Tina
United Kingdom
Dec 19, 2019 - Jan 3, 2020
Became a member in: 2019
Renewal Date: 30/May/2020
We're a married couple with 3 girls (ages 9, 14 & 23). Our profile pic is maybe 4 years old and needs to be updated. At the time it was taken our eldest was living in Australia.
Sean is a partner in a Software Development company specializing in FinTech (basically banking applications) based on Cape Town. It's called Global Kinetic. He is the Software Development Manager. Global Kinetic employ about 90 staff members.
Andrea runs a small online business from home and manages the home and kids.
We were both born in the UK but have spent most of our lives in South Africa. Most of our family and friends are here. However we still have fond memories of the UK and would love our kids to experience a more traditional cold (maybe snowy!) Christmas and New Year.
Jodi (23) and Holly (14) are very sporty, both into Swimming and Life Saving.
Jodi has represented SA for Life Saving on numerous occasions and was the main reason why she went to Australia for 4 years.
Holly is following a little her her footsteps but is currently proving to be a promising pool swimmer, competing nationally and internationally.
Sadie (9) is avoiding sports like a passion. She's getting into horse-riding lately so maybe that statement isn't 100% true ;-) Other than that she is very creative, loves art, crafts, singing and music.
We have 3 pets. All our animals are extremely kid friendly, very sociable and very much part of our family. So much so that it's difficult to get them down from the couches and beds.
Lola is a 7 year old hungarian vizsla and never seems to tire from long walks, swims and retrieving sticks and balls.
Harry is about 3 years old. Andrea found him lost on the road and eventually we adopted him. He is a scruffy lovable cross between a maltese and a scottish terrier who loves hunting and digging up mole hills.
Blossom is a black cat that we only found out later that she was indeed a 'he', but by then the name had stuck. He often hunts at night, but enjoys being around all of us (even the dogs).
Additional languages spoken
English
Affinities
Plants & Gardens,
Pets,
Fishing,
Watersports,
Cycling / Mountain Biking,
Hiking,
Wine Lovers,
Foodies
MoreLessAffiliations
Homemakers,
Technology Professionals,
Banking / Finance
Profession
Software Development Manager
Our personal links
Our pets
Dogs: Lola & Harry; Cat: Blossom
Tina
United Kingdom
Simultaneous Home Exchange
Smoking Not Allowed
Children Welcome
Use of Personal Car is not possible
Open to all dates | California, USA | Florida, USA | New York, NY, USA |
Open to all dates | Open to all destinations |
Description of the home we are offering for exchange
Our home rests of the slopes of Fish Hoek mountain that is north facing (gets the sun the majority of the day) with some fantastic views of the valley, surrounding mountain ranges and both the Atlantic and Indian oceans. We are about 1.5 km away from our local beach, Fish Hoek. Its truly an amazing beach. In fact there are so many awesome beaches in our area.
Our home is large and spacious. It's a place we bought a few years ago and we have a long term project to modernize while still retaining some of it's 60's retro features. Therefore the house has very distinct areas that require improvements while other areas have been completed. Having said that the entire home is fully comfortable and livable. The only way to see this is to check out the photos for the details.
Please go through our photos and if you need to see more let us know and we'll make a plan. Here are the high points:
- Great views from almost every room
- Open plan entertainment and dinning area
- Large deck with stainless steel BBQ
- 10M Solar-heated swimming pool
- Separate BBQ / Pool Room
- Pizza oven / area (wood burning)
- Large lush green garden (fully automated irrigation)
- Detected cinema room
- 4 Spacious bedrooms (all en suite)
- Entire top floor dedicated to the main bedroom & private balcony
- Huge lounge with real fireplace
- High security and safety systems
- Internet and distributed media system
- Large double garage
- A two Gate driveway
- Secure parking for 4 cars
- 4 TVs
- Carport
- Tree house
The house is safe and secure, we have an electric fence, outside and inside beams and an alarm that is linked to a security company. We also have an intercom system along with cameras and motion detector + night lights. The house is also equipped with smoke alarms in each room and fire extinguishers.
We are also members of 'Cape Medical Response' (https://cmr-med.co.za). Guests of our home are entitled to make use of this service (for free) should you need any medical supervision.
We employ a full-time house cleaner (Mavis) who usually comes in and cleans the house mom-fri. She maybe available for you should you require house cleaning.
Access is gained to the property from either driving into the large double garage (auto door) or through one of the 2 electric gates (actually 1 gate is the IN and the other is the OUT). Inside the property there is enough parking for 4 cars. There is also enough space for 2 cars to be parked off-road outside the property.
The house has fast (25Mbps +/-) unlimited internet access (LTE technology) with WiFi throughout the property as well as wired access points.
We've a huge Blu-ray library as well as a media server with over 700 movies and 60 series. YouTube & Netflix is also available as well as DSTV (Sat TV) with over 60 channels.
The main house has 4 TVs all capable of viewing from Blu-ray, Media Server, Netflix, YouTube and DSTV.
We also have a state of the art dedicated Movie Room which boasts a 4K up-scaled signal from Blu-ray, Media Server, Netflix, YouTube and DSTV. The projector along with its anamorphic optical lens manages to project a 2:40.1 aspect ratio 4K picture onto the acoustic transparent screen. The end result is truly awesome. Better than going to the cinema.
Sean's Parents do live on the same property. They have their own fully self contained 2 bedroom apartment. It is situated on the ground floor (directly below the deck, entertainment area and lounge). Their access to the property is through the garage or gate and then down the side of the house (the courtyard) and past the pizza area. Due to the setup you usually have to go out of your way to bump into them. Having said that they are very friendly, social-able and could be helpful should you need babysitting, advise / help around the house and they would be only too happy to suggest and recommend restaurants, bars, sight-seeing trips etc.
