Patrik was an always very friendly, hard-working and reliable host. This applies both to communication beforehand and during the stay itself. Check-in and check-out were uncomplicated.
We chose his house predominatly because of the unusual style of furnishing, since we didn't want standard furnishings like in any other hotel. Unfortunately, this had distracted our eyes from reading the existing reviews thoroughly, where all the negative points we observed were already mentioned multiple times. In view of the very good occupancy of the rooms, in retrospect we estimate the total number of existing ratings to be rather low. Above all, since the proportion of critical reviews is still quite low despite the obvious shortcomings, we suspect that the more disappointed guests give fewer reviews than the more satisfied ones.
The rooms as such are clean and well maintained. Our room was quite small for 4 people, but still acceptable as a pure bedroom. The beds were rather mediocre, partly extremely soft and with squeaky metal grates. Overall, we still felt comfortable in the atmosphere.
The common rooms are cleaned and tidied up daily by Patrik, which is a positive feature.
The internet connection and wifi worked well.
The kitchen is a bit run down and the equipment is rather low level. A renovation was already recommended in reviews from 2016, but has not yet taken place. The dirty joints described at that time can still be admired today.
Overall, you live in the house rather cold. The heating was programmed to only run a few hours a day and the radiators were either turned off or blocked with furniture so that the heating effect was minimal. There were no adjustment options on the radiators.
The bathroom with shower is modernized and basically in order. However, after a modernisation, there should be a mixer tap at the sink and not two individual taps.
Main point of criticism: The entire upper floor of the house is rented to AirBNB guests, 4 rooms with up to 15 beds in total. There are then 1 small bathroom and the equally small kitchen with 4 seats available. This is clearly not enough! There were a maximum of 8-9 guests during our stay, and even that was borderline. If the bathroom is constantly occupied and only one group can use the kitchen at a time, it's annoying and can mess up your daily planning.
Our room was advertised as having ONE bathroom while the ads for the other rooms stated TWO shared bathrooms. However, the second bathroom is on the ground floor, in the family's private area, and is effectively not available to guests. We therefore consider this to be a misleading statement.
The house is well-kept inside and very individually furnished with attention to detail. As already mentioned, you have to share the taste in order to feel comfortable there. All in all, a typical English terraced house that clearly shows its age, especially from the outside.
The price/performance ratio is still good by London standards, the location almost directly on the Bakerloo underground line and not far from Paddington station makes it relatively easy for guests coming from Heathrow. From the Kensal Green underground station you can quickly get to the city and – if you are planning a visit to the Harry Potter Studios like we did – you can take the parallel running Overground straight to Watford, from where the free shuttle buses to the studio start.
Conclusion: If you are looking for a short stay that is conveniently located but still quiet, you plan to only eat on the go and you can keep your personal hygiene to a minimum for a few days, you are in excellent hands here. However, you should not make any further demands on the accommodation.