It's so nice to hear from first time home swappers! Mark and his family had a fabulous first home swap, exchanging their family home in Cambridge for a one-week holiday staying in Jan and Fred's house in the pretty medieval village of Soreze, in the south of France.
|
Jan & Fred: swapped their village house in France for Cambridge "We lucky to have a second home in the town of Soreze, in southern France. We spend a lot of time there but, as we don’t live there, it opens up all sorts of wonderful home exchange possibilities. We were delighted when Mark and his family approached us, looking for a stop-off on their tour of France. We thought their home in Cambridge sounded really nice with lots of interesting places nearby to explore. When we arrived we found their house was lovely – spacious and light. We spent a lot of time sitting in the open plan family area with the double doors open to the tree-lined garden. It was so nice and quiet, in the morning you can listen to the birds with your first cup of tea. We took the bus into the city each day, choosing a different museum or gallery to explore. Cambridge is small and easy to walk to most of the colleges. Not all the colleges allow public access of course, but the ones that did have magnificent grounds and gardens – free to sit in and just take in the beautiful surroundings. We visited as many museums as we could, but didn’t get round them all in a week. We’d really need another visit to see everything. The museums themselves were phenomenal. From quaint mahogany cabinets, to state of the art presentations, zoology, archaeology, sculpture, geology, science, Darwin, Newton, etc etc. We loved the Whale Café at the Museum of Zoology, and spent a happy hour in the quirky courtyard at The Punter bar on Pound Hill. Of course, we had to leave time to explore the little coffee shops and restaurants too, so it all takes time. But we took things slowly and savoured it all in the marvellous weather we experienced. Had it rained or snowed though, we would have found plenty to do! We could have taken a punt down the river and under the many bridges, but as it was, found a lovely walk along part of the way. I read the guide books after we returned, which made me realise how much more there is to see. We’ll just have to go back sometime! Highly recommended beautiful city, full of marvellous architecture, very clever people and a gorgeous river. Thank you so much to Mark and his family for a wonderful stay in their home!" |
|
Highlights of the holiday:
|
|
Mark & family: swapped their family house in Cambridge for France "This was the first house swap holiday for our family of 2 adults and 2 girls, aged 10 and 12. We swapped with Jan and Fred who are experienced home swappers and easy going. All was very uncomplicated to arrange and while they stayed in our home in Cambridge, we were travelling for the summer in France and stayed for 1 week in their lovely holiday home in Soreze. Their house had all one needs for a lovely stay. Jan and Fred were very organised providing lots of information before leaving, posting key well in advance and being available while we were there. The house was lovely and cool even when hot outside and their courtyard, while small, was great spot to enjoy our morning coffee and croissants! Soreze is a beautiful medieval village in Tarn area of SE France. Very relaxed but with bakery, a few restaurants and supermarket to make daily life easy. We enjoyed walks in the immediate hills, and swimming in lake and swimming pool, each 10 minutes by car. We visited the abbey in Soreze when feeling more cultured. We had a wonderful week and would definitely recommend the swap to any couple or family with children. Thank you very much Jan and Fred!" |
|
Highlights of the holiday:
|
|
Mark's family home in Cambridge, UK Family home 10 minutes walk to river, then 30minutes walk into Cambridge's historic city centre. |
Jane & Fred's home in Soreze, France Medieval town house in the pretty village of Soreze, set at the foot of Les Montagnes Noires. |
|
Start home swapping and cut the cost of your next holiday Sign up to Home Base Holidays and save up to 90% on the cost of your holidays by arranging a home exchange. Search the latest home exchange holiday offers |
Comments