Camille tells us about her 2 different home exchanges in Miami Beach and El Portal, Florida.
How did you find your exchange?
I contacted them.
What attracted you to this exchange opportunity?
I wanted to see 2 different parts of Miami so I did one exchange near busy south beach and another in a more residential, quiet neighborhood in El Portal where Peacocks roam the streets. Both homes looked inviting and had amazing amenities such as a pool, garden, and laundry. We wanted to be hosted (stay with our hosts) at one of the exchanges so we could get the best scoop from locals.
How was your arrival?
In both exchanges we met our hosts: for the first one we stayed with our hosts for a couple of days and they gave up the low down on everything from food to entertainment in their area. We also met our second host at our second home exchange briefly and he had a list printed with all of his favorite attractions, restaurants, beaches, and more prepared for us. We took the recommendations and discovered some really neat things in Miami. We always find the secret gems given to us by our hosts to be some of our most pleasant experiences.
What did you see or do during your exchange?
We did it all! We went to Miami beach and soaked up all the sun we could as we knew we would be going back to chillier pastures in New York. We rented a car and visited Knaus Berry Farms, a farm famous for their fresh strawberries and delicious cinnamon rolls as well as the long lines of people waiting to snatch them up by the dozen. We danced salsa into the wee hours of a Sunday night at Ball & Chain in Little Havana. Last, but certainly not least we checked out all the amazing street art in the edgy neighborhood of Wynwood.
What is your favorite memory from the trip?
My favorite memory from our exchange is spending a lazy Saturday laughing and lounging in our home exchange's pool right on the water with a cocktail in hand, compliments of our hosts, with our hosts and their lovely friends and neighbors.
How would you describe home exchange to your family and friends?
HomeExchange is a community of wonderful people making a better way to travel and see the world a reality.
