It's my husband's and my first time to London, and we thought it was just something to check off our bucket list (we have an affinity for various Asian countries). First of all, London blew us away, and staying at Michael's place has made it an even more pleasant and welcoming experience than expected! We're definitely coming back again :)

The place is very close by the Aldgate East station in zone 1 (about 5-10 mins, depending on pace), and is very close (30 seconds-1 min) to two fantastic Indian restaurants and the convenient store Tesco (2 mins) that sells everything. Between the hustle and bustle, his place is a quiet (and extremely clean) retreat, and we were often torn between exploring the city versus staying-in and relaxing. We rented the top two floors for both of us, and his place is exactly as pictured. We sneaked some self-taken pictures on our facebook (is that allowed?), and now all our friends want to stay at the same place when they travel to London. My only gripe (and it's really just my preference) is that it only has one mirror, which is in the restroom. Being someone who takes 1 hr in front of the mirror to get ready, it was a bit difficult sharing the restroom with my husband in the morning when getting ready. I should've brought my own compact mirror, but I'm sure the rest of you normal folks will be just fine.

Michael is a gracious host without a fault, who managed to be attentive, yet provided enough space for privacy. We've met him once during our four day stay, and he was a great person to chat with. We mentioned several things in passing (such as recommendations for food in London/Paris, and our need to do laundry), and he actually remembered everything, and emailed us in details. Trust him on his food recommendations, you won't regret it. I look forward to staying at his place the next time we get to visit this gorgeous city again!