All the usual lovely things one hopes for - crisp white sheets on a comfy bed; stylish, modern kitchen and bathroom; fresh, clean space; polished, wood floors; milk in the fridge and cookies in the jar. Ursula’s place also boasts doors from both the bedroom and the kitchen out onto a delightfully planted courtyard and a beautiful feature fireplace. But the thing that makes Ursula’s place special is Ursula. Helpful, thoughtful, informative and generous. As a tour guide she wasn’t short of suggestions and recommendations but she went the extra mile when she called me in hospital to check I was okay after I had suffered my first ever panic attack on arrival. Her kindness was also reflected in her maid Yoliswa who welcomed me with open arms and strawberries and more reassurance after my attack than a dear old friend.

Comfortable, welcoming, safe, stylish and an absolute home in a foreign land.