Pros:
- Beautiful building. Stunning victorian apartment block. Exactly what you'd want out of a stay in London.
- Sensational location. Super close to lots of major sites/business districts all while being on a quaint, very charming commercial street. It's like a little pedestrian town in the heart of central London.
- The apartment has gorgeous bones. It's an original and hasn't been cut up from multiple units. You get a true one bedroom with the period details that are hard to find these days. Very high ceilings (about 10 feet), huge and plentiful windows. A (non-functional) fireplace and mantle. Real rooms that are separated by hallways and doors that close. A full separate kitchen. Superb. I liked the unit so much that I started looking for other apartment listings in the buildings in the event I'd ever move to London.
Cons:
- The furnishings could use an upgrade. Nothing is run down and the apartment is immaculately clean, don't get me wrong. But the couch is small and low-end, the furniture is on the budget side, the bedding as well. The kitchen could use more kitchenware. No soap in the bathrooms, salt in the cupboards, or anything like that. All in all, expect bare bones. Good bones, but bare.
- The unit is located about six steps up from street level, so you're quite exposed to the street. It can be kind of nice to be able to look out and see the lively surroundings, but some people might not like that. However, the building is surrounded by a sunken, fenced area (the kind that are common in London buildings with half-basement apartments on the bottom floor). With that, you don't feel like anybody could come peeping up to the window.
Would I stay again?
- If the furnishings were upgraded just a bit, yes in a heartbeat. I could even see myself living in this place full time. I liked it that much.
- With the current furnishings, yes I probably still would. Maybe not if I knew I wanted to cook at home a lot or if it was for an extended period where I knew the couch and bedding, etc. quality would start to bug me.
All in all, a very good, very clean apartment in a fabulous location. With a few tweaks, it could be exceptional.