Meet Shun Wa Cynthia
Open minded, Helpful, Responsible
We are happy to help when you need (information, rides) but will give you space if you prefer to do your own thing. We are an animal friendly residence!
On a typical day...
I’m mostly at home/work from home.
When I host guests...
I’m helpful and hands on. I can show them where to go and help them get there.
Family Hobbies
Running, Computer games, Reading, Watching movies, Board games
Response Rate
75%
Response Time
Within one hour
About the Homestay
- Welcomes
- Males
- Females
- Couples
- Families
- Students
Welcome to Canada!
We are a professional couple (chartered accountant and pharmacist) looking to host 1 guest from any country. We speak fluent English and Cantonese and mostly work from home. We are ok to support both short term or long term stays.
We are located in Woodhaven, Aurora. Our closest intersection is Yonge St. and Butternut Ridge Trail (about 5 minutes drive from Yonge St. and Bloomington Road). Please see the Location section for more details about the area, transit and driving information.
Our home is smoke-free but not pet free as we have 4 friendly cats and 1 small (sometimes noisy) dog. Unfortunately, he has decided he is head of security at the house so he will bark when the front door opens.
We have 1 ensuite bedroom on the second floor available with a walk-in closet which includes a bed, desk and chair for your use. Our main floor consists of the kitchen, family room and dining area which you can use at any time. 1 Parking (driveway) is also available if requested.
We primarily speak English at home but are also fluent in Cantonese as we are both born in Hong Kong.
Our hosting fee includes: WIFI access, washer/dryer access, kitchen/utensils access, living room access and utilities.
Common areas are shared with us and our pets so please beware if you have allergies or are afraid of animals. Our pets free-roam the house and we do not lock them up! You will probably never see our cats as they are people-shy and our dog is all bark and no bite. Though he might bark at you a bit when you first meet, once he gets a good sniff of your hand and a good neck rub, he'll cool down.
We can assist with pickup and drop off to the airport on weekends and weekday evenings (between 6pm to 10pm) with advance notice for a $50 fee each way.
We look forward to welcoming you into our home and to getting to know you better. We are happy to respect your privacy and will give you space if you prefer to do your own thing as well!
Payment is expected on or before arrival. Cash or e-transfer accepted.
My Pets
4 Cats, Dog
Bedrooms available for booking
About the Area
We are located in Woodhaven, Aurora. The closest intersection is Yonge St. and Butternut Ridge Trail (about 5 minutes drive from Yonge St. and Bloomington Road). It is a new, quiet community surrounded by lots of green space.
Airport Assistance
We can provide airport pickup/drop-off on weekends and weekday evenings with advance notice for a $50 fee each way.
Walking
The closest grocery store and McDonald's is about an 18 minute walk.
Public Transit
It is a 10-minute walk to the nearest bus stop on Yonge street/Gilbert Drive.
It is a 18 minute walk to the viva blue station on Yonge street/Henderson Drive. https://www.yrt.ca/en/schedules-and-maps/resources/Documents/system-maps/Viva-System-Map_Web_Sep2021.pdf
It takes about 25 minutes to get to Aurora GO Station (combination of walk, bus, walk).
From Aurora Go station, you can reach downtown Toronto (40 min by bus, 50 mins by train). https://www.gotransit.com/
It is a 30 minutes bus ride to Upper Canada Mall
Driving
45 minutes to drive to Union station in downtown Toronto.
10-15 minutes drive to Richmond Hill
15-20 minutes drive to Markham
15 minutes drive to Upper Canada Mall
Airport
35 minute drive from Pearson International
90 minutes public transit from Pearson International
Meals
Hosts can offer a complimentary light breakfast at their discretion. All other meals, including a full breakfast, might incur an additional cost, if offered. Meals and any additional payment should be arranged directly with your host.
Included in the stay
- Complimentary Light Breakfast
- Use of Kitchen
House Rules
Guests ok with advance notice.
No outdoor shoes inside the house.
Smoking Rules
Your host is a non-smoker.
Smoking is not allowed.
6 Reviews
January 2024
It was a wonderful experience, their house is very beautiful, comfortable and talking to them was fantastic, they were very patient with us because we don't speak much English, and they were very friendly, they were even so kind to give us a ride to Walmart and other places, if you are going to stay there be nice to them, they are a very nice couple, respect their house because it is very beautiful. Thank you for giving us a warm welcome, we will miss you guys
September 2023
It was very nice experience with them. Both are very respectful, helpful, nice human beings.
