Premium #17517

Views and mountains galore on Canada's west coast

House • Squamish BC Canada

5 Guests

3 Bedrooms

3 Beds

2.5 Bathrooms

2 Car spaces

Primary home

Exchange types accepted

Simultaneous

Non-Simultaneous

Non-Reciprocal

Hospitality

Statistics

Listed January 2023

General Overview

We've only moved a few months ago and are still settling in, so more photos are to come as rooms feel more complete. 

Squamish is a town of about 25,000 people, full of outdoor enthusiasts and artisans. It's thought of as  "Canada's best kept secret," but let's keep that between us. ;)  We're halfway between Vancouver and Whistler; 45 minutes south or north on the Sea-to-Sky — one of the most beautiful highways in the world — takes you to either of these internationally known hot spots. 

Squamish itself has so much to offer. Hiking and mountain biking trails are everywhere. kite and windsurfers love the waterfront. A farmer's market runs nearly year round, as do countless artisan markets. The craft beer scene is hopping, and there are enough quality and creative restaurants to satisfy foodies as well. 

We moved here because it's such an active, warm community that offers so much to do for its size ... and we've met so many international neighbours and friends who've chosen Squamish for the same reasons. So be warned, if you come to visit you may just want to move here as well!

The Space

I'll start by saying that photos don’t even do justice to our views. Visiting friends literally all say "wowww" the first time they come in and look out our windows. We’re up high enough that we sometimes see birds, including bald eagles, fly by or perch at eye level. (But not so far up the mountain that walking up it is too arduous!)

Our place has an unconventional layout. You enter on the top floor: here there’s a hall closet, the primary bedroom, and a spacious ensuite bathroom. Down a straight set of stairs takes you to the main floor, with the kitchen, dining room, front sitting room, large den with TV, powder room, and spacious balcony. On the lower floor is our daughter’s bedroom, our guest room/office, full bathroom, media room, and laundry room. And there’s another outdoor sitting area with small yard out the back door. 

David works in the video game industry, so the media room comes stocked with a Playstation, Xbox, Switch, and even surround sound. Both TVs have streaming services like Netflix, Apple+, Disney, and Prime Video.

Guest Access

Our home is 3-story duplex in a new development of Squamish. The plan is to install a digital deadbolt for the front door to make it easy for guests (and us) to come and go. 

There are no stairs to our home, but there are two long staircases in it.

Notes

Our cats, Basil and Monty, are big, friendly guys who like to spend a lot of time inside sleeping, but they also like to venture outside for short chunks of time. Sometimes we let them out the bottom back door because they like to watch what's going on from the fence, but they're also happy to sit on the main floor balcony. 

It won’t affect anyone’s stay, but our duplex home (and others in our development) were built with sustainability in mind. It’s heated and cooled through geothermal electricity. There’s no gas, and with solar panels installed on our roof, we’re “net zero,” i.e. we produce the electricity we need/use.

Features

Show all features including those not in this home

Washer

Dishwasher

Clothes dryer

Oven

Microwave

Coffee machine

Fridge

Iron

Hair dryer

Heating

Air conditioning

TV

WiFi

High Speed Internet

Bathtub

First aid kit

Smoke alarms

Fire extinguisher

Bed sheets

Towels

Workspace

Fireplace

Home cinema

Toys

BBQ

Balcony

Garden / yard

Deck / patio / courtyard / terrace

Covered porch / verandah

EV Home Charger

Travel Styles

Adventure

Family

Sport and leisure

Relaxing

Eco

Mountains

Beach

Water

Skiing

Hiking

Cross-country skiing

House Rules

Suitable for infants under 2

Suitable for children ages 2-12

Pets not allowed

No smoking

Allergens

Dog free

Smoke free

Dates of Availability

Click on availability periods to see exchange types and descriptions.

