This review was submitted before 2018 and has not been verified.
6/10 Okay
mary w.
13 July 2016
Great location, so-so accommodations
This apartment definitely has its pros, but there are a lot of cons - you’ll have to decide if some of the inconveniences are worth it to stay in a so so apartment in a great location for a reasonable price in a REALLY expensive city. Pros: awesome location for sightseeing, great amenities nearby (Pret, Dr. Inks, grocery, tube, 5 minutes to the Thames, and lovely river-side cafes), very safe area.
Cons: this apartment says it sleeps 7. Not. Four people, tops, 2 in each bedroom. We have 3 children, ages 19, 18, 15. The oldest and youngest boys took the other bedroom, and our long-suffering 18 yo daughter got stuck with the rollaway in the living/kitchen area. Living room and kitchen is one big room, about 20’ x 20’. Couch and armchair (which are VERY WORN and need to be replaced, desperately), and when you put a rollaway bed in there, it’s simply too crowded, with luggage. There were five of us there, and it was crowded. FWIW, the beds were ok - we’ve found that beds in Europe are notoriously hard compared to America, and these were no exception.
Layout - bedrooms face the busy road in front. Good sound proof windows, which we shut at night and slept well. No AC, so if you have to keep them open, could be a problem.
Baths - need work - discolored grout, broken tiles. Shower curtain doesn't go all around tub, and you only get 6 towels (no bath mats or hand towels). Need to be careful about not spraying water outside the tub, bc there's nothing to wipe it up with :(
Hallways/security - Elevator, newly rehabbed lobby. Keypad in front has used the same code FOREVER. The numbers are so worn, that you can’t see them anymore. No crime in the area, but it wouldn’t take a genius to figure out what the code is just by looking at the worn-away numbers on the keypad.
Overall, a bit shabby to what we are used to - and I’m not a clean freak (3 kids, 2 dogs) by any stretch, but I do expect these rentals to be better maintained. Scuffed walls and scratches on hardwood floors, and substandard cleaning - not unlike my house, frankly, but I expect a clean apartment in good repair for what we paid, with adequate towels and bedside lamps (only overhead lights in bedrooms - terrible!)
I have experience in property rental and know the costs and labor involved to fix these small issues. It seems the owner embodies the quote 'penny-wise and pound-foolish' completely. He would be well-advised to spend a bit to spruce it up, and make it more comfortable.
