I booked the 'Little House' for a friend visiting me from Australia who I was unable to accommodate. Being a local, it was important that I select a great location to show off the best of Vancouver, and the little house certainly fit the bill. My friend loved being close enough to run along the beaches and back through the trails of Pacific Spirit Regional Park. He didn't know it was possible to be so close to nature, yet remain steps from the many shops and restaurants found in kits. I suppose I take this city for granted at times, but Matt was blown away by the beauty of the neighbourhood. Surprisingly though, location wasn't the best part of his stay. When I arrived at the little house with Matt, Sheila and Dan were there to greet us. They were very friendly and, surprisingly, extremely apologetic. It seems the guests prior to us had been smoking inside despite agreeing to the no smoking policy, and left an odour as a result. Our hosts felt horrible and actually offered to refund our payment, but as Matt owned and worked in pubs most of his life the slight smell didn't bother him. It's a good thing, because the little house itself is stunning. Downstairs, we found a bathroom and two big bedrooms with gorgeous linens and comfortable mattresses while upstairs boasted an open concept kitchen/living room flooded with natural light from the skylights and complete with all amenities. Simply put, we were impressed and the entire house was so CLEAN!! But that wasn't all. As we poked around upstairs we realized our hosts had left us with a bottle of wine, fresh homemade blueberry loaf, locally sourced coffee, milk, cream and orange juice. Honestly, who does that? We've both stayed in many places all over the world and neither of us could recall feeling so welcomed in a rented space. I had planned on dropping Matt and getting back to work immediately but couldn't resist temptation, so we sat down to enjoy a cup of coffee and a slice of blueberry loaf. Delicious, thanks Sheila!

If you're a local looking to accommodate a friend like me, or you're coming to visit Vancouver yourself, I highly recommend the little house. The only regret my friend Matt had was that he couldn't stay longer. Sheila and Dan are incredible hosts, the neighbourhood is awesome and the little house is the perfect home away from home. I will definitely be booking the little house again for friends visiting Vancouver!