My girlfriend (coming in from Dublin) met Francien the night before I landed in London and Francien was so gracious. They went out for dinner together and Francien made her feel totally at home. I arrived the next morning. We stayed up in the loft for four nights and totally enjoyed our time with Francien. We loved meeting her daughters and friend Cecilia from Australia who was passing through London. Francien is very welcoming and made us feel totally comfortable. The accomodations were warm and clean and transportation to downtown was very easy as there are eight bus routes that all stop a block away. We loved the 159 but if you want to use the tube - the Brixton station is only a short bus ride away.