Our 1300sqft home is an 8 min walk (0.3 mi) to Surbiton town centre & Surbiton Rail Station (20min by train to Waterloo Tube & Rail + London Eye + South Bank, with 10 trains/hr). You can be in the West End, Covent Garden, Soho and the major tourist areas of Central London in 25-35 minutes (8min walk to station + 17 min train ride)! Relaxed open-plan area, beautiful bedrooms, sunny spaces, gorgeous garden with BBQ (grille), and luxurious amenities in a vibrant, family friendly neighbourhood. This area has one of the lowest crime rates in all of London. Walk 5-10 minutes to all sorts of neighbourhood cafes, delicious restaurants, groceries, etc. Our home is spacious, airy & convenient! Perfect for couples, groups, families. This is a 4 bedroom house (1 King bed, 1 double futon/sofabed, 1 double bed, 1 single bed, and if needed, 1 child's mattress and 2 single mattresses- these can be placed on the floor in any room). Our house can accommodate 7 people comfortably, and up to 10 people if some of them are kids.
Getting around
-From Surbiton station (8 min walk, 0.3 mi), there are 10 trains per hour to Waterloo Station. Fast trains take 18 minutes, semi-fast trains are 25 minutes, slow trains are 30 minutes.
-From Waterloo station, you can walk to the London Eye, South Bank. Or cross Waterloo Bridge to Covent Garden, Soho, Chinatown, and the West End.
-From Waterloo station, you can connect to 3 tube lines: Jubilee, Bakerloo, and Northern lines. Waterloo is a VERY convenient station and is the major hub for all the trains to the Southwest.
-10 min by train to Wimbledon (4 trains/hr)
- Fast, frequent buses to Kingston (journey is 5-10 min, 4 bus routes, with buses every 2-4 minutes). Two minute walk to the bus stop on Ewell Road.
- To visit Hampton Court Palace, take the train 2 stops (7min train ride from Surbiton Station)
- For a day at Brighton beach, take the train for 1hr 10min from Surbiton station.
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We always check our nightly rates to make sure that they are competitive with others across London. We have deliberately set our nightly rates to be one of the most affordable 4 bedroom properties in London. Those homes with lower rates are likely to be because: (1) the area is not as safe or (2) the transportation networks are less convenient (3) you're not within easy walking distance to shops, restaurants, cafes, parks.
Bedroom 1: The bed will comfortably accommodate tall people. In North America, it is Queen size, in the UK, it is King size.
Bedroom 2: There is a bunk bed. The top bunk can accommodate a small adult. Anyone can sleep on the bottom which has a very comfortable foam mattress.
Bedroom 3: Single bed (memory foam).
Bedroom 4: This is the biggest bedroom. There is a John Lewis double sofabed (see photo) which is very comfortable. It also faces the street so it is not absolutely silent (like the other 3 bedrooms). Normally, we use this room as an office.
Kitchen- If you like to cook (like me), you'll love this kitchen. We have a range with 5 gas burners + grilling plate, 2 ovens + 1 warming oven, dishwasher, American-size fridge-freezer, microwave, toaster oven, kettle, Instant Pot, rice cooker. Spices, oils, coffee, tea- it's all there for you.
We also bought a brand new top-of-the-line Napoleon BBQ during lockdown. We're happy for guests to use it, but we ask that guests scrub down the grills properly after each use, otherwise an additional cleaning fee (£30) will be charged.
If you want some downtime, you can read our books and play our board games (if you treat them with care). Or you can relax with TV and movies on Netflix and Amazon Prime. We also have a garden sofa where you can relax outside in the summer sunshine while the kids play.
About Surbiton (our little corner of London)
I have so much to say about Surbiton, which I *love*. It is a mixed, middle-class neighbourhood- some people have lived here forever and others are new families who have immigrated to London from around the world. It has a pretty good university (Kingston University), a beautiful riverside, a thriving community spirit, excellent schools, and an all-important fast connection to Waterloo station. In practice, this means that it's full of professional couples and young families who work in Central London, and want a quick commute + some green space. For you, this means easy access to the West End, a very safe and green neighbourhood, and a lot more space to move around.
Conveniences: 1 minute walk from a large Londis (fresh baguettes and pastries every morning!). 3 different supermarkets within a 10 minute walk: Waitrose (high end supermarket), Marks & Spencers Simply Food, Sainsbury's (3 separate locations), Surbiton Farmer's Market, Robert's dry cleaners, Regency Bookshop (wonderful for kids), Post office.
Favourite places to eat: The Press Room, The French Table, The French Tarte, Surbiton Grind (indie coffee shops), Masaniello Pizzeria (Naples pizzeria), Boat Sushi, Thai Secret, Pisces Fish & Chips, Pickled Pantry for brunch, Naturally Chinese, Thali Ho (for the *BEST* Indian), Surbeanton, Wags & Tails (cafe by day, bar by night), Caffe Nero, Costa Coffee. Almost everything is 8-12 min walk away in the town centre.
Favourite pubs: The Grove, The Lamb, The Black Lion (owned by our neighbour). I can name 12 more pubs within a ten minute walk if you want to try them all.
More food options: McDonald's, Pret, Kokkoro, Gregg's, Caffe Nero, Costa
Closest parks: Balaclava Park and Alexandra Park are both 15 minutes walk away. They have FANTASTIC playgrounds for kids and big open fields. You can also book tennis courts for a small fee. Alexandra Park is also good for running. Fishponds park (10min walk) is perfect for a stroll- beautifully landscaped and large enough for a good game of football. And we even have Oakhill Bird Sanctuary which is a 7 minute walk away.
Runners and cyclists- we are not far from the Queen's Promenade. This is a gorgeous run/ride by the river. See photos. If you're willing to do 6 miles/10km, you can go all the way around Bushy Park, right past Hampton Court Palace, and all the way back to Surbiton. It is serene and and breathtaking at the same time.
We live around the corner from the Surbiton library. It's a great place to take the kids and read stories.
Fitness: There are several Yoga and Pilates studios in Surbiton, including hot yoga. All are located on Surbiton high street and you can pay per class. They are about a 10-12 minute walk.
You can also take classes (Spin, Yoga, Pilates, Freestyle Step, Zumba, Bodypump) at the YMCA for £8 per session.
Surbiton's hippie culture was dramatized on a famous British Sitcom, The Good Life. I'd say the legacy of that spirit is best captured by the State of Seething which runs events like the Trycyclingathon, Surbiton Ski Sunday, and the Surbiton Food Festival.