My wife and I stayed in Chris's flat for almost 2 weeks, along with 2 kids (ages 15 and 9). We had a great time, but since we stayed for a prolonged stay I wanted to give more details.
First, the positives of this flat:
- Very large...we were pleasantly surprised by all the room we had to spread out
- Very quiet...little street noise, and I never heard neighbors except when they passed down the hall
- Great location...literally a block to the Farrington stations
- Fantastic service...Chris (or the management company he uses) is fantastic about taking care of the stay
There are a few things to be aware of as you consider this location:
- No A/C...that pretty common, but it's something to be aware of (more below)
- Morning sun...even with heavy curtains the sun can be pretty bright and warm (more below)
- Neighborhood patterns...this is definitely an office-heavy neighborhood (more below)
- As others have mentioned, the hall bath is in much better shape than the on-suite. That being said, it's fantastic to have 2 bathrooms.
No A/C: again, not uncommon in London, but something to be aware of. We were there during a stretch of several hot days, and you really can't stay in the room if it's that hot. That being said, if you're staying in London you should be out in the day! One positive was that the management company proactively reached out to me to ask about bringing a fan to help with the heat. That was much appreciated.
Morning sun: When we were there, sunrise was ~4:30AM (and it was light much earlier than that). The bedrooms had heavy curtains, but we kept them cracked to let air in from the windows, so it was still bright. If anyone sleeps in the living room, the slats don't block the sun as well so it's brighter in there. If that might bother you, I'd advise bringing sleeping masks.
If it's sunny (as it was for us), there is also a bit of a fish-bowl effect where the room gets increasingly hot throughout the morning. That tended to get us out of the room by ~9AM on sunny morning as it started to get uncomfortable. This wasn't a big deal for us as we were heading out every day to see the sights. On the flip side, the room is shaded in the afternoon, so it becomes much more pleasant later in the day. I'd say on sunny days, it's more comfortable in the room at 3PM than it is at 9AM.
Office neighborhood: Not a negative at all, just something to be aware of. The crowds around Farringdon seem to mirror that of office workers. I imagine the casual restaurants in the area are packed at lunch (we weren't ever around that time of day), but in the evenings there's almost empty. On the flip side, the pubs are packed to overflowing by 5pm on weekdays. On the weekends (and on the day we had a rail strike during our stay) the area is very quiet. Some places close on the weekend, but if they're open you can have a much quieter experience than during the week.
This is all information that would have given me more peace of mind when I booked this place for our vacation. Knowing what I do now, I would have still chosen to stay here. The only definite negative I'd give the apartment is some needed repairs in the on-suite bathroom. Everything else I mentioned above isn't necessarily a negative; they're just things to be aware of when making your choice.
We really enjoyed our stay and would recommend this flat to any others looking for a larger place to stay in London with great access to the Underground and tourist sites.