Maastricht, Netherlands
Member since
2011The member has not specified any exchange dates
Open for home exchange- Beautiful home within walking distance of medieval centre of city Maastricht
Hi!
*** We are looking for an exchange for the summer holiday 2024. We prefer to combine this exchange with a pre-booked trip to Switzerland. So you get to stay longer in our house, while we would stay shorter in your house. It can possibly also be a (city) break of a few days that we can organize separately from our trip to Switzerland***
We have been doing house exchanges for many many years! It is a great way to get to know new places and people.
We live in quiet green neighbourhood, and yet within walking distance (10 minutes) of the vibrant medieval city centre of Maastricht. You can visit amazing restaurants, cosy pubs, visit beautiful squares and churches, shop in small boutiques, explore the history of Maastricht underground (caves, kazematten), and so much more.
If you love countryside as well, you can walk from our home in 10 minutes to the Jeker valley and enjoy great views on Dutch winefields and visit a wine tastery (nekem, apostelhoeve). Walk through the gates of the beautiful chateau Neercanne & visit Cannerbos which is just at the border with Belgium (did you know that you can visit the former NATO headquarters there as well as the beautiful Jezuïeten caves!) or visit the amazing underground ford of Eben-Emael (WWII). The surrounding area of Maastricht is absolutely gorgeous to explore by bike and you can easily explore Belgium and Germany from our home as well. Visit cities like Cologne, Aachen, Monschau, Liège (really becoming a new jewl in the region), Hasselt, Leuven, Antwerp, Brussels.
We have a comfortable family home with a spacious sunny garden. Our children always play in front of the house (not so much traffic- since dead end road) and we have a trampoline in the backyard (as well as a large inflatable swimming pool with filter and heater system in the summer).
Downstairs is open plan with a living room, dining table and kitchen.The living room has a new fireplace and a great view on the backgarden and surrounding green. One corner is devoted to all the kids toys (which can also be easily packed away). French windows open to a conservatory/covered terrace with lounge set and dining table so that you can always sit outside, even when it rains. We love it!
There are 4 rooms upstairs of which 3 have double bed options and 1 study. On the first floor there is one master/parent bedroom with a double bed and a balcony with a view over the garden/surrounding area; and one children room (with convertible single bed to a double bed) and a door to the balcony; and one teenage room with a TV corner and a loft bed with desk underneath. On the attic there is a nice study room with desk and a large children room with a convertible single bed to a double bed and a couch which can be converted to a double bed. It is a very comfortable serene attic. Our children always love playing there!
There is a separate toilet downstairs and bathroom upstairs with bath/shower combination, wash basin and a 2nd toilet. The bathroom has been recently renovated and we love it! The couch in the living room can also be converted to a double bed in case of need (it is very comfortable according to guests who needed it).
We have several bikes with and without children seats and many children bikes for smaller and larger children between the ages 2-12. If you travel with children we have lots of children stuff/toys both for inside the house and outside.
We also have netflix available on the TV as well as a playstation :-)
In case you are into animals, you can take care of our cute hamster called Fiona. She is very easy in maintenance. If not, we can make sure the hamster is taken care by family/friends elsewhere.
Our Family
- 2 Adults
- 3 Children
- 19 Exchanges made
Occupation
- Senior lecturer higher education
- & Marketing manager
Our Home
- House Type: House
- Floor: 3
- Environment: In the city
- Bedrooms: 4
- Bathrooms: 2
- Sleeping Capacity: 7
- Living Area: 150 m2
References
In my house
- Pets - Not allowed
- Small children - Allowed
Exchange Types
- Non-simultaneous exchange
- Home exchange
Indoor
- Free internet access
- Computer available
- Central heating
- Fireplace
- Baby equipment
- Toys and games
- Washing machine
- Dishwasher
- Clothes dryer
- Television
- Guitar
- Other musical instruments
Outdoor
- Garden
- Terrace or deck
- Balcony
- Park / playground
- BBQ
- Garage / private parking
- Bicycles: 4
Facilities
- Non-smoking house
- Seclusion/Privacy
Our Destination Wish List
- Open to any destination
- USA
- Canada
- Europe
Spoken Languages
- English
- Français
- Deutsch
- Dutch
Our Neighbourhood
Maastricht is famous for its history, cultural events and many tourist attractions. Have a look at http://www.holland.com/uk/tourism/cities-in-holland/visit-maastricht.htm. Especially well known is Maastricht for its historic buildings and squares, little streets full with boutiques, cafés and restaurants. There are many underground tours through the caves and casemates you can visit the beautiful churches or have a walk on the old city wall and various boat rides take you to nearby destinations.
In the direct neighborhood of Maastricht you can go wine tasting (Apostelhoeve in walking distance!) or walk in the forest next to chateau Neercanne (also in walking distance from our home). Or you can go to the tripoint near Vaals and stand in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany at the same time and visit the beautiful forest there. Then there is the white village of Thorn to explore (40 min by car), Valkenburg village (15 minutes by car or you could bike), the beautiful german city Aachen (30 min by car) or the Belgian city Liege (30 min by car). Also the lovely German village Monschau in the Eifel region is nearbye (1 hour), Cologne (1 hour) or Antwerp and Brussels (both a hour). You can also go canoeing in the Dutch countryside, take a hike through the beautiful forests and hills or explore the countryside by bike (there is a whole network of bicycle points of which we have maps available). By bike is especially fun as there are many places to relax and have some vlaai (famous pie from the region) or a local beer. Have a look for ideas on http://www.vvvzuidlimburg.nl/beleefzuidlimburg/wandelenfietsen/index_en.aspx . We have lots of maps for walking and biking making it easy to explore the hills of Limburg.
For a weekend away we can recommend Paris which is only 4 hours by train from our home! Or of course Amsterdam which is 2 hours by train. Or Antwerp and Brussels which are approx. 1 to 1,5 hours by car away.
Children will love the playground Fort Willem and Mergelhoof which both charge a small entry fee for the use of a very large outdoor playground and swimming pool for kids. Children will also love to go to the Gaia zoo which is really impressive of the smaller but still really nice zoo Gangelt (Germany). In Bokrijk in Belgium you can visit the open air historic museum or the Gallo Roman museum in Tongeren, also in Belgium. For rainy days the aquarium in Liège is nice. And there is more...
Occupation
- Senior lecturer higher education
- & Marketing manager
Children
- Boy - Age: 14
- Boy - Age: 12
- Boy - Age: 8
Pets
- Hamster called Fiona
About Our Family
We are family with 3 children. Alex is 13, Victor is 11 and Tom is 8. I (Emmy) work as senior lecturer in higher education and Hans is product /marketing manager. We spend our free time mostly outside, walking in the forests near our house or biking through the hills outside the city. Or you can find us walking through the beautiful city of Maastricht. Alex loves mountain biking, soccer, and reading. Victor loves arts and crafts and plays the violin since he was 4. Tom loves lego, drawing and reading :-).
Lifestyle
We are relaxed and friendly and take good care of our home, furniture and garden.We would take good care of your home as well.
References
This member has completed 19 home exchanges. Those referenced below may contain feedback/impression from its exchange partners: