A family-of-four experienced a real life version of The Holiday when they swapped their home for a villa in Cyprus with strangers from Facebook.
Emma Coulthurst, 37, was trying desperately to take her Mario-Kart obsessed son, six, to Super Nintendo World in Los Angeles when she started searching through house swap sites.
When her Facebook post failed to attract a potential swap, Emma felt as though she should give up.
But six weeks later, a couple based in Zeytinlik, Cyprus, offered to swap with them instead.
Although it was not quite Super Nintendo World, Emma decided to go for it and booked her family in for a three-week holiday in July 2024.
Emma Coulthurst poses in Cyprus with her husband Martin and their children – aged six and eight
The Coulthursts spent the three weeks in July 2024 basking in the boiling sunshine and eating traditional mezze by the pool. Due to the house swap, they did not pay to stay in the idyllic accommodation
The Coulthursts spent just £1,600 on flights and jetted off to the idyllic three-bedroom Cypriot villa – complete with a pool and BBQ area.
Emma says they spent £3,000 in total – and insisted that they would have spent the same amount had they been in the UK for the summer holidays.
The 37-year-old mother, who runs an art supply company as well as a holiday let out of Woodcock Farm in the Peak District, Derbyshire, said: ‘We said we wanted to live rather than holiday.
‘We just spent a lot of time just at the house – we had everything we needed there.’
Emma and her husband, Martin, 37, a project director in construction, first started doing holiday let swaps in 2022 after being strapped for cash while renovating their home.
Through the thrifty scheme, the young family visited the Pembrokeshire coast, a caravan park and Blackpool for free – just by letting other rental owners stay in their holiday home.
This year Emma started looking for a house swap to take her son to Super Nintendo World after he had seen it on YouTube.
‘My son is obsessed with Super Mario,’ she said. ‘He talked about it all the time.’
‘I thought I would love to take him there but it was so out of our budget so I thought why not see if anyone wants to do a swap.
The Coulthurst family first started doing holiday let swaps in 2022 after being strapped for cash while renovating their home
Emma runs an art supply company as well as a holiday let (pictured) out of Woodcock Farm in the Peak District, Derbyshire
People flocked to the comments of Emma’s post to gush about how this swap would be like a ‘real-life The Holiday’ – a 2006 Christmas film starring Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Kate Winslet and Jack Black.
Despite the busy comment section, Emma said there were ‘no takers wanting to swap’.
But six weeks later, in September 2023, Emma got a comment from an English woman who lived in Cyprus with her husband.
The couple were looking to spend three weeks in the UK to view houses there.
Coincidentally Emma’s mother was on holiday in Northern Cyprus around the time the swap was being arranged and went to vet the couple.
Emma said: ‘I was just hoping my mum would say “hi” and check they were real.’
But after meeting the generous couple and seeing the villa in real-life, Emma’s mum simply told her: ‘You’d love it!’
That was all the validation the Coulthursts needed and they booked their flights when prices went down in January 2024.
However the day after they purchased their tickets, the other couple messaged to say they had found a house to buy in the UK – but agreed to honour the swap anyways.
So Emma and her husband Martin flew out six months later with their children – aged six and eight – who were ‘besides themselves’ when they saw the villa.
The three-bedroom villa in Cyprus has a pool and a BBQ area
The Coulthurst children were ‘beside themselves’ when they first saw the villa in July 2024
Describing their first evening in Cyprus as ‘pure magic’, Emma said: ‘We had seen the lovely surroundings. The sun was going down.
‘We went round the side of the house and there was the money shot – the pool with lush greenery around it.
‘It was just so exciting.’
The young family spent the next three weeks basking in the boiling sunshine and eating traditional mezze.
On one particularly warm day, the family went to a water park – spending just £80 on entry.
‘That’s probably less than the cost for one person in the UK,’ Emma said.
While on their dream vacation, Emma decided to visit Alagadi beach and book a private hatching to see baby turtles.
Recalling the once-in-a-lifetime moment, she said: ‘There were buckets with wriggling little turtles – all climbing over each other.
‘They gave everyone a turtle to hold.’
While on their dream vacation, Emma decided to visit Alagadi beach and book a private hatching to see baby turtles
They returned to the villa again in August 2024 because it ‘cost the same’ as a holiday in the UK
The Coulthursts returned to Cyprus in August 2024 with Emma justifying the second visit by saying: ‘It cost the same as if we’d stayed at home and done all the stuff we normally do in the summer holidays.
‘We like to go for dinner once a week and the kids have summer clubs and day trips.
‘Our holiday let was still running so it meant we had an income.’
Emma said she would be open to doing another house swap in the future and would encourage other families to do the same – as long as they do their research first.
She said: ‘The house swap was incredible. It was different and so special.
‘It was food for the soul. We felt so at peace and calm.’