The studios (#22 - Unique Notting Hill Studio, and #21 - Terrific Notting Hill Studio) are both conveniently located right in the heart of Notting Hill, within 3-5mins walk to the apartment. The apartments are basic and functional and good for very short-term stays (like 1-2 nights maybe). Billie was responsive over the platform, though unfortunately not contactable over the phone as she was in an area of limited service.
We stayed for 5N and considered the studios a little of a challenge, though it was basic and functional enough for our 5N's stay. Challenges / areas of improvement which could make a longer stay comfortable:
(1) #22 was without a blind or curtain for 4Ns, though this was looked into and rectified by Billie by the 4th night. However, there was a miscommunication - when I was informed that the blind could only be in the studio on the 4N, I did not want to have it. It was however, installed that day when we were out. So the studio was entered without our presence, and there was debris (white bits of the wall, probably from the drilling) on the bed and floor when we came back.
(2) the shower heads for both studios were fixed to the wall and high up. The water splash direction and power was variable - sometimes the water power is soft and gentle and you take longer to wash off the soapy areas longer than it should, and sometimes it is powerful enough to have a shower. Studio 21 has the problem of water splash being only concentrated against a wall, which my friend had to stand in that corner of the wall to get any decent wash. After bathing a while in Studio 22, the temperature of the water got cooler and cooler after a few minutes of wash on the 3rd night onwards, and then turned completely cold. I had to stop bathing altogether at one point, or rushed through a bath to ensure that the water does not turn cold. It got to a point where both my friend and I find it a real challenge to bathe at the end of each day.
(3) The carpet in studio 22 looks really worn and dated. Perhaps this should be replaced.
(4) For any longer stays beyond 1-2N, the 6-7 flights of stairs up to the studios have to be considered. It was a challenge for us after a long day out, and we were travelling with rather heavy luggages.
(5) I believe there to be many studios within the building. They are partitioned and so the walls are paper thin. You can hear the radio or telephone conversation from the next room clearly (if you are side by side with someone). However, generally, we dont hear any other much noises from other residents, so the place is quiet and private enough.