I stayed in George's fantastic apartment for approximately five months while I studied for a semester in Toronto on an international exchange programme. As I live in the UK full time, I was very nervous about living so far away from home for such a lengthy period of time. Lucking out on such a fantastic place to stay, and such a wonderful host, made ALL the difference to settling me down. It truly became, and still feels like, a little home away from home.

The space is an entirely self-contained apartment in the basement of George's property on a quiet, pleasant residential street in the Oakwood neighbourhood of Toronto. It's immaculately decorated and perfectly finished throughout - with a series of really nice touches: a fully stocked kitchen - complete with bamboo steamer, etc.; sliding shutters to obscure washer and dryer; heated floors in the bathroom; reading material in the bedroom; six switches operating perfectly spaced spotlights throughout the space; exposed brickwork. I also really appreciated the heavy blankets, the fluffy rug and the fireplace, particularly during Toronto's harshest winter in decades! The apartment manages to be both stylish and homely, and the extensive amount of surface space (a fantastic dining table, a breakfast bar, a coffee table) made it a joy to do my university work in. It's incredibly quiet and peaceful, too, and a great place to chill out less than half an hour away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Toronto.

On that note, the location of the apartment is very, very appealing. It's about 20-30 minutes out from downtown on public transit - very simple, you catch a bus from around the corner to the subway station, and take a short subway trip to wherever you want to go in the city centre. It's close enough to town to feel like you're in the heart of things, but removed enough to provide a bit of respite and to truly feel like you're living like a Torontian. The neighbourhood is packed with convenience stores, transport links, bakeries, etc., and, should you be after a proper food shop, Loblaws (a large Toronto supermarket) is a 10 minute bus ride/5 minute drive from the apartment. If you are in Toronto for a very short stay and want to be in and around the CN Tower etc., I'd maybe suggest trying to stay a little closer to town, but it really isn't an issue, and Oakwood and nearby St. Clair are trendy, fun areas in their own right.

George was an impeccable host. He lives right up stairs, and is easily contactable throughout your stay via email or just giving him a quick knock on the door. He frequently went way beyond the call of duty to help me out, including right at the end of my stay, when he very kindly offered to ship some of my stuff back to Britain for me. A really nice, friendly and respectful man.

Thanks George! I'll be back. :)