1. Venice: Great Location. Loved the terrace off the attic. As you may remember we had our troubles following the directions in amongst the crowds. Suggestion: For people with little or no Italian , it would be more helpful to be met (at apartment)by someone who speaks some English also there were no English instructions inside on appliances etc. But we got by and had great time.

2.Florence: What a great apartment. Location great , owner was so helpful. We will want to stay here again one day.

3.Rome (Via dei Cappellari): Great Location. Small apartment probably a little too small small for the 4 of us a couple would have been fine. Wouldn’t stay here again – but it was cheap.

4. The place in Sorrento: Beautiful. Great views , very comfortable. Owner very nice. Would stay here again.

5.Rome (Monte Giordano): Very nice apartment, great location. Listed that it had internet, but that wasn’t made clear how to access. Shower needed repairing. But for 2 nights it was very comfortable.

Transfers – were perfect. No problems. On the whole we were very pleased.

Question for you: Do you do or can refer us to good places for apartments in London, Paris and New York. This will be for our next trip.

Thanks again Rosa – I will recommend you to my friends.

Mark and Family

Hi Rosa

Can't believe I still didn't respond to you! What an idiot! Thank you we just had the most amazing time on our honeymoon I think our favourite place was Positano nothing can prepare you for the sheer beauty of the place and Hotel was so nice, the staff were lovely, the hotel was in a fabulous location and the meal we had as part of our package was the best we had for the whole trip, it was just perfect.

Breakdown:

As you know our flight was delayed which meant that we missed our ferry, the driver that you had organised was amazing and took care of everything even buying our new ferry tickets and telling us what to do. The car at Ischia knew we had been delayed and was waiting for us. All the transfers that you organised for us were fantastic and the drivers were really helpful and friendly, it just made everything so simple.

Hotel Isabella was really beautiful and I know that I requested it and it was not one of your suggestions! Ischia as an island was stunning, there was a bottle of prosecco waiting for us just as you said which was really nice. We knew we had a garden room and the view of the square from our balcony was really nice and the room was very spacious with beautiful tiles in the room and throughout the hotel. The only downside was that we were right above the bar and the noise when we were trying to sleep did get a bit much, the piano music was supposed to finish at 1am but one night it didn't finish until 2.30/3am, there was a large group of Americans who unfortunately wanted to stay outside in the garden rather than the bar and were very loud. It was a shame as the air con didn't work so the room was very hot because we couldn't open our door or shutters because of the noise. The hotel was not full and it would have been nice if they had offered us a free upgrade to a sea view room especially as we were on our honeymoon. We didn't complain about the noise but it would have been nice if we'd been offered a different room on arrival as I cannot believe that they are not aware that the room is noisy.

The hotel was beautiful and the staff were very attentive but it was quite impersonal there, we didn't really feel like we were on our honeymoon, no one asked how we were or if there was anything they could do for us, especially on the days of rain but this is the difference you get when you stay at a larger hotel.

Overall we really enjoyed it because it is so beautiful and had an old school charm about the place but I would have preferred it if they were just a little more welcoming.

Then on to the Relais, wow wow wow! The room was just spectacular, the view was unreal and I can't believe we had our own computer in the room, it was just amazing, Bruna and Bianca were lovely and so helpful. They organised our evening meals with the restaurants coming to collect us and taking us home which was just so nice and nothing we've experienced before. We went to Mimou's restaurant in Sant Agatha which was just lovely and he was so much fun. His brother in law drove us home and it turned out he used to play for Wigan Football Club! The only downside with the Relais was the weather, it rained and stormed pretty much the whole time we were there which meant we didn't get to go to Pompei which is a real shame.

I think because of the whether we felt a bit isolated and stranded, I thought it would have been nearer Massa but we did use the local buses and had an afternoon in Sorrento and the following day we were down to Marina del Cantone which was lovely. One evening I sat on the balcony until about 2am just watching the most fantastic electrical storm I've ever seen, there must have been about six seperate storms happening out at sea it was magnificent, I saw all different kinds of lightening some orange some purple, it really was a treat! I left the Relais with heavy heart as it really was lovely

If I had anything negative to say about it would be the restaurant it was prohibitively expensive, I would have liked to have eaten there one night but it was crazy prices which is a real shame, I think they should have had a cheaper bar menu as well because sometimes you're just happy to have a bowl of pasta especially if you've been out for lunch. Other than that it was bliss!

