This was a different experience for us. The flat was ideally located: tube station, restaurants, groceries, post office, banks, Hyde park, Kensington gardens and more. It felt safe and centrally located.
The terrace was wonderful and the apartment felt spacious. We enjoyed the floor plan (bathroom was large, living area was spacious and very bright, and the kitchen had plenty of room too.) Although it was incredibly hot in the bedroom and difficult to sleep. Apparently we were there when London was unusually hot.
That said, the apartment was not as clean as I would have liked. It felt like I was using the flat of a university student who had left for a weekend. There was stuff everywhere (I resorted to using a window ledge for my toiletries and even that had personal supplies on it). The fridge had shelves of half used items that should have been thrown away, the cupboards had boxes of various items that had been spilled in them and not cleaned, the stove had rusty old trays in them. There was no room for any of our clothes or food. In addition, the sheets, towels, dishes, et cetera, were all mismatched and felt, again, like castoffs from university days.
It comes down to choices. The location is amazing (a bit loud with traffic - foot and buses which could be expected in a major city) although very hot during heat spell and tidy not clean. Some people appear to appreciate having the casual nature of the flat. Depends on what each person anticipates.
I would stay there again for the location, but would have appreciated knowing that it was very different than all of the other five places I rented this summer. Elsewhere I was pampered with high-end linens and spotless living quarters. Here life was good filled with great memories of picnics in the park, Notting Market, M &S take away, adventures with the tube and sitting out on the terrace.
I am appreciative of the overall experience and would recommend staying here -although only after mentioning its shortcomings -in my opinion.