Near Vancouver - Heritage home, walkable, close to transit (MONTREAL 2022 SVP)

** 2022 ** We are looking for a simultaneous exchange to Montreal from July 1 - 23 (as per restrictions and local Covid conditions). Merci/Thank you! Hello - we're David and Deanna. We are both professionals who work hard and play harder :-). And we're passionate about travelling! We are experienced home exchangers, having done 31 exchanges all over the world - South America, Australia, across Europe, Canada and the US. Our kids are well behaved and seasoned travellers. We'll treat your home with the utmost respect because we know you'll do the same in return. We live in a heritage house that we are lovingly restoring ourselves, and is centrally located with everything we need within walking distance. Check out the local newspaper article featuring our home: https://www.newwestrecord.ca/finding-character-on-fifth-street-1.590472

Our home is a heritage house over 100 yrs old, with 11 foot ceilings, original hardwood floors and wood trim, hand painted stained glass windows and a secret servants staircase. You will have access to two full floors of our 4 floor home, which includes 4 bedrooms (King Bed, Queen Bed, two Double sized bunk beds). If needed we also have a single mattress that can be used on the floor of one of the bedrooms. Two of the bedrooms are kids rooms - our children are bilingual (French and English) and we have lots of books as well as toys for them. Other amenities in the house include: massage chair, Japanese toilet with heated seat, washer and dryer, dishwasher, high speed internet, big screen wall mounted TV, DVD and an alarm system. We also have a large front yard filled with giant trees and plenty of shade to relax outdoors.

There are steps to the front and back doors to enter the house. Inside we have the main staircase and a secondary staircase to reach the upper floors. There is a full bathroom on both floors; bedrooms are upstairs.

We do have a downstairs apartment that is rented out. However, it is completely separated (private entrance, no shared space etc). All our home exchanges have been done with our downstairs neighbours present and it's never been an issue :-). It’s no different from someone who lives in a building with neighbours – we just didn’t want you to be surprised because many people expect a single family home to be just one household.

Location, location, location! We live in New Westminster – one of the Top 10 places in Canada for millennials “Diversity, walkability, central location, greenspace - and people - are some of the reasons local millennials say they love living in New Westminster” https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/latest-news/new-west-deemed-to-be-a-millennial-hot-spot-in-2021-3839916 Vancouver is less than 8 km away, and downtown Vancouver is 20 km away (easily accessible on public transit/skytrain with bus stop 1 block from our house). Whistler is less than 2 hrs away by car. We are centrally located with the main street of our town located only one block away (walking distance to shopping, banks, restaurants etc). Public transit is also 1 block away with direct bus service to Skytrain and Metrotown, the largest shopping complex in British Columbia (https://metropolisatmetrotown.com/) - less than 6 km away. Within our city, you can walk past historic heritage mansions to nearby Queens Park (1.5 km away) with a large children’s playground, water park, running trails, petting zoo, rose garden and outdoor bandstand. Two kilometres away is the River Market and boardwalk, where you can stroll along the Fraser River. Please check out the information about what to “Eat, Explore and Do” in New Westminster – almost everything is less than 3 km from our home. http://www.tourismnewwestminster.com As Vancouver is very near, we are close to many mountains (skiing in winter, hiking in summer) and golf year-round. Our mild Vancouver weather allows you to golf in the morning and ski in the afternoon during the winter months. On your way to the beaches or the mountains there is good chances you may see some bald eagles flying up in the sky for you to enjoy! We can also let you know where you could see them regularly gathering by dozen just a short drive from our house. We are centrally located in our region, so daytrips outside of Vancouver are very convenient. We are less than 2 hours away from Whistler Mountain (home of the 2010 Winter Olympics) and 40 min to the US border. Some things to do on your visit include: The many beaches (Kitsilano, Spanish Banks, Jericho, English Bay...), Granville Island, Downtown Vancouver, historic Gastown, Chinatown (the second largest Chinatown in North America), Stanley Park (walk the Seawall), Capilano Suspension Bridge, Whistler Mountain (home of the 2010 Winter Olympics), Vancouver Art Gallery, shopping on Robson Street, VanDusen Garden, Grouse Mountain (climb the Grouse Grind), Museum of Anthropology, Science World, visit Victoria (capital city) & Vancouver Island – we are 40 min from the ferry terminal. Vancouver has regularly been chosen as one of the best places to live in the world. The fresh clean air, mountains, oceans and mild climate makes it an enjoyable destination year-round! Websites to visit: Information about things to do in British Columbia www.hellobc.com Information about things to do in Vancouver www.tourismvancouver.com Vancouver and the surrounding area is known as “Hollywood North” as many movies and TV shows are filmed here. If this is something that interests you, check out a list of what’s been filmed or is currently filming – perhaps you’ll spot a celebrity! http://www.yvrshoots.com/whats-filming http://www.whatsfilming.ca/ For tickets to shows, concerts and other events you might want to attend while visiting: www.ticketmaster.ca Information on visiting Vancouver Island or other nearby Islands (Salt Spring, Galiano etc) https://www.bcferries.com/ Sea to Sky Gondola – located ~ 1 hr from our home, halfway on the route to Whistler https://www.seatoskygondola.com/ Whistler – approximately 2 hrs from our house https://www.whistler.com/ Shops, Restaurants and Services in our neighbourhood (1 1/2 blocks away, 5 min walk) - Uptown http://www.myuptown.ca River Market at Westminster Quay http://www.rivermarket.ca/

Arrive at Vancouver International Airport – approximately 21 km away. Depending on the time of day, an Uber or Lyft costs ~ $33 - $ 53 CDN, and it is about a 25 min drive to our house. (You could take transit to 1 block away but it would involve both Skytrain and bus, would be ~ 1.5 hr and honestly not worth the hassle with all your luggage!).

Vancouver International Airport (YVR) - 21 km away.

Downtown Vancouver is 20 km away – easy to reach by car or transit. Public transit is only one block away, with a 15 min bus ride to the Skytrain and 22 min skytrain to downtown Vancouver. If spending the entire day in downtown Vancouver, it is often easier to buy a Compass card (transit pre-loaded card) or transit daypass. We also do a car exchange as well when we swap, for easier access to more farther away places. New Westminster is centrally located in the Metro Vancouver area so it is convenient to visit other tourist destinations outside of Vancouver during your stay Ie Fort Langley, Steveston Village, Horseshoe Bay and Tswwassen Ferry terminals (to visit capital city Victoria on Vancouver Island and other nearby Islands). We live in a very walkable neighbourhood – the main street is only 1 block away, so you will find all the amenities you need within 1.5 km on foot (restaurants, coffee shops, grocery, shopping, bank, pharmacy, medical clinic etc).

Introduction to the neighbourhood, answer questions and/or give local tips/info.