I am curious to know if sitters make use of all of the available rooms when sitting. I do not mean any rooms that are off-limits for any reason, but we have sat in several amazing homes recently. Homes we could only imagine owning, so we are very grateful and lucky!
We always thought that we would use cinema rooms, games rooms, gyms etc and were super excited to do so, then find ourselves just cuddled up with the pets in the main living area happy as can be
What rooms do you like using or can live without? Have you experienced any cool additions in a home? We used a sauna last night for the first time!
I have also stayed in houses like this. One was 8000 sq ft. I used the music room that had a fantastic electric grand piano with synthesizer stops, some that even duplicated the human voice, and by adding harmony you could create a choir.
But in general, I ended up staying in the same few rooms, which makes me realize that I am quite comfortable in an average sized abode or even an apartment, as long as it has thick walls.
But I would LOVE a sauna. So glad you got to use one at your sit!
Great question!
Yes if permission granted. In my experience HO have been thrilled to facilitate and share the unique features they are particularly proud of and get the most enjoyment. They usually love to entertain and share with friends.
My faves have been outdoor hot tubs in the country (thank you Shrewsbury), private bungalows filled with books, indoor/outdoor pools. I have also enjoyed when HO offer gym passes.
Wow that is a unique and impressive room to be able to use
We have been here 10 days and only just got around to the sauna so I think we are very much like you in that we are quite comfortable in the average-sized abode. Thick walls are a must!!
Weāve had jacuzzis and saunas and heated pools recently on various sits, all of which we have used & enjoyed hugely. All the HOs only told us a couple of weeks before the sits started (not in the application) as they didnāt want people choosing those homes based on these perks. Probably very sensible. We did have to talk ourselves into being so decadent We had a private gentlemenās bar on one sit, a cinema room on another & a private gym on another, we didnāt use those but only because there was a snug, a cosy sofa and wood burner & great walks that were more appealing to us. It all adds to the colourful life we are lucky to be living
@Cuttlefish Ours were mostly pleasant surprises as well.
Wow, what an awesome experience, however, the wood burner and pet snuggles would also be a winner for me.
We had a fantastic woodburning stove that ran 24/7 as it helped heat the house, there was an unexpected snowstorm and we were nice and toastie. Bliss
Thank you for sharing
We have an upcoming sit in France where the hosts are opening their outdoor pool a couple of weeks early- especially for us! Their listing showed a beautiful home & doggie & a gorgeous pool so we enthusiastically applied- wanting the whole package!. Later-on more careful readung we saw they only open the pool end of May/earlyJune and our sit starts early May! But we had such a good connection over the video call that they said ā if the pool is the deal breaker weāll open it early!ā Yippee!
A pool I will definitely use! And a bathtub if there is one- when its cooler. But weāve also had homes with fantastic gyms & cinema rooms etc and not ended up using them at all!! Every sit is so different!
@Lokstar Thatās so great that they offered to do that and now you get a pool! I am excited for you.
I absolutely agree that a bathtub is a real treat and itās great to know that itās not just us that do not get around to using the gym & cinemas
Iām sure most of us have been there. Entertainment rooms, gyms etc., yes and Iām in a bath tub every time person, showers just donāt do it for me (Iām very short and they are generally very tall, by the time the water hits me itās cold (exaggeration but just making a point)
One sit in Kamloops BC, Canada had the most amazingly engineered music room, it was the husbands passion. Fully soundproofed, acoustically perfect, with equipment to grace any professional studio.
Knowing I love music I was told to take advantage of the room, the equipment and the seemingly endless vinyl collection, āCrank it up, thatās the only way to listen to music, absolutely no one will hear anything, not even Joey, especially Joeyā
Joey was their Aussie terrier and my in home best furry friend ā¦ So how much music did I listen to? None ā¦ why?
Well even with the detailed instructions, including a video, of how to work everything I was so terrified of being that "By the way your system doesnāt seem to be working and I only ā¦ " person that I gave the room a very wide berth except to wield the duster.
Like most I just hang out in the most comfortable room in the home, the one the pets and I like the most, usually with a comfy sofa and yes a fire of some description ā¦ in the winter that is, summer if thereās a lovely garden room thatās where I can be found.
The last home we stayed in had a tennis court and pool. We used both and felt like Lord and Lord of the manor
Gyms are always a really great bonus that we get full use of
The ones we never use are cinema rooms - We have had them twice, one even came complete with a popcorn machine! - but they look so complicated to use that we end up on the settee watching Netflix on a 10" laptop screen
I have to admit being hypocritical here.
We were invited to do a dog sit about 20 mins drive from our house. We declined advising that we didnāt usually carry out local sittings. She replied advising that they had an indoor swimming pool, sauna, full gym and heated changing room and would we re-consider.
Well, of course we did it! Great dogs too.
I had this amazing, brandnew pool free to use last autumn during a sit in Scotland. The room and the water were beautifully warm, although it was already September/October because the special roof construction acted like a solar panel. And unless there was no farmer working the fields nobody could see youā¦ The owners were in the process to build a forest retreat there for paying guests - and for me it was all free! Isnāt it wonderful to be a housesitter?
@Colin thanks for reminding us of the great outdoor features of some sits ā¦ Tennis Courts, at one sit we had a the best Lab ball āboyā problem was retrieving the balls from him ā¦a mini putting green, swimming pools not my thing we had one in our home in France, Holly my Springer used it more than me and at one sit a mini putting green.
A great subject and conversation and while all of these mentioned āfeaturesā are wonderful a clean, comfortable welcoming home, whether thereās a cinema room or not is what we sitters look for, I know I do.
Itās all about the whole experience and most importantly the pets.
Great topic @Carla. So far Iāve had access to 2 outdoor pools but sat in the winter months and as these were not heated pools I declined to use. My current sit has a mini gym set up in a room but Iāve not used it despite the HO offering me full use of such.
We had a private gentlemenās bar on one sit, a cinema room on another & a private gym on another, we didnāt use those but only because there was a snug, a cosy sofa and wood burner & great walks that were more appealing to us. It all adds to the colourful life we are lucky to be living 
