Staying at Erika's was quite an experience. There was a Bed but no Breakfast, we were informed. Breakfast was at Toasts Cafe two blocks away towards the tube. The bedroom was in the basement and appeared to be decorated by blind children who cluttered the walls with knick-knacks, jumble sale items and assorted cast-off books. The furniture was quite faded, chipped and dented. There was a TV and a tray with a hot water maker for our tea. The view from the room was the dirty tool cabinet where we found the keys in the dark the previous night. It was just good fortune I brought a flashlight to trundle down the unlighted steps at 9:30 PM. Erika was not there to greet us. Three days before we were to arrive I got an email saying where she'd leave the keys...all this knowing we were to be late arrivals and on our first time to England.The room was clean enough and we had no complaints there, but we really thought that B&B meant just that. She also insisted that shoes were to be left upstairs and we complied. The first morning we saw why. The sidewalk was spotty with plenty of dog-merds left by uncaring dog lovers.
Her photos of her place are far from accurate. The photos of the building were taken from the communal area and not a street view of the bleak doorway that was far from welcoming. All in all, it was probably one of the more bizarre places we've stayed in 20 years and well worth sharing with our friends back home.