Then on to Positano, what can I say about this place, even though the room was the most basic out of all the hotels we just didn't really care, the hotel was just so nice, the staff were really friendly and always asked how we were and suggested things for us to see and do. We took the boat to Amalfi and then took the bus up to Ravello which was beautiful and then on another day we went to One Fire Beach which was really good fun. On our last night there was a Fish Festival on the beach which was great fun really good to see the locals out enjoying themselves and seeing the children perform. It was all so perfect and a perfect way to spend the end of the honeymoon, it's not often that I would return somewhere but I would be very tempted to return to Positano and stay at here again as it was just so much fun.

As for the dinner that was included for our stay that was just the best meal ever and with such spectacular views something we will always cherish.

So overall Rosa I think you did an outstanding job, you knew exactly what it was that I was after and we couldn't have organised it so well ourselves, thank you for your patience and for helping us have just the best honeymoon we could have hoped for.

Many thanks

Karen

Dear Rosa

Sorry it has taken so long to give you some feed-back on our Italian holiday, but we have had visitors ever since and have finally got our house back for one week! We absolutely loved Umbria and especially Bevagna and the whole surrounding region.

The Residence you suggested was great and Michele was such a helpful host and a true gentleman. He drove us into Foligno to pick up our car hire and more. The position of the Residence is just right if you are not staying in Bevagna itself and the fact that it has a garden and you can sit out in the late afternoon and look out on the surrounding hills, is a treat. The breakfast "delivered to your room" is a just two warm croissants, but this is Italy and that's what they do. You could also self-cater if you had the energy. We really enjoyed the two bottles of wine from the local area, thank you for those.

The train travel was fine, but as luck would have it the very tight change at Firenze for Pisa was made even tighter by the fact that the Foligno train was five minutes late. We have decided that we are too old to run with luggage. but we did catch the train! Apart from that the trains were fine and the intructions for validating the tickets was very useful.

The hotel in Genoa was just right for us as we were meeting up with old friends and just wanted somewhere comfortable for two nights.

So once again thanks for arranging the trip at very short notice, we would recommend Bevagna to anyone, but you certainly need a little car to see the surrounding area. If we go to Italy again we will certainly contact you and recommend your services to friends.

Regards,Chris Higgins

Here’s the feedback I promised, sorry it was a bit late. The holiday was fantastic and all of the accommodation was excellent. Here’s some feedback on some good restaurants that we tried:

Florence – place called Golden View on the southern side of the Pontevecchio overlooking the river. Large menu and wine list and great views of the bridge – food and service was very good.

Greve in Chianti: Both recommended by the guys at the B&B you sent us to….Ristoro Di Lamone. Fantastic location up in the hills (bit of a drive), very good food and excellent homemade limoncello. Mangiando Mangiando – in the main square in Greve – we had lunch there and the pasta with wild boar sauce was excellent.

Orbetello: Both recommended by the people at the B&B. La Taverna – in Orbetello – good food and wine list, best to book ahead on the weekend. Il Pescatore Di Ansedonia – in Ansedonia. Excellent fish and seafood and pretty reasonable prices – again best to book on the weekend. For excellent gelato (best on the trip) – La Glacia in Orbetello (56 Via Dante). Skip desert at your restaurant and head here instead.

Rome: Both restaurants are at the higher budget end, but both great. They were both on the email list you sent: Ad Hoc – have a great option for starter and pasta that allows you to sample a few of their options in one dish and a huge wine list. Le Jardin de Russie – excellent service and a great location – definitely one for special occasions (unless you are used to dining at top restaurants), food and wine was great. At the top end of the price range, but worth it.

The accommodation in Rome was good, but the breakfast left a little to be desired. Perhaps it was the location or type of place but fresh croissants would be a good start and a bit more choice.

Hope that all helps, thanks again for organising it – it was a great trip. We’ll certainly recommend you to anyone thinking of going to Italy.

Regards, Andy

Hi Rosa, I was in the process of typing an email (when yours arrived).....I have the wedding thank yous on my list, but first wanted to thank you again! It is difficult to put into words our feelings, we were (& are) just so happy with everything. The wedding day, the honeymoon, everyone at the Villa, all the other suppliers.......how it all went......faultless. Everyone loved the location & our families are still talking about it!

In particular the Villa & the food.....as an example, well we gave them a list of the aperitifs we wanted after tasting, but need not have bothered, as all they all were available! The Italian laid back way is just soooooo much better than. I know for a fact in the UK, if we weren't sitting down at the designated time we would be asked to.......but at the Villa there was no pressure or anything......what more can we say?????

