

Many thanks

“Merrion is  brilliant, I have used her many times over the years, she has found some exceptional properties in beautiful places. She has always been so professional and discreet and able to accommodate whatever our requests may have been. I highly recommend her, thank you Merrion!”

“We had an amazing time and it was a beautiful place! Merrion was fantastic with help and advice before and during our stay. She helped organise lots of special extras for us and had fantastic recommendations to make the most of the area. She provided excellent hospitality and we loved her and Mojo’s (the dog) company. Mojo was fantastic with kids and they are still talking about her weeks later. Thank you for the great memories!”

Thanks Merrion for your expert advice. I could not have planned this trip of a lifetime without you. The villa was beautiful, relaxing and it really felt like home. Vivianna is a warm and lovely person and she took care of all our needs. All the hotels were great. The rooms were elegant and comfortable and the views amazing. The staff everywhere were friendly, helpful and gave us excellent advice. I have to say JK Place is a wonderful experience. The staff were amazing as was the place itself. I would love to stay a month. Thank you so much and I cannot wait to plan my next adventure with you.

We loved Cocceto, so perfect in every way. The views, the amazing staff (Antonella and Lucia were exceptional), all just wonderful. We so appreciate all of your help in making it such a great experience, and I would definitely only use you from here on out when renting in Italy, so thank you! Happy to act as a reference for the house if you ever need. We would definitely rent there again, so will be in touch!

Thank you so much for yet another truly amazing holiday.  We cannot recommend you and your company highly enough.  The moment we chose to book our holiday you were on hand offering us advice and support with regards to our needs and matching our brief completely. The villa was absolutely stunning, well equipped and spacious, whilst the layout was perfect for staying with friends.   The grounds and views across the lake were breathtaking and watching the sun set each night with a bottle of prosecco was just magical.  The grounds and pool were outstanding.  Our holiday was made even better by having our food shop delivered upon our arrival.  Tina the maid was very helpful and obliging, bringing our breakfast every morning and having Gina, the cook, prepare our delicious evening meals, to our own menu meant that we didn’t have to lift a finger, we all completely relaxed and unwound and the only regret was that we didn’t stay another week, we just didn’t want to leave!

I approached Merrion in July ’21 when restrictions on tourists entering Italy changed, to include proof of vaccination, a negative test on arrival, a 5-day quarantine and a test to release on day 5.  We already had an Italian holiday booked but the first portion of it had to be unscrambled, and we needed an isolated first stop-off with a cook / food delivery service.  I was unsure as to how I was going to put this together, but Merrion couldn’t have made it easier for us.

Within a couple of hours, she gave us a choice of two villas with availability and great advice as to which suited our requirements better.  She advised closely on fulfilling the terms of the quarantine, and where to do the release test.  The villa was immaculate:  comfortable, super-restful and everything we could possibly have dreamed possible.  All in all, Merrion is a treasure and one whose name I will pass on repeatedly, I’m sure.  We wouldn’t dream of booking through anyone else now, and we are Italy-veterans!

Our stay at Olmaia was a magical experience, the house but especially the quiet and spacious location of the Villa as well as the lovely staff made our stay just perfect. The lovely homemade meals prepared by Sulman were a treat every day. Thank you Merrion for finding us this little space of paradise with a direct connection to quiet, clean sand beach!  The entire family as well as our friends will remember it dearly and we hope to return next year!

First of all, I am so (so) happy that I did not give up on our holiday plans and thankful that you went the extra-mile to secure La Poderina for us. The entire area is heaven on earth, close to perfection, I had to travel to Tuscany for the third time to finally discover its magical beauty… Siena is literally an hour away from any place you want to visit and the city itself is lovely. We are seriously considering buying a small property in that area…  About the house – to say that La Poderina is an amazing property would be an understatement. The place is truly magical, by far the best house we have ever stayed in and a place we never wanted to leave. Remote, yet minutes away from Piazza Il Campo, quiet,  exceptionally well maintained and cared for (big bravo to Lito, Peny and the gardener, who are doing a great job). The house, the design (a perfect blend of classic and contemporary, which speaks for itself about the owner’s taste), the bookshelves with probably over 10,000 books, the bedrooms (generous size and top notch beds and linens), the bathrooms, all the small details (what about the miniature LV chest to keep cotton pads or the old LV suitcases used as a piece of furniture in one of the bedrooms?🙂), the kitchen – the dream of any professional or wannabe chef, including dishes and cutlery (not bad to sip your morning coffee from a Hermes cup, except that you definitely don’t want to break it…). The pool and the garden, with hammocks scattered here and there among the trees perfectly complete the entire set-up, making the decision to leave the property very difficult…There is absolutely no doubt that we will return to La Poderina in the not-so-distant future…To sum up, an unforgettable holiday, a wonderful place where we definitely want to return and, last but not least, another successful experience working together.

We will definitely be in touch and look forward to our next Italian holiday already.

First of all, thank you so much for all your help. The whole thing was seamless and really straightforward for us, which was absolutely brilliant, given the last minute nature of our plans! Thank you for being so responsive and easy to contact. We couldn’t have asked for better help.

The Place Firenze was very special. We will long remember the views from the balcony to our particular room and, because it was so centrally located, we actually popped back there to have lunch a couple of times to get away from the hordes, which was a really nice thing to do between galleries/shopping/sights. The staff there were incredibly helpful and kind and it all felt extremely professionally run. The decoration of the hotel is perfect – it’s all immaculate but not too “glitzy” which makes it feel very stylish and fresh.

San Bonifacio is lovely. The room was great and the setting is classic Tuscany and just what we were looking for. The food and wine were delicious, the staff very friendly and we really didn’t want to leave.  The transfer to San Bonifacio and back to the airport was great. The car was very clean and he was on time and very helpful with the luggage. Can’t really ask for more and we would be very happy to recommend his services.

So we had a really fantastic holiday and are very grateful to you for putting it together for us and for recommending such lovely places. You’ll be hearing again from us in the future, I have no doubt!

Contact

For more information contact Merrion on:

Italian Mobile: +39 392 155 1464

Via email: info@merrioncharles.com

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© Merrion Charles (P.IVA: 01218530457)

“I am thrilled, proud and honoured to be mentioned in ‘Always Italy’ – a fabulous new publication by Frances Mayes in conjunction with Ondine Cohane. I would highly recommend anyone to purchase this beautiful, informative and highly researched ‘encyclopaedia’ about Italy. Beautifully illustrated, written from the heart and the perfect gift for any Italophile!”

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