My family and I stayed 4 nights at Home Host’s(Alessa was the person in communication but the home owner’s name was kept anonymous) apartment in a lovely neighbourhood, in East London.
Location: Great! 10mins walk to Haggerston Overground with direct buses down the street to Central London. It’s also near the canal where you can enjoy the boat houses and cafes. However, the location where the keys (Old Street) are stored for collection is a bit inconvenient to navigate, Old Street is in a high traffic area, currently with quite a few road works. If you have a few luggages with you, add in the rain, be prepared to take another 30mins to collect the keys and bus ride before you arrive at the apartment.
Communication: Quick and helpful response from Alessa
Amenities: Although the apartment uses the same furniture, they have aged and need replacement. They have been arranged in a different layout so it looks a fair bit off from the photos advertised. The sofa has tears and the electric kettle doesn’t operate unless you put a constant weight on the button. The sleeping experience has plenty of room for improvement; master bedroom mattress doesn’t have support at all, so it sinks into the frame, the sofa bed has no cushioning, so your spine literally touches the spine of the frame.
Most of the door handles are lose from overuse and require repairing.
There was also a crumpled stack of A4 paper (the staple came off and it’s evident that it’s been used over a long time) which contained all the information for the apartment, placed on the coffee table.
Fortunately, the bathroom is great, with rain shower, large tub and hot water tank. Heater in the toilet doesn’t turn on (the connected electric box has a crack which can cause a potential electric hazard) but the heated flooring definitely saved the day!
Cleanliness: When we’d arrived at the apartment, it smelled of bleach, and the floor was still glistening from the fresh mopping. It’s not the cleanest, nor the tidiest but we do appreciate the effort. Towels were placed on newly changed sheets on the beds. However, we didn’t use the towels because it smelled mouldy (perhaps it was not thoroughly dried?).
It is a home after all, and considering the price, we truly understand that it’s not perfect. However, to be fair, the experience is far from how it was advertised.
I do wish the next guests and the home owner all the best after this review.