Introduction
We
are Deena and Ivan.
We just happen to be currently in Cave Creek Arizona USA house sitting June July 2020. We are returning to Mexico at the beginning of October 2020.
We do not have any reviews on this site, but have many stellar reviews on TrustedHouseSitters and HOuseSitMexico if you wish to see them.
We
are an active, older, non-smoking couple who have a healthy
lifestyle. In 2012 we made the decision to travel the world for the
foreseeable future and set ourselves up to work from wherever we
were.
Together, we thoroughly enjoy traveling and meeting new
people.
We
have a wealth of experience and a wide range of interests, each of us
having owned and extensively renovated many houses over our
lifetimes.
We both have a great sense of adventure and are keen
to embrace new cultures and communities.
Ivan,
an Engineer, works in the IT industry and is able to work remotely.
Our only requirement is a fast and reliable WiFi. He is able to fix
and maintain most anything given basic tools and parts so he would be
able to handle almost any house fix-it emergency before the
appropriate repair person can arrive. In his spare time he enjoys
scuba diving, yoga, working out, hiking and camping and reading up on
the latest technologies and practicing Spanish, Portuguese and
Russian for greater fluency.
Deena
is also an Engineer and has worked as a Project Manager with custom
builders. She is a qualified Naui Scuba Diver, a licensed Thai
massage therapist and has worked in Real Estate. She has a basic
proficiency in many languages and hopes with practice to become
fluent again in Italian, French, German, Spanish and Hebrew.
In
her spare time she enjoys exercising, camping and hiking, yoga,
cooking and learning anything for which she has no previous
experience. She is exceptionally clean and tidy and takes great pride
in a well-run home.
Why
we house sit
We
have a travel website and blog which acts as a resource for other
travelers and allows us to chronicle our journey.
We invite you
to browse over there and take a look: http://www.TakeABow.com
We
enjoy immersing ourselves in the local community and house sitting
enables us to do this to a much greater extent than just passing
through as travelers.
We like to travel at a relatively slow
pace which allows us to fully appreciate the local cultures,
traditions, people and language.
Our
work and freelance projects require a base and we have found house
sitting offers us a wonderful retreat from life on the open road.
Our traveling style allows us to relocate for longer stays and
appreciate the local flavor of the area in depth. Consequently, we
would be more than happy to accept a house-sitting assignment of
almost any term. We focus on caring for your home and animals while
integrating with the local community.
We
look forward to experiencing local customs and developing friendships
that we may otherwise have missed out on. House sitting involves
caring for a few furry roommates and as we are both from pet loving
households we enjoy the familiarity it brings.
What
we bring to the assignment / relevant experience
Our
previous house ownership has given us a wealth of experience with
which to confidently and responsibly care for your home and
animals.
We have raised children and pets ourselves and
completely understand what it means. We offer you piece of mind when
leaving your property and pets in our care. You can be sure that we
will maintain the property to an exceptional standard, keep your pets
happy and warm, and take great care of your possessions.
We
are mature, honest, ultra reliable and would always go out of our way
to do the right thing by a home owner.
References from owners of our previous house sits"
Stephanie Reisler
Ivan and Deena are a pet-sitting dream team! In fact, our pets are in mourning now because, during the housesit, Max and Rosie received an unparalleled amount of care, attention and exercise! What we love about Ivan and Deena is the wonderful combination of responsibility and attention-to-detail mixed with flexibility and a laid-back, forgiving kind of approach. For example, with short notice, they agreed to extend their stay as we wanted to lengthen our vacation. When we mixed up our dates and unsuspectingly came back a day early they were �ber flexible, kind and polite about it. They drove our family to the airport and even took our car in for servicing while we were away. Communication was always prompt, and included such questions as "Is there anything you'd like in the fridge when you come home?" Of course, our home was immaculate and the garden well cared for when we returned. We would not hesitate to recommend this experienced house and pet-sitting duo. They are also seasoned world travellers who can easily adapt to various global living situations. We look forward to staying in touch with our fascinating new friends Ivan and Deena.
Amy Huczek
Ivan and Deena took care of our three pups for a week while we were on vacation. They were super organized and lovely to communicate with. The house was spotless when we returned and it didn't appear the dogs even noticed we were gone! We would definitely recommend this fun couple for house sitting.
