Folks who've stayed at the Harrison Holiday Home in Port Charlotte, Southwest Florida are always telling us how much they've enjoyed their stay.

Have a look at just a few of those who've taken the trouble to write to us. Their kind words say so much more than we ever could - and we much appreciate them allowing us to reproduce their comments, here on our website.

NB: Just so's you know - there is reference made in some of the testimonials below to a 'telephone call from Bernard'. That is the courtesy call that we always make to new guests on their first morning to ensure everything is OK - and to answer any questions they may have. Likewise the mention of 'Irene' - is reference to the lady who looks after the Harrison Holiday Home in Port Charlotte, Southwest Florida and who drops in to say hello to guests and offer any help or advice on the local area etc.

The Harrisons.

Testimonial No. 27

A short note to convey how much we enjoyed our two weeks in Port Charlotte. You have a lovely home and it does have the 'feel' of a home rather than a holiday let and has to be the best equipped villa we have ever stayed in. We can only agree with the other guests that for its position on the lake, the wildlife, access to local shops and restaurants and the Interstate for ease of travelling you'd be hard pressed to find anything better.

Your advice to fly into Tampa rather than Orlando was a gem in terms of time saved and reduced stress.

The information file proved extremely useful as being our first time in Port Charlotte we stayed fairly local and visited many of your personal recommendations including Fisherman's Village and "Harpoon Harry's", Sanibel Island, Naples and probably our favourite Englewood beach and the Lock 'n Key Pub Restaurant.

In summary the whole experience from the very first enquiry was excellent.

Regards,

Bob & Sharon (Horwich, Lancashire)
September 2007

Testimonial No. 26

I just wanted to thank you for renting the Villa to me again *It was as lovely as ever and the peace and tranquillity of and the outlook were just what I needed. For me it was the best part of the holiday (note from Bernard; Dorothy was on a tour of North America) and I look forward to going again, in the not too distant future, though I don't think it will be this year.

I hope we left everything in order for Irene and on a slightly different tack, was a little disappointed not to see her - though we did speak on the telephone.

We visited the Billy Swamp Safari Park on the Seminole Reservation and enjoyed a lovely day there. It is around a two and a half hour drive, but well worth it, **so we left details in your book.

Many thanks again, Bernard, for the rental of the Villa, I couldn't have enjoyed it more and my brother, his wife and my friend (who came with us last time) were really thrilled by it, it exceeded all their expectations.

Please pass on my regards to Hazel.

With best wishes

Dorothy (Broadstone, Dorset)
February 2007

*Please see Testimonial No. 8.
** This is a book of guest's recommendations etc in the Villa.

Testimonial No. 25

Just a short note to say how much we enjoyed staying in your home in Port
Charlotte. It was like a home from home and in a super location that we
found very handy for everywhere we wanted to go, which was mostly golf
courses and restaurants!!

We arrived back home on Saturday morning after a very quick and easy
flight and are now getting back into our relatively normal routine.

Thank you for the use of your villa. My husband is extremely interested in
buying one for us now given the favourable conditions for doing it, but if
that doesn't happen then we shall definitely be very interested in having it again.

With very kind regards

Barbara & Graham (Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire)
December 2006

Testimonial No. 24

May I say thank you for the use of your lovely Port Charlotte home, the four of us found it to be just what we required. Tranquil, within a fine setting on the lake.

We took a great boat trip to Cabbage Key and the Dolphin escort made the day. Thanks for the suggestion. All the advice and support was very much appreciated, and thanks for the call post our arrival. Irene came to visit and was additionally helpful and supportive. Please pass on our thanks.

The holiday proved to thoroughly delightful, with a mix of beach, boat trips, and rest days by the lake, the odd shopping mall trip and our visit to the Kennedy Space Centre.

We would recommend your home and Port Charlotte as an excellent base to explore the surrounding area of that part of the Gulf coast. Once again many thanks.

Best wishes for the future.

Michael & Marjorie and Stephen & Mary (Market Drayton, Shropshire)
November 2006

Testimonial 23

Thank you very much for allowing my family and me the use of your beautiful home in Port Charlotte. We enjoyed every minute of our stay.

Irene does a marvellous job for you and keeps your home very clean and tidy and we did our very best to leave your home in the manner in which we found it.

Port Charlotte and the surrounding areas are fabulous and we explored them as much as possible. We would love to visit again sometime in the very near future.

All the very best

Garry and Elaine (Irthlingborough, Northants)
August 2006

Testimonial No. 22

We have had an excellent holiday - weather perfect, villa perfect, lake beautiful. The Babcock Ranch was very enjoyable and we've been on two boat trips. Have seen manatees close up at Burnt Store Marina, dolphins playing in the boat wake and an osprey diving to take a fish. We managed to get away with only two long telephone calls to the UK, please let me know the cost. We're off to Naples today and then unfortunately back to the UK!

Thanks for the use of your lovely villa.

Ann & Martin (Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire)
March 2006

Testimonial No. 21

We're home safely after a fantastic holiday in your lovely house. A lifetime's bird-watching in 2 weeks! We've left several bits and pieces of food for the new folks and all the barbecue gas cylinders are full. We had no problems at all. Avis car was excellent and Continental flights Bristol-Newark-Tampa very efficient.

Thanks for a great time.

James and Family (Clapton in Gordano, Bristol)
February 2006

Testimonial No. 20

A quick note to say thank you for allowing us to enjoy your lovely home in Port Charlotte.

I have to agree with your previous correspondents and say that the home, the area and everything associated with it is excellent and a pleasant change from the hustle and bustle of Orlando.

The weather, as you will be aware, was very good which also contributed to our enjoyment. The information pack and your telephone calls were very much appreciated. The pack gave us some useful information, in particular for the boat trips (3 vouchers left in the folder) and the golf - I 'thrash about' off '24' but Gareth plays off '4' so is in a better position to evaluate the local courses - we played Riverwood - best golf we have played in Florida, although a little expensive at $200 per pair, Deep Creek ($100), Bobcat Trail ($88) and Heron Creek ($100).

I have left a 30% discount voucher for the Reebok group of stores in the folder which is valid during the latter part of February if you are over there.

We have made use of your telephone so please deduct the charges when you receive the bill.

Once again, thank you very much and best wishes,

Ian, Sue and Gareth. (Preston, Lancashire)
January 2006

Testimonial No. 19

Thank you for letting us stay in your lovely home. After the rush of a week in Orlando it was so relaxing to move across to Port Charlotte with the easier paced lifestyle. Still plenty to visit with Malls and restaurants and beaches. The accommodation is first class with the view from the outside dining area the best we have ever had.

It's a nice touch having the nature books and binoculars there to observe the local wildlife - our friend took some dragging away.

We would have no hesitation in returning or recommending your wonderful home to any of our friends.

Thanks again

Dave & Margaret (Leeds, England)
November 2005

Testimonial No. 18

Well to say we had a nice time doesn't do the holiday justice. We couldn't believe we were at the right villa when we arrived. It was really lovely. So much ground around it and so secluded as well. I think Lyn and I agree it's the best villa that we have stayed in Florida, and we have stayed in quite a few. Then when we got inside we felt at home straight away, as you say in your "fact file" when you go into a normal rental you get the minimum amount of things in the kitchen and have to start from scratch with the food etc. But your place had everything you could possibly want and more.

We were shocked at the pictures of the villa after "Charlie" you have done a great job in getting it back to the condition its now in, what a good idea to convert the extra garage into a sun deck!

We were visited daily by the Egret and he was quite persistent, he follows you everywhere until you feed him, and even then he follows you some more just in case. We were not tempted into a dip in the lake as we saw an alligator on the Sunday we arrived so we were convinced it was probably not the best idea. He did show up a few times, although he was usually across the other side of the lake we still did the watching from inside the pool cage. We're not the great white hunters.

We were impressed by the villa and the area so much that we were sitting by the pool talking through plans to go out again with friends and family at different times

We went to quite a few places around and about but mainly stayed at the villa as we were both in need of some R&R. It is so peaceful there; it seemed that we had the whole lake to ourselves most of the time. The weather was absolutely great; we had no rain until we were driving to Miami on the way home. The temperature was up in the high 70's - mid 80's all the time and the evenings were nice and warm as well.

We had a few lunches at Harpoon Harry's in Fisherman's Village and tried a few of the restaurants in the evenings as well, we found Appleby's to be very good. They had an all night happy hour!

Irene is great, she is a special lady. She came round on Wednesday to see us and check the pool, then came when the washing machine stopped working and offered to take our washing to do at her place, which we declined as it wasn't desperate. Then had to be round at 7am on the last Friday to let the man in with the new machine, and he didn't turn up until 9am, she was not best pleased.

We took loads of photos and have some nice ones of sunsets at Venice, with the dolphins, Charlotte Beach and Englewood beach.

Well I will finish now as I could go on for ages it was such a great relaxing holiday. I will put the keys in the post on Monday so you should have them early next week.

Thank you once again for letting us use your lovely villa, we will be interested in renting again as we love the set up you have.