Neighbourhood

There’s no limit to the amount of adventuring you can do regardless of the season. There are loads of hiking and biking trails for every level. (We use the AllTrails app to find new ones since we’re still new to the area.) We're not mountain bikers or climbers, but Squamish is a Mecca for both. There are plenty of lakes as well for swimming, kayaking or paddle boarding in the summer. In the winter people flock here (ha!) to see the bald eagles congregating and feeding on salmon along the river. 
https://www.exploresquamish.com/things-to-do/activities-adventures/eagle-viewing/

Squamish Canyon is a new boardwalk park that takes you through forest and along Mamquam Falls. It’s gorgeous to walk through, and generally not crowded like spots in Vancouver or Whistler. We have an annual membership and go often. 
https://www.squamishcanyon.com

The Sea-to-Sky gondola is also worth a visit. While you can take the gondola up and down, some hike up and pay less to just take the gondola back down the mountain. There’s also lots to do at the top. 
https://www.seatoskygondola.com

When we toured the Britannia Mine Museum, it was far more interesting than we expected! The area it’s in, Britannia Beach about 20 minutes south, is the original old mining community that’s being revitalized and worth visiting as well. https://www.britanniaminemuseum.ca/

There’s a busy farmer’s market every Saturday during spring, summer, and fall. And it slows down slightly but is still available for November and December. https://www.squamishfarmersmarket.com

Alice Lake Provincial Park is just on the edge of town. The small lake warms up nicely in the summer for swimming, and there are easy trails around it and other smaller lakes (like Stump Lake in one of my pictures) nearby. 
https://bcparks.ca/alice-lake-park/

Whistler is just 45 minutes away. There’s the ski resorts of course, but there’s also the Whistler Olympic Park if cross-country or snowshoeing are more your thing. Summer is just as beautiful to visit as well, and it’s easy to rent bikes as they have a great bike path system.
https://www.whistlerolympicpark.com/

And Vancouver is just 45-60 minutes away as well, if you want some city time. Happy to give more recommendations for there (where we lived before) if you do an exchange. But a few highlights include: 
Grouse Mountain is wonderful winter and summer: https://www.grousemountain.com

Capilano Suspension Bridge is so much more than a bridge. The whole park is just the most beautiful place to walk around, right in the middle of a rainforest: https://www.capbridge.com

Mount Seymour has good skiing for beginners in the winter and gorgeous hiking trails in the summer. https://mtseymour.ca

Cypress Mountain is in West Vancouver, and it smaller and cheaper than Whistler. It's also worth visiting in the summer for hiking trails and the Eagle Coaster: https://cypressmountain.com

Stanley Park ranks up there with the world's best city parks. Two beaches, a huge pool, spray park, mini railway, horse and trolley, totem poles, and loads of trails for walking or biking. There are a number of places to eat, too, and of course the Vancouver Aquarium. https://www.destinationvancouver.com/activities/stanley-park/

Getting to my home

Having a car is likely necessary to get to our home and to enjoy everything around it.

Nearest airport

Vancouver International Airport, YVR, is the closest. It's about a 90-minute to 2-hour drive from the airport to our home.

Getting Around

We live on a new mountainside development in Squamish, so we often drive where we need to go. However, many people get around by bike. We have yet to buy bikes! 

Having/Renting a car is the best way to get around.

Map of Approximate Location

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Feedback

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Premium

Leslie

We're Leslie, David, and Estella, a tidy family of three who have not exchanged homes before (though we've hosted PLU guests), but we have lived in many places and travelled to even more. We love to find new spots to explore, whether they're far away or close to our new home in Squamish, BC. (We just moved here from North Vancouver a few months ago, so we're still settling in.)

We have two cats (Basil and Monty) that call our house home as well.

We're open to a lot of destinations, though the spots that are hovering at the top of our "let's go there" list these days include Mexico, England (mostly near London, where David is from), Spain, France, Italy, and Bali.

Travelling group

My Desired Destinations

Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico

Dates Flexible