Even before we arrived in London, I already loved the hosts of our Airbnb. The listing featured so much information and so many pictures that I felt like I knew what I was walking into. Aisling, her sister, Ciara, and her parents, Paul and Kate, were so accommodating.
I emailed Aisling about whether the place would be good for me because I was traveling with a teenage son, and she immediately offered to bring in a roll away bed for him. It was my first time overseas, and they answered every question – about the best tours, sites to see, and how to get from the airport to the apartment.
When we arrived, I squealed over the adorableness of the place. It is beautifully decorated, yet comfortable and welcoming. On the kitchen counter was a handwritten welcome note and a basket of bagels and snacks. The refrigerator was stocked with milk, orange juice, cream cheese and even ice cream bars, plus plenty of tea and coffee.
It turns out that they bought a brand new pull-out sofa for the living room, which my son slept soundly on for 10 hours straight that first night. So I’d say it was comfortable.
Our favorite part was the small balcony with a table and two chairs outside, where we started and ended each day. The view of the city was unreal – The Shard, the London Eye, the train tracks and rooftops. The sunsets from there were spectacular.
The location was perfect, a short walk to Tower Bridge, Borough Market, parks, pubs, coffee houses and restaurants. It was an area that let us feel like locals instead of tourists. Aisling and the hosts gave plenty of recommendations for their favorite spots and easy direction to get there so we moved around confidently.
The hosts were easily reachable by phone and email, which was great because the night before we were scheduled to take an early-morning bus tour out to Stonehenge, I emailed in a panic for help figuring out how to get where we needed to be by 5 a.m. The tube wouldn’t be running at that time. Paul researched a couple of options and got right back to me. It was so sweet. We felt very well taken care of, even though we never actually met the hosts in person.
We fell in love with the city, with their help.
We stayed for a week, and I noticed that after a few days, when we were done for the day, we’d say, “Let’s go home.” Because that’s what it felt like. Home.
I have already told three other people planning trips to London about this Airbnb. We’ll definitely be back.