DESCRIPTION: old-charm apartment on the third floor (no elevator) with a lovely view of the South Kensington rooftops. It consists of a large living room (with sofa bed if need be), a small bedroom with a double bed, a kitchen nook, and a small but functional bathroom with a toilet, sink, and good-sized shower. There is no air conditioning, but the rental agency provided us with a large fan within the hour of us asking for one since we arrived in the middle of a July heat wave. Large windows make for a bright and airy space, but it was a little too bright in the bedroom in the morning for my personal taste (black-out drapes might be a good idea). The décor is basic and functional. There is a small tv with British channels. The kitchen is equipped ok in terms of appliances and utensils, but there is no dishwasher. Linens are provided, as are small soaps and little bottles of shampoo and shower gel. Everything was very clean.
ARRIVAL: the agency’s contact person met us in front of the apartment to give us the keys and a quick tour. Asking questions from home and on-site was always quick and easy.
WIFI: free and worked well.
LOCATION: this apartment is quite central. It’s located in South Kensington and the Gloucester Road Tube stop is only 5 minutes away on foot. The area is served by three of the main Tube lines (District, Central, and Piccadilly), as well as many buses. You can reach the apartment directly from Heathrow airport by Tube in roughly 45 minutes. We found it extremely easy to reach any destination in the city centre within ½ hour or less.
NEIGHBOURHOOD: the neighborhood is absolutely charming with its rows upon rows of white houses. It is an upscale part of town for sure. There are many pubs and restaurants nearby. The supermarket (Waitrose) is right at the Gloucester Road Tube stop and there’s also a 24h convenience store nearby (Tesco, across the street from Waitrose). We never heard our neighbours, but we found the window panes a little “thin” so you would always hear cars going by at night. Thankfully, this isn’t a very busy street. Finally, we always felt very safe in this area, even at night.
I do recommend this apartment. Thank you for making it available, theatre compatriots!