Best Regards

Lyn & Ian (South Woodford, England)
November 2005

Testimonial No. 17

We have visited Florida on many occasions over the recent few years but never have we stayed in better accommodation. Your home is first class. The welcome book was a great help containing everything we needed to know about the locality, the house, where to shop and eat. We really felt at home and were able to relax in a peaceful, picturesque location. Relaxing by the pool, reading and watching the varied wild life passing by was excellent. Your wildlife books helped us greatly in identifying the different species such as eagles, turtles, egrets and many more creatures. Even saw the odd alligator floating by. However, the star turn was ‘Eddie the Egret' who stopped by every day for his breakfast.

Once again, thanks.

Steve and Jane (Durham, England)
September 2005

Testimonial No. 16

Thank you very very much for the use of your "Home" for the past week. It was truly wonderful and my family and I felt fully at home there, it did not feel like a "holiday home" but home from home. Your information book was ideal and we did most of the sights mentioned - though none of our party play golf! We are already planning our next visit!! Thank you once again.

Kind regards

Paul S, and family, (Harthill, England)
September 2005

Testimonial No. 15

Thank you very much for the use of your lovely home. We all had a great time, Port Charlotte was just what we needed after a busy week in Alaska. We just didn't have enough days in all the places that we wanted to! We kept ‘Eddie the Egret' full of fish as well as a few others that turned up. The squirrel has perfected hanging from the tree feeder!!! Fortunately Hurricane Dennis was kind to us, just a day and bit of rain, nothing to us Brits - we shopped on those days. Please find your house keys enclosed, I am hoping to ask for them again in the not too distant future.

Thank you again

Vicki, Kevin, Paul and Lucy ( Wakefield, England)
July 2005

Testimonial No. 14

Firstly a word of thanks to you, Bernard, for making the whole visit to your home in Port Charlotte, Southwest Florida so easy. In the pre-visit information, your calls to check that everything was right when we arrived and in your thoughtfulness for providing so much by way of local literature, games, books, binoculars and an abundantly stocked home - you really have set a new standard for the holiday home business!

The golf courses we played were also great and absolutely "stuffed" with wildlife including alligators, a full panoply of water birds, sandhill cranes and ospreys. We found a lot of osprey nests on the way to Boca Grande, whilst at Venice beach we discovered Royal Terns.The area has a range of restaurants (our favourite was the Olive Garden) and the situation of your house with easy access to the US 41 and Interstate 75 meant that travelling outside of the immediate area was so easy.

The house is superb in all respects, fixtures, equipment, rooms, furniture, furnishings, setting by the lake, pool - I could go on and on................ We love wildlife and the abundance of it in the area and, particularly around your house and the lake really thrilled us. We fed the egrets, herons and ibis but also kept regular watch from the garden on the anhingas, pelicans, cormorants, gulls, terns, vultures soaring overhead and the range of "garden" birds including the different woodpeckers, red cardinals etc. A great thrill was to see the kingfishers at work. In the lake we saw a lot of turtles.

In closing, I would like to say how great it was that you supplied the bird books* and binoculars. We have spent hours watching birds (mostly the big ones). At the end of our stay here I had the idea to give the little birds more of our attention - hence the makeshift feeder.* Our delight was complete when the Red Cardinals fed from them. We also discovered a great squirrel & big bird proof feeder in 'Cracker Barrel' but too late!

We had a great time and thank you again for your thoughtfulness.

Roz & Terry ( Northwood, England)
February 2005

(NB:* Note from Bernard - we have now provided a feeder and the Cardinals love it!
The books referred to by Roz, are a series of four books all about Florida Wildlife that are in the house for guest reference ; two bird books, one about mammals and the final one about reptiles and snakes).

Testimonial No. 13

Many thanks for the use of your lovely home in Port Charlotte, Southwest Florida for the last 2 weeks in January 2005. We found it very comfortable and well equipped.

The location of the house was the 'top feature' for us. It was a comfortable drive from Orlando Airport - very easy to locate, just off the highway. Everything we wanted was just on our doorstep - mall, beaches and shops galore. Plus, that view of the water from the rear deck was just so relaxing.

We also very much appreciated the personal contact with Bernard calling us from the UK shortly after our arrival at the house and again later in the week. Time flew by so quick but I'm sure we will be back.

Regards

Elaine and George (Denny, Scotland)
January 2005

PS: You should add the 'Cracker Barrel' Restaurant to the list in the Welcome Book. We love them and always use them when travelling. They do home-style cooking + all-day breakfast type meals.

