Santa Margarida de Montbui, Spain
Member since
2012The member has not specified any exchange dates
Looking for a summer home exchange (August 13-23th 2023)
Update (June 2022): we've just bought an old house in the small village of Buera (Huesca, Aragón). See listing ES51847.
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Hi Intervac members: we love our village and area, and look forward to having someone else enjoy it too!
Our three floor house is very nice and is located in a quite small village (800 inhabitants) 60 km far from Barcelona.
The living room (with fireplace), kitchen (with a small pantry and overlooking a terrace) and a toilet are located in the first floor. On the second floor there are the master bedroom, the girls bedrooms and a bathroom with bath and shower. On the third floor there is a studio and a terrace. Laundry facilities (washing machine, clothes dryer and iron) have a special area devoted to them in the kitchen. At the back of the garage (where there is a piano) ovelooks a sunny courtyard: the perfect place for summer evening diners. The house is equipped with central heating. Our neighbourhood is very peaceful, with kind and friendly neighbours. If you want to stay at home, there are plenty of books and National Geographic magazines (in English) to read.
On a walking distance you will find a small foodshop and bakery, a bar, the church and a private sports club with outdoor swimming pool & tennis/paddel courts): use our tennis/paddle rackets+membership card to play some matches there (http://www.clublesmoreres.cat/el-club). There is also a children’s playground 150 m. from our house.
The main sights to visit in our village are the pre-romanesque (XIth century) church and the castle of La Tossa. Both monuments were erected when the area was at the border between the Christian and Muslim worlds (the Hispanic March).
In Igualada (the main city in the area, 3 kms away) you will find all you need (big supermarkets, petrol stations, hospital, restaurants,...). In earlier days Igualada was famous for its textile and leather industry.
Our house is a good starting point to explore places like Barcelona, Sitges and Vilanova i la Geltrú beaches, Penedès area (wine and champagne production), the Cistercian monasteries of Poblet, Santes Creus and Vallbona de les Monges or Tarraco Roman remains (Unesco world heritage site). Nature is within reach: from the white pine Mediterranean forests just 5 minutes on foot to Montserrat natural park or Pyrenees mountains. Use the bikes in the garage (2 for adults, 2 for 10-12 years old) to discover the nature around us! If you ever wondered about walking along Saint James' way, you can taste it walking from Montserrat monastery to Igualada (around 20 km-5 hours on foot).
Travel distances by car: Montserrat mountain (20 minutes), Sitges beach (35 minutes), Barcelona (50 minutes), Tarragona (1 hour). Travel distances by train: Barcelona (1h30, train station 5 minutes by car), Madrid (3h by high speed train; train station: 1h by car).
Wi-Fi net (optic fiber) in all the house. The living room (smart TV connected to a Wii console) and kitchen have all the appliances. Smart TV in master bedroom connected to an Apple TV set. iMac Apple computer (studio). Netflix subscription.
Car to exchange: Renault Kangoo (5 seats).
SMOKING not allowed. Please, did NOT BRING PETS with you.
We could only exchange during school breaks: Easter (non simultaneous), summer (preferably August) and Christmas.
We reply to all emails!
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Some links about tourism around Montbui:
La Tossa mountain (Santa Margarida de Montbui): http://www.latossa.cat/latossa.php?id=9&lang=texto_ing
Igualada: http://www.igualadaturisme.cat/img/img/LA%20PELL%20DE%20LA%20CIUTAT%20angles%202009.pdf
Igualada leather museum: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=XyT88oIIb2o
Anoia area: http://anoiaturisme.cat/en/
Montserrat: http://www.montserratvisita.com/en/index.html
Saint James' way: http://www.camidesantjaume.cat/index_ing.php
Spanish civil war memorial: http://www.exercitpopular.org/en/
Wine & champagne production area: http://www.enoturismepenedes.cat/en
Sitges beach & modernism art: http://www.visitsitges.com/en/
Poblet Ciscercian monastery: http://www.poblet.cat/index.php?&&&&ZW4%3D
Barcelona: http://www.barcelonaturisme.com/wv3/en/
Roman Tarraco: http://www.tarragonaturisme.cat/en
Theme & water park: https://www.portaventuraworld.com/en
Pyrenees: https://www.visitpirineus.com/en
Catalonia: http://www.catalunya.com
Our Family
- 2 Adults
- 2 Children
- 5 Exchanges made
Occupation
- Science teacher
- Epidemiologist
Our Home
- House Type: House
- Floor: 0
- Environment: In a small town
- Bedrooms: 3
- Bathrooms: 2
- Sleeping Capacity: 5
References
In my house
- Pets - Not allowed
- Small children - Allowed
Exchange Types
- Home exchange
- Youth / Teen exchange
Indoor
- Free internet access
- Computer available
- Central heating
- Fireplace
- Washing machine
- Dishwasher
- Clothes dryer
- Television
- Piano
Outdoor
- Garden
- Terrace or deck
- Balcony
- BBQ
- Garage / private parking
- Bicycles: 4
Facilities
- Non-smoking house
- Car necessary
- Use/Exchange of car
- Seclusion/Privacy
Our Destination Wish List
- Open to any destination
- Berlin, Germany
- Cornwall, UK
- Devon, UK
- Wales, UK
- London, UK
- New York, NY, USA
- Lisbon, Portugal
- Greece
- Lofoten, Norway
- Finland
- Basque Country, Spain
- Canary Islands, Spain
- Sicily, Italy
- Prague, Czechia
- Brittany, France
- Normandy, France
Spoken Languages
- English
- Français
- Español
Occupation
- Science teacher
- Epidemiologist
Children
- Girl - Age: 22
- Girl - Age: 20
Pets
- Freshwater aquarium with some plants and fishes.
- Some house martins nesting on the roof
About Our Family
The membres of our family are Marcel (53), Mònica (52), Farners (20) and Queralt (18).
Marcel is a science teacher at the local secondary school and Mònica works as an epidemiologist in the Health Department for the Catalan government. Farners is talkative and violinplayer. Queralt is a rhythmic gymnastics enthusiast and plays viola.
Monica likes to cook and Marcel and the girls like to eat what she cooks.
We love culture and nature, a combination we are looking for during our holidays. We are all fond of swimming, flea markets, taking a nap on a good sofa and enjoying a house with a view.
Due to allergies we can only exchange with non-smokers without cats.
References
This member has completed 5 home exchanges. Those referenced below may contain feedback/impression from its exchange partners: