Not bad - a couple of things. First, the cautionary notes. This isn’t a property run by the owners. It’s an investment property farmed out to a management company that handles a lot of Air BnB’s for investors. The upside is that you probably don’t want to have to trade chit chat with someone for a half hour in their home before you move in, the downside is that - in this instance - the check in and checkout times are taken very seriously so you should plan your flights accordingly. If you’re outside their check in/out times you will possibly be forced to cool your heels somewhere.
Secondly, the second bedroom upstairs in the attic doesn’t have a door. This isn’t a problem for us as it was for our child, but if you’re traveling with another couple or colleague you will have a slight privacy question since whatever you do in the living room can be heard upstairs and vice versa. No late night TV! But, for families etc, it really isn’t a concern.
There are a lot of good things to be aware of. The unit is very bright. It is extremely quiet. Almost no traffic, no street noise, no apartment noise from neighbours. Nothing. I was very impressed. All the windows open in every room so you have air movement, and they have a large fan in the unit for the hot days. The heating system worked very quickly, too, for the colder mornings.
They kitchen is very well equipped (oddly missing drinking glasses but lots of tea mugs!) so you can safely shop for dinner. If you want to go out, you are 12 minutes with an 8 year old from Portobello Road, with every restaurant you need. The walk to Latimer Tube with child is about 15 minutes, I did it alone in 10. There are a couple good bus lines close by. Getting to Soho was about 40 minutes, edge of Hyde Park about 30 minutes. So not bad travel times in exchange for quiet. By the way, you are 10 minutes from a very good swimming pool for swimmers.
Number one thing to commend on the apartment is the management company’s cleaning services. It was one of the cleanest Air BnB’s I’ve been in, even so that my wife remarked on the effort. In contrast to the kind of slightly weird chaos to figure out when to leave and check in that we experienced, it’s a very fair trade off.
After ten years of Air Bnb in virtually every corner of the globe I take my “duty to review” very seriously, along with my decade of sterling reviews from hosts. I would stay here again, and I have become much more grumpy in my years about a lot of things and beyond the extra layer of bureaucracy this was a well handled, appointed place. If you need a “real” second bedroom this isn’t for you. But if you are a couple or have up to two responsible children this is a very good place.
PS With the steep stairs going down to street (this is a top floor unit) and the patio without railings, this *might* not be a good choice for a family with a child that moves at lightning speed and has no fear. A tumble could occur. The listing does point this out, by the way.