perfect london hideaway

Guest: Cory B. (Venice, California )
Date of Stay: 06/20/11 Review Submitted: 07/21/11

i stayed at 16 barlby gardens along with a gang of 4 travel companions for 4 nights in mid june 2011. we had an outstanding time. the house is immaculate-- the bedrooms (especially the master bedroom) are beautiful, the master bath is straight out of architectural digest, the living room is cozy and stylish, the kitchen and laundry are modern and user-friendly, and the front and back patios are magical. i/we would certainly stay at 16 barlby gardens the next time i/we come to london (and every time thereafter). the only slight drawback is the location. it is a legit 10 minute walk (if not a bit longer) to the ladbroke grove tube or portobello road, and to get there, you have to traverse a slightly dodgy neighborhood. but it's a true london experience, and well worth experiencing.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, romantic getaway, sightseeing, tourists without a car, age 55+, families with teenagers, girls getaway, families with young children.

Charming!

Guest: Family o f5 (Old Tappan, NJ USA)
Date of Stay: 06/24/11 Review Submitted: 07/09/11

The house was perfect for our stay in London and Rowan was wonderful! We came to London with our 3 children to do a couple of days of sightseeing. The house had a beautiful garden as we walked to the door and inside the house was very unique and welcoming. We found information at the house on how to get around. Unfortunately, the tube (Underground) station that we planned to use was closed for the weekend but we were easily able to take a bus to get into the center of the city. The house is exactly as listed, well-maintained and fun! We would definitely recommend this house!

Recommended for:Sightseeing, tourists without a car, families with teenagers.

Our favourite place

Guest: Rob, Rachel & Liam (Brisbane, Queensland, Australia)
Date of Stay: 04/15/10 Review Submitted: 01/04/11

We stayed in this lovely home in April 2010 for just under 3 weeks. Myself and husband and 3 year old son. The place makes you feel us if you actually do live in London with the locals rather than a Hotel. On arrival, we were greeted with a beautiful bunch of lilies, champagne in the fridge, bread, butter and milk and orange juice. Which were a lovely touch and very much appreciated. Rowan is a wonderful manager – helpful and friendly and was able to offer lots of little suggestions of things to do in the local area. Our son loved the big bath and local St Marks Park and we loved being so close to Sainsbury supermarket, the markets and public transport. The only down side was the home is a bit of a walk to the tube – which we didn’t mind as to get anywhere in London is a bit of walk and a train or bus trip. The home has everything you need, in the kitchen, shelves lined with great books, a laundry to wash your clothes and very comfortable beds. The place was kept lovely and warm with central heating and had a great little courtyard and front yard to play in. It was the perfect place and we would highly recommend this accommodation to our friends and family. As we have a done a world trip and stayed in VRBO accommodation in each place, we can honestly say that Barbly Gardens was one of the best places we stayed for value of money, location and house design.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, sightseeing, tourists without a car, age 55+, families with teenagers, girls getaway, families with young children.

Lovely Stay!

Guest: Karen & Alastair (Canada)
Date of Stay: 05/18/10 Review Submitted: 09/11/10

My husband and I and our 4 children are from Canada, and we stayed in this home for 2 nights after we had just arrived in London. Unfortunately, we lost 2 days of our stay due to the ash cloud delaying our flight, and we would have loved more time in this quaint home. It was just as advertised, and in our opinion, a much better option than a hotel. We were able to cook our own breakfast, and unwind with our children at the end of the day after exhausting ourselves touring London! All we needed was there, and we especially loved the gorgeous tub! We also appreciated the close proximity of Sainsbury's and the tube. Rowan, thank you for your understanding when we accidently drove away with a set of keys (which we immediately posted back). We would happily recommend this home to others.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, romantic getaway, sightseeing, tourists without a car, families with teenagers, families with young children.

Great Location

Guest: D & S (North Vancouver, B.C.)
Date of Stay: 08/01/10 Review Submitted: 09/01/10

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay this summer. The four of us found the apartment well appointed and it was a great home base to enjoy London. The local subway station was down for repairs during our visit but the bus got us into downtown in no time. Rowan was very helpful in helping us settle in and making certain we had everything we needed. Thanks for a great trip.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, romantic getaway, sightseeing, tourists without a car, age 55+, families with teenagers, girls getaway.

Our Stay in London

Guest: Alison (Nanoose Bay, Canada)
Date of Stay: 06/10/10 Review Submitted: 06/22/10

My family and I (2 small children plus husband) recently stayed at this accommodation and found it to be very pleasant. The property was located a short walk to the tube with bus stops just across the road. The pictures of the property were accurate and the property was clean and well maintained. We found the "manager" very helpful and thoughtful. I would recommend this property to anyone who was going to London.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, romantic getaway, sightseeing, tourists without a car, age 55+, families with teenagers, girls getaway, families with young children.

a great place to stay!

Guest: sabeno (seattle, WA )
Date of Stay: 01/12/10 Review Submitted: 03/23/10

Me, my husband and 18 month old son stayed here for a month this winter. it was a great little place and definitely a place I would recommend. I loved having Sainsburys a stones throw away and also St Marks park within reach. My son and I did a ton of city walking, and I think if anything, I wish I was a little more centrally located on the tube and to the tube station. it did take almost an hour to get to some of the places on the other side of the city, but I wont fault the location as the tube was having many hiccups at times during our stay. I will say that although the owner welcomes children which was wonderful, this place isnt exactly 'child proofed.' I wasnt aware that there are stairs until we arrived and some of the fragile looking fixtures proved to be quite the temptation. just something to keep in mind if you have a very curious child, like we do. otherwise, it was a beautiful place. thanks to Rowan and the owner for making our stay so perfect. I hope to be back!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, romantic getaway, sightseeing, tourists without a car, age 55+, families with teenagers, girls getaway.

Guest: Sahil Banka (Philadelphia, PA)
Date of Stay: 03/16/10 Review Submitted: 03/16/10

We stayed at the Barlby Gardens house for one week in Feb 2010, with four adults and a 2 year-old child. It was extremely comfortable, private, and beautifully decorated. All details were accounted for. There is a bus which runs in front of the house and a huge grocery store around the corner. The Tube is about a 15 min walk which was tough in the cold weather! Overall its a pretty good place for kids with fenced garden (Barlby Gardens) across the drive and a small patio in the back. Would definitely stay here again- only drawback is it can take 45 min or so to get to some main attractions on public transport (Westminster, Victoria etc...), but it was nice to have a beautiful, quiet home in which to stay.

Recommended for:

Guest: Aunt & 3 nieces (Boston, MA)
Date of Stay: 02/10/10 Review Submitted: 02/10/10

Accomodations superb, well stocked, beautifully designed home (we really did feel at home), helpful & friendly property manager, great transportation (use the Barlby Rd stop on Ladbroke Grove)links. Highly recommended.

Recommended for:

Guest: Andy Person (NY, NY)
Date of Stay: 12/07/09 Review Submitted: 12/07/09

Perfect place!! Stayed at 16 Barlby Gardens (Notting Hill) with my wife, her parents and my brother in-law (5)and found it ideal for us. Fantastic house, great design, comfort and convenience. We used the kitchen everyday for breakfast and Notting Hill was a great little neighborhood/adventure to wander around during our down time. Rowan made everything very easy and was always available to help as needed (even when the utility company botched up the neighborhood water) - he managed through a solution for us and was great at all times. A much better option for a few days in london vs. a hotel and really made for a great home during our stay. We'll absolutely stay here again -- no worries at all.

Recommended for: