“We\'ve had a great two weeks holiday in Cheltenham while staying in the beautiful house of Jody and family. The house is very spacious, stylish and clean. The boys have enjoyed all the toys and games in the playroom. The house is so pretty to stay in, there\'s everything you need. We felt at home immediately. Cheltenham is a beautiful town. The park is great for children and easy to reach by bike. The beautiful villages of the Cotswolds and the great hills are all close. The trainstation is only a few minutes walk, nice to explore other parts of the UK. Jody has been very kind and helpful and the communication was great before and during our stay. Back home we found our house in perfect clean condition. We can highly recommend you to exchange with this kind people for a great holiday. Many thanks again to the Blake family.”
Lovely Victorian House in beautiful Cheltenham - the heart of the Cotswolds
Lovely Victorian House in beautiful Cheltenham - the heart of the Cotswolds
Jody

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First joinedJanuary 2012
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- 4 Bedrooms
- Sleeps 6
- 2 Bathrooms
Our home
Our home, St James's Villa is a Victorian House dating from 1890 which has been fully modernised making it a stylish but comfortable family home. Our house comprises of a large lounge (with a woodburner, digital TV, Apple TV & DVD) which opens into a spacious dining room with a dining table which comfortably seats 8 people. We have a separate Italian kitchen (with under floor heating and Siemens appliances) and breakfast room which leads into a bright conservatory. Off of the conservatory is a downstairs toilet and playroom/games room. Doors lead from the conservatory and the playroom to our private garden which has patio, decking and lawn areas. We have a gas barbeque and enjoy eating outside in the summer. We have lots of indoor and outdoor childrens' toys, as well as a playhouse and swings in the garden.
Upstairs we have a master bedroom with a kingsize bed, an ensuite bathroom and dressing room. There are also two further single bedrooms and a spacious family bathroom. On the top floor is a bright and spacious attic bedroom with a double bed. The basement has been converted into a study and storage room. We also have wireless broadband access throughout the house. We have a Cockapoo dog but she goes to doggy care when we go away. Our rabbits also go to bunny boarding.
Property features
- Main home
- Garden
- Wifi
- Cable TV
- Equipped for kids
- Car available
- No smoking
- Central heating
- Dishwasher
- Washing machine
- Dryer
- Parking
5 Reviews
“This summer 2015, we have had a very successful house and car exchange with Jody and her family. Everything went very well, a fully equipped and lovely decorated house. Everything was very well prepared for our welcome and our stay. The house is at the level and more as promised by the presentation and pictures. Specially our kids were impressed by the different play area and the bedrooms, all full of toys games and books. The garden is also a lovely place to stay relax after a day of visit. Location of the house in a quiet neighborhood not more than 5mn to the market and 10mn to town center is definitively a plus. The Cheltenham city is a very interesting city to visit and stay due to is location between Oxford and Bristol in the middle of the Cotswolds with its wonderful village. Last but not least, Jody and her family left our house beautifully clean. All in all a wonderful exchange - we would highly recommend.”
“We really enjoyed staying in Jody and Simon's home. We felt home from the first day, our children loved it too and enjoyed playing inside and in the nice little garden, eating blackberries and even exchanging with their nice neighbours. The house is very well equipped with a great decoration and very children friendly. It is close to everything in town and its good location allowed us to go discovering the Cotswolds area and its typical villages, Bath, London, Oxford, not forgetting some hiking in the local hills. We've had friendly and easy contacts with Jody and Simon from the start, they have arranged everything to accommodate their home and car for our family of 5. We would highly recommend a swap with Jody, Simon and their children!”
“We would like to thank Jody, Simon and their children, for being so kind to us. We have had a very good experience exchanging with them. Their house is very cozy, easy, and very child friendly. We felt like home from the very first moment. The area where they live," the costwolds", has been a discovery for us. The town itself, Chentelham, (they live 10 min walk from the city center), has lots of nice shops and parks. There are two big grocery stores, 10 min walk. In half an hour drive, you can find several small charming little towns. We have really enjoyed walking with our kids along what they call, "circular walks", 5-6 mile cross country the English beautiful landscape. One hour drive, you find Bristol, a city with several things to visit, and an aquarium, a science museum for kids, a suspension bridge... Oxford, also one hour drive from Chentelham, very much worth a visit too. We even took the bus one day, and spend the day in London. So, as you can see, there are lots of things to do in the area. Thank you very much Jody, Simon, Reuben and Floren!”
“Jody and Simon made us feel very welcome in their home, and we had a great stay in Cheltenham. The house is wonderful with a nice little garden. It did not take very long before we and our kids felt right at home. Cheltenham is a beautiful city with many things to do and see. And there are also many things to see around Cheltenham. We would love to come back to Cheltenham one day, and we recommend a swap with Jody and Simon highly.”
Who we are
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We are Jody & Simon and have a 12 year old son and 7 year old daughter. Simon is a University Lecturer and Jody is a Family Liaison Coordinator for a children's charity. We enjoy travelling, eating out and spending quality family time together. We have now done six home exchanges and they have all been fantastic - staying in a hotel room just no longer appeals! Please do contact us if you are interested in exchanging with us - we are always open to offers although we can only consider exchanges during the school holidays. We would ideally like to be near the coast during the summer of 2019.
Our availability
- White
- Open to offers
- Green
- Available
- Red
- Not Available
Where is it?
Your neighbourhood
We are situated in the Regency Town of Cheltenham Spa which is known as the "Gateway to the Cotswolds". We are a 10-15 minute walk to the town centre where there are great shops and restaurants. There are two large supermarkets within a ten minute walk. Oxford, Bristol, Bath and Cardiff, as well as Shakespeare's Stratford, are all within a 90 minute drive and London is just over 2 hours away by either car and train. We live less than ten minutes walk to the train station where there are regular and direct trains to London and the rest of the UK. The picturesque Cotswold villages of Broadway, Bibury, Bourton on the Water and Stow on the Wold are all within a 45 minute drive away.
We love living in Cheltenham - it is a beautiful town with great architecture and is very family friendly and with a number of fantastic parks and an open air Lido swimming pool. In fact the Telegraph newspaper voted Cheltenham as the top place in Britain to raise a family in 2014 (hhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/propertyadvice/11072925/Britains-top-20-best-places-to-raise-a-family.html)
The Cotswold Farm Park and Cotswold Wildlife Park are also a short drive away which are ideal for young families.
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