Port Charlotte Holidays

About us

Original image courtesy Benoit Plumat

About Port Charlotte Holidays

4 star quality holiday accommodation with a touch of luxury on the beautiful island of Islay. 

Port Charlotte Holidays is owned by Margaret McCallum. Margaret's mother was born on Islay and members of her family still live on the island today. Margaret has always loved coming to the island and has many wonderful memories of childhood family holidays.

Along with architect husband Sirus Jafari (see unicornarchitecture.com), she took on the job of renovating Port Charlotte Halls - the old Victorian school and hall.

Margaret and Sirus on a damp day at Kilchoman

The result is the stylish apartments and two modern cottages you see today - 4 star quality holiday accommodation with a touch of luxury. It's certainly been a labour of love!

Your Port Charlotte team

Left to right: Alison, Margaret, Jenny.

Margaret looks after your holiday booking and enquiries.

Alison handles the day-to-day running of Port Charlotte Holidays on the island and, along with her team of housekeepers, prepares your holiday accommodation for your arrival. She is there to welcome you, and and is on hand to answer any questions you might have during your stay - she's a fount of knowledge about Islay.

Original image courtesy Benoit Plumat

Guest reviews

We're delighted to have received lovely feedback from our customers over the years. Take a look at our most recent reviews or browse a selection from the last couple of years below.

Beautiful House.  Had a great time! Plenty of space for us all.  Can’t wait to come back. Ardnave

A lovely holiday in a lovely place- so well – equipped and comfortable. Thank you from us all. Saligo

Had a lovely week. Weather was great. Enjoyed walking all over the island and the beaches were fab. Best of all were the locals who are so friendly. Kilchoman

Great stay. Best house in Islay. Thank you. Sanaigmore

Lovely cottage – comfortable, well equipped and a great base to explore Islay from. Killinallan

Wow!  Fab accommodation. Everything you need and more.  Islay has been great. Ardnave

Fabulous holiday in a great house.  Well – equipped property, comfy beds, spotlessly clean.  Brilliant island, lovely places to see, and eat …….and drink ( of course!) Ardnave

Love, love, love PC and Islay- rain or shine. A great home from home. Ardnave

We love it here! Will definitely come back. Perfect location, well- equipped and child-friendly. Ardnave

Really beautiful! Excellently stocked kitchen. Made lots of cocktails - would have been rude not to! Ardnave


Such a wonderful holiday- don’t want to go home! Beautiful house, superb beaches, good weather. Kids loved it. Saligo

Our favourite home from home. Bliodhna Mhath Ur! (Happy New Year in Gaelic) Saligo

Excellent apartment - very well equipped. Great to have so many bathrooms and enough toys and games for any number of children! Saligo

What a perfect place to stay. No detail has been overlooked. We enjoyed ourselves immensely!
Saligo

Some of us enjoyed distillery visits and whisky tasting ( yes, we visited them ALL!) Some of us enjoyed cycling and bird- watching and some of us enjoyed having the time to read a book and watch the weather change by the hour!! We all agreed the house is lovely, very well- equipped and comfortable. An excellent base. Saligo

Amazing holiday! The house was great - zillions of bathrooms! Can't wait to come back. Saligo

Our third stay here. This time we got married here! Wonderful time. We love this apartment and come back every year. We will be back next year too! Kilchoman

Well-equipped, nice, quiet flat. Great walks all over the island with amazing luck: sea and golden eagles from close, osprey fishing, peregrines and choughs over us and much, much more. Kilchoman

Lovely living space- felt at home straight away. All very tasteful and well-equipped. Thank you! Kilchoman

Excellent accommodation. Well equipped, very comfortable. Would highly recommend. Thank you for arranging such glorious weather. Sanaigmore

Well-equipped kitchen and all round house.  Great home from home!  Loved the throws.  Good games room.  Great getaway, thanks!  Being close to the beach was great for the kids!  Islay, you didn’t disappoint!  Kilinallan

This house is incredible. Beds are really comfy. Killinallan

Amazing house with good places to play with my Lego. I had a very good time. Hope to come back soon. Killinallan

A lovely, well equipped house in the nicest village on Islay. Enjoyed the walks and the drams. Killinallan

Many thanks to Margaret, Alison and crew for yet another great holiday in a great house. Killinallan

Original image by Graham McFarlane