Became a member in: 2011
Renewal Date: 26/Jan/2021
We are Stewart and Jacqueline Fenwick and our lovely daughter Georgia Rose, who is 14. We have done 2 house swaps before. A month in Laguna Beach in 2011 and a month in Hawaii in 2013. Both swaps were a total success - no problems, no complaints. We are tidy and organised and well behaved! How boring!!!
Stewart studied at Oxford University - with David Cameron and Boris Johnson no less!! But he then surprised everyone by working with streetchildren in London for 10 years. I went to High School in Huntingtin Beach, California, due to my dad moving there from England. But I returned to London and studied nursing. I did aid work in the slums in Manila, Philippines for a year and later travelled and worked in China and in Indonesia. However, our lives changed when I got a virus in my brain - “Japanese B encephalitis”. Since then, for 23 years I have lived every week with migraine and severe fatigue if I try to do anything. It has been arduous and all our life plans were dashed.
Stewart gave up his job to care for me and we had our daughter after many miscarriages and with the help of IVF in 2004. We sold our London home and now live beside the sea. Stewart retrained as an accountant. The house we live in at the moment we have only been in 4 years. It is still a work in progress! Anyone who comes must understand - the beds are top of the range, they are brand new. The shower and bath and kitchen are brand new. But other parts of the house and garden are in need of updating!
We love fine wine, sophisticated flavours in food, movies, stargazing, bonfires, bird watching, photography, and travel. Stewart speaks French, Georgia is learning German. I sleep most of the time wherever we go!
Georgia is interested in interior design and maths and science. She does rock climbing.
Stewart enjoys sitting beside a swimming pool and reading a book! I like any day i am without pain. If I feel a little energy - wow! I like dancing and singing! I do yoga and meditation.
Affinities
Golf,
Plants & Gardens,
Tennis,
Skiing,
Bridge,
People with reduced mobility,
Hiking,
Wine Lovers,
Foodies,
The Arts,
Yoga / Meditation,
Music Lovers
MoreLessProfession
Accountant and Nurse
Simultaneous Home Exchange
Smoking Not Allowed
Children Welcome
Use of Personal Car is possible
| Open to all dates | California, USA |
Description of the home we are offering for exchange
Our Bungalow has 3 bedrooms, each with brand new, top of the range double, queen and super king size beds in. Our bathroom is newly remodelled with vast double bath, and digital double power shower. (In Europe most homes do not have the high pressure systems like Americans are used to - but we do!)
The kitchen is also brand new and the TV is a 42” plasma with Netflix, you tube etc. All the seats in the home recline fully for lazy cinema viewing!
The outside of the Bungalow, both the front garden and the back garden, still need complete renovation. But the garden is a superb private space, with private little sun bathing spot, and always a wonderful chatter of birds coming and going.
The en-suite bathroom has a superb power shower, sink and WC although in itself it also needs a make-over!
We don’t smoke. And we don’t like clutter, so everything is pretty orderly and clean and tidy.
The neighbours are all superb. Such lovely English people! Helpful, reliable, law abiding, professionals. It is a good neighbourhood with very little crime. You will be extremely safe and private, but knowing good people are nearby.
The house is 90 minutes by train to London. And Paris is easily reached.
Cycle paths are all along the coast in both directions and there is a cycle path all the way to Canterbury cathedral called the “Crab and Winkle way”! Do google it.
We have a table tennis table.
Type
House - single floor/ Main Residence
Amenities
Entertainment
Extras
Setting
Description of our neighbourhood and surrounding area
Tankerton/Whitstable is increasingly very expensive real estate. And expensive to stay here. This is due to the small beach community feel, the seaside location and the safe and quiet neighbourhood, so close to London. Whitstable has a working harbour and daily fresh fish. Do google both Tankerton and Whitstable to find all you need on these sought after resorts.
In Summer there are fetes, and funfairs and all sorts of English festivals and events. Please google “Oyster festival”. The area is known for the sunsets and live folk music in the pubs.
The wide, breezy, green grassy slopes running down to the vast natural pebble beach are what makes it a sought after destination.
There are 2 sailing clubs, 2 local golf courses, tennis courts, gyms, a public swimming pool, a bowling alley, a castle, and bike riding along bike paths for miles in either direction all along the coastline.
