We reserved the apartment for a week that included record-breaking heat in London. While the unit doesn’t have AC (a rarity in London to say the least), we were able to manage with the large, airy windows, and the supplied fans.
The location of the apartment in Bayswater near Kensington is really good, especially for the money. The unit has a good amount of space for our family of two adults and two kids under 10; we had more than enough space for our stuff. The linens were clean and comfortable, which is not always the case with Airbnbs we’ve rented.
There were a few areas that folks should be aware of:
* The hallways definitely smelled intensely of smoke; it stayed mostly contained in the public areas but was noticeable in the unit entryway and bathroom. We had seen other reviewers take note of this as well.
* The kitchen and bathroom could have been cleaner: we noticed a handful of dishes/utensils/glasses that required cleaning before use, the electric tea kettle didn’t look like it had been cleaned and/or had warmed up a liquid that wasn’t water, and the medicine chest in the bathroom had not been wiped out after previous use.
* The unit is on the third floor and there are no bars/screens on the original windows; definitely not something to leave small kids unattended near unattended.
Overall, though, Etsh was a great host; he was very communicative and addressed any questions or suggestions we had promptly.