August 2023
This guest awarded the host 5 hearts but didn’t leave any comments.
August 2023
This was the greatest Homestay ever! Big, beautiful, and respectful of privacy. What a beautiful neighborhood!! Make sure to drive around at nighttime when all the houses have their lights on, it’s wonderful to see.
The poor little dog with the hip problem only barked when we arrived and when leaving (completely understandable). The cats were not a bother, we rarely saw them.
The bed is very comfortable and everything was extremely clean. Extra linens were available, and even an air mattress if needed. I really liked the layout of the washroom, one can shower privately behind a closed door while the other person can use the sink. Thank you for the new toothbrush:).
We were given flexibility for arrival and leave time, this was something I greatly appreciated. We didn’t use the livingroom or kitchen, as we just stayed in our room and grabbed Tim Horton’s for breakfast. Cynthia and her husband are very kind and caring towards people and pets, and I would highly recommend others to consider staying here.Please be kind and respectful to these hosts.
Thank you Cynthia for sharing your home with us..
September 2022
The host is great and quite understanding, she drove me to get money from the ATM a couple of times. I also had a nice interaction with the husband, a very cool guy I must say. The house is new, and it is located in a nice neighborhood. I also like the fact that I had my privacy. Having said that I find it very uncomfortable that the room has no blinds, the morning sun shines directly into the room and I always had to use the pillows and the duvet to block the window to prevent the penetration of the hot sun through the window. Also, it may not be suitable for, someone who does not like pets. Even if you love pets, you will agree with me that only a few people would feel comfortable seeing 9 cats running and lurking around the house. And the dog... it backs at any little thing ... I've had to mute myself in meetings because the barking penetrates into the room and it can be very discomforting.
Overall, it is a great place to stay, except for those few issues I raised, which I believe they can work on.Host reply
Thank you for taking the time to let us know about your experience in a HOMESTAY for $30 per night.
We had hoped we provided an enjoyable stay and were hospitable HOMESTAY hosts by turning on the air conditioning when requested, driving you to pickup food/money at no additional charge while I was unwell, providing basic amenities such as towel, shampoo, tooth brush, toothpaste, etc., at no additional charge, laundry access at no additional charge, and also locking our dog up in our bedroom while we were not home so that you could comfortably access our kitchen and living room.
I sincerely apologize for failing to meet your expectations of a HOMESTAY. I have reviewed your feedback and we hope that our next guest will enjoy our HOMESTAY a little bit more.
However, I do not appreciate the dishonesty in your review regarding the pets in the home. Though you were fully aware of animals in home prior to your booking your HOMESTAY and said you were fine as long as they don't enter your room (which they did not), I am curious when you had the chance to meet all 9 cats as 2 of the fosters cats permanently stay in the basement and 3 of my own cats were never outside my bedroom when you were in the shared living areas.
Perhaps you are confusing HOMESTAY with hotel and might be better suited to booking a hotel next time you travel.
September 2022
The house is brand new and clean in a quiet neighbourhood. All the amenities needed for a comfortable stay were there.
Fantastic hosts. Easy to talk to and get along with. Sharing a meal and travel stories. Were even kind enough to drive me to my next location once my stay was over.
How do I book?
Contact the host to check their availability and ask them any questions you have about staying with them. Once the host confirms they’re available for your dates, you can complete your booking.
When do I pay?
Once a host confirms they're available, you can go ahead and pay the 15% booking fee (maximum of 250 $£€ for longer term bookings) using a choice of payment methods: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Maestro, Laser, JCB & PayPal (not available in certain countries). You then pay your host on arrival or as stated by your host on their profile and agreed by you on booking. Please be cautious if a host requests advance payment if its not included on their profile. Our hosts have been advised that if they wish to request advance payment they must make this explicit in their profile. We do not recommend the use of Money gram or Western Union.
When can I share my contact details?
Host and Guest email address, phone number and home address will be exchanged in a confirmation email sent to both immediately after a booking is completed. It's against our policy for Guests and Hosts to exchange direct contact details via our messaging system.