In Ravello we were seeing 1-2 weddings a day......tourists taking photos........it just made us realise the Villa was the perfect choice.

Please thank everyone on our behalf.

Re the honeymoon, the hotels were great, always very accommodating, nothing too much trouble, etc. We don't normally stay in such expensive places, certainly for such a period i.e. 3 weeks......but given it was our honeymoon we're glad we did. We are converts, we now have to work & save for the next time!

Indeed, everyone was great even the Naples transfer

Unfortunately we are now back to reality! Given I'm contracting; I'm a kept man currently, although Barbs has me busy with a long list of chores; as I said above the thank you's starts here! We are hoping the pictures will be arriving imminently, as we aim to produce a book & take to show everyone. We would also like to send a copy to the Villa, if Elena would like, as she had examples of weddings, & they would help her? If a copy would help you for future 'clients' then we can also send you a copy........maybe the photographers send you the disc directly, so you could take a copy yourself?

Anyway, everything was great - we would recommend you, the Villa, etc to anyone.......so if you ever need an endorsement, we are more than happy to help

Thanks again for everything.....absolutely memorable

Craig & Barbara

Hi there. So sorry for the delay but we've been busy getting the kids back to school.

First, the service from Italian Connection. As I have said before, I found the service to be extremely helpful, with prompt and detailed responses to all my queries. I would rate it as excellent.

Turning to the property, we had two problems. First, we spent two days without hot water as the boiler had broken. This was not the fault of the owner and it was dealt with as quickly as possible. The second problem was that the oven did not work. We were told that the owner had said that the door needed to be left open for it to work (!) but even when we tried that somewhat unusual method we could not get it to work and decided to live with it. The local concierge, Michela was as helpful as she could possibly be (and her communication skills were very good) but we did not see much of the gardner/pool cleaner whom we were told would be there every day. We were also somewhat shocked by the amount we were charged by the owner for electricity (not the rate but the amount of electricity used according to the meter which seemed to far outweigh what we had actually used - especially since we were unable to turn one of the outside lights off which cannot have helped). Other than that the property was pretty much as expected.

We liked the local village, Lugnano, and found the supermarket well stocked. There was supposed to be a pizza restaurant very close by but as far as we could tell it was closed as was one other restaurant in the village that had been recommended by a guide book. It was a small village and consequently did not have much else in the way of cafes or restaurants but that did not trouble us unduly.

I hope this has helped your appraisal system, Kind regards, Esther Frost

Clients stayed in the property Nest 0

Dear Rosa

I am sorry not to have replied earlier - we came back on the Sunday and straight to work on the Monday - we hardly drew breath! Good reports on all three properties. We had a great holiday although we had terrible problems with our car (automatic gearbox went 20 miles off the Motorail....).

Lovely hotel in Monterosso, very convenient for the restaurants and shops, in the nicest part of the town, but very quiet. Extremely pleasant and helpful staff (particularly in relation to dealing with the local Renault garage!). Good buffet breakfast in a nice room.

We thought the location of the Venice apartment was marvelous. Very large living space and very nice roof terrace with fantastic skyline view. It was nice to be in an old Venetian house on a canal (although we did have a few Venetian power problems!).

The apartment at Garda was excellent - great view, lovely building and well-appointed flat and grounds. The swimming pool was in a wonderful position - you could swim and look at the mountains at the same time. Very nice managers (children of the elderly owners) who were helpful with the car - the son worked at the local tourist office.

Thank you very much for arranging it.

Regards, Kim

Hi Rosa!

We had a wonderful trip!! The hotel you recommended was in a fantastic location and very convenient for getting the ferries. All the hotel staff were lovely and very helpful, the bedrooms were clean and comfortable and of course the view of the lake was amazing! We only had dinner in the hotel on the night we arrived and it was very good but a bit "hotel-ly" for us. Breakfast was excellent and, apart from the last morning, we had a table outside and were able to enjoy the sunshine and the view! Our only criticism of the hotel was that certain areas looked a bit "tired".

We went to Isola del Garda, Il Vittoriale, the Botanical Gardens, and Malcesine and Monte Baldo. All were very enjoyable and there wasn't anything that we wished we hadn't bothered with. Obviously there are loads of places we just didn't have time to go to - and will definitely be on the list for next time!! We only had a very brief look at Salo when we were going to the restaurant but it looked a nice place to explore in the future.

Regarding restaurants - we went into Villa Fiordaliso and although it looked very nice, it was very expensive and we reckoned the cost would have been a minimum of £75 per head, which was far more than we wanted to pay! La Campagnola in Salo was lovely! Excellent food at very reasonable prices and friendly staff. Getting in and out of their car park was a nightmare, and we would recommend trying to find somewhere on the road to park instead! Locanda agli Angeli was fantastic! Definitely my favourite! Lovely staff and excellent food and wine. We sat outside in the tiny cobbled piazza and the whole ambience was just amazing!! One point worth mentioning is that they don't take credit cards, which we didn't realise until we were sitting down but fortunately we had enough cash with us! Belvedere da Marietta was a disappointment. Fantastic views but the menu seemed incredibly complicated (I have a very basic knowledge of Italian and couldn't understand any of it!!), and although they did explain some things to us, we didn't feel particularly welcome. (They did have a German version of the menu, but not an English one.) The food was ok but nothing special.

We had no problem with the car hire apart from having to pay a penalty for not filling it up, but that was our fault for missing all the petrol stations on the way to the airport!

We thought Gardone was an ideal base - for relaxation, good facilities and well placed for the boats The weather was absolutely glorious for the whole of our trip and we all had a brilliant time!

I hope the above comments will be useful, and if you have any queries please get in touch. Thank you so much for all your help and advice - it was all very much appreciated and I can't wait to get you working on our next Italian trip!!! I will certainly not hesitate to recommend you and your company!

Many thanks. Kind regards, Laila

Hello Rosa - just wanted to let you know that we had a lovely few days at the Masseria Marzalossa. What a wonderful and relaxing place. All the travel arrangements went well and we had a very comfortable and large hire car for the pleasant drive from Naples to Fasano - a very good suggestion on your part. Thank you very much for all your help in making the arrangements. We shall certainly use The Italian Connection again. Regards, Jill Ricketts.

1 The driver was waiting with my name on him inside the airport.doorway.

2 He was very courteous and very well dressed and attempted to show us the sights in his limited English. We were very pleased with him.

3 We took about 40 minutes to get to the apartment doors.

4 We called Emanuela outside the airport.

5 Communication with her was good.

6 She did show us around and explain everything.

7 The apartment was above a restaurant as you advised (which we found an advantage) but this meant there would be some noise from the patrons until about 10 pm occasionally a little later. There was also noise from street cleaning? during the night. This did not disturb us unduly as we got used to it.

8 The apartment did not overlook any scenery. At the bedroom windows you could look out to the street below. The lounge being central had no view and the kitchen window faced walls (very close) and large pipes.

9 Appliances were O.K.

10 Apartment well located for Vatican and we walked everywhere else except catacombs. We enjoyed this but some might have found some sites a little far eg collisseum but no apartment can be near everywhere. In our opinion it was well located for us.

11 The internal description of the apartment was good. The photos did it justice.

12 The beds were OK.

13 Yes we would return to the aparment. We liked it very much as it was roomy and cool, very welcoming after the heat outside.

14 I think I have covered everything. You asked me to be frank so I mentioned the minor negative points but otherwise I would not have mentioned them as we were very happy overall. We were pleased to be above a restaurant as we found them very helpful to us re. info and little favours like the willingness to look after our luggage(at our own risk of course) We did not need to take them up on this offer.

15 We flew with Easyjet and the flight was excellent.

16 We arrived on time.

17 The staff were good.

18 The airport in Rome was fine.

19 A fascinating city, historically interesting, steeped in culture, wonderful churches.

Rosa, It was excellent and lived up to expectations. Weather was warm and a mixture of cloud/sun though we had a violent electric storm on Saturday and the hotel lights went out etc which meant we had to stay in. The hotel was very good, people friendly and the room excellent.

Positano is very nice restaurants differing for mood and occasion. Even dragged kicking and screaming to the local boite de nuit!. We hired a scooter, don’t laugh, and visited Amalfi and Ravello which were very nice. Also managed to get to Capri despite the sea swell. Very nice but too many shops.

All in all a very good trip and thanks for your help. I have passed your name to yet more of my colleagues/friends so you may be hearing further.

All the best Steve

The Apartment. Very well situated (less than 10 mins from San Marco). Although not impressively equipped (eg. only one rather hard sofa to sit on) it worked well and was definitely more relaxing than a hotel. The main complaint from us was the lack of truly hot water (the heater knob had broken). The owners did attempt to fix it, but failed. This was made worse by the fact that there was only a shower and it was rather weak. If there’s one thing worse than a weak shower, it’s a cool weak shower!

