Renovated 1918 home with 2 bedrooms; 2 1/2 bathrooms. Tasteful contemporary and antique furnishings and rugs. Large well-equipped kitchen with gas range and quality amenities; living room; family room with garden view; office; wi-fi; outdoor dining in private garden. Hardwood floors; elegant gas fireplace; custom bathrooms with showers; large TV with Comcast. Complementary bikes. Off-street parking.

Art, music, culture: Kuumba Jazz club, symphony, university performances, art walks, open studios

University of California, Santa Cruz: 15-minute drive or bus ride from campus.

Golf, Surf, Sail, Fish: McKenzie’s Pasatiempo, Seascape, De La Viaga golf courses 10 minutes away; Moss Landing fishing; regattas at Santa Cruz Harbor

Outdoors, Nature, (15 to 30 minutes)
5 Santa Cruz state parks and beaches; kayak Elkhorn Slough wildlife refuge; observe whales, dolphins, and otters in Monterey Bay; hike Santa Cruz mountains

Santa Cruz Beach, Boardwalk, and wharf: 100-year old roller coaster and classic California beach activities

Wine Tasting: 70 Santa Cruz appellation wineries and tasting rooms (Bonny Doon, Storrs, David Bruce, Ridge)

Quiet neighborhood with dog walkers. Friendly and safe. Walk 10 minutes to cute downtown Santa Cruz. Private back yard tropical garden with automatic drip system. Great location for walkers and bikers: 4 blocks from river trail to the beach, in the banana belt (less fog and wind) area of Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz is a quirky, fun,artistic community. It is nestled next to Monterrey Bay with a backdrop of the Santa Cruz mountain range with resort communities and top wineries. Common sightings are dolphins, otters, and sometimes even whales less than 1/4 mile from the shore. We often drive to charming Carmel or breakfast or lunch!

Airports and day trips:
San Francisco and Oakland airports 1 hour
San Jose and Monterey airports 45 minutes
Carmel 40 minutes
Big Sur 75 minutes

Willing to bank time for future exchange with our home. Will take care of pet in your home. Maid service available or leave in condition it was found. We enjoy a well-kept home and would like the same.

Future dates flexible.

Open to any dates

October 18-22: Any beach town in Los Angeles area (Venice Beach, Manhattan Beach, Marina Del Rey, Redondo Beach).

Future destinations:
San Francisco - anytime
Edinburgh, Scotland after June 2013
Hawaii - December , January, February
Palm Springs - December, January, February

View Feedback About My Exchanges

Retired professional couple (former banker and math book writer - now golfer and potter) with flexible schedules for travel. We love our home because it feels like we're on vacation all of the time! We chose to live in Santa Cruz so that we can enjoy the artistic, musical, and outdoor lifestyle it offers. Our cat (11 years old, but looks younger) is friendly, but only wants to be petted when she is ready.

What we would enjoy: We would be happy to take care of a cat or small dog as part of the exchange. Our ideal exchange would be a home or condo that has interesting activities nearby or is close to public transportation.

Other destinations we'd like: Berkeley, San Francisco, Oakland, Palo Alto, Hawaii; Portland, OR; Washington DC; Venice Beach, Palm Springs, Santa Fe, Scotland, Italy, New Orleans, Charleston, Victoria BC,

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