| Trip of a lifetime to Somerset West, South Africa |
Date: June 29, 2009 |
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| Testimonial about listing of Margaret from Somerset West, South Africa (ID=21128) |
| By Jenefer from Islington, England (ID=26805) |
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Earlier this year, my husband, Toddler and I were lucky enough to arrange our first home exchange with the Frey family in Somerset West. It was a long term exchange of 2 months. Margie and Jean Louis are lovely people and they made us feel incredibly welcome. The house and grounds are beautiful, and there is so much to see and do in the local area I'm sure we didn't even scratch the surface. The two houses are in the same spacious plot of land, but there were no issues of privacy, and it was really nice to 'stay' with our hosts as they were able to offer us lots of information about the area, including do's and don'ts which was really reassuring. Our little boy blossomed during our stay, he loved the pool, tennis court trampoline, AND feeding the guinea fowl and squirrels every day. Thanks Margie and Jean Louis.
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| Non-simultaneous swop with Mauritius |
Date: June 28, 2009 |
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| Testimonial about listing of Stacy & Scott from Grand Baie, Mauritius (ID=26977) |
| By Margaret from Somerset West, South Africa (ID=21128) |
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In January this year we spent a week in Scott and Stacy's apartment in Grand Baie, Mauritius. The weather was exceptionally hot and we were so grateful for the air-conditioned flat that we could return to each day. The apartment is located right in the middle of Grand Baie and we spent a fantastic New Year's Eve enjoying the fireworks from the beach, not to mention those that were lit in the middle of the road outside the B52 Bar. The sega music was great and the atmosphere was truly special.
Scott and Stacy came to Somerset West for a week in April and enjoyed their first trip to the Cape. Best wishes for your upcoming wedding, Scott and Stacy!
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| First swop between London and Cape Town |
Date: June 28, 2009 |
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| Testimonial about listing of Jenefer from Islington, England (ID=26805) |
| By Margaret from Somerset West, South Africa (ID=21128) |
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At the end of January 2009 we welcomed the Ashley family from London to stay in our second house while our eldest daughter and her boyfriend flew to London and went to stay in the Ashley's comfortable and spacious London townhouse for two months. Jenny had kindly left lots of information about transport, shops and places to visit in the area which made for a very smooth transition to life in London. Jenny and Dave spent two months here with their toddler son discovering all that Somerset West and the Winelands have to offer. Both families are converts to home exchange and looking forward to more exciting adventures!
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| Comfortable chalet in French-speaking Switzerland |
Date: June 21, 2009 |
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| Testimonial about listing of Pierre from Sonceboz, Switzerland (ID=17915) |
| By Louise from Nevada City, USA (ID=18311) |
Our first home exchange was a successful adventure in the home of Pierre & Giselle Vorpe in September 2008. Even though Pierre broke his leg only a few weeks before our visit, he wanted us to come to Switzerland anyway. Their son, Antoine, picked us up from the Geneva airport, drove us through the countryside near their home and oriented us to the house and car. The chalet is located in a small village with easy access to the larger city of Biel/Bienne. Trains are available within walking distan ... read more ... Our first home exchange was a successful adventure in the home of Pierre & Giselle Vorpe in September 2008. Even though Pierre broke his leg only a few weeks before our visit, he wanted us to come to Switzerland anyway. Their son, Antoine, picked us up from the Geneva airport, drove us through the countryside near their home and oriented us to the house and car. The chalet is located in a small village with easy access to the larger city of Biel/Bienne. Trains are available within walking distance from the house. There are many lovely towns and cities in the area for day trips either by car or train.
Our friend Terri joined us for part of the visit. We shared the house with Pierre & Giselle after they returned from a rehab center. Pierre acted as tour guide for a two day trip into the Alps -- including the Matterhorn. Giselle fixed us some fondue for our last evening together. They were lovely hosts.
We look forward to their visit to our home in California at their sometime in the future.
Louise Carter
Nevada City, CA
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| Warm hospitality in Istanbul |
Date: June 20, 2009 |
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| Testimonial about listing of Sebnem from Istanbul, Turkey (ID=22486) |
| By Louise from Nevada City, USA (ID=18311) |
Our visit in Istanbul was highlighted by the opportunity to stay in the home of Sebnem and Rauf Karaman. Sebenem met us at the airport and gave us a tour of the area so we could find our way around. She coached us about public transportation (bus and ferry) and gave us lots of information about the city. Later we had a delightful visit with the whole family. They stayed with relatives while we used their home for a week.
The comfortable, spacious apartment is located on the Asian side of Ista ... read more ... Our visit in Istanbul was highlighted by the opportunity to stay in the home of Sebnem and Rauf Karaman. Sebenem met us at the airport and gave us a tour of the area so we could find our way around. She coached us about public transportation (bus and ferry) and gave us lots of information about the city. Later we had a delightful visit with the whole family. They stayed with relatives while we used their home for a week.
The comfortable, spacious apartment is located on the Asian side of Istanbul in the Atashier distict. Two grocery stores are within walking distance as is an ATM. We met many gracious Turks on the bus and the ferry. We feel we got to know what life is like for the majority of people in Istanbul intermingled with learning about the historic parts of the city.
The Karaman family will have the opportunity to use our California home for a week in the future. Date to be mutually decided.
Louise & George Carter
Nevada City CA
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| Great location for Southern Ontario |
Date: June 18, 2009 |
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| Testimonial about listing of Lauraine from Burlington, Canada (ID=20315) |
| By Alan from Burgess Hill, England (ID=6617) |
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This house is ideally situated for an easy commute to Toronto and drive to Niagara where you can cross into the U.S.A. We also visited St Jacobs Menninite market and Stratford where we had a great theatre experience. Local grocery shopping is only a short walk away. Lake Ontario is very close with beautiful parks where you can walk by the lake.
Paul and Lauraine were very thoughtful hosts leaving home made cakes and basic grocery items for our arrival.
We would certainly recommend this location.
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| Exceeded expectations |
Date: June 17, 2009 |
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| Testimonial about listing of Johannes from Amsterdam, Netherlands (ID=23612) |
| By John from Vancouver, Canada (ID=6234) |
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Our 3 week exchange was a great success. The home, location and amenities were all very good. The arrangements were easy to make and when we got to our "Exchange" we were expected and made welcome by the neighbours. We both agreed to an open Pantry / Fridge arrangement which made the first few days very easy. This was our first exchange and now we would not consider any other way to visit a new country. We just lived in the neighbourhood and had wonderful experiences that we would never have had in a Hotel.
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| Wonderful stay in Sydney |
Date: June 15, 2009 |
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| Testimonial about listing of Peter from Sydney, Australia (ID=20980) |
| By Merelyn from Adelaide, Australia (ID=14831) |
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Peter and Jeanie have a lovely and very comfortable home in a very convenient position. The house was great, with quality furnishings, immaculately maintained and only 5 minute walk to the bus stop. Many cafes and restaurants near by, you couldn't ask for anything more. They were extremely hospitable and made us feel very welcome. We didn't meet each other, but between emailing and conversations on the phone, we got to know each other and have become friends.
We returned to a lovely clean home. Thank you so much Peter and Jeanie for making it all possible.
We do recommend this lovely home and would love to have the opportunity to return some time in the future.
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| A great week in the south of France |
Date: June 14, 2009 |
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| Testimonial about listing of Isabelle from Saint-Jean-de-Luz, France (ID=24585) |
| By Peter from Huddinge, Sweden (ID=2833) |
We all dream about that perfect holiday in the south of France, the great weather, the charming cities and towns, the beautiful Mediterranean Sea ... wait a minute I don't mean the Mediterranean Sea I mean the beautiful Alantic Ocean, the Bay of Biscay to be more exact. My partner Mona and I had the pleasure of spending some 10 days at the holiday apartment of Isabelle and Arnaud Dubly in St. Jean de Luz. The charming town, right on the Spanish border and within sight of the mighty Pyrenees moun ... read more ... We all dream about that perfect holiday in the south of France, the great weather, the charming cities and towns, the beautiful Mediterranean Sea ... wait a minute I don't mean the Mediterranean Sea I mean the beautiful Alantic Ocean, the Bay of Biscay to be more exact. My partner Mona and I had the pleasure of spending some 10 days at the holiday apartment of Isabelle and Arnaud Dubly in St. Jean de Luz. The charming town, right on the Spanish border and within sight of the mighty Pyrenees mountain chain, is a pure delight. Great protected beaches are available at the doorstep, surfing beaches a few kilometers away at the most, near Biarritz (with its Ryan Air airport) for a great day's outing, close to the historic hinterland of the Basque people and even older civilizations if you have access to a car and can travel more widely - a perfect place for a holiday. We rate it 10/10 and we'd certainly spend more time in St. Jean de Luz ... especially at the lovely Dubly apartment.
Best regards, Peter Morris
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| Beautiful house, lovely setting, easy access to central Helsinki |
Date: June 09, 2009 |
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| Testimonial about listing of Samu from Helsinki, Finland (ID=30234) |
| By Janet from London, England (ID=24637) |
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We can thoroughly recommend this delightful house as a wonderful place for an exchange. Our hosts left lots of information about places to visit nearby and were extremely friendly and helpful. The house itself was large, comfortable and clean. It was very near the sea (you could just see it from the balcony). It was easy to get into central Helsinki by bus and there was lots to do. We went with our 5 year old son and he loved visiting the islands which are easy to get to by ferry from Helsinki.
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| Wonderful location, best of both worlds in South East England |
Date: June 08, 2009 |
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| Testimonial about listing of Alan from Burgess Hill, England (ID=6617) |
| By Lauraine from Burlington, Canada (ID=20315) |
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My husband and I are just finishing our first exchange, which has worked out better than we could have hoped. Our location here in Burgess Hill is so convenient to London that we've been there four times. We love the setting, so close to the amazing South Downs. The house is very comfy, the master bed is divine. Alan and Viola even collected us at Heathrow (not a quick drive) and got us started by driving us around. They are a super couple and made things so smooth for us. We can only hope they enjoyed our home as much. They love to travel, so I would recommend them highly.
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| Very successful exchange |
Date: June 08, 2009 |
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| Testimonial about listing of Annemarie from Amsterdam, Netherlands (ID=20638) |
| By Frans from Bertioga, Brazil (ID=27874) |
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We exchanged houses and cars with this member and are extremely satisfied.
Everything was as described and we had a great time staying in their house and neighborhood.
This member deserves an A+
This was our first experience and we will be looking for more exchanges.
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