This apartment is quirky and unique. James communicates promptly and in detail, which is great.
The accomodation is, however, nowhere near as tidy, spacious and bright, as the photos suggest. While we love the personal touches of AirBnB homes, this one was too intense for us. With a rather strong smell of men's after shave or perfume in the flat, plenty of very worn shoes and jackets in the hallway, and lights on in the apartment it felt, as if the owner might have just popped out to get milk and would be back any moment. We just didn't feel like this space was ours for two days.
Also, the cleanliness was an issue for me, as the cloths etc in bathroom and kitchen were so old, I wouldn't use them to clean anything but that is probably a personal trade of mine.
It was very cold in the apartment, as heating was off (in December!)
and by the time we had figured out how to turn in on, it was the morning of our departure... that is, especially with children.
We sadly also had a security issue with someone trying to get into the apartment with a key twice. The person disappeared, after I had addressed him/her loudly through the door and my husband had subsequently opened it and inspected the hallway. That was scary. We informed James and he got back to us promptly, advising us to call the police, if it happened again or we felt unsafe. He also suggested to push the latch at the door knob up, to secure it from the inside. The communication with James went without a hitch, and he said he would habe the lock exchanged. Needless to say, this isn't the setting for a relaxed weekend in London, particularly with children in tow.
The area is lovely, Battersea Square charming and pretty. We had a lovely, super child-friendly dinner at Gordon Ramsey's 'London House' next door. There's a superb bakery/cafe across the road. And it takes you under 5 minutes to reach the Thames Footpath. Swing across one of the nearby bridges and you are in Chelsea.
The rooftop terrace would be a great asset in spring and summer, but was under construction now, so unsafe for the kids to play.
The roif