Our Story

A Passion for
Places That
Move You

Haven was born from a simple conviction: the best travel experiences happen when you truly belong somewhere. Not just sleeping in a bed, but feeling the character of a place seep into your days. We built Haven to make that feeling accessible — five times over.

Every home in our collection is one we'd stay in ourselves. That's not a marketing line — it's the filter through which every property is selected, prepared, and maintained.

Travel should feel like the best version of being home.

It started in 2018, when our founder Sofia Mercer returned from a trip to Portugal carrying something she hadn't expected: a deep, almost aching sense of belonging in a small whitewashed house overlooking the Atlantic.

That trip changed what she thought travel could be. Back home, she started looking — really looking — at the spaces people spend their vacations in. Most were fine. Many were forgettable.

So she started collecting them. One by one, with the patience of someone who refuses to compromise. Casa do Mar came first — a beachfront villa that had been in a family for three generations.

Each property took months of preparation — not renovation for its own sake, but a careful listening to what each place already wanted to be.

Haven is still a small operation, and we intend to keep it that way. Five homes. Real care. No shortcuts.

Radical Curation

We would rather have five perfect homes than fifty adequate ones. Every property earns its place through personal inspection, honest assessment, and genuine passion.

Character Over Comfort

Comfort is a given. What we obsess over is character — the smell of aged wood, the view from a particular chair, the way light falls through a specific window at 6am.

Complete Honesty

Our listings tell you everything. The wonderful and the wonderfully imperfect. No stock photos, no hidden fees, no surprises that erode trust.

Local First

Every property works with local cleaners, local suppliers, and local artisans. Travel that gives back is the only kind worth doing.

Available Humans

When something needs attention, you reach a person who cares — not a chatbot, not a ticket queue. We're available seven days a week because weekends are when travel happens.

Long-Term Thinking

We maintain each property as if it will still be welcoming guests in fifty years. Some shortcuts cost nothing today and everything tomorrow.

Sofia Mercer

Founder & Curator

Former architect turned traveler. Sofia has slept in over 200 rental properties and still believes the best one is always the next one she hasn't found yet.

Daniel Voss

Property Manager

Daniel keeps all five properties in immaculate condition. He has a gift for anticipating problems before guests notice them and an endless checklist in his head.

Amara Chen

Guest Experience

Amara is your first and most reliable point of contact. She knows every property by heart and every local restaurant worth the detour.

A Passion for
Places That
Move You