My one word review of our stay: wonderful. My family of 4 stayed with Simon in early August 2015.

First a discussion on Simon, our host. Simon was extremely communicative and responsive throughout the process, and bent over backwards to ensure we had a nice stay. He helped us get two tickets to an Arsenal game while we were there, and he met us at the Arsenal tube station to walk us to the place and give us a neighborhood tour (ably assisted by his adorable daughter.)

The place itself really was lovely as described. It appears the home had recently been renovated top-to-bottom, and everything was spotlessly clean and Simon had made room for our clothes in the closets. My kids fought over who got the top floor room, with its view of Emirates Stadium, but each child had their own bedroom and the adults had a spacious bedroom as well. There is also a small bathroom on the upper floor which might be a little tough for an adult to shower in, but was perfect for kids. Americans should be aware that the kitchen is small by American standards, but is not lacking anything and it worked great for us. We also really enjoyed the garden in the back...it was a nice place for a glass of wine at the end of the day.

We chose this place partly because of its proximity to Emirates Stadium (my daughter is an Arsenal fan). The stadium is a 5-minute walk away, as is a couple of small markets (e.g. Tesco Express). Restaurants are a bit farther (10+ minute walks), but walking to several of the closer restaurants are pleasant strolls through Highbury Fields parks. Arsenal and Highbury & Islington tube stops are 10 minute walks, but Drayton Park (2 minutes away) is open on weekdays and can shorten travel time considerably. Our world-record time was 19 minutes from pulling the house door shut to tapping out at the Leicester Square tube stop. The neighborhood is very quiet at night, and several neighbors were friendly and asked if we were enjoying our holiday.

All in all, a great experience, great home, and great host!