Our pets (Lola, Harry and Blosson) flow between the main house and Sean's parent's apartment. Sean's parents will be looking after the animals (feeding and walking), though we're sure they'll make frequent and regular visits to you!
Type
House - 2 or more floors/ Main Residence
Amenities
Entertainment
Extras
Setting
Description of our neighbourhood and surrounding area
Fish Hoek is a small coastal town, south of Cape Town CBD (30km away). A 30 mins coastal scenic drive gets you to Cape Point's Nature Reserve.
Fish Hoek is a coastal town and popular tourist suburb on the False Bay coast of Cape Town. This old world fishing village is well known for its white sandy beaches, warmer water of the False Bay region, and complex cave systems where prehistoric human fossils have been found.
Fish Hoek means “Fish Corner" and is characterised by rugged mountains, white sandy beaches, and a mild Mediterranean climate. Situated in a protected bay, Fish Hoek Beach is one of the safest swimming beaches in Cape Town, popular among surfers, body surfers, boogie boarders, wind surfers, and kayakers who prefer the warmer waters of the False Bay coastline to that of the Atlantic Seaboard. Fish Hoek Beach features a lovely restaurant, takeaway, and children’s playground beside the beach. Lifeguards are on duty in season. A pathway known as the “Jagers Walk" runs past rock pools on the southern side of Fish Hoek's bay, while the northern part of the bay is largely undeveloped and is used by dog walkers and Trek fishermen to launch their boats and clean nets. Southern Right Whales are spotted in season (June to November).
Fish Hoek seems to be a village frozen in time; one of the few in Cape Town that is little affected by the push of development that has altered most of the Cape’s coastline. A drive along Fish Hoek’s main road will take you past many takeaway places and shops with their own distinctive characters. Previously a dry area, Fish Hoek now offers an array of excellent restaurants and pubs that are well worth a visit.
The mountains above Fish Hoek are riddled with captivating sandstone caves. Most famous of these caves is Peers’ Cave, where 12,000 year old Palaeolithic skeletons have been discovered. You can hike up to the cave to explore the area where the skull of the skeleton known as the “Fish Hoek Man" was found. The Fish Hoek Museum provides information on the site, as well as a display of dated prehistoric items related to the Fish Hoek Man. The museum also arranges guided walks of the area, specifically to Peers’ Cave, and features a local history on the surrounding environment.
Every second week on a Sunday, the Atlantic Rail Steam Train makes its way from Cape Town to Simon’s Town and back again, via Fish Hoek. Many tourists gather to get their photographs taken with the train which stops, but does not collect passengers, at Fish Hoek Station. Other activities to be enjoyed in Fish Hoek include kloofing, fishing charters, abseiling, diving, visiting the Jackass Penguin colony at Boulders Beach, teeing off at Clovelly Golf Club, or hiking through Silvermine Nature Reserve.
Outdoor Activities
Leisure
Cultural Activities
Transport Nearby
Neighbourhood Services
Our favourite restaurants
Cafés & bars
Special places to shop
Leisure and cultural activities
Walks or jogging paths
Health or fitness clubs
Interesting day trips
Our home exchange - here are our Preferences and House Rules
Our house rules are not alot.
Conditions
Use of Personal Car
Home Exchange Type
Became a member in: 2019
Renewal Date: 30/May/2020
We're a married couple with 3 girls (ages 9, 14 & 23). Our profile pic is maybe 4 years old and needs to be updated. At the time it was taken our eldest was living in Australia.
Sean is a partner in a Software Development company specializing in FinTech (basically banking applications) based on Cape Town. It's called Global Kinetic. He is the Software Development Manager. Global Kinetic employ about 90 staff members.
Andrea runs a small online business from home and manages the home and kids.
We were both born in the UK but have spent most of our lives in South Africa. Most of our family and friends are here. However we still have fond memories of the UK and would love our kids to experience a more traditional cold (maybe snowy!) Christmas and New Year.
Jodi (23) and Holly (14) are very sporty, both into Swimming and Life Saving.
Jodi has represented SA for Life Saving on numerous occasions and was the main reason why she went to Australia for 4 years.
Holly is following a little her her footsteps but is currently proving to be a promising pool swimmer, competing nationally and internationally.
Sadie (9) is avoiding sports like a passion. She's getting into horse-riding lately so maybe that statement isn't 100% true ;-) Other than that she is very creative, loves art, crafts, singing and music.
We have 3 pets. All our animals are extremely kid friendly, very sociable and very much part of our family. So much so that it's difficult to get them down from the couches and beds.
Lola is a 7 year old hungarian vizsla and never seems to tire from long walks, swims and retrieving sticks and balls.
Harry is about 3 years old. Andrea found him lost on the road and eventually we adopted him. He is a scruffy lovable cross between a maltese and a scottish terrier who loves hunting and digging up mole hills.
Blossom is a black cat that we only found out later that she was indeed a 'he', but by then the name had stuck. He often hunts at night, but enjoys being around all of us (even the dogs).
Additional languages spoken
English
Affinities
Plants & Gardens,
Pets,
Fishing,
Watersports,
Cycling / Mountain Biking,
Hiking,
Wine Lovers,
Foodies
MoreLessAffiliations
Homemakers,
Technology Professionals,
Banking / Finance
Profession
Software Development Manager
Our personal links
Our pets
Dogs: Lola & Harry; Cat: Blossom
Tina
United Kingdom
Over 70 years of home exchange experience
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