We are Marie (32) and Nick (39) a married couple who live in Ilkeston, Derbyshire with our friendly son who is 10 years old. Ilkeston is a fabulous base to stay as indeed we found when we stayed here for a week before moving here 12 years ago. It is centrally located between both the cities of Derby and Nottingham, as well as being close to the M1 for cities such as Leicester and Sheffield. It offers excellent transport links to Nottingham and Derby and a train station linking it with Leeds and Sheffield - until then, if you require public transport, both Derby and Nottingham can get you to these cities or further afield to Manchester, Birmingham or London. The Peak District is approximately half an hour's drive away and you can find yourself in some of the most beautiful countryside known to mankind. We are keen walkers and kayakers and are happy to advise you on many fabulous places to visit and explore, or even come with you should you like the company. We live on the edge of a quiet estate in a large 5 bedroom house and can offer 2 rooms, each with a double bed in. There is a modern stylish shower room upstairs for you to use and a large kitchen dining room downstairs, as well as a separate dining room. The garden is large, secure and very private, so homestayers travelling with children need not worry for their children's safety. Children are welcome to come and go as they please :) We have a large lounge which is kept toy-free and a large playroom. Your children are extremely welcome to play in the playroom but we respectfully request that they tidy any toys away after themselves. We also own a labradoodle and 2 cats who are very friendly and used to children so the only worry you should have is whether or not you or a family member is allergic to animals. We have a washing machine and a tumble dryer should you find you need to do laundry during your stay, however, we respectively ask that you use your own washing tablets/conditioner. There is also parking for a car on our driveway so if you are driving, this is not a problem, however we are unable to host 2 cars as we already use our driveway for our car plus a large motorbike. We live on the edge of Shipley Country park which is an enormous council owned area to explore and play in, as well as having Derbyshire Wildlife Trust owning adjoining land and keeping rare farm breeds. There are hundreds of trails to explore and a few coffee shops for refuelling in! In our home we speak English but we do speak some French, Italian and Icelandic. Finally, it is extremely important to us that you feel very much at home in our home. You do not ask permission to make yourself coffee or tea... you help yourself! It is completely fine! Relax and be comfortable here! During your stay you will be like an extra member of our family :) If there is anything you'd like to ask, please drop us a message and we'll do our best to help! :) !!!***THE (NOT-SO) FINE PRINT***!!! *** Breakfast *** All guests are supplied with a simple breakfast. This consists of a choice of cereals, bread, butter, spreads, fresh fruit, juices, tea and coffee. We don't do much cooking at lunch or dinner time because we all have different things to do in the evening so we do not get a chance to sit and eat as a family as often as we should like! On a Sunday we may occasionally do a Sunday roast and if we do then you would be invited to eat with us certainly, but for other days we cannot cater and we recommend to you some good local cafes and restaurants in our town and nearby towns and cities. *** Payment *** -- We do NOT accept PayPal -- - UK residents - full payment must be received by bank transfer 1 working day prior to arrival, otherwise you are requested to pay in cash upon arrival. - EU residents - full payment must be received by bank transfer 3 working days prior to arrival, otherwise you are requested to pay in cash upon arrival. - Non-EU and rest of the world - full payment must be received by bank transfer 5 working days prior to arrival, otherwise you are requested to pay in cash upon arrival. *** Cancellations and refunds *** Cancellations made before 7 days of arrival will receive 100% of the payment made to us by bank transfer. Cancellations made between 6 days and 2 days of arrival will receive 50% of the payment made to us by bank transfer. Cancellations made 24 hours prior to arrival will receive no refund....