About the Homestay
- Welcomes
- Males
- Females
- Couples
- Families
- Students
We are an experienced friendly and fun host family who live in North London in a large four bedroom semi detached house in Whetstone N20. You can reach the centre of London in approx 25 minutes by tube. I work in a primary school and my hobbies are various, cooking, gardening, singing, rock/indie music, films, travel, Zumba dance classes and going to the theatre. My 14 year old son Jake is an avid footballer and squash player, enjoys drumming, watching movies and playing computer games. We have found hosting to be culturally rewarding and very much enjoy meeting people from other parts of the world and learning about their traditions. Over the last 19 years we have had guests stay with us from 13 different countries, Argentina, China, Japan, Hong Kong, Canada, United States, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Holland and Italy. Short term Homestay placements can be offered on both a bed & breakfast basis or a half board basis. Please note your arrival time at our home Monday-Friday must be between 5pm-8pm due to work commitments. Weekend arrival times can be more flexible.
Continental breakfast is on offer with a wide choice of cereals, toast, crumpets, etc. Dinner can also be pre booked on a few evenings at an additional cost of £8.00 per person per night. This evening meal is a home cooked affair with a number of international dishes as well as the more traditional English menu followed by either fruit, yoghurt, cake or biscuits. We try to accommodate personal requests wherever possible. The single room available is bright and airy with free cupboard space to hang clothes and bedside table. There is also a lovely quiet sunny double room that overlooks the pretty back garden. We have a clean modern family shared bathroom with power shower and bath and separate toilet facilities. There is high speed wireless internet throughout the house. Further guest reviews can be provided on request via the guest-host messaging system.
Many visitors have stayed in touch and returned to us for subsequent visits or recommended us to their family & friends. We look forward to welcoming you to our home & the fantastic city of London & all it has to offer!
Additional Info
There is on street parking available.
House Facilities
- Garden
- Laundry
- Patio
- Barbecue
- Parking
- TV
- Internet Access
- Smoke alarm
Bedrooms available for booking
About the Area
Our house is well located for travel to the city centre. We live in the green and leafy suburb of N20. Whetstone is situated between Barnet and Finchley and is a safe and peaceful residential area. We have access to both the Northern line and Piccadilly line tubes zone 4 & excellent local bus routes. We are 2 minutes from the nearest bus stop. Travelling on the Piccadilly line from Arnos Grove, which is a 5 minute bus ride from our house, you can reach the city centre in 22 minutes. You can be in the heart of West end shopping in Oxford Street in just 28 minutes by changing onto the Victoria line. The Piccadilly line runs straight through from Heathrow airport to north London with no need to change and jostle with your luggage. The Northern line is also a comfortable 15 minute walk or 8 min bus ride from our home.
There are plenty of excellent Italian, Indian, Greek, Sushi & Thai restaurants to choose from in Whetstone high street should you wish to get away from the city centre crowds. In addition there are many good shops, supermarkets, pubs, and banks available in the local area.
Local Area Facilities
- Tennis
- Park
- Swimming
- Bowling
- Cinema
- Library
- Museum
- Shopping Centre
- Restaurant
- Airport
- 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
- Half Board
Diet Type available on request
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Coeliac
- Lactose Intolerant
- Nut Allergies
House Rules
Please keep our home secure, lock doors and close windows when leaving the house and keep our house keys safe.
Please do not bring strangers into our home.
Please leave the bathroom clean for the next person to use.
Please keep noise to a minimum after 10pm. There is no curfew as long as you are quiet and considerate when returning late.
Food is not permitted in the bedrooms but you are welcome to grab a takeaway or microwave meal from the local Tesco Express and eat in the dining room or garden.
Smoking is not permitted inside the house however there is a garden table and chairs outside in the pretty back garden where an ashtray can be provided.
Relax and enjoy your stay and treat our home with the respect you would your own.
The room rate includes the following services: sheets and towels, regular room cleaning, simple breakfast and free high speed Wi Fi internet access.
Smoking Rules
Your host is a non-smoker.
Smoking is not allowed.
6 Reviews
June 2019
I was made very welcome a d thoroughly enjoyed my stay as I was there on work experience I am only 15 years old
Host reply
May 2019
I stayed with Teresa and her son for three weeks. It was a great stay in a beautiful and clean house with all comforts. The house is located in zone 4, it can appear far from the centre but in only 30 minutes you are in the centre of London (there are two lines of the underground: Piccadilly Line “Arnos grove station” – you catch the bus from the station to arrive to Teresa’s house or the Northern Line “Totteridge and Whetstone station” – you can go there by a walk of 15 minutes or by bus. The bus stop is 3 minutes from the house and buses are very regular every time). Breakfast and dinner are very good; Teresa every dinner tries to offer a different dishes with rich portions. She was very kind to allow me to study in the living room during the day. And in addition, you can use the microwave to heat some simple food if you don't want eat with them in the evening. In the evening, you can watch movies with them. It was a short stay but very good. Host suggest for your stay in a beautiful and quiet area of London.
July 2018
The host cancelled the booking 5 days before the arrival date.
June 2018
Our son Louis (15 yo) had a 2 weeks internship in London. He stayed at Teresa and Jake's and really enjoyed their warm welcome and the family atmosphere. Louis appreciated Teresa's cooking and was given many table tennis lessons by Jake.
Teresa really mothered Louis in a way we did not dare expect she would and it was a relief to know he was in such gentle hands.
We cannot be more pleased with this home stay and highly recommand both the place and the hosts.
Host reply
April 2016
J' ai passé un excellent séjour chez Teresa. Elle a été parfaite. Elle m'a donné tous les renseignements que je voulais, elle a cuisiné de très bons plats. La chambre était très bien. Nous avons beaucoup conversé. Son fils est très gentil aussi. Ma fille s'est très bien entendue avec lui. Nous allons garder contact cela est sûr..
October 2015
Teresa est la meilleure hôtesse dont on peut rêver. Maison propre et calme, petit-déjeuner parfait. Vous pouvez lui faire confiance dans toute situation pour rendre votre séjour génial, même pour des jeunes seuls. Vous aurez beaucoup de chance de séjourner avec une si adorable famille.
Teresa is the best host you could ever dream for. House clean and quiet, breakfast perfect. You can trust her in all situations to make your stay great, even for kids on their own. You'll be very Lucky to stay with this lovely family.June 2015
Teresa is a great host, really patient and helpful! I've been in the double room and it's nice and comfortable, there is all you need. Its easy to get to the house thanks to regular bus service from the tube station. I had a good time, unfortunately short, but i highly reccomend her!
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.