About our home and the neighbourhood

Our house is located in Laajasalo, an island located east from the city centre, in southern Helsinki. Laajasalo is a peaceful suburban area with nice paths along the seaside and wide natural areas. Journey to the city center takes about 20 minutes by car and 30 minutes by bus and metro.

The house is built in 2009 and it represents modern Scandinavian architecture. There are two levels in the house: downstairs we have one bedroom, a bathroom with a sauna and a jacuzzi, smaller bathroom and a living room with a fireplace. Upstairs we have a living room with a dining area and an open kitchen, two bedrooms, two balconies and a bathroom with a shower.

Details
- TVs: In the upstairs livingroom there’s a 65” flat screen TV with a home theatre system, Chromecast and an Xbox 360. In the master bedroom there’s a 40” flat screen TV.
- Our house provides WiFi and a Sonos home sound system
- The kitchen is fully equipped
- Utility room with a washing machine and a tumble dryer
- A smoker grill and a gas-fueled barbeque grill in the balcony
- You may use a laptop and a printer
- Beds:
main bedroom 180 cm wide, guest room with two 70cm wide futon mattresses and dowstairs bedroom with 140 cm wide bed
- Air conditioning upstairs

• Car exchange is possible

• Bikes for 5 persons (4 for adults and 1 for kids)

• Toys and boardgames for children

About the family

We are a married couple with two children. Janne (54) works as an execututive director in a foundation and Marjo (54) teaches biology and geography in a secondary school. The daughters, Veera 24 years and Saimi 17 years old, youngest lives at home and goes to school. We have two Cornish Rex cats, Vinski and Bruno, which are to be kept indoors. It is possible for us to provide a home for them during the exchange, but you may also keep them in case you’re animal friendly.

Golf is a common hobby of our family, Janne and Veera playing more and Marjo a bit less actively. We have golf equipment for 6 in total (3 sets for men, 1 for women). There is a 6 hole pitch and putt-course nearby and a championship links-style course in 20 minutes drive (Vuosaari Golf).

Public transportation and more

There is a bus stop is right next to the house, providing a connection to the Herttoniemi metro station every 6-15 minutes.

The nearest corner shop, Alepa, is located 200m away. A shopping mall with 2 big grocery stores and a liquor shop, Kauppakeskus Saari, is a kilometer away. The Baltic Sea is only a few minutes away by car, and 15 minute walk there is a nice yacht club (Pyysaari).

Helsinki

• Welcome to Helsinki is the official website for tourists. From there you may find information about the pearl of the Baltic Sea. https://www.myhelsinki.fi/en

Outside Helsinki and Finland

A nice idea for a daytrip outside of Helsinki is to visit Porvoo, a picturesque small village (within a boat trip or by car or bus).
In case you want to explore further away, it is possible to take the ferry to Stockholm, Sweden, or a fast ferry (2.5 hours) to Tallinn, Estonia.

Further information

Don't hesitate to ask more: olliville (@) gmail.com

Previous exchanges

8/2012 Lingen, Germany    
7-8/2013 Kingston Upon Thames, Greater London, United Kingdom 
7-8/2015 Caen, Normandy, France
7/2016 St Gallen, Switzerland
7/2017 Ireland