Victoria, Canada

We are experienced house exchangers (over 20 exchanges so far) and can be flexible regarding dates and terms of an exchange. Typically, it will only be the two of us travelling, but it is possible that one or two of our adult children (Matthew -34 and Kelly -32), their spouses and one child each may travel with us, depending on their availability and if it's ok with our exchange partner. 

Our home in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada is situated one block from the ocean.  It is modern, very comfortable and can sleep 4 people. It is a bright one-level house (2,500 sf) with ocean views.  The house has the following features:
* 3 bedrooms (large master bedroom with king size bed and 4-piece ensuite, 2nd bedroom has a queen size bed).  Third bedroom is being used as a den/office, so no bed in there.
* 3 bathrooms
* bright, large "great room" encompassing the kitchen, dining area and living room with fireplace, with access to a large east-facing deck with great ocean views.
* separate family/T.V. room with fireplace and access to a west facing glass covered patio with BBQ
* all appliances (fridge, stove, cooktop, microwave, dishwasher), plus washer and dryer
* sunny, private south-west-facing yard
* quiet, upscale neighborhood, one block from the ocean with beach access.
* close to highly-rated golf courses (18 holes) and walking trails. 
* excellent walking and cycling in the area. 
* close to shopping (2 km) and amenities
* 15 minutes to downtown (Inner Harbour)

A vehicle exchange is negotiable. We have a small SUV (Honda CRV).
We would like to leave our 2 indoor cats at home (Felix and Louie), so we're looking for pet care.  They are easy to care for and are friendly.  If you would be away from the house for a few days we can arrange for a family member to feed them while you are away. 

The City of Victoria is a world class destination, which is consistently rated one of the top destinations in the world.  Victoria is at the southern-most point on Vancouver Island, just a ferry ride from Vancouver. BC, and Seattle, USA.  The city of 400,000 (greater Victoria pop.) is surrounded by the sea on three sides and has views of snow-capped mountain peaks. It has a balmy, Mediterranean climate (an average of 75 degrees June-September), a pedestrian oriented downtown with a gorgeous harbor and a full range of urban amenities. Victoria is an ideal island retreat and is also world renowned as the "city of gardens" with Butchart Gardens one of the most popular tourist attractions.  The City has many fine restaurants, diverse shopping and recreational choices that include scuba diving, sailing, golfing, whale watching, windsurfing, hiking, bicycling, etc.  The arts and culture is also varied with many theatre companies, a symphony, opera, and one of the world's best museums (Royal BC museum).
From Victoria you can take a lovely, scenic ferry ride to the smaller Gulf Islands (45 minutes), Vancouver (90 minutes) and Seattle, Washington, USA (2½ hours). In addition, you can drive the entire length of Vancouver Island in approximately 8 hours, seeing old-growth rainforests, picturesque coastal communities and one of the most stunning coastlines in the world. 

We believe that we live in one of the most beautiful parts of the world and we think you could spend a very pleasant vacation in our home and enjoy exploring Victoria and the surrounding area.  We have lots of additional information on Victoria and Vancouver Island that we would be happy to provide you with.  We hope you will consider exchanging homes with us.  We look forward to hearing from you soon.
For more information on Victoria see: http://www.tourismvictoria.com/
For more information on Vancouver Island see: http://www.vancouverisland.travel/