The local shops have a small supermarket, chemist, butchers, restaurants and cafes. There is a public swimming pool. The pubs all have a superb atmosphere, live music and “fish and chips” aplenty. Oysters are a delicacy of Whitstable.
Our immediate neighbours - opposite our house and beside us, are all wonderful quiet responsible people. Helpful if you need but otherwise hidden. Our garden is private and secluded for sun bathing. The street has very little traffic and at night barely a car goes past our home. It is quiet and peaceful. And safe. All local restaurants offer free home delivery service - Indian, Chinese, pizza etc.
The beautiful city of Canterbury is a direct 20 minute bus journey away, or 10 minutes by car. The city is a tourist attraction with the historic cathedral, the ancient walls and history tours and canal cruises. Canterbury has a theatre with London productions.
You are 10 minutes from a wonderful golf club and course. We have a table tennis table you can use. As well as our bikes.
You are 5 minutes from our local tennis courts.
I have ticked the Canoe/Kayak and the gym - the gym you would need to pay for, but there is one in Tankerton. And my neighbour has a Kayak you could borrow in exchange for a bottle of wine! Sailing, you can pay for and likewise horse riding about 15 mins away.
I have ticked museums and galleries. Whitstable is a hub for local artisits in the same way Laguna Beach is in California. Both Whitstable and Canterbury have museums. But of course London is 90 minutes away...with all the history you could possibly desire, and the Opera and all the Theatres.
London is less than 90 minutes away...so it’s possible to go to the theatre, museums, art galleries, opera house, castles and palaces....and still be home by midnight!
Also less than an hour’s drive is the Eurostar train to France, Paris and Europe. If you wish you could also take the channel tunnel - which is an hour’s drive from our home and you can drive all the way to France, Paris and into Europe!
Outdoor Activities
Leisure
Cultural Activities
Transport Nearby
Neighbourhood Services
Our home exchange - places to go and things to do while staying in our home
TANKERTON SLOPES are at the end of our street. They are wide green open grass which slopes to the sea. The sun sets over the slopes and the views are stunning. The area is known for sunsets. There is a cafe at the end of our street for breakfast looking out to sea. There is a hotel which you can google “Marine Hotel” and evening drinks and meals can be taking watching the sun go down. Fish and chips, mini supermarket, chemist, post office, butchers, bakery - all in Tankerton.
WHITSTABLE. Whitstable is on YouTube and google, a working fishing town. With a working harbour. Summer music, film and Oyster festivals and a sailing festival. A lovely castle, outdoor Bowls green, indoor bowling alley, swimming pool and gym, tennis courts and a golf course. A plethora of gift shops, little streets and alley ways with cafes, pubs and restaurants. Known for the live music - particularly folk music. All summer long there are folk festivals in Whitstable, Faversham and Broadstairs. A world famous “Tate Gallery” is in Margate.
CANTERBURY. The historic town with the vast and historic cathedral. The history of the cathedral is more than a days visit. There are Roman ruins, Roman walls, ancient St Augustine’s Priory, walking history tours, a canal with canal tours. The Cathedral has daily services and choirs and all manner of concerts- some are free to the public, other you book via the website. There is a theatre with London productions and cinemas.
LONDON. London is 90 minutes away by train, sometimes less depending where you wish to go. And 2 hours by car. All the London attractions. You could go to the Opera house, the theatre and catch the last train home and be home by midnight. You would go from Whitstable to the Victoria station. At Victoria is a link to buses, coaches which go all around Britain and the London Underground.
EUROSTAR TO FRANCE, PARIS AND EUROPE. The Eurostar is less than an hour’s drive from our house. Drive to the train. You will be in Paris in 3 hours! Please see my photos - you have links to all of Europe!!
Our home exchange - here are our Preferences and House Rules
It is very important to find our house neat and tidy and as we leave it. We will leave it extremely clean and tidy, because that is our standard.
We will need to chat with anyone who is thinking of swapping with us on Skype or FaceTime before committing to a swap.
Conditions
Use of Personal Car
Home Exchange Type
Over 70 years of home exchange experience
Local home swap representatives around the world to assist you
Travel, save and feel at home around the world!
