Meet Donna
Sociable, Energetic, Responsible
of my eclectic lifestyle and careers. I'm young at heart, open-minded with an old soul! Lots of laughter and having fun is my natural inclination, guided by family values and virtues.
On a typical day...
I’m a clean person and keep a clean house.
When I host guests...
I can answer questions but let my guests do their own thing.
Family Hobbies
Golf, Tennis, Running, Baseball, Fitness, gym
Hosting guests since
1990
About the Homestay
- Welcomes
- Males
- Females
- Couples
- Families
- Students
Welcome to Canada!
Clean, comfortable furnished room in big, bright, 115 sqft. bedroom. Perfect for friendly, neat, responsible, quite female non-smoker.
Your room, (in a unique two-storey apartment that makes you feel as if you're living in a house!) has bright wall-to-wall window, a double bed, desk and a chair, TV with cable service, and free WIFI internet access.
Your friendly Toronto home will be shared with me, Donna, who for more than 20 years, has hosted numerous students from all over the world, teachers and parents, too!
Sit out and enjoy our private patio with BBQ facility or enjoy a run or jog in the beautiful, serene Don River ravine that borders our building. Oh yes, a mammoth LA Fitness centre that features a pool, basketball courts, squash courts, sauna, juice bar plus all the usual cardio equipment, machines and free weights is 5 minutes down the street by bus or a quick 10 minute jog.
If your prefer, a community centre with outdoor swimming pool and indoor running track, small gym, waffle ball court, and basketball court is within walking distance.
Your homestay can be as short as 1 month, or as long as you need, up to six months and includes your room and one meal - light breakfast, other meals can be negotiated at an extra cost. If you're a student, all it takes to share my apartment is your valid passport, your Canadian government authorization to study and an accredited school in Toronto, and first and last month's rent in advance, with subsequent months paid at the beginning of each month.
We hope your stay in Toronto will be a fun and memorable experience and you'll share only good stories with everyone, on your return to your home or to your home country !
ABOUT ME
For more than 20 years I’ve hosted students and have learned from, and made, warm and long-lasting friendships with students from Brazil, Mexico, Germany, Venezuela, China and more.
In my spare time, I guide self-published authors through the online-publishing and marketing maze (many find it a chore) by helping them upload and sell their books online, for the most part, through Amazon and social media platforms. As well, I help manage their social media presence, if needed.
I’ve had the privilege of working in the marketing, public relations and journalism fields for over 25 years, in Toronto. My background has been evenly split in marketing for a national retailer, public relations in the non-for-profit world, writing and editing for a national newspaper, and writing news for television, where I also worked as a reporter.
When I'm not helping self-published authors get known online, I work at my church to help with the planning and production of their weekly Sunday services and manage their on-line presence.
Daily meditation; listening, and appreciating nature, especially the birds, while on my daily walks keep me grounded this dynamic environment!
I look forward to meeting you, and learning all about you, and, your home country!
DINNER OPTIONAL - EXTRA COST
• Host will do all cooking in the home, unless the host introduces the student to the cooking facilities in the home and the student shows responsibility in cooking. The host recognizes many of the students like to do some of their own cooking.
• Host will provide a fresh, cooked dinner every day. A variety of Canadian/Asian/Italian/West Indian, etc. cuisine.
GOOD TO KNOW
• All bedding, blankets, pillows and towels are provided free of charge, however you are free to bring your own if you prefer.
• En-suite laundry facilities are available. It is the student’s responsibility to do the washing of their own cloths and bedding. This must be completed weekly.
• Open communication - if student breaks or loses anything - let me know. No repercussion, unless had monetary value.
• No changes may be made to the furniture or fixtures in the room, unless discussed with host prior.
• Any medical conditions i.e. allergies need to be brought to the attention of the host, prior to arriving.
• Students are responsible to keep clean their room and the shared bathroom, and no water or garbage is left on counter tops etc.
House Facilities
- Laundry
- Patio
- Barbecue
- TV
- Smoke alarm
- Air Conditioning
Bedrooms available for booking
About the Area
We are located in a quiet building and near a shopping plaza where you will find a grocery store, retailers, pharmacy and banks. Buses stop right outside our doors. One runs on a major artery 24 hours to and from downtown to north of the city. There are 2 subway stations approximately 8 minutes and 30 minutes away. There’s a paved ravine, schools and a community centre with outdoor pool and indoor running track all in walking distance.
