Our chef's kitchen was totally remodeled. It's light, used locally sourced woods and is a joy to cook in or to just hang out. We have 2 decks, a patio, cedar hot tub, redwood garden, 3 fireplaces, and views of trees and the San Francisco Bay beyond. You can walk to the Gourmet Ghetto, world famous Chez Panisse restaurant where the California cuisine movement was started by Alice Waters, the Cheese Board, wine stores, a weekly organic farmers market, shops and more. A few more blocks away is the University of California with its spectacular campus, Zellerbach Hall for concerts, sporting events, and campus life. We are also a 15 min walk from downtown Berkeley, the brand new Berkeley Museum and Pacific Film Archives, many great restaurants, live theater at several venues, live music, more movie theaters, shops and more. We are close to two BART stops (Berkeley and North Berkeley) for the 20 minute ride to San Francisco and all it has to offer.
2 blocks up the street is Cordonices Park with the worlds greatest slide for kids, a stream, ball field and trails. Also next to the park is the Rose Garden where you can watch the sunset over the Golden Gate Bridge and two public tennis courts. There are hidden stairways all around that make for a fun walking adventure (we have a special map). Tilden Regional Park is an 8 min drive with miles of hiking and running trails (many with views of the Golden Gate Bridge). Tilden has a swimming lake, a petting zoo for the kids, steam trains, and a carousel.
We are within an hour by car of the Marin Headlands, Point Reyes Station, beaches and trails with Tule Elk and other wildlife. Also within an hour is Napa and the Sonoma wine country. Sebastopol is an hour with wine and apples, the Russian River is about 1.5 hours. We are close to Mendocino, to the Gold County, Silicon Valley, Monterey, and so much more.
Our house has 3 bedrooms, 2 with Queen beds with new high end memory foam mattresses and the 3rd is a new queen sized sofa sleeper.The house comfortably sleeps 6. We also have a fold out bed and a double air mattress that allows for more people. We have lots of nieces and nephews and often have big slumber parties for the whole family.
We would be happy to help you plan any adventures in Northern California. We often trade cars during home swaps and have a smaller Honda Fit great for bopping around town and easy to park. We also have a larger Subaru Outback SUV. Both cars seat 5 people.
We love home exchanges and have done over 90. We will take care of your house as if it were our own.
We have a comprehensive house book that makes recommendations for places to eat and shop in the neighborhood and farther afield. Don't hesitate to ask us any questions about our place, the area, or anything we can do to help you plan your trip.
The Space
The house is on two main stories with the kitchen, living room/dining room and deck on the street level. The bedrooms are downstairs. There is one more level down to get to the back garden and hot tub under the redwood tree.
The main space is full of light and room to hang out, inside and out. The open kitchen is our favorite place to entertain.
Guest Access
There is one step into the house on the street level. A staircase going down to the bedrooms and an additional set of stairs down to the backyard garden/patio and hot tub. The laundry room is on the same floor as the bedrooms.
Notes
We have a house book and also lots of guide books available to help you plan day trips and things to see. We are very happy to make suggestions of things to do and see based on your interests.
Features
Fridge
WiFi
Bed sheets
Oven
Towels
Washer
TV
Heating
Hair dryer
Microwave
Iron
Dishwasher
Smoke alarms
Workspace
Clothes dryer
Coffee machine
High Speed Internet
Garden / yard
Bathtub
Air conditioning
Deck / patio / courtyard / terrace
BBQ
First aid kit
Fire extinguisher
Balcony
Fireplace
Toys
Covered porch / verandah
Bikes
Pool
Gym
Wheelchair accessible
Home cinema
Hot tub
Gated community
EV Home Charger
Standup paddleboard
Camping gear
Kayak
Sauna
Tennis court
Meat-free kitchen
Kosher home
Piano
Travel Styles
Weekend
Adventure
Budget
Family
Romantic
Sport and leisure
Foodie
Relaxing
Eco
City
Village
Water
Culture
Hiking
Cycling
Good public transport
Golf
House Rules
Suitable for infants under 2
Suitable for children ages 2-12
Pets welcome
No smoking
Allergens
Cat free
Smoke free
Dates of Availability
Click on availability periods to see exchange types and descriptions.
Available
Neighbourhood
We live in a fantastic and much coveted neighborhood in North Berkeley. We are on a tree lined street that is quiet and yet close to everything. You can walk to restaurants, shops, the University of California Berkeley campus, BART, museums and so much more.
Getting to my home
It's easy to drive to our house. BART (our local train) also stops in Berkeley in two locations and with bags in tow we would recommend taking an uber/lyft from the bart station as we are uphill from the station and it makes it easier with suitcases.