Kenneth Schmidt
Deena and Ivan are terrific. We have 2 border collies and a sensitive cat. Our pets were our greatest concern since they are an important part of our family. The dogs were much loved and cared for and taken regularly for long walks. Our sensitive cat, who usually does not respond to anyone, warmed up to them also immediately. The house and garden were tidy and well-cared for during our absence. We would be delighted to have them house/pet sit again.
Jonathan M�ller
Ivan and his lovely wife Deena, have been exceptional the times they house sat and looked after my pets. I would not hesitate having them back or recommending them to anyone who wants a very willing, helpful, honest and reliable mature couple in their home. What was amazing was when Taffy got sick while I was away. Ivan and Deena went way out of their way to handle it.
Nancy Whittiker
Deena and Ivan are AMAZING. We are so glad we found them when we needed someone to house sit and look after our pets.
They know all the right activities for them and took them on long walks twice a day. Ivan loves hitting a ball around the garden for our dogs and even our shy cats joined in.
Deena and Ivan are very tidy and always make sure their feet are clean after walks and coming in from the garden. Thanks so much for all your care and attention guys.
Jackie Winterspoon
I've had the occasion to have Ivan and his wife, Deena, take care of our 2 horses while we've been away.
They arrived a couple of days earlier in order to make the handover seamless. They were very attentive to make sure they would do everything the way we liked it (and the way the horses were used to).
They took the initiative to care of other parts of our ranch that he had not even requested. You can imagine how pleased we were to see a number of improvements and repairs that we hadn't even imagined.
My husband and I would not hesitate for a moment to have them come back and would absolutely recommend their services to anyone interested.
Brian Malcom
Oh Deena and Ivan are the best house and pet sitters! They are a mature responsible couple who go out of their way to do right by the homeowner. I'm sure they were equally respectful of our pets who seemed very content when we returned after our extended holiday of 4 months.They didn't seem to want to leave Ivan and Deena's sides.
It was also great not to have to worry about anything to do with the house while we were away. Ivan, and Deena are both engineers, and excellent at small repairs that they just took care of what needed to be done and didn't even bother us with minor problems.
We would wholeheartedly recommend them to any homeowner or pet owner. You wouldn't find better!
Darlene Shotter
When we met this couple, Ivan and Deena, they seemed like good old friends from the start. We had the pleasure of spending a couple of days with them before leaving on our vacation and leaving our house and pets in their care. We, of course, emailed and spoke by phone first, but it's always nice to spend time in person. They are well-traveled with many great tales of their house-sitting jobs and taking care of animals. We will definitely keep in touch with them as friends now. We would recommend this couple to anyone looking for a mature, sensitive, patient house sitter.
Brian P Parker
I like these guys. Deena and Ivan were really attentive to our pets right from the start. Our pets don't warm up to just anyone! They did to this couple. They are the perfect house sitters becasue they spend most of their time indoors working on their computers. They told us that our little dogs sat on their laps during their work (good thing we didn't have a bull mastiff). They took such good care of the house that it practically put us to shame - it was cleaner than when we had left!
Joy Silverman
We would recommend this mature couple to anyone. Our pekinese were very comfortable with Deena and her husband, Ivan, right away. We knew when we met them that they would be very patient with them and give them a lot of attention. One of our dogs is not well and he seemed much more perky when we got back. The house ws left really clean, tidy and everythng in its place when we got back. We wold give their name to anyone who wanted a reliable, non-smoking, friendly, careful pair of house sitters.
Employment References:
Walter Sole
Ivan has worked for me for over 25 years. He is the most diligent, reliable employee I have ever had. He goes above and beyond what is required in any project and would always do the right thing by each one of my clients as well as other employees. He is the primary reason I have been able to keep my company in operation through poor economic times. His problem-solving skills, perseverance and dependability is prevalent in any of his endeavours. I am sure he would be outstanding in anything he chose to do.
Salvatore Manzone
Deena has worked with me 20+ years. She has been my invaluable employee. I can assure anyone that she goes the extra mile with whatever she does. She is dependable, personable, conscientious and hard-working.
I'm sure that if she is now house-sitting and pet-sitting, anyone who uses her services will have chosen the best.