Rosa Feedback from the Higginson clan having just about recovered from yesterdays return journey.

Overall we loved the holiday. I had forgotten though that Italian drivers have lead in the sole of their right shoes (either that or I am getting very old and staid) and I hadn't realised that it rained that much in Italy- we managed a couple of days without rain!!!

More specific feedback:

The hotel in Florence you selected is one of the best hotels that I have ever stayed in and I am a regular at some of the worlds best hotels (Ritz, Savoy, Shangri La in Hong Kong etc). The attention to detail and the service were simply quite superb. From the moment you arrive to the moment that you leave it is a study in excellence. The rooms, public and bedrooms were chic and comfortable, the service was friendly, effecient and prompt- without ever being intrusive or fussy. A really hard thing to achieve but done superbly well. The dinner recommendations were also excellent. The whole place had the feeling of being a real home from home- just what you want after a hard days sightseeing.

The hotel in Torrita was not as difficult to find as I had anticipated although finding it in the dark would have been an almost impossible challenge. The views of Montepulciano are spectacular and Matteo and the staff helpful and friendly. There was a meal offered on the Staurday night which was as good as anything that we ate all holiday (cooked by his mother). The rooms were well appointed, romantic and very practical-superb shower. We cannot comment on the pool as we did not have the weather but it looked great. Overall it was a really relaxing place to stay and a great end to the holiday.

The car hire was unventful- always the best way I have found. If you want any more feedback on anything in particular please let me know.

Kind regards

Kevin

PS

Rosa Sorry I should have mentioned the tickets etc

We had absolutely no problems with the Uffizi tickets- delivered the day before in plenty of time. Finding the entrances etc was very easy and we had a great 3 or 4 hours wandering around. You do need to buy a good guide book to get the most out of the visit but there are plenty on sale inside. One word of warnig to other people - if you want one of the audio guides which are easily available and reasonably priced - you need either your driving licence or passport as a deposit. We had neither!! I spent a week in Hastings last year at the Golf School - my golf didn't improve much but I got pretty wet there too!! Must be me. Thanks for all your help in setting things up - I forgot to say what a great and easy service it was to use. You have been a pleasure to deal with.

Many thanks again

Kevin

Rosa

Cool. Well here's our thoughts

Hotel 1 - The Duomo, Florence: This is an amazingly well located hotel - perfect for exploring Florence. The staff were friendly and quite helpful. It was good to have an area available all day to grab an espresso at no charge. The room was very basic, very plain, but very clean. It would be recommended for a one/two night stay but not perfect to start a honeymoon if you're looking for something above basic standard.

Hotel 2 - The hotel in Chianti: This hotel was brilliant - the highlight of the honeymoon. The owner, Giampaolo, is a great guy and extremely friendly. The hotel is a work of art, with excellent rooms, really nice architectural tocuhes, and heaps of character. We bought food and ate in the grounds on two nights - as the views were excellent and the gardens are a delight. I cannot recommend it enough. The rooms might be a bit hot when it's scorching outside though!

Hotel 3: Lorenzo, Malcesine, Lake Garda: The staff were again friendly. We stayed in the new block, which was very nice, modern, simple, spacious, and very comfortable. It had good airconditioning so was perhaps the most comfortable room we stayed in. It had a great view of the lake too. I got the impression that the new rooms, like ours, were definitely the preferred option! The rate was half board and we found the food to be plentiful but not great. We did not eat in the hotel after the first night. The breakfast was good.

We found the lakes very touristy. Malcesine was one of the better towns on the lakes - the highlight of which was the Baldo cable car. A good half day could be spent there. Allow time to get down as we queued for 40 mins.

The towns are pretty much the same: touristy shops, lots of middle aged tourists, and lots of pizza joints. We found it difficult to get great food in Malcesine, unlike Chianti and Florence.

Hotel 4: Victoria hotel, Pisa: Good location and great staff. The hotel is like a museum, and is preserved extremely well. The hotel is worth a visit even if you're not staying there! It is very atmospheric. The furniture and art and posters etc on the walls were brilliant. The breakfast was great. The only slight disappointment was the room. The room was very plain, very drab. It was just about comfortable enough - and was clean.

Hope some of that is useful!

Cheers

Ed