Testimonial No. 12

Thank you for letting us rent your home in Port Charlotte, Southwest Florida. We had a great relaxing time........... We especially enjoyed the egrets daily visit.

For everything!

Judy and Chris (Martlesham, England)
December 2004

Testimonial No. 11

We had a wonderful time at your beautiful house, the photographs on your web page do not do it justice as unfortunately you do not get a true picture of the size of the rooms - you could never feel crowded. We hope everything was left as we found it, we enjoyed your books and magazines and had several games of chess thank you.

Port Charlotte is such a lovely quiet residential area but with so much within easy reach, it was great to go down to the bay and walk along one of the piers in the evening where we chatted to people fishing.

Thanks again (we hope you like these pictures* )

Paul, Jacquie, Rebecca and Sam (Norwich, England)
July 2004

(NB* - Note from Bernard - Paul and Jacquie kindly sent us some terrific pictures that they'd taken during their stay showing views around and from the Harrison Holiday Home. We're pleased to include five of them on our website).

Testimonial No. 10

We had a brilliant time, never tiring of the view across the lake and of the bird life in the garden. In fact it was so good that we that we hardly went out, apart from visiting Fisherman's Village, Port Charlotte beach and Englewood beach. It is a beautiful area and having visited Kissimee and International Drive briefly, on Saturday, before we came home, we realised just how beautiful.

We met Irene, she was very nice and told us a bit about the area. Unfortunately it's back to work and the real world tomorrow!

Many thanks once again for making us feel so welcome.

Yours sincerely

Brian G, (Seaham, Co. Durham, England)
June 2004

Testimonial No. 9

WOW! What a holiday and 'made' for us - by being able to stay in your lovely Harrison Holiday Home in Port Charlotte, Southwest Florida. We were truly delighted by everything. It was truly a home-from-home from the start. I trust that you had a good report from Irene who we found very helpful. We had no problems at all and left everything in good order. The fridges are full of bits and we hope that your next visitors made use of them.

Regards

John, Jan, Jo & James (Orpington, England)
May 2004

Testimonial No. 8

In returning the keys to your Florida Home, we just wanted to write a few lines in appreciation of your lovely Harrison Holiday Home in Port Charlotte, Southwest Florida.

Having already spent two weeks, by a lake, in a very nice villa in the Spring Lakes area and having previously looked at the pictures of your home on the Internet, we thought we had a good idea what to expect when we arrived at your home. All I can say is that the pictures and information on the web pages do not do your home, its position and the location, full justice. We have told countless people of your lovely villa and so, no doubt have others who have been there. I would not hesitate to recommend it to others. Yes, we knew what to expect [from looking at your website] and that was fine. What made it exceptional, were the things that we didn't expect and I always think that, at the end of everything, it's that which really makes it so special.

We have rented in Port Charlotte and its surrounding area on other occasions, so have a fair appreciation of both the area and other villas, but your home certainly exceeded our expectations. The location is ideal. We loved the area and the lake provided us with so much to look at. We got quite used to seeing the alligators and the fish jumping, especially at breakfast time - in fact we would have been disappointed had they been missing. The only day we saw the egret was on the last afternoon, so we didn't get to make his acquaintance. But we saw lots of colourful birds and wildlife.

We made good use of the pool and you will find that we have left 3 additions for you to use, in your leisure time, when you are there. We left some flotation devices in the garage!!

The house itself was absolutely lovely and so well equipped. We only ate breakfast at home, but we could see that we lacked for nothing. I think that by now, you will realise that we really enjoyed our stay and look forward to visiting again. I doubt that we will be going to Florida this winter as we have already made 2 trips this year and are going to Las Vegas in November, but hopefully, next winter (2005/6) all being well, we will be looking to come again.

Thank you for all your help over the arrangements for our visit, which we much appreciated, and also the telephone call whilst we were there. We also met Irene, who called on us and introduced herself - an interesting and lovely lady.

Our best wishes

Roger & Dorothy (Broadstone, England}
May 2004

Testimonial No. 7

We thoroughly enjoyed the use of the house and lanai area. Watching the wildlife was absolutely wonderful. * We confirm the booking for 16th April 2005 for 3 weeks.

Regards
Derek & Jackie ( Bridgend, Wales)
April 2004

(NB* - Note from Bernard - the very day after they returned home from their 2 week holiday in April 2004 - Derek and Jackie were so delighted they booked our villa for 3 weeks in April 2005.)