I definitely recommend her with the highest commendation for any position in which she is involved. Thank you
We have hosted many people in our house, both for couch-surfing and as a Bed & Breakfast. In addition, we have stayed at others' houses, both paid and free.
Character References from our B&B Guests:
What an amazing place to stay in Florida. Ivan and Deena were so kind, loving, sweet and so eager to make my stay comfortable. I truly enjoyed my stay an loved the friendliness of the neighborhood and people. Fresh fruit and a delicious protein drink every morning along with some of the best coffee I have ever tasted. I only bought one coffee my whole stay and it compared nothin to the stuff Ivan roasted. Yum yum! The hot tub was a wonderful morning and evening starter and they even had bikes you could ride down to the beach or around the lovely neighborhood. I had a lovely time in Florida thanks to my new friends. :) Amanda
If you can't feel at home with this wonderful couple, you can't be comfortable anywhere..... Great breakfasts...coffee, granola, steel cut oatmeal and fabulous smoothies. Enjoyed every facet of our stay....great movies,conversation, and a wealth of information. Would do it again in a minute!!
Private Feedback:
Thank you both for the great getaway, so enjoyed meeting you. Please keep in touch....you are always welcome here. We would love to show you around our neck of the woods. And Deena, the clothes are perfect...thank you! Holly and Jim
Very nice room in a quiet area of Wilton Manors, but just a few walk from shops and restaurants and a short drive to Fort Lauderdale. Ivan and Deena are great hosts and there home is very nice! Most of their food and beverages are home made and so delicious. Really recommendable!
Private Feedback:
Back at home we would like to thank you for a wonderful start in our honeymoon. We enjoyed to stay at your beautiful home. You are such a great host! Best regards from Germany Achim & Ramona
Ivan & Deena were fantastic host, and MORE than accommodating. I came to the area, to relocate and their home was a perfect selection for my introduction into the Wilton Manors neighborhood. They live within walking distance of Wilton Drive and all of the shops, bars and eateries that it has to offer. If you have a car, then it lets you escape the neighborhood-- however it is not necessarily needed. The room was tranquil, and quiet, and allowed me to get my work done in peace and quiet. There was a TV, as well as a music system of which I didnt use much, but the option was there. I hardly seen Ivan & Deena around, as they had their own agenda, which was no bother to myself. Deena offered coffee, tea, snacks, at every moment, and I was just adorned with undivided attention. I am most grateful to the hosts, and highly recommend that you stay with them, should you be in the area. You will not regret it!...
Private Feedback:
Thank you so much! I really enjoyed my stay. Good luck to you folks in your move to Brazil-- maybe you will encounter some great airbnb hosts yourself... :-) James
Ivan and Deena SO INCREDIBLY exceeded any expectations I had coming in. I don't know how they do it! The room is incredibly nice, upstairs near theirs, and sports a big couch, fast wi-fi, a nice dresser and very comfortable bed. Their house is super-cute. It's well decorated and it appears they did all the improvements themselves. There's a backyard with a hot tub and fish pond. And the house is a 10 minute walk from the gay bar strip on Wilton Drive. And the hosts... Wow! They are a cute, artsy, well-traveled couple. They're burners and have lots of friends in the community... they went out every night I was there. I think more than anything I was impressed by their homemade foods: Deena made delicious granola, a caca�a drink and a few high-protein smoothies from their Vitamix. She MADE HER OWN YOGURT and ALMOND MILK. Ivan made some great pad thai (from scratch) and ROASTED HIS OWN COFFEE.... seriously... it was better than any I'd ever tasted. They're extremely generous with their food and entertainment. I would come back just to hang out and share food with them. I only wish I could be so generous!
Private Feedback:
I think you guys could probably charge more for this. When and if you guys become fabulous expats you should totally run a B and B! I'll be back :) <3 Matt
Saying goodbye to the strangers we met only a handful of days earlier was not easy to do. Ivan and Deena were the best ! I would recommend Wilton Manors fab bedroom/hot tub to anyone wanting to travel without the worries of leaving the comfort and security of home. Their place was our place. A special thank you to you both. Kelly and Nancy
It was a great first experience with AirBnb. Ivan and Deena are wonderful, warm hosts and my stay was comfortable and thoroughly enjoyable! I had a great time talking to both of them. If you are a vegetarian then you are in for a feast with the lovely delicious home-cooked food make by Deena. Overall, a great place with wonderful company. Sharadh
The second time staying at Deena and Ivans homeplace, because of the magic ;) We can only reply, what we said in our first feedback . Deena and Ivan are so nice and cute, and delightful and funny and.....we love them. It was a great time. Everything was perfect , we look forward very much to see them again.