Downtown Toronto is south of us, 15 minutes away by car or about 40 minutes away by transit.
The Ontario Science Centre is one bus ride south of our apartment.
The bus stops right outside our front door, one bus ride to the subway (York Mills, Don Mills or Pape stations) - 40 minutes to the Eaton Centre in downtown Toronto, or 30 minutes to Yonge and Eglinton, where several International Language Schools are located.
Seneca College is just 20 minutes north of us, by bus.
North York General Hospital and the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine is 20 minutes walk west of our home.
Centennial Collage Carlaw Campuses is one bus-ride away within 40 minutes.
Centennial Collage Progress campuses is one bus-ride away within 60 minutes.
We're a five-minute walk to restaurants, Tim Hortons Coffee Shop, Longos Supermarket, LCBO (Liquor store) and more.
Shopping at Fairview Mall with 175 stores and cinemas is about a 5-minute bus ride away, or 15 minutes in the other direction to the Shops At Don Mills, Toronto's first open-air mall, a one-of-a-kind experience with international and local fashions, and restaurants with patios.
Of course, a public library, banks and churches are minutes away from our home.
Buses to subway:
TTC 122 to York Mills subway 30 minutes
TTC 95 to Don Mills subway 5 minutes
TTC 95 to Pape subway 45 minutes
20 minutes to Seneca College by bus
Local Area Facilities
- Tennis
- Park
- Gym
- Swimming
- Cinema
- Library
- Museum
- Shopping Centre
- Sports arena
- Health club
- Restaurant
- Bus Stop
- Hospital
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
Just the basics:
Open communication is very important to avoid any misunderstandings and, also, an excellent way to learn to speak English, especially if you are a language student.
Please remove your garbage, recycle and turn off all unused electronic equipment including lights and curling irons before leaving your bedroom.
Please clean up after yourself in the kitchen and bathrooms.
No smoking, no vaping, no alcohol and drugs.
Limit showers to 15 min a day. No tub baths.
Friends are not allowed unless you have permission, but, are allowed in the library. No loud noise.
No alcohol or other substances allowed.
No overnight guests. No pets. No food in the bedroom, only water, and please keep bedroom clean once a week. - a vacuum cleaner and cleaning supplies are provided.
You cannot ‘sub-lease’ your room. This will result in a breach of your contract and you will be asked to immediately leave the premises.
Please treat our home as you would your own, and me, as you would your own family!
NOTE: A $50 deposit for the door key and front entrance card-key required, fully refundable at the end of your stay. No making of a second key and card-key - this will result in a breach of your contract and you will be asked to immediately leave the premises.
SAFETY:
• Main entrance door and patio door cannot be left open unattended.
• Last person home at night ensures deadbolt is in place
MEALS
• Host will provide cereals, bread, yogurt, eggs, for student to prepare their own breakfast.
DINNER OPTIONAL MEAL - EXTRA COST
• Host will do all cooking in the home, unless the host introduces the student to the cooking facilities in the home and the student shows responsibility in cooking. The host recognizes many of the students like to do some of their own cooking.
• Host will provide a fresh, cooked dinner every day. A variety of Canadian/Asian/Italian/West Indian, etc. cuisine.
Smoking Rules
Your host is a non-smoker.
Smoking is not allowed.
1 Review
August 2017
Staying in Donna's house was super heartwarming! Donna is the nicest person ever! She helped me a lot to make my days in Toronto enjoyable! I didn't know anything about Toronto, but she taught me everything such as the transportation, or beautiful places I should go! Also, she is very kind, cheerful, and energetic! I really loved to talk with her~♥ The room is quite large and the bed is super comfy! I will definitely stay in her house again when I come back to Toronto! If you come to Toronto, you should meet her and stay in her house! You will never regret!
Host reply
Thank you! So happy that you enjoyed both Toronto and my hospitality. Marina is a delightful and charming person, eager to discover new places and so happy to converse on any topic. ! Looking forward to seeing you on your next visit to Toronto.
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.