Testimonial No. 6

We had a great holiday and only wish we could have stayed longer, in Port Charlotte, Southwest Florida. The villa was lovely - peaceful, very well equipped with everything anyone could possibly need and such a lovely view over the lake. We will certainly recommend your villa to any of our friends who may be visiting that area.

Very many thanks.

Jackie & George (Market Drayton, England)
April 2004

Testimonial No. 5

Our holiday is now drawing to an end but we couldn't leave without saying a fond "thank you" for allowing us to share your lovely home in Port Charlotte, Southwest Florida. The feeling of belonging was a constant factor in our two week stay. The Villa is comfortable, homely and welcoming - a perfect place to explore the Gulf coast. After a day-out at places like Sanibel Island, Naples, Sarasota & Fort Myers - to name but a few - we always remarked that it was time to "go home".

Our trip home will be a long one but it will at least give us time to reflect on all the wonderful memories of what has been our best trip to Florida. Your kindness and thoughtfulness to us both before and during our stay made us feel very welcome.

All that remains to be said is that - this was a truly outstanding holiday.

With our fondest regards,

Pam & Mike (Solihull, England)
February 2004

Testimonial No. 4

Just a short note to express our enjoyment in the time spent recently in your 'second home' in Port Charlotte, Southwest Florida. I can confirm that as you state on your website, the Harrison Holiday Home is extremely well placed to meet all your 'residents' needs.

The house is a delight to live in - and could not be better sited, being in a very quiet avenue and backing on to a lake with wildlife in abundance. The screened pool provided a cool respite to the wonderful weather, with the water temperature a constant 88° - wonderful !!

The local 'supermarkets - Mall shopping - restaurants (eat in - take out)' are all within easy reach by car and our friends (and this was their first time in the USA) remarked upon the helpful and courteous attitude provided by the locals.

Although we only travelled relatively locally during our stay, Punta Gorda - Fort Myers - Venice and Sanibel Isle; we recognised that direct routes to Disney and Busch Gardens could easily be taken and for the more adventurous The Everglades and Key West.

We had a really relaxing and yet thoroughly interesting holiday and have already recommended your home to friends who would like to travel to Florida.

Many thanks,

Brian, Joy, Tony and Nita (Meppershall, England)
June 2003

Testimonial No. 3

We just returned yesterday after a wonderfully relaxing time. We flew into Miami with B.A. and made our way across the State to your lovely house, arriving in the afternoon in Port Charlotte, Southwest Florida.

It was great to get settled down and we felt very much at home more or less immediately. During the whole of our 10 nights there we experienced such a wonderfully relaxing time.

It was all we had expected and much more besides. The weather was very kind to us also, temperatures were around 90° most of the time and only 2 days with rain.

We would like to thank you very much for making us so welcome, even to 'phoning us to make sure we were OK!

Regards,

Jeff & Penny (Lincoln, England)
May 2003

Testimonial No. 2

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at your home in Port Charlotte, Southwest Florida and found it to be a very comfortable and relaxing location. We were mostly lucky with the weather and found it a joy to sit out on your patio and around the pool.

We were pleased to see so much wildlife from the house and happily identified what we could with the use of your books in the lounge. We took trips out most days and enjoyed some of the local beaches and sights. All in all we had a great holiday.

Once again many thanks for trusting us to rent your home for our holiday.

Best regards

Karen & Peter (Woking, England)
April 2003
P.S. The egret sends his love! *

(NB* - Note from Bernard - the 'egret' P.S. reference above relates to one of the birds that you can see pictured on my web site, who regularly pops 'round for breakfast!)

Testimonial No. 1

This was the first occasion that we had been away from home as a family at Christmas. With a 12 year old, a teenager and two over 20s (in addition to ourselves) the accommodation in Port Charlotte, Southwest Florida was more than adequate. To be away at that time of the year we could not have chosen a better location.

The venue was excellent with all the facilities one could wish for in a self-catering home. Pots, pans, cooker, enormous refrigerator, ample storage coupled with the spacious lounge and dining areas were more than sufficient for our needs. The front driveway with its space for comfortable off-road parking for two vehicles and the rear of bungalow swimming pool completed the facilities available to us. The bungalow is located in an idyllic area, next to a lake, in close proximity to shops - and a sandy beach just minutes away.

The neighbours could not have been friendlier and at Christmas time the festively decorated homes just had to be seen to be believed. We spent hours just driving round looking at the colourful lights and imaginative decorations. To say the least - the Harrison Holiday Home met all our requirements and more. There are those amongst us that would like to go back tomorrow!

Many thanks

Colin, Beverley and family, particularly Robert (Putnoe, England)
January 2003

web design by EASIserv.com