Private Feedback:
We are now in old cold germany :) Thank you so much. You got the pictures and video "elvis The Great" in the next days. Big hug Markus and Joerg
Can I leave 10 stars? Great location, comfortable room, excellent hosts and the best homemade granola, yogurt and juices I've ever had. I would definitely stay here again when I'm in Florida. Howard
To stay at Ivan and Deenas house is like feeling home. So kindful and delightful lovely couple. We had a lot of fun with them and nice diskussions.The bedroom is perfekt and the hot Whirlpool in their garden gives you a good relaxing time. In the morning they serve you a great healhty homemade breakfast. Be careful they have some incredible magic that force you to come back to them :) we changed our travelplans to stay our last two day of our vacation again by them. Look forward to see Ivan and Deena Joerg
On short notice, we changed our travel plans, but this wasn't a problem for Deena and Ivan. As soon as we stepped into their house, we felt at home or visiting friends. They made us a drink and asked us to go with them to a salsa party. We enjoyed one of the best breakfasts during our trip and for sure the best coffee!!!! The list of positive impressions is so long that I would need more than 500 words to describe. So, to keep a long story short: we enjoyed our time in their house and definitely come back. Hey Deena and Ivan, open a hotel, please - you are made for this job. Please let us know :-) Nadine
What's not to like at Ivan's?!!! Comfort, quiet, charming hosts (Ivan & Deena), generous offerings of homemade foods . . . their welcome was so friendly I immediately felt at home and like I'd known them from before . . . perhaps another lifetime . . . Although I may never find myself in Ft. Lauderdale again, if I do, I'll surely want to stay with them. Kudos!
Private Feedback:
I'll be/stay in touch and put my DVD in the mail tomorrow. Thanks for a lovely experience, letting me make my home away from home in your comfortable and charming nest. Stephen
This place is extremely under rated. That's my main critique :-) It's my second stay with Ivan and Deena, after stays in 4 other Airbnb places, and this time I had much more time to enjoy and appreciate their hospitality. Seems like Ivan and Deena were born to host :-) They obviously enjoy it so much and invest in it so much, they deserve getting about double the price that they ask for today. The food they prepare and serve is extra healthy. They love good healthy food. We watched together the film "Eat Drink Man Woman" (Taiwanese film), and I think that title suits them wonderfully! :-) This film is one of the hundreds of foreign films they have in their on-disk library, so if you like foreign films - now you know where to go :-) Ivan and Deena helped me a lot with so many things. They directed me to a wonderful Salsa dance school, where I enjoyed a lot; to wonderful restaurants like Galanga (Thai and Sushi); to an extraordinary unusual chiropractor, to yoga centers and much more. They just love to host, and they really deserve a hotel of their own somewhere nice, somewhere in the world (they speak also Portuguese and Italian, French, German). Their house is in super shape (they work from the house), the room is big, nice, comfortable and got more than what you'd expect. They go by "me casa tu casa", and I felt like we've become family :-) In between my stay with Ivan and Deena I was hosted through Airbnb in Brooklyn (NYC), Miami Beach, and two other places in Fort Lauderdale. I can compare what's out there. This place is the best, also beyond price range, in Fort Lauderdale area! The internet speed is high also in the room, also for skype sessions (Ivan is also into web technologies, so it's not wonder); I didn't use the outdoor hot bath just because I didn't feel like it, but you may like it. It's in the nice garden, right by the golden fish pool :-) Ivan's place is in a quite nice neighborhood of private houses. I'd say it's probably kind of "upper middle class" neighborhood. For me, the quietness and the good atmosphere in and around the house were important and enjoyable. In short: Highly recommended. And I'll come again! Gadi
We stayed with Ivan and Deena for 3 days and had such a great time. They were such a friendly couple. Showed us around the place and even dropped us at the airport. They had bikes that they let us borrow and gave us maps and directions for things to see. A great place to stay. Jennifer
I came to Ivan's on a last minute notice - I registered online and in two hours I was at his place. I really don' t understand how come he and his girlfriend don't already own hotels and restaurants! Seems like they are built for it. They are world travelers, speaking also Portuguese and Italian, cooking and preparing and serving delicious raw food (without any extra charge). Amazing, wonderful, interesting, positive energy hosts! In the morning I had to leave, after long talks with them into the night. It feels like we're long time friends already. And I wish to return to their place soon. Gadi
Private Feedback:
How can you improve? Well, create your own hostel/hotel :-) You know I really believe in you for this. I ain't jokin'. Love, from Toronto (where I have a very minimal-conditions type of experience, staying with my Palestinian friend, in very modest setting. That's part of the adventure... :-) We're going to a Caribbean festival today :-) Gadi
Stay here!!! Everything was amazing: the hosts, the location, the place, the drink they made for me shortly after I arrived, the selection of films (yep, we watched a really good one before I headed out for the night), the outdoor area with fish pond where I ended a really long, really fun, night.. Matthew
Another wonderful stay with Ivan & Deena! As usual these Hosts go above and beyond to make sure your stay is a great experience.
