All in all, it's a wonderful value, a charming flat in a perfect location, excellent amenities ... some potentially off-putting quirks.

I'll start with the apartment: It's a story in itself. The pictures don't lie; it's filled with curios from the life and travels of your gregarious and eccentric host. All the features of the flat are in great working order - strong hot water with great pressure in the shower, a good washer, etc. If the smell of smoke bothers you, note that there's a strong smoky odor in the living room which permeated the luggage we kept there - it's mostly unnoticeable from the bedroom and bathroom, however. The most unusual feature of the apartment is the host's collection of 47 clocks, settled everywhere you can think of, ticking constantly and cuckooing at random moments. It didn't bother us too much, but if you're sensitive to background noise, you'll go crazy. And it's up 3 flights of stairs - a fairly minor inconvenience.

Next, the location: It's perfect - just off of Regent Park and close to several Tube lines, it never took more than 20 minutes to take the Underground to any major attraction. There's also a nearby gym, several grocery stores, a pharmacy, and good pubs all around. You're also a block away from the terrific Indian food on Drummond St.

Last, the host: As I've said, Les is a gregarious man, talkative and pleasant. Two unfortunate incidents mar what was a pretty nice stay, all in all. First, sleeping in late the penultimate morning of our stay, we awoke suddenly to find Les entering the bedroom. He apologized profusely, saying he hadn't realized we were there. But he apparently objected to the fact that he found our laundry drying while we slept, although he had raised no objection to our use of the washer when we asked about it. (There's no dryer, which is common in the UK, so we used the drying rack, as he'd indicated we should. I still don't understand the miscommunication here.)

Lastly, we returned to find a regretful complaint from the host indicating, as best as I can tell, that we hadn't emptied the trash bins in the kitchen and bathroom. (We also did not launder the sheets and tablecloths upon leaving or scrub the bathtub or kitchen sink, although everything was left tidy - sheets folded, dishes washed and dried, etc.) In retrospect, we realized that he had pointed out the key to the trash bin 3 floors below, but given that none of the trash bins was at capacity, we hadn't inferred this was an expectation rather than an option.

This was unusual and unfortunate, and I chalk both of these incidents up to cultural miscues and miscommunication. I don't think they should prevent you from renting Les' flat. But be aware of these peccadilloes, and make sure you're clear on his expectations for use of the flat before you do.