Victorian house in Boston. Walking distance to subway and restaurants.
House • Boston MA United States
5 Guests
4 Bedrooms
5 Bathrooms
Pets welcome
Primary home
Exchange types accepted
Simultaneous
Non-Simultaneous
Non-Reciprocal & Globe
Hospitality
Statistics
Listed October 2023
Views 2400
General overview
*Our dates for 2024 and 2025 are up to date. We're doing some work on our house this year, so won't be traveling quite as much but we're happy to meet new travelers when time allows!*
Come to Boston! We live within the city of Boston and in the neighborhood of Jamaica Plain. How do you like them apples? Couldn’t resist the Good Will Hunting reference. We live within walking distance to many coffee shops and restaurants as well as public transportation (buses and subway).
Our family lives in an old Victorian house that was built in 1872. We are in the process of slowly updating some of the facilities and have recently introduced a new kitchen. On the first floor we have a kitchen and dining area as well as a living room. There is a bedroom and office on the second floor and two bedrooms on the third floor. Each bedroom has a bathroom, although some of the bathrooms are quirkier than others. In the basement, there is a playroom and kitchenette. Outside, there is a deck and grill as well as a backyard and playset for kids. Our yard is a bit overgrown but we do try to keep a small produce garden in the summer and would appreciate an occasional watering on the part of our guests. There is also a hot tub downstairs as well. If you don’t intent to use it and have children, we can lock it.
In the summer, Boston has many local events and festivals and we are within one hour driving distance to many beautiful New England beaches. Boston is on a harbor with a river so there are also sailing and kayaking activities in town. Our own neighborhood hosts many musical events and gatherings in the summer. A good number of our local restaurants and coffee shops have outdoor seating options. During the winter, Massachusetts is known for its fall foliage and hiking. We are also within an hour drive of some skiing venues (although the best locations in NH and VT are a bit farther). Year round, Boston is full of many attractions, including Fenway Park, Harvard/MIT and their museums (technically in Cambridge), many colonial landmarks and fantastic shopping at places like Newbury street. While Boston is best known for its seafood, you’ll also find other delicious cuisine here as well. The North End is known for its Italian food and the Boston Seaport has some of the “trendier” new restaurants. Some top chef contestants shave restaurants in Boston too. Many of our favorite restaurants are within our very own neighborhood of Jamaica Plain, however. We’d be happy to give recommendations.
Jamaica plain is a really cool and funky neighborhood. Here is kind of a low budget intro: https://youtu.be/oLPScuqD6eg?si=b0IxG0QgLAYgCLgP
Guest access
We have a number of stairs in our house and, while we have five bathrooms, not a one is on the main level! Just something to note. Also-while we are more than welcome to host children and families, we are not really “child proof”. I think our own kids have just learned to survive the stairs. We also have a hot tub so if you have curious children, we can place a lock on it.
Notes
NOTE : for back to back guests while we are away, we would ask that you help wash towels, beds sheets that you used and make beds after your stay for the next guests. We will have extra bed sheets. We have a house cleaner that comes every three weeks for regular cleaning.
We also have an indoor/outdoor cat who lives with us. He rarely uses the litter box and generally prefers to do his business outside. If you’d rather not watch him, we can make alternative arrangements. It should just be noted that our house is not for those with significant cat allergies.
Lastly, our bathrooms are all very quirky DIY projects from the 1970’s and ‘80’s courtesy of the previous owner. We have plans to update all of them but 1-2 may be in flux while you are visiting. We will always have a working shower and multiple toilets available for use.
Features
Washer
Dishwasher
Clothes dryer
Oven
Microwave
Coffee machine
Fridge
Iron
Hair dryer
Heating
Air conditioning
TV
WiFi
High Speed Internet
Bathtub
First aid kit
Wheelchair accessible
Smoke alarms
Fire extinguisher
Bed sheets
Towels
Workspace
Fireplace
Home cinema
Toys
Gym
Sauna
BBQ
Pool
Hot tub
Balcony
Garden / yard
Deck / patio / courtyard / terrace
Covered porch / verandah
Kosher home
Meat-free kitchen
Gated community
EV Home Charger
Bikes
Camping gear
Kayak
Tennis court
Standup paddleboard
Travel Styles
Long term
Family
Foodie
Relaxing
City
Good public transport
House rules
Unsuitable for infants under 2
Suitable for children ages 2-12
Pets welcome
No smoking
Allergens
Dog free
Carpet free
Smoke free
Dates of Availability
Click on availability periods to see exchange types and descriptions.
Available
Neighbourhood
Jamaica plain is a gem. We are within walking distance to Playgrounds, libraries, a local pond, festivals and community events. Bakeries, coffee shops, and restaurants are also just up the street and within walking distance. There are also local summer day camp options for children, although you’d have to sign up in the winter as they fill up fast.
Nearest airport
Boston Logan-20 minutes by taxi. There is also public transportation
Elizabeth's House is amazing. There are no words to describe how beautiful it is. We felt perfectly home and we loved taking care of the cat Brian. The neighborhood is also very nice ! Thank again to Liz and her family for letting us stay in their house while discovering New England :)
We loved, loved, LOVED staying at Liz and Dave place! They are exceptionally welcoming, generous and easy to communicate with. We are honored by their trust. Staying at their stylish place and safe neighborhood was a privilege we enjoyed every day of our stay. Brian is the easiest cat to take care of, very lovable. When the Goodchild offer you to exchange, say YES without thinking!
