Our home exchanges 2011

This summer, we had two exchanges, one to Vancouver, Canada and one to Maui, Hawaii, USA. Two great vacations, which gave us so many nice - and very different - experiences.

In Vancouver, we stayed in a comfortable single family home with a garden in a nice and calm suburb. While there, we had an active vacation and traveled around a lot. We went to downtown Vancouver including Gastown and Chinatown, to Stanley Park, to Whistler and to Vancouver Island. And we went for a stroll in the neigbourhood, shopped at the local stores (where i suppose we were the only tourists) and relaxed "at home", so we got a glimpse of local Canadian family life.

On Maui, we stayed in a wonderful condo within walking distance from one of USA's best beaches, Kaanapali Beach. The flat we stayed in was spacious, airy and very comfortable, with a large lanai (sun deck). There was a nice swimming pool on the premises as well, where our children could meet other kids. On Maui, we lived like tourists among tourists, but with the advantages of home exchange like free accomodation and lots of information and support from our hosts. Of course we did travel around as well and visited the aquarium (Maui Ocean Center), a Lu'au (Hawaiian show/party) and went on a boattrip to Molokini for some snorkeling. But most of the time we spent at amazing Kaanapali beach. We really fell in love with Maui, its beauty and its friendly people from all over the world.