We had an absolutely wonderful time staying at Sue's place with our 3-year old and 10-month old. The flat is so welcoming for a family: comfortable and brimming with books and toys. We were a little worried that it would be too small for us, but it was perfect and didn't feel cramped. The kids' room has a bunk bed with a trundle bed underneath, which helped us be flexible with sleeping arrangements. Having a washing machine in the flat was a tremendous asset, and it was convenient to have computers with internet available as well.

The location in Bloomsbury is terrific: a 7-minute walk to Holborn and Russell Square Tube stations, a 5-minute walk to the Brunswick Centre shopping plaza (with a Waitrose supermarket), and a 3-minute walk to Coram's Fields children's park. Also, the street is lined with lovely little shops, cafes, and a small supermarket. (We even saw Jude Law right outside the front door!)

Sue is a terrific host. She is very friendly and supportive, and quickly responded to any questions we had. She was out of town during our visit, but made sure we had local contacts if anything came up and checked in with us remotely during our stay.

The street is pretty quiet - there is little vehicle traffic and most of the noise comes from conversations at the nearby restaurants. There are morning garbage trucks and the restaurants were a bit loud on weekend evenings until about 10pm.

Being August, the weather was pretty hot for much of our visit, and the flat does not have air conditioning. (There are a number of windows and you can get a decent cross breeze to keep things from getting too stuffy.) Also, the curtains are lightweight and let in lots of light - the kids woke up by 6:30am every day.

The flat is on the second floor with no elevator, so you do have to lug things (strollers, groceries, etc.) up two flights of stairs.

Even with those small downsides, this flat was terrific for a trip with small children. We could go out for a morning adventure in the city and then return for an afternoon nap, with a trip to Coram's Fields filling out the day. Our kids had such a good time playing with all the toys and books in the flat, and we loved seeing them get time to play together.

I would absolutely recommend this flat. Thank you, Sue, for the wonderful vacation!