Premium #9886

Walk to the famous Gourmet Area of Berkeley

House • Berkeley CA United States

    8 Guests  
    3 Bedrooms  
    2 Bathrooms  
    Pets welcome
  Primary home

Exchange types accepted

  Simultaneous  
  Non-Simultaneous  
  Non-Reciprocal  
  Hospitality  

Statistics

Listed  June 2021
Views  3072

General Overview

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


Washer
Washer
Dishwasher
Dishwasher
Clothes dryer
Clothes dryer
Oven
Oven
Microwave
Microwave
Fridge
Fridge
Iron
Iron
Hair dryer
Hair dryer
Heating
Heating
TV
TV
WiFi
WiFi
First aid kit
First aid kit
Smoke alarms
Smoke alarms
Fire extinguisher
Fire extinguisher
Bed sheets
Bed sheets
Towels
Towels
Workspace
Workspace
Fireplace
Fireplace
BBQ
BBQ
Hot tub
Hot tub
Balcony
Balcony
Garden / yard
Garden / yard
Deck / patio / courtyard / terrace
Deck / patio / courtyard / terrace
Covered porch / verandah
Covered porch / verandah

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

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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.

Feedback

  • 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.
    Home Feedback: Lisa stayed with Kim 1 year ago
Premium


Kim

We are a couple who LOVES to travel. Kim is a Superior Court Judge and Deborah teaches in the Public Health Department of San Francisco State University. We are in our 60's, have done over 90 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.
Travelling group
LGBTQ+ Friendly
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My Desired Destinations

Open to any destination
Can travel at any time
Dates Flexible
"We love to go to all parts of Mexico."

Dates Flexible
"We are going to Greece next June 2023 and would like to add southern Italy on to that trip."

Dates Flexible
"Deborah speaks French and we have frineds in France so are always open to traveling there."

Dates Flexible
"We hope to go to Morocco one of these winter holidays."

Dates Flexible
"We would like to spend a week in Costa Rica in the first half of January 2023."

Dates Flexible
"We are always interested in going to Europe and the UK"

Dates Flexible
"Looking for late July or early August 2023."