We had a fantastic time in London. Kate’s house made our trip very special! We absolutely recommend her place.
We, a family of 5 (2 teenagers –a boy & a girl, my mom, my husband, and I), traveled from California to London and stayed there for a week in April. It was our first time to visit London. I chose Kate’s house because I wanted to feel like a home.
First of all, the descriptions and the pictures are absolutely accurate. The first floor has a living room, dining room, a kitchen and a ½ bath. The house is clean and also has a nice backyard. The second floor has 3 bedrooms, each has a single bed, and a full bathroom. The loft (3rd floor) is a master suite which has a very comfortable US King size bed. Here are few notes to share:
• The nearest tube station is about 10 minutes’ walk. There are a grocery store and general stores around the station. We enjoyed the daily walk, great weather, and the blooms around us. Very pretty! Just, to be prepared a lot of walking in London if your daily life doesn’t do much walking
• The house is in a residential area. The neighborhood is nice, friendly, and quiet.
• 2 guinea pigs in the backyard. My kids enjoyed spending time with them so much every morning and evening when we returned. Kate offered to send them away, but my kids wanted to take care them. The 2 guinea pigs brought us a lot of joys during our stay. They made our trip so special and more fun!!
• There was a problem with a toilet in the second floor. It kept running after flushing. We had to press the button several times, so it could store water for a next use. But it didn’t bother us since it’s not the only toilet in the house.
• Most places accept credit cards. Since mine doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees, 98% of the trip spending was paid with a credit card in a local currency (GBP) to take advantage of a better exchange rate. Check with your credit card company. We only used cash for a general store purchase and restaurant tips. My ATM card charges 1% of foreign transaction fee and $0 for a withdrawal, I still get more compared to the currency exchange shops’ offers.
• Get an Oyster card for a public transportation. We spent about £30-40 per adult. And prepared to have tons of fun :-)