Nearest airport
Oakland International Airport is 15 miles from our door and San Francisco International is about 25 miles. Both can be reached on public transportation. SFO has flights to all over the world and is the major airport for northern California.
San Jose International is just under 50 miles away and Santa Rosa Airport is 60 miles away.
Getting Around
You can walk to most things in our neighborhood, but having a car gives you the ability to see a lot of northern California. It's best to see San Francisco by taking our train there and then walking the City. It's a fast train ride.
Map of Approximate Location
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People Like Us Local Guide
Let me know if you're coming to the area and I would be happy to help with any questions etc.
Unfortunately we had a family emergency and were unable to fulfill this exchange.
Kim was kind and understanding when I had to notify her just days before our scheduled arrival.
She was amazingly helpful throughout the entire process of the exchange, helping with restaurant suggestions and fun things to do for what was to be my sisters birthday celebration - she even offered her car.
Hopefully we will make it to Berkeley (and Kims lovely home) at another time.
Kim and Deborah were fine guests. They communicated well with us and left the house in proper shape. I’m glad we were able to help them out after another exchange cancelled out.
Kim was a wonderful guest!
We had plenty of clear communication and she left my house spotless - Thats as good as you can ask for.
Non-Reciprocal exchange·8 nights
Member is no longer with People Like Us
5 exchanges
We exchanged a week in our home in Lo De Marcos, MX for a globe so, unfortunately, we never got to meet Kim face to face. This was our first exchange but she and her partner are experienced and resourceful and were able to make everything work. They gave us a few hints to make our next guests’ experience a little better for which we are grateful.
Thanks Kim.
Feedback for Greg·Non-Simultaneous exchange·7 nights
We had a wonderful stay at Greg’s place in London. He rescued us on short notice from a cancelled exchange and we could not have been more fortunate.
The flat is so cozy and has lots of light from the back garden. We were in London for an unexpected cold snap, but the flat is warm and comfortable.
The neighborhood is “brilliant” as they say in London. You can walk to so many places to eat and be to many more in minutes on the bus. The transportation was very easy and we loved the Sheen/Barnes area a lot.
One highlight of the trip was a beautiful walk along the Thames to Kew Gardens. Beautiful.
Greg is a great communicator and left a very thorough house guide. This was a fantastic exchange. We look forward to hosting Greg and family in Berkeley.
Feedback for Lisa·Non-Simultaneous exchange·6 nights
We had a fabulous exchange at Lisa's house in Aijijic! The house is super comfortable with lots of indoor and outdoor seating areas. The place is super clean and well thought out. There was nothing that we needed that Lisa didn't have. Lisa even set up the coffee maker so we only had to push start when we arrived at 6 am!!
The house is really really well located. We did not have a car and could walk to everything in the town. There are many good restaurants within a 1-5 min walk. There are grocery stores, liquor stores, pharmacies and cute places to shop really close by. Lisa has a great house book with lots of recommendations.
We took at day trip to Tlaquepaque which was really fun. We got there by taxi and back by Uber. It was easy.
We highly recommend a stay at Lisa's house. She is a great communicator and you will have a wonderful stay!
Feedback for Diane·Non-Reciprocal exchange·8 nights
We had a fantastic stay in Lo de Marcos. The house is situated at the edge of town 124 steps from an amazing beach. We walked into town every morning on the beach to get coffees, breakfast or go to the grocery store. (There are three good places to get a cappuccino in town)
The little town is really peaceful, but has dozens of great places to eat. Some of our favorites were Oscars (now called La Palapa) for the fish and shrimp tacos; Carolinas near the Plaza for enchiladas; Las Gloria’s also near the plaza for quesadillas and unbelievably good shrimp tacos. Cora’s also serves a great breakfast as does Waterman’s.
The house itself is very comfortable with a nice place to eat outside and a great little swimming pool. We made some delicious meals in the kitchen using ingredients from the local farmers market and the great fruit store in town.
Took a couple day trips by bus and Collectivo to San Pancho and to Guayabitos. Really easy and fun to travel like a local.
All in all one of the most relaxing vacations ever. Thanks for letting us stay!!!
Kim and Deborah
Premium
Kim
We are a couple who LOVES to travel. Kim is a Superior Court Judge and Deborah just retired from teaching in the Public Health Department of San Francisco State University, she is now a documentary filmmaker. We are in our 60's, have done over 100 exchanges of our house and think there's no better way to travel.
Sometimes we travel with family or very close friends, all of them are experienced swappers.
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