10/10 Excellent
Verified traveller
14 May 2022
Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Brilliant location
The best thing about this spacious basement flat is its wonderful location. It is a little over a block from the Gloucester Road tube station, and it is a stone’s throw from Kensington Gardens and many museums. The flat was also extremely clean. (Because it is below street level, it could at times smell of mildew.)
Compared to other places I have stayed, the kitchen is not suitable if you plan to do serious cooking. This will probably not be an an issue for most people who are on vacation. The kitchen is perfect for storing cold food and for heating up food in the microwave or in the oven. The kitchen also has lots of plates, bowls, glasses, and silverware. (Note: the small round sink in the kitchen is very shallow, and it is virtually impossible to use it without splattering water on yourself and the counter.)
In my view, this is not a suitable flat for anyone with mobility issues. The cement steps leading down to the flat appear to be original to the house. They are extremely steep and uneven, and the treads are shallow and uneven. They were very difficult for me to navigate, despite the handrail. In the flat, there is a step from the dining area to the kitchen. There are two steps into the small middle bathroom, which has a small sink, a toilet, and a shower (no tub). The bathtub in the back bathroom is on a relatively high platform with a very narrow ledge. This makes getting in and out of the tub difficult. There is a fixed glass shower door by the tap so I believe that bathing a child would be difficult as well. In fairness, we did not have a small child with us so we didn’t have to find out.
The flat does not receive a lot of natural light. The living room has large windows at sidewalk level. The back bedroom gives onto a small enclosed patio, which in turn leads to a sunny room with a desk. The middle of the flat receives no natural light. The flat has a lot of electric lighting choices, though, as well as mirrors, so it did not feel dark.
The wifi does not reach to the back bedroom.
While we stayed, the upstairs neighbors, who kept odd hours, were very loud. It was possible to hear both their footsteps and their conversations.
I highly recommend this flat for adults with no mobility issues who do not intend to do a lot of cooking. As noted above, the location is brilliant!!
Verified traveller
Stayed 7 nights in Apr 2022