Meet Helen
Family Hobbies
Cycling, Swimming, Cooking, Gardening, Hill walking
Hosting guests since
2001
Response Rate
100%
Response Time
Within two days
About the Homestay
- Welcomes
- Males
- Females
- Couples
- Families
- Students
We enjoy welcoming visitors from all over the world. Our comfortable house is an easy 15 minute walk from Canterbury city centre and 10 minutes from Canterbury East station, with regular trains to London and Dover. Family meal/packed lunch and English lessons, (qualified teacher), available on request, (with notice).
We are happy to spend time getting to know guests if they want to, or allow people their own space. We are also happy to recommend our favourite shops, cafes and attractions. We are hosting shorter stays (weekends/two-four days) at the moment and longer stays from September 2024, when laundry and bikes will also be available. Our accommodation particularly suits students, people on weekend stays or on English language or other study trips in Canterbury.
We have just re-opened our listing (April 2024) after a pause of 5 years
My Pets
Cat
House Facilities
- Garden
- Patio
- Parking
- TV
- Internet Access
- Smoke alarm
Bedrooms available for booking
About the Area
Our house is in a quiet road a short walk from the city centre in one direction and orchards in the other. Trains from Canterbury East station, (10 minutes walk) run to London and Dover. Local corner shops (2 minute walk) provide essential supplies and the local hospital is just up the road. The quaint seaside town of Whitstable is a bus ride from the city centre bus station, accessed via a short walk round the ancient city walls, overlooking the tree-lined path through Canterbury's Dane John gardens .
Local Area Facilities
- Park
- Swimming
- Beach
- Cinema
- Library
- Museum
- Shopping Centre
- Restaurant
- Bus Stop
- Train station
- 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
Available on request at an extra cost
- Packed lunch
Diet Type available on request
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
House Rules
This is a family home and we ask guests to be respectful of that. Please no noise after 10.30pm and no loud music etc. No other guests to be invited to the house. Please keep your room clean and tidy. It is next to our main living area, so we make sure it is quiet (no tv) after 11pm and request that you do the same. Fresh bedding and towels weekly.
Smoking Rules
Your host is a non-smoker.
Smoking is not allowed.
7 Reviews
April 2024
Helen et David mon accueilli avec beaucoup de chaleur, ils ont été très a l'écoute d'autant plus que je parle très mal l'anglais.
Le premier soir je suis arrivée tard et ils m'ont offert une soupe maison succulente à la patate douce.
Le matelas est très confortable.
Comme je leur ai dit que je partais de Canterbury pour la Via Francigena David a sorti des cartes pour me montrer le chemin. Cela m'a aidé sinon je me serai perdue! Un très grand merci à mes hôtes!
March 2019
Cosy and tidy room in a lovely house and most of all a very welcoming family ! Helen and David are absolutely adorable and do their best to make you feel like at home and giving you as much freedom as you wish. The place is very close to the city centre. My only regret was having to leave earlier than I had planned for my work. I definitely recommend !
June 2017
I adored my time with the Simpsons! They made me feel instantly at home and treated me like a member of their family. I always felt at ease and included. I highly recommend them as amazing, warm and loving hosts.
January 2017
The family was excellent, very welcoming and helpful for learning the area. The children are lovely and very fun to be around. The location is perfect for a student and isn't too far away from the main universities in the city as well as the main center of town. Overall, it is a very pleasant family to live with, they are very kind and thoughtful and made it easy for someone from America to adjust to a new living situation :)
September 2016
Helen and her family were very friendly and welcoming. I had a great stay and they really made me feel at home. Would certainly recommend!
August 2016
This location is great! It's about a 15 minute walk from the city Center, very straightforward path, super easy and convenient for getting around.
The family was equally great. Helen and her family were very warm, and welcoming, they let me come and go as I pleased, and were happy to share meals with me for a few extra euros. The house was lovely, very clean, and the room and bathroom you have are connected and are separated by a floor from the rest of the family, so if you come in a little later you don't have to worry about waking everyone up. Couldn't recommend this place/family highly enough, I hope I get the chance to go back!
August 2016
Fantastic stay with the Simpson family. Very hospitable, lovely home and garden and use of the bike to get to the university easily. Great time and highly recommendable!!
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) and a 25% deposit using a choice of payments: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Maestro, Laser, JCB & PayPal. The deposit is collected in advance on behalf of the host to protect against no show or late cancellations (within 7 days of arrival). You then pay your host the balance due on arrival. The 25% deposit payment is made to the host 2 business days after your scheduled arrival date. This deposit payment will only be refunded if you cancel the booking at least 7 full days prior to arrival.
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.