Liz's home was just perfect! Beautiful but also kid friendly. The neighborhood could not have been better. We had to shorten our stay, and rather than head into downtown Boston we chose to stay in Jamaica Plain. Brian the cat was so easy and chill. Thank you Liz!
Elizabeth and David were excellent hosts. Their huge house is located in a beautiful neighbourhood close to downtown. We enjoyed every minute of our stay. Given that we did a hospitality stay, we got to spend some fun time and to have interesting discussions with our very friendly hosts and their adorable boys.. My children had lots of fun with their very well behaved children as well. Our hosts were helpful at providing tips on what to visit and how to get there also.
What a beautiful Victorian home in a pleasant neighborhood within walking distance to shops and restaurants! We were lucky enough to be Liz and Dave’s first PLU exchange guests in their big renovated house in a great location in Boston.
Pete and I stayed for one week before Christmas, and my daughter and son-in-law joined us for a few days. We were visiting our son and his family for the holidays, and there is not room for us in their small apartment. So we really enjoyed the space and comfort of Liz’s home to come back to.
The house has everything you need to be comfortable and it is a joy to use their gorgeous kitchen. The weather was a bit too chilly to enjoy the big decks or hot tub, but there is a lot of space out there for outdoor entertaining.
Liz was very responsive and great to communicate with. I highly recommend staying here to enjoy a comfortable beautifully decorated home in the great city of Boston.
And to get into the city, the subway stop is only a few minutes’ walk away!
Thanks so much for your kind feedback!
Elizabeth is amazing! She helped my parents when they had an unexpected overnight in Boston. And she and her family were lovely guests in Spain.
Great communication, wonderful family 💜
Communication with Liz and Dave throughout this exchange was excellent and much appreciated, and we're happy to know they and their boys had such a good time while at our place in Spain.
Liz and her family were great guests! Out home was left nice and clean and the sheets were washed. We communicated easily throughout the exchange. I would not hesitate to exchange with them again. Thank you Liz!
Louise’s home is absolute perfection. The cave home is so amazingly unique and the view is incredible. The Sacramonte neighborhood is absolutely charming and so historic. While we didn’t get to cross paths with Louise’s family, we did get to meet their dear friends who were also an absolute treat. My family and I loved Granada so much that we changed our travel plans to give us an extra week in the city.
We had a wonderful time at Michele and Larry's home in Estepona. The view was amazing and the apartment is steps away from the beach. There is a nice walking path along the beach, which we took frequent strolls along in the evenings. Our kids loved the pool as well. Estepona is a beautiful town with a fun beach promenade. There are many wonderful places to eat.
Sabrina and her family were wonderful houseguests. They were very communicative and grateful for their stay. Our house was well cleaned upon our return. They are welcome to stay anytime.
We were very honored to host Marjorie and Vincent on their first PLU exchange. They were communicative and very respectful of our space. I'm pretty sure they left our house even cleaner than it was. They took excellent care of our kitty and we came home to a lovely note and gift. They are always welcome to return.
We had a great stay at Amber and Luke's colonial home! The entire time we just kept commenting about how cool the house was. The home is very kid friendly with a lovely and relaxing yard. There are a number of restaurants, farms, and other peaceful activities nearby. It was such a fun and relaxing getaway.
Great communication. Amber and Luke were great guests and took very nice care of our home and kitty.
Our family had a blast hosting Celine and her three kids. They were all engaging and had good energy. Celine and her kids were all very clean and respectful of our space, which is amazing considering there were a total of five kids in the house all at one time. Her oldest son is friendly and engaging and the two younger ones are both very sweet. Celine is a great houseguest. We appreciated her thoughtful gestures, such as buying dinner and bringing treats for the kids. We look forward to seeing them in the future when we travel to Montreal!
Lynn and Pete were wonderful guests. They were communicative and took very good care of our home. They left the place spotless. We wouldn’t have even known they were here were it not for the thoughtful gifts they left for us. We hope to get to San Diego soon!
Premium
Elizabeth
There are 4 of us in the family (5 including our cat, Brian). The adults are Liz and Dave and we also have two young boys, ages 3 and 6. We took many trips pre-Covid with our oldest son and have just started traveling again with both of them. We are mostly interested in simultaneous exchange but can occasionally offer our house when we are away and we can also occasionally offer a globe for travel.
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We use this area downstairs as a play room. It is never this clean.
Our neighborhood of Jamaica Plain is very walkable with local restaurants and shops just down the street.
In summer and fall, there are many events within walking distance (beer gardens, crafts shows, musical performances, etc)
Boston is home to the infamous “Cheers” bar.
Whale watching tours take off from easy access points in downtown Boston, which is about a 15 minute subway ride from the house.
Acorn street in Beaton Hill is one of the most photographed streets in the United States and ver reminiscent of colonial times
There are a number of breweries to visit, some of which have more nationally recognized brands such as Harpoon. The Sam Adams brewery is in Jamaica Plain and offers tours and a tasting room.
The ICA (Institute of Contemporary Art) is worth a visit, both for its exhibits and its location on the Boston Harbor. It’s also located near all of the newer and trendy restaurants.