I loved my 7-day stay in this flat; bright, dry, warm, quiet, nicely renovated, and well maintained. If you’ve lived in London you know you can’t take those things for granted.
Flawless contact with the host, very friendly and helpful and quick to reply. Picking up the keys at a local 24h shop was easy.
The flat is situated two flights up in a charming old building. There’s no lift so be prepared to carry your luggage. The stairs up to the flat can appear a bit grubby if you’re not used to London housing, but fear not - the flat is a delight once you’re inside.
Modern bathroom, great bed, large comfy sofa, windows that keep the weather outside (not always the case in the UK) and everything’s finished to a high standard.
The bedroom is at the back of the building - very quiet, lovely view, and the opposite building is quite far away so it feels really private.
The local area is really nice. Restaurants, bars, pubs and even a great yoga studio are all within a 10-min walk. Also, it’s just a stone’s throw away from a tube stop, and near a high street with tons of shops and services. Very convenient.
There’s a Whole Foods within a 5 min walk - if that’s not a sign of a gentrified area I don’t know what is.
However, this being London, you will encounter a mix of people when you’re out and about. Rich and poor (and everyone in between) live cheek by jowl in this city. That doesn’t mean that the area is dangerous. It’s just very London. If you only want to see rich, white, non-intoxicated people, go stay in Barnes or Richmond.
A couple of things to be aware of - there’s not much countertop space in the bathroom. I was grateful for the hanger hook on my toiletry bag so I could keep my stuff handy.
And the bedroom curtain is fine, but it’s not a blackout curtain so you might want to bring an eye mask if you’re sensitive to light.
Also, the night before the bins get picked up, everyone will be putting out their rubbish onto the front steps of the building. If that happens to be when you arrive (it was for me) you might not have an ideal first impression of the place!
Finally, Americans need to be aware that this is an old-style European property with a lot of character, which means uneven floors, relatively small floorspace, and no straight angles anywhere. The place deserves every positive review it’s getting, but it’s not the Four Seasons.