Private Feedback:
Thank you for the hospitality and letting us join you on the Art walk :) Lorna
Stayed again and it was great! Beats staying at a hotel as they are incredible hosts. Private Feedback:
Thanks for the hospitality again. You guys are awesome! Carlos
The house was beautiful. Love the sound system in the room it made the room welcoming and inviting. Deena and Ivan are amazing hosts, such great people and incredible hospitality. Clean room comfortable bed couldn't ask for more especially waking up to home made breakfast. Amazing coffee and freshly squeezed almond milk. Highly recommend!
Private Feedback:
You guys were amazing :) Carlos
Thanks Ivan and Deena, I really enjoyed my stay, the bed was really comfortable, the breakfast and fresh juice awesome, you were friendly welcoming hosts, I'd stay again for sure. Jake
As my wife and I visited Wilton Manors, we were exceptionally kindly received by Ivan. He made us tea and we talked until late about all kind of sweet stuff (really: sugar, honey, etc). The bed(room) is clean and comfortable. In the morning Ivan made fresh bread for us. Delicious! He served it with a fresh smoothie and some fresh orange juice. Ivan is a great host and enjoyable person. Thank you!
Private Feedback:
thank you, we really enjoyed our stay. Boudwijin
Ivan was a great host! His home was very clean and cozy, and I particularly love how knowledgeable he was with surrounding areas in Miami and Fort Lauderdale. Too bad I only stayed for 3 days, I wish I had more time to explore Florida.
Private Feedback:
Ivan was a great host! I enjoyed the amenities he provided us with and how warming he was. It made our trip even better. I will definitely stay at Ivan's place again next time i go back to florida Bill
The location is great with lots to see and do. Our room and the entire house is exceptionally clean and inviting. Our room had a very comfortable bed and private sitting area. Ivan and Deena are the most gracious of Hosts, they went above and beyond to make sure we were comfortable and had all we needed to enjoy our stay. We truly enjoyed staying with them and would highly recommend their accommodations and hospitality!
Private Feedback:
Ivan and Deena - I can't thank you enough for your hospitality and for spending all that time cooking for us. You went above and beyond! I didn�t want to mention the meals in the review, in case you were just spoiling us :) But again thanks so much, we hope to see you on our next trip to the east coast. Take care, Lorna & Ken
Employment References:
Deena has worked with me 20+ years. She has been my invaluable employee. I can assure anyone that she goes the extra mile with whatever she does. She is dependable, personable, conscientious and hard-working.
I'm sure that if she is now house-sitting and pet-sitting, anyone who uses her services will have chosen the best.
I definitely recommend her with the highest commendation for any position in which she is involved. Thank you Salvatore
Ivan has worked for me for over 25 years. He is the most diligent, reliable employee I have ever had. He goes above and beyond what is required in any project and would always do the right thing by each one of my clients as well as other employees. He is the primary reason I have been able to keep my company in operation through poor economic times. His problem-solving skills, perseverance and dependability is prevalent in any of his endeavours. I am sure he would be outstanding in anything he chose to do. Walter
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